True. You have persuaded me back to my original position. Whoever made house elves was disgusting. It could have been done right (complementary intelligent species that enjoys doing a lot of necessary things we don’t, while still having rich lives of their own), but it wasn’t.
This is pointing at a general problem in sf—problems are needed to move the plot along, so some development which might have good or mixed results is burdened with other features that make it obviously bad.
The usual handling of longevity and immortality in sf is an example, but so is the [spoiler] included with the cosmetic surgery in Westerfeld’s Uglies or an AI in a novel called B.E.A.S.T. which was challenged by throwing a series of deadly attacks at it—it becomes violent and we have a story, but what would happen with a better treated AI would be more interesting.
True. You have persuaded me back to my original position. Whoever made house elves was disgusting. It could have been done right (complementary intelligent species that enjoys doing a lot of necessary things we don’t, while still having rich lives of their own), but it wasn’t.
This is pointing at a general problem in sf—problems are needed to move the plot along, so some development which might have good or mixed results is burdened with other features that make it obviously bad.
The usual handling of longevity and immortality in sf is an example, but so is the [spoiler] included with the cosmetic surgery in Westerfeld’s Uglies or an AI in a novel called B.E.A.S.T. which was challenged by throwing a series of deadly attacks at it—it becomes violent and we have a story, but what would happen with a better treated AI would be more interesting.