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Remnant Population
In an attempt to govern her own destiny, the elderly Ofelia hides and stays behind as the only remaining settler on an abandoned planet and is a witness to a terrifying slaughter of new settlers by stone-age aliens. Reprint.
368 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
About the author
Elizabeth Moon
150 books2,541 followersElizabeth Moon was born March 7, 1945, and grew up in McAllen, Texas, graduating from McAllen High School in 1963. She has a B.A. in History from Rice University (1968) and another in Biology from the University of Texas at Austin (1975) with graduate work in Biology at the University of Texas, San Antonio.
She served in the USMC from 1968 to 1971, first at MCB Quantico and then at HQMC. She married Richard Moon, a Rice classmate and Army officer, in 1969; they moved to the small central Texas town where they still live in 1979. They have one son, born in 1983.
She started writing stories and poems as a small child; attempted first book (an illustrated biography of the family dog) at age six. Started writing science fiction in high school, but considered writing merely a sideline. First got serious about writing (as in, submitting things and actually getting money...) in the 1980s. Made first fiction sale at age forty--"Bargains" to Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword & Sorceress III and "ABCs in Zero G" to Analog. Her first novel, Sheepfarmer's Daughter, sold in 1987 and came out in 1988; it won the Compton Crook Award in 1989. Remnant Population was a Hugo nominee in 1997, and The Speed of Dark was a finalist for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and won the Nebula in 2004.
She served in the USMC from 1968 to 1971, first at MCB Quantico and then at HQMC. She married Richard Moon, a Rice classmate and Army officer, in 1969; they moved to the small central Texas town where they still live in 1979. They have one son, born in 1983.
She started writing stories and poems as a small child; attempted first book (an illustrated biography of the family dog) at age six. Started writing science fiction in high school, but considered writing merely a sideline. First got serious about writing (as in, submitting things and actually getting money...) in the 1980s. Made first fiction sale at age forty--"Bargains" to Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword & Sorceress III and "ABCs in Zero G" to Analog. Her first novel, Sheepfarmer's Daughter, sold in 1987 and came out in 1988; it won the Compton Crook Award in 1989. Remnant Population was a Hugo nominee in 1997, and The Speed of Dark was a finalist for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and won the Nebula in 2004.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 896 reviews
March 31, 2015
old woman, tired of people, tired of the way people treat her, decides to stay behind when the rest of her fellow colonists are uprooted by their corporate bosses and sent to another planet. old woman, once surrounded by demanding and unloving voices, finds she loves being alone, no more annoying voices bossing her around, the only voices the ones in her head, now she has all the time in the world to garden and do beadwork and just do what she wants to do, alone. finally alone! but it turns out she's not alone on this world after all.
I loved all the things this novel did with its protagonist. Ofelia is cantankerous and moody, she has to deal with her aching joints and a little loss of memory and having to use the bathroom all of the time; she has a couple voices in her head (the old her and the new, braver her) but she's far from crazy. Remnant Population doesn't downplay all of the physical and mental things she has to deal with but it also shows how she is just as resourceful and clever as anyone else - she's more than an equal to the men who have made demands on her all of her life and to those younger than her who would dismiss her knowledge as no longer relevant, practically useless. Ofelia cherishes her crafts and her vegetables and wearing or not wearing what she wants. I love how the novel spends so much time on the things she loves, on the beadwork and the sewing and the gardening and cooking and the freedom of bare skin in the sun. it was enchanting reading about Ofelia going through her daily life on her own, focusing on her tasks and ruminating on the past and considering her future. a truly enjoyable and unusual protagonist.
the story brings humans back into her life, and of course the aliens. great aliens! vaguely like bipedal, mammalian owls. genuinely different, carefully crafted, surprisingly adorable aliens. those alien babies were the cutest.
I like how Remnant Population is a feminist novel that critiques the roles women are often placed into by men (as well as the elderly by the young) but still embraces traits and activities that are considered stereotypically feminine. I hate either/or binaries and this novel doesn't have that. Ofelia is a three-dimensional character: strong and kind, unsentimental and maternal, resourceful and forgetful, sharp-tongued and grouchy and impatient, generous and open-hearted and patient.
I like how Remnant Population illustrates the importance of freedom and time alone, but also recognizes that a fulfilling life will be one where a person is a part of some kind of a community - a place where the individual can be independent and true to themselves, but still be a useful part of a world and connected to the people in it. lovely message; lovely novel. and fun!
I loved all the things this novel did with its protagonist. Ofelia is cantankerous and moody, she has to deal with her aching joints and a little loss of memory and having to use the bathroom all of the time; she has a couple voices in her head (the old her and the new, braver her) but she's far from crazy. Remnant Population doesn't downplay all of the physical and mental things she has to deal with but it also shows how she is just as resourceful and clever as anyone else - she's more than an equal to the men who have made demands on her all of her life and to those younger than her who would dismiss her knowledge as no longer relevant, practically useless. Ofelia cherishes her crafts and her vegetables and wearing or not wearing what she wants. I love how the novel spends so much time on the things she loves, on the beadwork and the sewing and the gardening and cooking and the freedom of bare skin in the sun. it was enchanting reading about Ofelia going through her daily life on her own, focusing on her tasks and ruminating on the past and considering her future. a truly enjoyable and unusual protagonist.
the story brings humans back into her life, and of course the aliens. great aliens! vaguely like bipedal, mammalian owls. genuinely different, carefully crafted, surprisingly adorable aliens. those alien babies were the cutest.
I like how Remnant Population is a feminist novel that critiques the roles women are often placed into by men (as well as the elderly by the young) but still embraces traits and activities that are considered stereotypically feminine. I hate either/or binaries and this novel doesn't have that. Ofelia is a three-dimensional character: strong and kind, unsentimental and maternal, resourceful and forgetful, sharp-tongued and grouchy and impatient, generous and open-hearted and patient.
I like how Remnant Population illustrates the importance of freedom and time alone, but also recognizes that a fulfilling life will be one where a person is a part of some kind of a community - a place where the individual can be independent and true to themselves, but still be a useful part of a world and connected to the people in it. lovely message; lovely novel. and fun!
June 11, 2017
Colony 3245.12 is located on a planet far away from Ofelia’s planet of Terran birth. She’s lived at Colony 3245.12 for forty years where she’s worked the land, buried her husband, and raised her lone surviving child. Now elderly with thinning gray hair, Ofelia longs for solitude, away from the demands of her grown son and of the Sims Bancorp Company, the corporation that dictates how humans cultivate Colony 3245.12. When the Sims Bancorp Company declares the colony is to be abandoned, Ofelia sees her chance to stay behind and have the planet all to herself, a plan that goes swimmingly until the moment Ofelia realizes she may be the only human, but she’s not the sole living inhabitant on the planet.
Ofelia makes for an unorthodox protagonist, one who easily charms the reader. Her independent and spirited nature is well balanced against a feisty, irascible attitude, from which her most humorous thoughts emerge: Ofelia glared at him, wishing boils on his posterior and head lice on his children. One moment he questioned her as if she were a stupid child, and the next he thought she had magical powers and could fly thousands of kilometers [. . .] Ridiculous, insulting . . . she ran through her store of invective, in grim silence, until his face turned red.
Once she believes herself to be the only living being on the planet, yet another likable side of Ofelia emerges. Now free of societal judgement or labor-related demands, she essentially starts life over and discovers an untapped childishness.
She had needed it all her life, without knowing that was what she needed. The joy of creation, of play, had been the empty place unfulfilled by family and social duties. She would have loved her children better, she thought now, if she had realized how much she herself needed to play, to follow her own childish desire to handle beautiful things and make more beauty.
Though Ofelia makes for a pleasant protagonist, the way her story unveils is a disappointment. At first, the stakes appear high with Ofelia’s life on the line and, because of her age, fear that she could fall or injure herself doing strenuous work while tending the remaining housing and equipment at the colony. However, Ofelia has everything she could possibly need: fresh water, fuel provided by a waste recycler, power, fresh-grown as well as frozen food, healthy cattle, and a fabricator that can make her just about anything she wants from new dinner plates to roof tiles, though “her attempts to get the fabricator to make light bulbs – they were on its menu – had never worked, and she didn’t understand the machine well enough to understand why not.” The fabricator can even "convert rough grain to course or fine flour.”
One soon realizes that if Ofelia were to die, there would be no story, so readers subsequently settle in to see how her retirement/reinvention of herself plays out. Sixty-six pages pass before something goes wrong, and it’s not until page 100 that something interesting (finally) happens.
