A review by sophiereads21
Remnant Population, by Elizabeth Moon
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
What an absolute dream of a book!
Ofelia is a unique protagonist in sci fi (she's old! And 'uneducated'!). The company controlling the colony planet she lives and works on pulls the plug, forcing all the colonists to emigrate to a new colony planet. Ofelia decides she will stay and tend the garden and house she has lived in for 40 years and die quietly and alone in the place she has called home. It turns out though that the planet she thought was empty actually harbors intelligent alien life. What follows is Ofelia's journey to understanding the aliens and taking back her own life after 40 years as a wife, mother and worker for a corporation. However new human arrivals threaten to upset the balance and seem determined to only think of the aliens as silly animals.
While the first part of the book seems to drag (I still enjoyed all the scenes of her pottering around, cooking and gardening) it actually serves as an excellent counter point for the second half of the book and creates a great contrast between Ofelia's world view and the newer human arrivals. I felt SUCH RAGE on her behalf for the way she was treated and the way that the human team just couldn't quite seem to grasp the differences in culture between themselves and the aliens. Moon has a degree in both History and Biology which I think really shows through in her writing!
Definitely one to read for semi cozy sci-fi or if you liked Ender's Game
Ofelia is a unique protagonist in sci fi (she's old! And 'uneducated'!). The company controlling the colony planet she lives and works on pulls the plug, forcing all the colonists to emigrate to a new colony planet. Ofelia decides she will stay and tend the garden and house she has lived in for 40 years and die quietly and alone in the place she has called home. It turns out though that the planet she thought was empty actually harbors intelligent alien life. What follows is Ofelia's journey to understanding the aliens and taking back her own life after 40 years as a wife, mother and worker for a corporation. However new human arrivals threaten to upset the balance and seem determined to only think of the aliens as silly animals.
While the first part of the book seems to drag (I still enjoyed all the scenes of her pottering around, cooking and gardening) it actually serves as an excellent counter point for the second half of the book and creates a great contrast between Ofelia's world view and the newer human arrivals. I felt SUCH RAGE on her behalf for the way she was treated and the way that the human team just couldn't quite seem to grasp the differences in culture between themselves and the aliens. Moon has a degree in both History and Biology which I think really shows through in her writing!
Definitely one to read for semi cozy sci-fi or if you liked Ender's Game