Spares
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 1st edition cover of Spares |
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| Author | Michael Marshall Smith |
|---|---|
| Country | UK |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction / Fantasy |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Released | 1996 |
| Media type | Paperback |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-00-224656-2 |
Spares is a novel by Michael Marshall Smith first published in 1996, it was the follow-up to his highly acclaimed debut Only Forward.
Set in a futuristic fantasy world, with the first person narration of Jack Randall an ex cop and Gap war veteran. As in his other works, the narration is funny and readable, while you are conveyed through a series of disturbing and horrific scenes. Jack has been working as a caretaker in an isolated "Farm" hiding away from the world he has abandoned. The Farm is a place where clones (Spares) of the mega-rich and powerful are kept as the ultimate insurance policy - you lose an eye, ear or limb, you can get a replacement from your Spare. However when Jack starts to interact with the Spares he realises that they could have lives for themselves, so when one of them is due to be mutilated for the benefit of her double, Jack must go on the run with the Spares and confront the past of pain, loss and addiction he has been hiding from.
Dreamworks purchased the film rights for Spares but a film was never made. The similarities of the plot of Spares to the 2005 film The Island have been commented on.