Thankfully, new stakes are introduced when . By the end, Moon succeeds in making readers care about Ofelia and the outcome of her stay in Colony 3245.12, though she takes a long, slow path to giving readers a reason to care.
Remnant Population is a suitable read for anyone in the mood for a minimal stakes tale of first contact with an atypical heroine at its heart.
Ofelia makes for an unorthodox protagonist, one who easily charms the reader. Her independent and spirited nature is well balanced against a feisty, irascible attitude, from which her most humorous thoughts emerge: Ofelia glared at him, wishing boils on his posterior and head lice on his children. One moment he questioned her as if she were a stupid child, and the next he thought she had magical powers and could fly thousands of kilometers [. . .] Ridiculous, insulting . . . she ran through her store of invective, in grim silence, until his face turned red.
Once she believes herself to be the only living being on the planet, yet another likable side of Ofelia emerges. Now free of societal judgement or labor-related demands, she essentially starts life over and discovers an untapped childishness.
She had needed it all her life, without knowing that was what she needed. The joy of creation, of play, had been the empty place unfulfilled by family and social duties. She would have loved her children better, she thought now, if she had realized how much she herself needed to play, to follow her own childish desire to handle beautiful things and make more beauty.
Though Ofelia makes for a pleasant protagonist, the way her story unveils is a disappointment. At first, the stakes appear high with Ofelia’s life on the line and, because of her age, fear that she could fall or injure herself doing strenuous work while tending the remaining housing and equipment at the colony. However, Ofelia has everything she could possibly need: fresh water, fuel provided by a waste recycler, power, fresh-grown as well as frozen food, healthy cattle, and a fabricator that can make her just about anything she wants from new dinner plates to roof tiles, though “her attempts to get the fabricator to make light bulbs – they were on its menu – had never worked, and she didn’t understand the machine well enough to understand why not.” The fabricator can even "convert rough grain to course or fine flour.”
One soon realizes that if Ofelia were to die, there would be no story, so readers subsequently settle in to see how her retirement/reinvention of herself plays out. Sixty-six pages pass before something goes wrong, and it’s not until page 100 that something interesting (finally) happens.
Thankfully, new stakes are introduced when . By the end, Moon succeeds in making readers care about Ofelia and the outcome of her stay in Colony 3245.12, though she takes a long, slow path to giving readers a reason to care.
Remnant Population is a suitable read for anyone in the mood for a minimal stakes tale of first contact with an atypical heroine at its heart.
January 24, 2010
Remnant Population is the kind of book that made me fall in love with science fiction in the first place. It's thoughtful, has great characterizations, a plausible future, and humans coming to understand aliens. This is the third book I've read by Elizabeth Moon and she's now on my list of favorite authors. She is an amazing storyteller. She is a master at revealing rather than disclosing. She never over-explains and her characters behave exactly like real people would.
I love the Moon uses older female protagonists. In Remnant Population, that protagonist is Ofelia, an elderly colonist whose colony is being relocated. Ofelia is sick and tired of people telling her what to do and having to look after others. She just wants just a bit of peace and quiet. So, she decides to hide out until all the shuttles leave with the other colonists. I can so relate to how she feels and I exhilarated in her new-found freedom. I love that she's not obsessed with aging and that she's strong and capable. She reminds me a lot of my grandmother. Eventually, she finds herself in a role that she never imagined and goes from being a completely insignificant person to someone who is of utmost importance to two intelligent species.
I checked this out of the library, but I may just need to buy a copy to add to my permanent library.
I love the Moon uses older female protagonists. In Remnant Population, that protagonist is Ofelia, an elderly colonist whose colony is being relocated. Ofelia is sick and tired of people telling her what to do and having to look after others. She just wants just a bit of peace and quiet. So, she decides to hide out until all the shuttles leave with the other colonists. I can so relate to how she feels and I exhilarated in her new-found freedom. I love that she's not obsessed with aging and that she's strong and capable. She reminds me a lot of my grandmother. Eventually, she finds herself in a role that she never imagined and goes from being a completely insignificant person to someone who is of utmost importance to two intelligent species.
I checked this out of the library, but I may just need to buy a copy to add to my permanent library.
Read
January 7, 2022I really enjoyed this. Recced to me as part of the 'random people rec you books' challenge, which I'm delighted about as I don't think I'd have picked it up otherwise. Ofelia is an old woman in a miserably patriarchal frontier society which is also a human colony on an uninhabited planet. When the company pulls out and removes the colony she decides to stay behind rather than spend her last years with her shitty son being ordered about.
The book basically divides into three parts: first the colony life, then Ofelia's experience of living alone. This is fascinating and really spoke to me: the tension between wishing to be alone, to have nobody making demands on you, no strictures, no conventions, no obligations, and the experience of nobody there, including the occasional absolute terrors of loneliness, superbly done. And then the aliens, or indigenes, arrive. The way this develops is wonderful, with the fear but also the growing communication and understanding.
What I liked most is that Ofelia's age is absolutely relevant. Physically--there's only so much she can do--and socially, in the disregard with which she's treated by other humans as that trivial thing, an old woman, and most of all emotionally. She's tired, she's had a long life if not a great one, she is not driven by survival over all any more. She is inevitably going to die in the nearish future and that means she starts to make pretty clear decisions on what she wants the rest of her life to be, and the internal strength that gives her is glorious.
However the book is rather let down by a weirdly misogynist portrayal of a young woman scientist as sexy pricktease who is overpromoted because sexy, which is kind of baffling in a book that's so much about patriarchal societies exploiting women. The character isn't given any sort of arc or development or anything to indicate that the depiction is tinted by other characters' prejudices (such as being good at her job): she's a stock Stupid Tart who plays the men's game throughout. It feels rather odd to see a contemptuous stereotype of a young woman in a book about not contemptuously stereotyping old women. Hmph.
The book basically divides into three parts: first the colony life, then Ofelia's experience of living alone. This is fascinating and really spoke to me: the tension between wishing to be alone, to have nobody making demands on you, no strictures, no conventions, no obligations, and the experience of nobody there, including the occasional absolute terrors of loneliness, superbly done. And then the aliens, or indigenes, arrive. The way this develops is wonderful, with the fear but also the growing communication and understanding.
What I liked most is that Ofelia's age is absolutely relevant. Physically--there's only so much she can do--and socially, in the disregard with which she's treated by other humans as that trivial thing, an old woman, and most of all emotionally. She's tired, she's had a long life if not a great one, she is not driven by survival over all any more. She is inevitably going to die in the nearish future and that means she starts to make pretty clear decisions on what she wants the rest of her life to be, and the internal strength that gives her is glorious.
However the book is rather let down by a weirdly misogynist portrayal of a young woman scientist as sexy pricktease who is overpromoted because sexy, which is kind of baffling in a book that's so much about patriarchal societies exploiting women. The character isn't given any sort of arc or development or anything to indicate that the depiction is tinted by other characters' prejudices (such as being good at her job): she's a stock Stupid Tart who plays the men's game throughout. It feels rather odd to see a contemptuous stereotype of a young woman in a book about not contemptuously stereotyping old women. Hmph.
May 25, 2022
Good science fiction, first contact story, we’ve got colonists and aliens and spaceships …
and Ofelia!
Ofelia as the protagonist lifted this from a solid but respectable 3 stars to a confident 4-star rating.
Ofelia was a pleasure to discover and read about.
Essentially, she is a woman who’s old enough to be tired of everyone’s shit.
A far future colonist, who has been on Colony 3245.12 for the past 40 plus years, Ofelia has buried a husband and children on this world, and so when a company franchise is terminated, she decides, sua sponte, that she’s not leaving.
That’s right, take your cryogenic less than light speed travel to another planet and stick it. Ofelia is going to stay here with the cows and sheep and her garden and have some peace and quiet for once in her long life. She’s going to go barefoot and wear whatever she damn well pleases, maybe even nothing at all, and the little voice in her head that used to care about such things has been drowned out by a new and delightful new voice that is ready to be young again.
Until the aliens show up.
Writer Elizabeth Moon’s prose is fresh and energetic and was a great joy to read. Using Ofelia as the main narrator, she also intersperses her story with a shifting perspective that includes the viewpoint of the aliens. Ofelia’s communication with them, like an annoyed but otherwise agreeable adult among inquisitive children was what made this SF novel work so well.
When the authorities finally arrive (who left the lights on???) Ofelia’s cool leadership and common sense elevated this to more than just a SF story and more about human nature, civility, society and doing the right thing for the right reasons.
