for the Brin-list

[Lymania]

Dear Brin Listers:

I am reading Robert Reed's science fiction book "Marrow" about an unimaginably ancient world ship that came drifting into our galaxy.  Humans were the first to find it so they took it over and got it working again.  Pretty good so far.

There are characters in the story called "Remoras" who are humans who have lived on the surface of the ship and therefore are exposed to mutating radiation.  Medical science is so advanced that they are seldom fatal mutations, in fact their specialty is to mutate in interesting and useful ways.

It seems like I have seen these Remoras before.  Reed knows Larry Niven, but I don't think it was Niven.  Maybe I read a Reed short story that featured the Remoras.

Does anybody have an idea where I am dimly recalling Remoras from?

Robert Reed has some interesting stories.  I liked "Down the Bright Way" best.  He could have expanded that one into a franchise.  But "Marrow" is beginning well.

Dan from Pennsylvania