Remnant Population

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Refreshingly different sci-fi - Rated
I started this book with some trepidation as it was so far off the beaten track of the genre, but I ended up being blown away by a fresh take on the subject of first contact.

The character was truely different and the aliens avoided all of the stereotypes.

If I had a critism it would be the slow start which seemed to drag for ages but once the sci-fi kicked in it was a gripping tale.

One warning though, it's not for readers looking for adventure boy scouts (Heinlein et al) or romance (MacCaffrey) as it's grown up and understated.

A Grandma that you cannot help but admire. - Rated
This was a refreshing sci fi/fantasy for me, as you don't see that many stories where the lead character is as old as Ofelia. Unwilling to leave the home that she has built alongside the other colonists, this old lady decides to see out her remaining days alone in the peace of an otherwise uninhabited world - or so she thinks.

Ofelia is the sort of old person that you cannot help but admire. Stubborn, self sufficient and comfortable with her own company, this wonderful character is reborn with the freedom of no longer having to conform with what is expected by society. Suddenly there is no one around to enforce what Ofelia sees as the restrictions of properness. The picture that Elizabeth Moon paints of being able to revert to an Eden where clothing is an optional extra and living on the fruits of one's own labour, is intensely satisfying.

Although I still believe that The Deed of Paksenarrion series has to date been Elizabeth Moon's best work, this is nevertheless a wonderful addition to her list of titles.

Oblique First Contact Novel - Rated
The colony was failing, and the Company was going to withdraw, and resettle its colonists elsewhere. But Ofelia has no desire to leave, and so hides out when the Sims Bancorp Cryo ships came to remove the colonists. The Company did not waste time, and Ofelia was left alone with the deserted but effectively operational village. She was elderly but active; not well-educated but bright, and well loaded with common sense and effective wisdom. So she established a one-person (with several sheep and cows - not forgetting the tomato plants) colony. Then, activating the communications array one day, she learns of a new colony arriving - at a different location. This is immediately attacked by native inhabitants, whose existence had not been known. The aboriginals destroy the newly arrived colonial ships. And now the rather simple "Robinson Crusoe" theme is replaced by an unusual
"first contact" story. I feel that going deeper into the story would rob the resder of much enjoyment. Ms Moon has envisaged an unusual approach, some suprising biological arrangements, and not least a neat, albeit not entirely original, solution to the problem she has set. This novel is a "stand alone" work, I would judge.
Companion novels are possible, but a true sequel
unlikely.

Oblique First Contact Novel - Rated
The colony was failing, and the Company was going to withdraw, and resettle its colonists elsewhere. But Ofelia has no desire to leave, and so hides out when the Sims Bancorp Cryo ships came to remove the colonists. The Company did not waste time, and Ofelia was left alone with the deserted but effectively operational village. She was elderly but active; not well-educated but bright, and well loaded with common sense and effective wisdom. So she established a one-person (with several sheep and cows - not forgetting the tomato plants) colony. Then, activating the communications array one day, she learns of a new colony arriving - at a different location. This is immediately attacked by native inhabitants, whose existence had not been known. The aboriginals destroy the newly arrived colonial ships. And now the rather simple "Robinson Crusoe" theme is replaced by an unusual
"first contact" story. I feel that going deeper into the story would rob the resder of much enjoyment. Ms Moon has envisaged an unusual approach, some suprising biological arrangements, and not least a neat, albeit not entirely original, solution to the problem she has set. This novel is a "stand alone" work, I would judge.
Companion novels are possible, but a true sequel
unlikely.

Entertaining, interesting premise. - Rated
The concept of an elderly woman purposefully stranding herself on an alien planet as her colony departs forever is brilliant. The aliens were pretty well conceived, though it would have been more interesting if Ms. Moon could have elaborated on the planet's alien ecosystem. I grew somewhat tired of the ongoing detailed descriptions of Ofelia's daily living activities . . . cooking, going to bed, and gardening for instance. The book did captivate my imagination however, and I was glad I read it.