Good fun and I’ll read more from Moon.
and Ofelia!
Ofelia as the protagonist lifted this from a solid but respectable 3 stars to a confident 4-star rating.
Ofelia was a pleasure to discover and read about.
Essentially, she is a woman who’s old enough to be tired of everyone’s shit.
A far future colonist, who has been on Colony 3245.12 for the past 40 plus years, Ofelia has buried a husband and children on this world, and so when a company franchise is terminated, she decides, sua sponte, that she’s not leaving.
That’s right, take your cryogenic less than light speed travel to another planet and stick it. Ofelia is going to stay here with the cows and sheep and her garden and have some peace and quiet for once in her long life. She’s going to go barefoot and wear whatever she damn well pleases, maybe even nothing at all, and the little voice in her head that used to care about such things has been drowned out by a new and delightful new voice that is ready to be young again.
Until the aliens show up.
Writer Elizabeth Moon’s prose is fresh and energetic and was a great joy to read. Using Ofelia as the main narrator, she also intersperses her story with a shifting perspective that includes the viewpoint of the aliens. Ofelia’s communication with them, like an annoyed but otherwise agreeable adult among inquisitive children was what made this SF novel work so well.
When the authorities finally arrive (who left the lights on???) Ofelia’s cool leadership and common sense elevated this to more than just a SF story and more about human nature, civility, society and doing the right thing for the right reasons.
Good fun and I’ll read more from Moon.
January 4, 2023
A quiet, low action, first contact story which turns out to be memorable.
Ofelia is in her seventies and has lived most of her life in a space colony which she helped establish. Now there are problems and the Company wishes to relocate all the colonists elsewhere. Ofelia decides not to go, hides away when she should be boarding her shuttle, and remains behind as the sole inhabitant (or so she thinks) of the planet.
It actually turns out to be a very busy little planet with a lot more going on than she is aware of. This makes for a great story, but the most interesting thing for me was the character of Ofelia herself. We watch her on her own coping with every issue which comes her way, and enjoying being free for the first time in her life. Then we see her, a self educated, old woman making first contact with an intelligent alien species - and managing it better than any of the "experts."
I enjoyed it enormously. There was something very endearing about Ofelia and the way she used her life experience to meet and deal with all comers. An excellent book which was well worth reading.
Ofelia is in her seventies and has lived most of her life in a space colony which she helped establish. Now there are problems and the Company wishes to relocate all the colonists elsewhere. Ofelia decides not to go, hides away when she should be boarding her shuttle, and remains behind as the sole inhabitant (or so she thinks) of the planet.
It actually turns out to be a very busy little planet with a lot more going on than she is aware of. This makes for a great story, but the most interesting thing for me was the character of Ofelia herself. We watch her on her own coping with every issue which comes her way, and enjoying being free for the first time in her life. Then we see her, a self educated, old woman making first contact with an intelligent alien species - and managing it better than any of the "experts."
I enjoyed it enormously. There was something very endearing about Ofelia and the way she used her life experience to meet and deal with all comers. An excellent book which was well worth reading.
December 8, 2019
What an incredibly sweet, different sort of book! I think this was a really strong experiment, and that it mostly worked better than I anticipated. I'm going to try to do this review without revealing the things that brought me lots of joy, so sorry for the vagueness.
CONTENT WARNING: (just a list of topics)
Things to love:
-Ofelia. Our main character is woman who is set on enjoying her sunset years, which you just don't see very often! I enjoyed spending time with her as she got used to retirement.
-The world. I liked how alien and yet how familiar it felt.
-Click-kaw-kerr. This was soo, soo well done, sweet, and moving. I really wanted to cheer for them.
-The exploration. Of the world, of the culture, of what it means to be an old woman, and loneliness and self respect. All of it. So wonderful.
-The resolution. Yeah a bit trite, but it fit so well with the overall tone that I ate it up.
-The epilogue. The perfect cherry on top!
Things I wanted a little stronger:
-The exploration of feminine hierarchy. There is A LOT of in-group misogyny going on. I think it makes sense, but I would have wanted to have seen that explored more, if we were going to investigate it. As it reads, I'm not sure whether the author intended for us to feel that, or if she didn't see it herself. It dampened my appreciation considerably.
-The pacing. We start off at a very "conversational" speed, and then, as so often happens, the events really start speeding up towards the end when the author seemingly hit a deadline or ran out of steam. I would have loved to have shown the same enthusiasm for the later events as we did for the set up.
-Some stilted/forced writing. Partially due to pacing issues, some events did not feel totally natural to me. I would have wanted to take some editing sandpaper to the rough edges.
-Summary ending. I don't stop disliking these just because I understand why it went like this. Thank goodness for the epilogue or I might have been grouchy!
Very glad to have read this. It does what I want scifi to do, which is make me consider new things, give me a jolt of discovery, of leaning over a yawning pit and realizing that there is so much more than we realized. And best of all, the author did this with humor and peace rather than the more typical grimdark stories of conquest and ruin. Definitely worth a read!
CONTENT WARNING: (just a list of topics)
Things to love:
-Ofelia. Our main character is woman who is set on enjoying her sunset years, which you just don't see very often! I enjoyed spending time with her as she got used to retirement.
-The world. I liked how alien and yet how familiar it felt.
-Click-kaw-kerr. This was soo, soo well done, sweet, and moving. I really wanted to cheer for them.
-The exploration. Of the world, of the culture, of what it means to be an old woman, and loneliness and self respect. All of it. So wonderful.
-The resolution. Yeah a bit trite, but it fit so well with the overall tone that I ate it up.
-The epilogue. The perfect cherry on top!
Things I wanted a little stronger:
-The exploration of feminine hierarchy. There is A LOT of in-group misogyny going on. I think it makes sense, but I would have wanted to have seen that explored more, if we were going to investigate it. As it reads, I'm not sure whether the author intended for us to feel that, or if she didn't see it herself. It dampened my appreciation considerably.
-The pacing. We start off at a very "conversational" speed, and then, as so often happens, the events really start speeding up towards the end when the author seemingly hit a deadline or ran out of steam. I would have loved to have shown the same enthusiasm for the later events as we did for the set up.
-Some stilted/forced writing. Partially due to pacing issues, some events did not feel totally natural to me. I would have wanted to take some editing sandpaper to the rough edges.
-Summary ending. I don't stop disliking these just because I understand why it went like this. Thank goodness for the epilogue or I might have been grouchy!
Very glad to have read this. It does what I want scifi to do, which is make me consider new things, give me a jolt of discovery, of leaning over a yawning pit and realizing that there is so much more than we realized. And best of all, the author did this with humor and peace rather than the more typical grimdark stories of conquest and ruin. Definitely worth a read!
December 6, 2019
Everybody who told me I needed to try one of Elizabeth Moon’s books was right, I really enjoyed this. :) Although the story itself is based on a familiar science fiction trope, it’s one I usually enjoy, and it had some unique elements. It held my attention from beginning to end. Sometimes a certain part of the story would start to feel like it had been going on a bit too long, but then something new would happen to fully recapture my interest again.
The story is told mostly from the perspective of Ofelia, a woman in her 70’s. The protagonist’s age is one of the unique aspects of the book. Although the book appears to be set in the far future, there isn’t any discussion of medical advancement at all. Sometimes books with an older protagonist have that character acting like they were decades younger due to modern medicine or magic or whatever, but Ofelia’s health is about what you’d expect from a person in their 70’s today who has been able to stay mobile and mentally sharp but isn’t getting around as easily as she used to.
Ofelia lives with her son and daughter-in-law as colonists on another planet. Near the beginning of the book, the people sponsoring the colony decides that their efforts are failing and their goals cannot be achieved, so the colonists will be relocated to a different world. Ofelia, who feels under-appreciated and over-bossed by her family and the people around her, doesn’t want to give up her garden and everything else she’s worked so hard at for decades, and she just wants to be left alone to do her own thing and have some peace for a change. Having an entire world to herself sounds great, so she determines she’s going to do whatever she can to get left behind when the colonists are removed from the planet. For anybody who wants a bit more detail about what kind of story this is, although it’s fairly easy to guess, I’m putting it in spoiler tags since it isn’t blatantly revealed until you get a good ways into the book:
I really liked Ofelia. She was believable, but quirky and fun. I think many people, regardless of our ages, could identify with some aspects of her personality. I particularly identified with her love of solitude and her desire to just be left alone so she could do what needed to be done in the manner she thought best. This book paints a pretty bleak picture of what humanity will be like in the future. It took certain negative aspects found in today’s societies and depicted them as being even more prevalent, maybe as a cautionary tale to make readers consider their behavior more carefully. The way women were treated across the board particularly made this book feel older than its 1996 publication date. There’s also a lot of ageism and “educationism”, by which made up word I mean that characters who lacked a formal higher education were dismissed out of hand because they couldn’t possibly know anything about anything.
