Can anybody tell me the title of this SF book?

[raccoon]

It dealt with a group of sentient beings going on a quest (imagine that). Some of them were people. They started from a something like a college. They were on earth in the distant future.

One of them was "the Caryatid." (Sorry that's the only definite thing I can remember now.)

I think it was published in the 1990's.

Anybody out there recognize this?

[YankeyMCC]

1. Some of them where people?!

Aren't all sentient beings people?

;)

I did a quick search and came up with this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trapped_(novel)
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?isbn=0380813300

[raccoon]

2. Trapped by James Alan Garner, that was it! Thanks.

About the sentient people--I don't think the Carytid and some of the other beings in the book were exactly human.

[YankeyMCC]

3. See how insidious prejudice can be

...you're assuming people=human

I mean the reality today is that the two terms are equal (although some animal rights activists might argue that even today) but what about in a universe with other sentient beings, Advanced AI or aliens or...whatever