On 08Jun2020 1647, shadow at shadowgard.com (via tml list) wrote:
> It helps to remember that "low berths" along with fast drug, slow
> drug and the low berth "lottery" were lifted direct from E C Tubb's
> "Dumarest" series.
I don't recall the lottery from them. The rest from them though.
> It's been a *long* time since I read any of the books, but I got the
> impression that they were more intended for shipping livestock than
> people. With livestock, if some don't make it, you just sell the
> frozen corpses to a butcher.
That was mentioned in the first book I think. It's not dwelt on in most
books (and Dumarest understandably avoids low passage as much as
possible), and in others is apparent that there are safer versions
around, though they aren't generally used on spaceships.
> Slow drug is named because it makes the world slow down from your
> perspective. Fast drug makes the world speed up so a week in jump is
> only hours.
In the Dumarest novels I get the impression it turns weeks into days -
the passengers using it still have enough perceived time aboard to need
diversions like socialising and gambling to pass the time. The crew who
mostly (the purser generally goes at 'high passage' speed so as to be
able to interact with the passengers) live at normal time (called
'middle passage') suffer much tedium and often turn to various vices.

--
Rupert Boleyn <xxxxxx@gmail.com>