This is a complete story that stands alone, and I was very satisfied with how it ended. It’s been quite a while since I last read the type of science fiction story described in my spoiler tag above, so it was great to read another one. I had quite a bit going on in the real world, so it’s probably a reflection on how good this book is that it held my attention so well when I had time to sit and read it.
The story is told mostly from the perspective of Ofelia, a woman in her 70’s. The protagonist’s age is one of the unique aspects of the book. Although the book appears to be set in the far future, there isn’t any discussion of medical advancement at all. Sometimes books with an older protagonist have that character acting like they were decades younger due to modern medicine or magic or whatever, but Ofelia’s health is about what you’d expect from a person in their 70’s today who has been able to stay mobile and mentally sharp but isn’t getting around as easily as she used to.
Ofelia lives with her son and daughter-in-law as colonists on another planet. Near the beginning of the book, the people sponsoring the colony decides that their efforts are failing and their goals cannot be achieved, so the colonists will be relocated to a different world. Ofelia, who feels under-appreciated and over-bossed by her family and the people around her, doesn’t want to give up her garden and everything else she’s worked so hard at for decades, and she just wants to be left alone to do her own thing and have some peace for a change. Having an entire world to herself sounds great, so she determines she’s going to do whatever she can to get left behind when the colonists are removed from the planet. For anybody who wants a bit more detail about what kind of story this is, although it’s fairly easy to guess, I’m putting it in spoiler tags since it isn’t blatantly revealed until you get a good ways into the book:
I really liked Ofelia. She was believable, but quirky and fun. I think many people, regardless of our ages, could identify with some aspects of her personality. I particularly identified with her love of solitude and her desire to just be left alone so she could do what needed to be done in the manner she thought best. This book paints a pretty bleak picture of what humanity will be like in the future. It took certain negative aspects found in today’s societies and depicted them as being even more prevalent, maybe as a cautionary tale to make readers consider their behavior more carefully. The way women were treated across the board particularly made this book feel older than its 1996 publication date. There’s also a lot of ageism and “educationism”, by which made up word I mean that characters who lacked a formal higher education were dismissed out of hand because they couldn’t possibly know anything about anything.
This is a complete story that stands alone, and I was very satisfied with how it ended. It’s been quite a while since I last read the type of science fiction story described in my spoiler tag above, so it was great to read another one. I had quite a bit going on in the real world, so it’s probably a reflection on how good this book is that it held my attention so well when I had time to sit and read it.
December 28, 2019
The definition of remnant is a small remaining quantity of something. Synonyms include leftovers, leavings, remainder. No doubt a not so subtle description of the character who chose to stay on a planet after the colony was evacuated. This was a first contact novel with a strange mix of interesting political and cultural dynamics on display, as well as some rather clunky, tropey characterizations with some sledge hammered messaging about valuing the elderly and women and the "other".
I thought the book was good, not great. First the good. I found the colony political dynamics very interesting. The idea that colonization was not governments but corporations and that the colonists were essentially indentured servants. Right down to the valuation of transporting Ofelia to the new colony was monetized because getting her to the new colony was risky. The company basically didn't think she'd live long enough to work off the payment for transport. Cynical I know, but it sure seems like the trajectory of our current society. It's certainly not outlandish. I also liked the aliens. Yes they were cutesy, but really interesting and different enough to deter the reader from projecting human emotions or motives.
The not so good…characterizations. OMG, extreme, cliched and tropey. Every single character. Ofelia was worst of all. Her life was unending suffering in tough conditions and in family relationships. Also it felt like to me that the characteristics of old age were being describe by someone who had not yet experienced them. It didn't come across as authentic. Also, can we please not have all of the male characters be overbearing, know-it-alls. By the way I looked up Falfurrias as a surname. It struck me as Spanish in origin and I was going to go off on the awful Latin stereotype of male domination that seemed to color Ofelia's entire existence. Color me surprised that it is not a common surname and that it's most recognizable use is as the name of a city in Texas (according to Google). Idk, in my view it still implicates that same macho stereotype. My hope is that in the future we have moved away from not closer to an authoritarian patriarchy. Arrg Visceral dislike!! The Science team and the military folks were caricatures. The evil villain was missing a mustache and the air headed, sexually desirable linguist was so overt that all that was missing was the description of the cool breeze blowing her hair back while she lamented that she paid her way through college working at Hooters. Smh. An apt metaphor for the characterization is swatting a fly with a cannon ball. Over the top. In Moon's defense, I think she meant for the characters to be as vacuous and insubstantial as they came across and I think it was meant to be humorous. It just didn't work for me.
I'm sort of laughing at myself because in reading Elizabeth Moon's biographical information I saw that she was an officer in the Marines. It softened my opinion of the book. It points to a certain world view that tends to see things in binary. It's good or it's bad. It's right or wrong. Examining nuance can cost time and lives. The military also tends toward an authoritarian and patriarchal culture. Though obviously Moon has the intellect and there is far more to her than her military experience; serving in the military can sometimes have an inadvertent impact on how we perceive the world and the people in it. I do think the book was intended as a bit of a satire. The message being that people/women have value beyond their potential for monetary productivity. All in all an ok read. I don't know if there is any more Moon in my future. Other reviews indicate that this is not one of her best. Time will tell…
3.5 Stars rounded down because pacing. The first half was too slow, the last half was fast and there wasn't much to the pacing that was just right.
Read on kindle
I thought the book was good, not great. First the good. I found the colony political dynamics very interesting. The idea that colonization was not governments but corporations and that the colonists were essentially indentured servants. Right down to the valuation of transporting Ofelia to the new colony was monetized because getting her to the new colony was risky. The company basically didn't think she'd live long enough to work off the payment for transport. Cynical I know, but it sure seems like the trajectory of our current society. It's certainly not outlandish. I also liked the aliens. Yes they were cutesy, but really interesting and different enough to deter the reader from projecting human emotions or motives.
The not so good…characterizations. OMG, extreme, cliched and tropey. Every single character. Ofelia was worst of all. Her life was unending suffering in tough conditions and in family relationships. Also it felt like to me that the characteristics of old age were being describe by someone who had not yet experienced them. It didn't come across as authentic. Also, can we please not have all of the male characters be overbearing, know-it-alls. By the way I looked up Falfurrias as a surname. It struck me as Spanish in origin and I was going to go off on the awful Latin stereotype of male domination that seemed to color Ofelia's entire existence. Color me surprised that it is not a common surname and that it's most recognizable use is as the name of a city in Texas (according to Google). Idk, in my view it still implicates that same macho stereotype. My hope is that in the future we have moved away from not closer to an authoritarian patriarchy. Arrg Visceral dislike!! The Science team and the military folks were caricatures. The evil villain was missing a mustache and the air headed, sexually desirable linguist was so overt that all that was missing was the description of the cool breeze blowing her hair back while she lamented that she paid her way through college working at Hooters. Smh. An apt metaphor for the characterization is swatting a fly with a cannon ball. Over the top. In Moon's defense, I think she meant for the characters to be as vacuous and insubstantial as they came across and I think it was meant to be humorous. It just didn't work for me.
I'm sort of laughing at myself because in reading Elizabeth Moon's biographical information I saw that she was an officer in the Marines. It softened my opinion of the book. It points to a certain world view that tends to see things in binary. It's good or it's bad. It's right or wrong. Examining nuance can cost time and lives. The military also tends toward an authoritarian and patriarchal culture. Though obviously Moon has the intellect and there is far more to her than her military experience; serving in the military can sometimes have an inadvertent impact on how we perceive the world and the people in it. I do think the book was intended as a bit of a satire. The message being that people/women have value beyond their potential for monetary productivity. All in all an ok read. I don't know if there is any more Moon in my future. Other reviews indicate that this is not one of her best. Time will tell…
3.5 Stars rounded down because pacing. The first half was too slow, the last half was fast and there wasn't much to the pacing that was just right.
