The Defenseless Dead
Encyclopedia
The Defenseless Dead is a novella
in the Known Space
universe by Larry Niven
. It is the second of five Gil Hamilton
detective stories. It was published in 1973 in the Roger Elwood
anthology Ten Tomorrows.
In the story, Organlegging
is rampant on Earth in the early 22nd century. In an attempt to alleviate the problem, the UN has just passed the first "Freezer Law", declaring paupers in cryogenic suspension
to be dead in law, allowing their organs to be harvested and made available for transplant
.
A few years later, Hamilton is finishing lunch with an acquaintance, when he is shot at in a seemingly random act by a local lunatic. Closer investigation reveals the attacker to be a former organlegger who retired after the first Freezer Bill went into law.
Science fiction philosopher Stephen R. L. Clark
, in his work How to Live Forever (1995), mistakenly credits this story with inventing the term "corpsicle
." The term had already appeared in Frederik Pohl
's The Age of the Pussyfoot
(1969), after an earlier spelling by Pohl was published in a 1966 Worlds of Tomorrow
essay, Immortality Through Freezing.
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
in the Known Space
Known Space
Known Space is the fictional setting of some dozen science fiction novels and several collections of short stories written by author Larry Niven. It has also in part been used as a shared universe in the Man-Kzin Wars spin-off anthologies sub-series....
universe by Larry Niven
Larry Niven
Laurence van Cott Niven / ˈlæri ˈnɪvən/ is an American science fiction author. His best-known work is Ringworld , which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics...
. It is the second of five Gil Hamilton
Gil Hamilton
Gilbert Gilgamesh Hamilton is a fictional character in the Known Space universe created by Larry Niven. He is one of the few science fiction detectives to appear in the genre...
detective stories. It was published in 1973 in the Roger Elwood
Roger Elwood
Roger Elwood was an American science fiction writer and editor, perhaps best known for having edited a large number of anthologies and collections for a variety of publishers in the early 1970s.-Biography:...
anthology Ten Tomorrows.
In the story, Organlegging
Organlegging
Organlegging is the name of a fictional crime in the Known Space universe created by Larry Niven. It is the illicit trade of black market human organs for transplant...
is rampant on Earth in the early 22nd century. In an attempt to alleviate the problem, the UN has just passed the first "Freezer Law", declaring paupers in cryogenic suspension
Cryonics
Cryonics is the low-temperature preservation of humans and animals who can no longer be sustained by contemporary medicine, with the hope that healing and resuscitation may be possible in the future. Cryopreservation of people or large animals is not reversible with current technology...
to be dead in law, allowing their organs to be harvested and made available for transplant
Organ transplant
Organ transplantation is the moving of an organ from one body to another or from a donor site on the patient's own body, for the purpose of replacing the recipient's damaged or absent organ. The emerging field of regenerative medicine is allowing scientists and engineers to create organs to be...
.
A few years later, Hamilton is finishing lunch with an acquaintance, when he is shot at in a seemingly random act by a local lunatic. Closer investigation reveals the attacker to be a former organlegger who retired after the first Freezer Bill went into law.
Science fiction philosopher Stephen R. L. Clark
Stephen R. L. Clark
Stephen Richard Lyster Clark is a British philosopher and former professor of philosophy at the University of Liverpool.Clark specializes in the philosophy of religion, political philosophy, science fiction, and animal rights...
, in his work How to Live Forever (1995), mistakenly credits this story with inventing the term "corpsicle
Corpsicle
Corpsicle is a term that has been used in science fiction to refer to a corpse that has been cryonically cryopreserved. It is a portmanteau of "corpse" and "popsicle"...
." The term had already appeared in Frederik Pohl
Frederik Pohl
Frederik George Pohl, Jr. is an American science fiction writer, editor and fan, with a career spanning over seventy years — from his first published work, "Elegy to a Dead Planet: Luna" , to his most recent novel, All the Lives He Led .He won the National Book Award in 1980 for his novel Jem...
's The Age of the Pussyfoot
The Age of the Pussyfoot
The Age of the Pussyfoot is a science fiction novel by Frederik Pohl, first published as a novel in 1969. It was originally published as a serial in Galaxy Science Fiction in three parts, starting in October 1966.-Inspiration:...
(1969), after an earlier spelling by Pohl was published in a 1966 Worlds of Tomorrow
Worlds of Tomorrow
Worlds of Tomorrow is an anthology of science fiction stories edited by August Derleth. It was first published by Pellegrini & Cudahy in 1953...
essay, Immortality Through Freezing.