Read on kindle
April 19, 2021
I just loved this book. I don't think it would be for everyone, but I empathized and connected with Ofelia right from the start. Even though I'm 25 years younger than she is, I already feel the dismissiveness and assumptions about older women creeping into my lived experience. I won't be at all surprised if it increases as I get older. Ofelia's respect for the notion of continued learning and new experiences, her delight in the curiosity of others around her resonated with me. I loved her continued efforts at self-examination and openness to change.
Ofelia thought of all the times she had resented the questions her children asked, the times she had resented the intrusive curiosity of the creatures. She had been snubbed that way herself; she had been kept from learning all she could. Once she had believed that necessary. You couldn’t let children waste their time that way; they would never learn discipline if they weren’t made to learn what they needed. In her memory she saw the bright faces, the sparkling eyes, heard the eager voices . . . and she remembered how they had changed, how she had changed, all that curiosity and eagerness settling into a mold of passive obedience, more or less sullen depending on how much the child had to abandon.
And, it was just great story.
Ofelia thought of all the times she had resented the questions her children asked, the times she had resented the intrusive curiosity of the creatures. She had been snubbed that way herself; she had been kept from learning all she could. Once she had believed that necessary. You couldn’t let children waste their time that way; they would never learn discipline if they weren’t made to learn what they needed. In her memory she saw the bright faces, the sparkling eyes, heard the eager voices . . . and she remembered how they had changed, how she had changed, all that curiosity and eagerness settling into a mold of passive obedience, more or less sullen depending on how much the child had to abandon.
And, it was just great story.
December 7, 2019
What a lovely story!
Tired of being told what to do and feeling unimportant 70-something year old Ofelia decides to secretly stay behind when the people of her colony are translocated. Now she has a planet of her own and nobody deciding for her.
The first part is slowly paced. It describes Ofelia’s lonely time in the settlement, her delight in time to herself and her doubts in having acted on a whim of the moment. I love it how Moon draws out the emotional journey of an older woman who for the first time in her life feels freedom. It was a pleasure to mentally walk alongside Ofelia when she tends her garden, tries to brave bad weather or doesn’t know what to do with the cattle. She feels authentic, just like one of us.
When she discovers that she is not as alone as she thinks she confronts the new situation with the wit and instinct of life experience.
The book celebrates said life experience in contrast to youngsters who think they know everything better because of their education. In that it creates one of the most unlikely heroines in Science Fiction and definitely one of the best. Diplomacy is done with listening and understanding, both of which don‘t need an university degree.
Another entry on the plus side is the description of the indigenes. Not some anthropormophised aliens or only half considered designs, but believable non-human behaviour and customs. When they appear they are as alien to the reader as they are to the protagonist.
Unfortunately one frustrating trope appeared: the one-dimensional cardboard antagonist. This led to the deduction of one star, especially since it stood in such a stark contrast to the well executed character development in the rest of the novel up to this point.
This is my only complaint in an otherwise delightfully realized idea. First contact on the level of common people, the believable inner journey to womanly self-determination and a praiseworthy respect for the wisdom of the elderly make this a unique and highly recommendable novel.
Tired of being told what to do and feeling unimportant 70-something year old Ofelia decides to secretly stay behind when the people of her colony are translocated. Now she has a planet of her own and nobody deciding for her.
The first part is slowly paced. It describes Ofelia’s lonely time in the settlement, her delight in time to herself and her doubts in having acted on a whim of the moment. I love it how Moon draws out the emotional journey of an older woman who for the first time in her life feels freedom. It was a pleasure to mentally walk alongside Ofelia when she tends her garden, tries to brave bad weather or doesn’t know what to do with the cattle. She feels authentic, just like one of us.
When she discovers that she is not as alone as she thinks she confronts the new situation with the wit and instinct of life experience.
The book celebrates said life experience in contrast to youngsters who think they know everything better because of their education. In that it creates one of the most unlikely heroines in Science Fiction and definitely one of the best. Diplomacy is done with listening and understanding, both of which don‘t need an university degree.
Another entry on the plus side is the description of the indigenes. Not some anthropormophised aliens or only half considered designs, but believable non-human behaviour and customs. When they appear they are as alien to the reader as they are to the protagonist.
Unfortunately one frustrating trope appeared: the one-dimensional cardboard antagonist. This led to the deduction of one star, especially since it stood in such a stark contrast to the well executed character development in the rest of the novel up to this point.
This is my only complaint in an otherwise delightfully realized idea. First contact on the level of common people, the believable inner journey to womanly self-determination and a praiseworthy respect for the wisdom of the elderly make this a unique and highly recommendable novel.
December 18, 2021
I love a first contact story and this is one of the best I've read despite initially appearing to be run of the mill.
Less than a week after reading it for the first time, I read it again. Delightful.
Edit:
I wrote the following spoilerific comment in a discussion about this book elsewhere on goodreads:
Thoroughly enjoyed this.
Ofelia was relatable in many ways and believable in all the others. I didn't have a problem with side characters being flat. When you're getting a story told predominantly from one perspective you have to accept that they're going to focus on what's important to them. I don't think we missed out on much by not fleshing them out more when this story was largely about Ofelia in a period of self discovery. The scientists were fine and very much reminded me of our own resident scientist, Hank. XD
RP touches on many issues that I find interesting. Having grown up watching Star Trek and its Prime Directive (see spoiler below), I enjoyed this for challenging the safeguarding of knowledge for the sake of others. Using your position of power to decide for others what they're capable of is something I think about in regards to voting age limits as well as child raising. I liked that it came up here and that Ofelia recognised that she was discriminating against the young in the same way that she was discriminated against for being (too) old. It was good that her politics weren't perfect, though I did bristle at her internal condemnation of the scientist that showed a bit too much skin.
The biggest issue I had with the ending is how quickly and easily everyone accepted yet another human death at the hands of the People. I still gave the book 5 stars though so you have some idea as to just how big a problem I had with it.
It's interesting that some of you were surprised to find that you enjoyed a book with an old woman as the main protagonist. Especially as the book deals with the disregard shown towards the elderly. As someone that's quite introspective and takes most opportunities that come my way to examine my own prejudices, I'd be interested to hear from anyone who went on a personal journey of discovery or change as a result of reading this.
Less than a week after reading it for the first time, I read it again. Delightful.
Edit:
I wrote the following spoilerific comment in a discussion about this book elsewhere on goodreads:
Thoroughly enjoyed this.
Ofelia was relatable in many ways and believable in all the others. I didn't have a problem with side characters being flat. When you're getting a story told predominantly from one perspective you have to accept that they're going to focus on what's important to them. I don't think we missed out on much by not fleshing them out more when this story was largely about Ofelia in a period of self discovery. The scientists were fine and very much reminded me of our own resident scientist, Hank. XD
RP touches on many issues that I find interesting. Having grown up watching Star Trek and its Prime Directive (see spoiler below), I enjoyed this for challenging the safeguarding of knowledge for the sake of others. Using your position of power to decide for others what they're capable of is something I think about in regards to voting age limits as well as child raising. I liked that it came up here and that Ofelia recognised that she was discriminating against the young in the same way that she was discriminated against for being (too) old. It was good that her politics weren't perfect, though I did bristle at her internal condemnation of the scientist that showed a bit too much skin.
The biggest issue I had with the ending is how quickly and easily everyone accepted yet another human death at the hands of the People. I still gave the book 5 stars though so you have some idea as to just how big a problem I had with it.
It's interesting that some of you were surprised to find that you enjoyed a book with an old woman as the main protagonist. Especially as the book deals with the disregard shown towards the elderly. As someone that's quite introspective and takes most opportunities that come my way to examine my own prejudices, I'd be interested to hear from anyone who went on a personal journey of discovery or change as a result of reading this.
May 5, 2024
Free Range Reading
I can't remember who brought this title to my attention, but if you are reading this thank you! It was excellent. I adored Ofelia, who has had it with being told what to do, how to do it, and where to do it. She is tired of her bossy son and judgemental daughter-in-law. She is sick of societal expectations and having to pretend to give a damn. How could I not love her?
So when the company that more-or-less owns these people decrees that they must pack their belongings (not many, not much room for luggage) and be put in cryo-sleep to be moved to another planet, Ofelia sees an opportunity. She packs a small bag and hides in the forest until all the shuttles have left. When she returns to the village, she luxuriates in the peace—no one wants anything from her. Her rebellion starts small: no knickers. This escalates to no clothing and to painting herself. She has time to create the art that she envisions, to garden, and to write in the station logs.
And then she realizes that she is not alone on the planet. First contact and, honestly, they're as bad as children for making messes, getting under foot, and demanding her time! But they are interesting and she wants to communicate…
I related strongly to Ofelia, in being fed up with the judgements of others. Once you reach a certain age, there's no requirement to give a fuck about many of the things that occupy young people. I recognize the freedom that she reveled in. Recommended if you are also a woman of a certain age who is no longer willing to comply.
I can't remember who brought this title to my attention, but if you are reading this thank you! It was excellent. I adored Ofelia, who has had it with being told what to do, how to do it, and where to do it. She is tired of her bossy son and judgemental daughter-in-law. She is sick of societal expectations and having to pretend to give a damn. How could I not love her?
So when the company that more-or-less owns these people decrees that they must pack their belongings (not many, not much room for luggage) and be put in cryo-sleep to be moved to another planet, Ofelia sees an opportunity. She packs a small bag and hides in the forest until all the shuttles have left. When she returns to the village, she luxuriates in the peace—no one wants anything from her. Her rebellion starts small: no knickers. This escalates to no clothing and to painting herself. She has time to create the art that she envisions, to garden, and to write in the station logs.
And then she realizes that she is not alone on the planet. First contact and, honestly, they're as bad as children for making messes, getting under foot, and demanding her time! But they are interesting and she wants to communicate…
I related strongly to Ofelia, in being fed up with the judgements of others. Once you reach a certain age, there's no requirement to give a fuck about many of the things that occupy young people. I recognize the freedom that she reveled in. Recommended if you are also a woman of a certain age who is no longer willing to comply.
October 4, 2023
4 stars = Fantastic and easy to recommend.
Not until she wanted an answer did she notice the silence.
This was a memorable story filled with realistic characters on another planet, many light years away. The unlikely heroine, Ofelia, is an elderly woman approaching 80 years old, who has lived in this corporate colony for over half of her life. She buried her husband and two of her children on this planet and decides to covertly stay behind when the corporation decides to shut the colony down and move its workers to a new planet of the company’s choosing.
She fears she will not survive the long flight in a cryogenic state, but mostly, she just wants to be alone with no demands placed on her so she can enjoy her remaining years in peace and solitude. She revels in being able, for the first time in almost 8 decades, to truly be herself. She wears what she wants (very little) and does whatever feels good, relishing a return to her childhood state while still keeping everything going and maintained like a boss, despite the limitations of her aging body with its aches and pains.
The joy of creation, of play, had been the empty place unfilled by family and social duties. She would have loved her children better, she thought now, if she had realized how much she herself needed to play, to follow her own childish desire to handle beautiful things and make more beauty.
In no way does it seem to bother the elderly woman that she is the only human on the entire planet, the only human for light years in any direction. She happily goes about her business, until the day comes that she realizes she may be the only human, but she is not alone. When a nomadic group of aliens arrive and make first contact, the story truly begins.
While some reviewers call this one slow, I did not find that to be the case. I enjoyed the buildup to her making first contact, but I love novels such as this one that feature strong characterization and character growth. If you prefer novels that are plot driven, you will enjoy the second half of the novel much more than the first.
I appreciated the themes and morals that this book conveys, from its realistic portrayal of how inconsiderate and cruel corporations are towards their employees, to the importance of finding a way to connect with other cultures that fosters mutual learning and understanding. It addresses ageism and sexism and the author deftly writes accurate human behaviors and tendencies across several demographics.
“Are you flirting?” Ofelia asked. She thought so; why else wear that perfume? Why else swing her ripe young body back and forth like fruit on a vine, every motion declaring her readiness to be picked and eaten?
This novel is very approachable and I would not hesitate to recommend it to people that typically do not enjoy science fiction. Most of all, I enjoyed the sections that were narrated by the aliens as they try to decide what to make of this “monster” human they have encountered in their land. I always enjoy seeing humanity through the eyes of outsiders, and the insightful revelations that so often result, including finding those universal truths that seem to permeate across most social species.
Wicked pleasure bubbling in her veins to see that woman discover that she had been seen, that her mind had been as naked to an old woman’s knowledge of human nature as the old woman’s body had been to her external eyes.
-------------------------------------------
First Sentence: Between her toes the damp earth felt cool, but already sweat crept between the roots of her hair.
Favorite Quote: You did not like my answers before; you told me I didn’t understand. Should I tell you the truth I know, or try to guess the untruth you want?
Not until she wanted an answer did she notice the silence.
This was a memorable story filled with realistic characters on another planet, many light years away. The unlikely heroine, Ofelia, is an elderly woman approaching 80 years old, who has lived in this corporate colony for over half of her life. She buried her husband and two of her children on this planet and decides to covertly stay behind when the corporation decides to shut the colony down and move its workers to a new planet of the company’s choosing.
She fears she will not survive the long flight in a cryogenic state, but mostly, she just wants to be alone with no demands placed on her so she can enjoy her remaining years in peace and solitude. She revels in being able, for the first time in almost 8 decades, to truly be herself. She wears what she wants (very little) and does whatever feels good, relishing a return to her childhood state while still keeping everything going and maintained like a boss, despite the limitations of her aging body with its aches and pains.
The joy of creation, of play, had been the empty place unfilled by family and social duties. She would have loved her children better, she thought now, if she had realized how much she herself needed to play, to follow her own childish desire to handle beautiful things and make more beauty.
In no way does it seem to bother the elderly woman that she is the only human on the entire planet, the only human for light years in any direction. She happily goes about her business, until the day comes that she realizes she may be the only human, but she is not alone. When a nomadic group of aliens arrive and make first contact, the story truly begins.
While some reviewers call this one slow, I did not find that to be the case. I enjoyed the buildup to her making first contact, but I love novels such as this one that feature strong characterization and character growth. If you prefer novels that are plot driven, you will enjoy the second half of the novel much more than the first.
I appreciated the themes and morals that this book conveys, from its realistic portrayal of how inconsiderate and cruel corporations are towards their employees, to the importance of finding a way to connect with other cultures that fosters mutual learning and understanding. It addresses ageism and sexism and the author deftly writes accurate human behaviors and tendencies across several demographics.
“Are you flirting?” Ofelia asked. She thought so; why else wear that perfume? Why else swing her ripe young body back and forth like fruit on a vine, every motion declaring her readiness to be picked and eaten?
This novel is very approachable and I would not hesitate to recommend it to people that typically do not enjoy science fiction. Most of all, I enjoyed the sections that were narrated by the aliens as they try to decide what to make of this “monster” human they have encountered in their land. I always enjoy seeing humanity through the eyes of outsiders, and the insightful revelations that so often result, including finding those universal truths that seem to permeate across most social species.
Wicked pleasure bubbling in her veins to see that woman discover that she had been seen, that her mind had been as naked to an old woman’s knowledge of human nature as the old woman’s body had been to her external eyes.
-------------------------------------------
First Sentence: Between her toes the damp earth felt cool, but already sweat crept between the roots of her hair.
Favorite Quote: You did not like my answers before; you told me I didn’t understand. Should I tell you the truth I know, or try to guess the untruth you want?
December 16, 2019
I loved this book. Especially the latter half. What an unlikely, but beautiful story of first contact!
In short, I need more hopeful SFF stories like this that focus on the connections between different peoples and the ways in which curiosity and communication are fundamental to co-existing.
In short, I need more hopeful SFF stories like this that focus on the connections between different peoples and the ways in which curiosity and communication are fundamental to co-existing.
January 16, 2011
There are not enough novels with awesome old ladies as their protagonists. Speaking as someone who wishes to be an awesome old lady some day, I consider this a gap in the market. At the start of Remnant Population, the members of a failed colony have been ordered to pack up and leave the planet that has become their home. Widowed Ofelia decides the hell with it, she's staying put; her grown son doesn't need her, her daughter-in-law can't stand her (it's mutual), and she's fed up with living her life to please other people.
Meanwhile on another part of the planet, a new colony is wiped out by a previously unsuspected group of indigenous inhabitants. Ofelia must figure out how to communicate with them, and how to explain them to the human colonists, before the two sides attempt to wipe each other out.
I am a sucker for stories about first contact and miscommunication and culture clash (something C. J. Cherryh does so well) and in this book there is plenty to go around: we get the indigenes' attempts to communicate with Ofelia from their point of view and Ofelia's frustration at being treated by the new colonists like an ignorant, confused old woman from hers. I'm happy to report that everything works out OK -- a bit unrealistically perhaps, but it's terribly satisfying just the same.
Meanwhile on another part of the planet, a new colony is wiped out by a previously unsuspected group of indigenous inhabitants. Ofelia must figure out how to communicate with them, and how to explain them to the human colonists, before the two sides attempt to wipe each other out.
I am a sucker for stories about first contact and miscommunication and culture clash (something C. J. Cherryh does so well) and in this book there is plenty to go around: we get the indigenes' attempts to communicate with Ofelia from their point of view and Ofelia's frustration at being treated by the new colonists like an ignorant, confused old woman from hers. I'm happy to report that everything works out OK -- a bit unrealistically perhaps, but it's terribly satisfying just the same.
December 1, 2019
The elderly protagonist stays behind after her colony is forced off the planet and comes in contact with an intelligent species. Communication and trust are key themes.
An original and well-done soft SF. I can relate to Ofelia and her attitude towards others. Sometimes I just want to be left alone.
An original and well-done soft SF. I can relate to Ofelia and her attitude towards others. Sometimes I just want to be left alone.
July 26, 2024
This was a slow book for me but it was well written, the only objection I have is toward lots of details.
Contact with aliens (non-humans) has always been an attractive topic for me and when the aliens are some kind of intelligent and curious race it makes it more interesting.
This book is about a colonized planet that is to be evacuated. One of the colony people is an old woman that doesn't desire to leave and when the company asks to overcharge her family to have her in shuttles, she decides to remain behind. Ofelia is a normal old lady, has had ups and downs in her life and now she wants a quiet life and death.
She uses the equipment left behind and one day hears on the radio a new colony that are in the process of landing on another side of the planet. Everything sounds normal until it doesn't and all of them are dead in a horrifying death. She knows that she won't be alone anymore and there are indigenous populations somewhere on the planet who would find her sooner or later.
The part I really liked is the first group of People when they meet with Ofelia, how they behave, how she behaves and how they start to communicate. The book doesn't go much into their social ranks and structure of society until the very end but the whole story becomes way more interesting from this point.
In general, I think Moon has done a great job shaping the characters. It was an enjoyable read and I think it's worth reading.
Contact with aliens (non-humans) has always been an attractive topic for me and when the aliens are some kind of intelligent and curious race it makes it more interesting.
This book is about a colonized planet that is to be evacuated. One of the colony people is an old woman that doesn't desire to leave and when the company asks to overcharge her family to have her in shuttles, she decides to remain behind. Ofelia is a normal old lady, has had ups and downs in her life and now she wants a quiet life and death.
She uses the equipment left behind and one day hears on the radio a new colony that are in the process of landing on another side of the planet. Everything sounds normal until it doesn't and all of them are dead in a horrifying death. She knows that she won't be alone anymore and there are indigenous populations somewhere on the planet who would find her sooner or later.
The part I really liked is the first group of People when they meet with Ofelia, how they behave, how she behaves and how they start to communicate. The book doesn't go much into their social ranks and structure of society until the very end but the whole story becomes way more interesting from this point.
In general, I think Moon has done a great job shaping the characters. It was an enjoyable read and I think it's worth reading.
November 15, 2023
I read it for a second time as a part of the monthly reading for November 2023 at Hugo & Nebula Awards: Best Novels group. I keep my high rating (usually less than 10% of my reads get 5 stars). I also want to add that the story is a great training in humility, for more than once in the second part I wanted to cry "But they (scientists) are right!"
This SF novel was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1997. This is an unusual first contact story. This is my first read of Elizabeth Moon and I’m impressed even if I don’t always agree with the author. This book reminded me of Ursula K. Le Guin SF novels.
This is the story of an old woman, Ofelia Falfurrias, who is over 70 years old when the book starts. She lived almost her whole life in the company’s colony (of course the company is an evil exploiter of colonists even if I cannot see how it planned to benefit from it. Who cares…), lost her husband and several children to this inhospitable planet. And after many years the company sees that the colony is unsustainable and plans to relocate (so the exploiter is also lazy to wait for a few generations to repay the sunk costs even if the colony finally seems to be sustainable). Ofelia is tired of people around her, of hierarchy, which sets her, an uneducated old woman at the very bottom, of her only son, who is (according to her) badly influenced by his wife. So she decides to hide and remain on the planet. She succeeds.
Her new life gives her the freedom to do what she wants, and not what others want, it allows her to feel more like a person, not an appendage to someone/something else, and to grow spiritually. Meanwhile, another colony (with new colonists – it is somehow easier to send another bunch across the galaxy than to use the same colonists, who know these lands) tries to set in a more temperate zone, but is wiped off by previously unknown natives, who appear sentient. The colonization stops and a diplomatic/explorative mission is sent. However, the first (peaceful) contact is with Ofelia and this changes everything.
The local sentients are very well written. Aliens are more often than not a weak spot in SF, they are either blue-skinned humans or incomprehensible others. Here we have a nice middle ground.
While the story is very good, I cannot agree with the ‘wise old woman’ approach, even if the arguments within the book's setting are great. For me, there are wise/experienced persons of any gender and broad age variety. As well as a great deal of not so wise persons of all genders (the author seems to agree with the statement in the last chapter). Pressing the uniqueness of wise old women for me is the response to patriarchy by mirroring it (wise old men are almost a trope) instead of decreasing its effect on society.
This SF novel was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1997. This is an unusual first contact story. This is my first read of Elizabeth Moon and I’m impressed even if I don’t always agree with the author. This book reminded me of Ursula K. Le Guin SF novels.
This is the story of an old woman, Ofelia Falfurrias, who is over 70 years old when the book starts. She lived almost her whole life in the company’s colony (of course the company is an evil exploiter of colonists even if I cannot see how it planned to benefit from it. Who cares…), lost her husband and several children to this inhospitable planet. And after many years the company sees that the colony is unsustainable and plans to relocate (so the exploiter is also lazy to wait for a few generations to repay the sunk costs even if the colony finally seems to be sustainable). Ofelia is tired of people around her, of hierarchy, which sets her, an uneducated old woman at the very bottom, of her only son, who is (according to her) badly influenced by his wife. So she decides to hide and remain on the planet. She succeeds.
Her new life gives her the freedom to do what she wants, and not what others want, it allows her to feel more like a person, not an appendage to someone/something else, and to grow spiritually. Meanwhile, another colony (with new colonists – it is somehow easier to send another bunch across the galaxy than to use the same colonists, who know these lands) tries to set in a more temperate zone, but is wiped off by previously unknown natives, who appear sentient. The colonization stops and a diplomatic/explorative mission is sent. However, the first (peaceful) contact is with Ofelia and this changes everything.
The local sentients are very well written. Aliens are more often than not a weak spot in SF, they are either blue-skinned humans or incomprehensible others. Here we have a nice middle ground.
While the story is very good, I cannot agree with the ‘wise old woman’ approach, even if the arguments within the book's setting are great. For me, there are wise/experienced persons of any gender and broad age variety. As well as a great deal of not so wise persons of all genders (the author seems to agree with the statement in the last chapter). Pressing the uniqueness of wise old women for me is the response to patriarchy by mirroring it (wise old men are almost a trope) instead of decreasing its effect on society.
June 6, 2021
4.44 Stars
Yeah, I'm officially joining the fanclub on this one. I agree with a number of the flaws outlined by many other reviewers. However, I loved its focus on a 70+ self sufficient woman who finally has a chance to live her life on her own terms - on a planet far, far away from Earth.
Authors, can we have more like this, please?
Yeah, I'm officially joining the fanclub on this one. I agree with a number of the flaws outlined by many other reviewers. However, I loved its focus on a 70+ self sufficient woman who finally has a chance to live her life on her own terms - on a planet far, far away from Earth.
Authors, can we have more like this, please?
March 9, 2015
Remnant Population is a quiet sort of SF book. It’s more along the lines of, say, Ursula Le Guin than Lois McMaster Bujold or David Weber: at least, there’s very little by the way of epic space fights, and much more about people. Mostly just one person, alone. I loved that the protagonist is an old woman; the ending, with the recruitment of old ladies, seemed like a bit of a joke even so, but I liked that this is very much a defence of the worth and importance of the elderly, and particularly elderly women.
I liked that the aliens really are weird and nothing like us — that all our exo-scientists’ assumptions were just way out. I think if we do find other life out there, it might be like this: we might not even know what we’re looking at. They might learn in radically different ways (sorry, Pinker, Chomsky); they might mature at different speeds. We base our assumptions on carbon based mammals…
Perhaps the unrealistic thing is how easily it’s settled. You require a set up like Le Guin’s Ekumen for that, and this seemed more like a society run primarily by corporations. It didn’t seem like cooperation would be so easy… But even then, there’s a hint at how that can be done; the People join in the commercial enterprises of the rest of the universe.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one; it’s not going to be a new favourite, but it was a good read.
I liked that the aliens really are weird and nothing like us — that all our exo-scientists’ assumptions were just way out. I think if we do find other life out there, it might be like this: we might not even know what we’re looking at. They might learn in radically different ways (sorry, Pinker, Chomsky); they might mature at different speeds. We base our assumptions on carbon based mammals…
Perhaps the unrealistic thing is how easily it’s settled. You require a set up like Le Guin’s Ekumen for that, and this seemed more like a society run primarily by corporations. It didn’t seem like cooperation would be so easy… But even then, there’s a hint at how that can be done; the People join in the commercial enterprises of the rest of the universe.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one; it’s not going to be a new favourite, but it was a good read.
April 5, 2017
This is a magnificent book which looks closely at issues of gender, aging, cultural norms, and selfhood.
Powerful in every way, it also has the fun of first contact, tech, colony, and aliens.
A must read particular for the heroine who is not a twenty something and has a an epic journey and her own Happily Ever After made of her own mind and hands.
Powerful in every way, it also has the fun of first contact, tech, colony, and aliens.
A must read particular for the heroine who is not a twenty something and has a an epic journey and her own Happily Ever After made of her own mind and hands.
November 22, 2024
I Read this for a second time because of a book group. People will like this book who appreciate stories where underdogs succeed and cleverness defeats force. There are also strong themes of nature and beauty and playfulness and community.
An old woman rebels when told she must abandon her colony planet, and then things start to happen.
An old woman rebels when told she must abandon her colony planet, and then things start to happen.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 27, 2011
A failing colony is removed from an alien world by the company that owns it, but one old woman, tired of having others run her life, hides in the forest until everyone is safely gone. The abandoned equipment and supplies enable her to survive, and she settles into a routine. Months later, on the communications equipment in the colony Center, she listens to the landing of another colony on another part of the planet - and its immediate destruction by natives whose presence no one had suspected. The natives decide to send an expedition to check out the distant other site where the Monsters may have landed; the company that had bought the planet from its previous owners sends a scientific expedition to check out the possibly-sapient animals that had killed their colonists. The old woman, Ofelia, first has to establish communication with the stone-age natives, then with members of her own species. The natives, at least, are willing to believe she's an intelligent being.
The natives are interesting, Ofelia's an engaging character - unfortunately, this is an idiot plot, utterly dependent on both Ofelia's complete lack of education and the idiocy of the scientists sent to investigate. The most intelligent, most open-minded, most reasonable member of the expedition is a cultural anthropologist; he identifies a "singer" in the natives' non-literate culture as an "entertainer," nobody important. Why would the company send such incompetents if they spent the money on a scientific expedition at all? They wouldn't, of course.
There are numerous similar idiocies throughout the book. For instance, why is Ofelia, the product of a very prosperous, high-tech culture, uneducated to the point of almost complete illiteracy? Why, because education is a privilege, not a requirement, of course. Ofelia's from a large underclass kept intentionally uneducated. That this makes no sense in a prosperous, high-tech culture, that it is completely incompatible with maintaining a prosperous, high-tech culture beyond a generation or two, matters not. (I feel a need to be absolutely clear about this: this star-spanning civilization is intentionally creating and maintaining a large, profoundly uneducated underclass that can't even do the most basic gruntwork in this culture--that would challenged by the basic gruntwork necessary in early 21st-century America or Europe.) The plot requires it, and that's the end of the matter. Ofelia's one of the very bright young children, identified by her teachers for a scholarship to continue her education beyond the basic primary level. Her parents, preferring her sister to Ofelia for reasons never even touched upon, much less explained, send the sister for that extended education instead of Ofelia. Somehow, this controlling, bureaucratic, records-obsessed culture has no means of distinguishing between one underclass child, specifically identified for continued education, and her sister, at least a year different in age, specifically not selected for continued education. Furthermore, and I say this as someone happy to attribute all sorts of evil and malevolence to giant corporations, the corporations that control this society are malevolent in unbelievable ways, ways that are directly contrary to even their most obvious, short-term interests. It all makes for a book that's extremely irritating if you think at all about what you're reading. But if you can turn your brain off, it's kind of fun.
The natives are interesting, Ofelia's an engaging character - unfortunately, this is an idiot plot, utterly dependent on both Ofelia's complete lack of education and the idiocy of the scientists sent to investigate. The most intelligent, most open-minded, most reasonable member of the expedition is a cultural anthropologist; he identifies a "singer" in the natives' non-literate culture as an "entertainer," nobody important. Why would the company send such incompetents if they spent the money on a scientific expedition at all? They wouldn't, of course.
There are numerous similar idiocies throughout the book. For instance, why is Ofelia, the product of a very prosperous, high-tech culture, uneducated to the point of almost complete illiteracy? Why, because education is a privilege, not a requirement, of course. Ofelia's from a large underclass kept intentionally uneducated. That this makes no sense in a prosperous, high-tech culture, that it is completely incompatible with maintaining a prosperous, high-tech culture beyond a generation or two, matters not. (I feel a need to be absolutely clear about this: this star-spanning civilization is intentionally creating and maintaining a large, profoundly uneducated underclass that can't even do the most basic gruntwork in this culture--that would challenged by the basic gruntwork necessary in early 21st-century America or Europe.) The plot requires it, and that's the end of the matter. Ofelia's one of the very bright young children, identified by her teachers for a scholarship to continue her education beyond the basic primary level. Her parents, preferring her sister to Ofelia for reasons never even touched upon, much less explained, send the sister for that extended education instead of Ofelia. Somehow, this controlling, bureaucratic, records-obsessed culture has no means of distinguishing between one underclass child, specifically identified for continued education, and her sister, at least a year different in age, specifically not selected for continued education. Furthermore, and I say this as someone happy to attribute all sorts of evil and malevolence to giant corporations, the corporations that control this society are malevolent in unbelievable ways, ways that are directly contrary to even their most obvious, short-term interests. It all makes for a book that's extremely irritating if you think at all about what you're reading. But if you can turn your brain off, it's kind of fun.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 19, 2019
4.5 stars because I can't recommend this to *everybody* because my mom, silly woman, refuses to read SF, but I think she'd love this if she weren't so stubborn. But Ofelia has taught me to respect her choices.
Rereading for buddy read in the SFF group: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/....
Among other things we're saying, I've commented:
I love the nuances. I mean, it's hardly a spoiler to say that SimsBancorp is an evil corporation... or at least a typical one that doesn't care much about ethics... but that's the nuance: are they "evil" really?
Moon is good at asking the next question, taking the ideas one step further. It's still a fun read, but it's more literary than many because it's so thoughtful.
Rereading for buddy read in the SFF group: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/....
Among other things we're saying, I've commented:
I love the nuances. I mean, it's hardly a spoiler to say that SimsBancorp is an evil corporation... or at least a typical one that doesn't care much about ethics... but that's the nuance: are they "evil" really?
Moon is good at asking the next question, taking the ideas one step further. It's still a fun read, but it's more literary than many because it's so thoughtful.
September 18, 2020
I dunno, the whole story irked me. I felt no sympathy for the main character or the aliens, or the other humans. The audio reading was devoid of passion and much like listening to an old woman muttering to herself about knitting.
October 23, 2024
A nearly perfect character study and exploration of slow first contact. but, drags on a little too long.
December 4, 2019
I really could have gone without reading this. The premise sounded intriguing - elderly woman as protagonist who chooses to step out of the collective in favour of her individuality, and who then finds herself in the position of first contact - but the execution was mostly flat which is a real shame.
We’re dropped into the colony with no real backstory which is fine if the character study and plot can handle being the sole focus of the novel, but it can’t, not after the first quarter of the book anyway. It just all read so superficial, stereotypical in spite of its proffered premise, and binary to me. Ofelia exists in a world of cardboard cutouts, and the promise of following Ofelia’s spark of interiority quickly peters out. Its like the author just forgot that Ofelia was meant to be growing.
The tropes were plentiful and lay around like dead fish, and the way the other women were written, bloody hell. I think the only one who was described and/or written in any kind of positive way was the woman who grew up with one of her dead daughters. Kira was an uppity scientist, Bilong was a tease and a whore, Rosara was an ungrateful hag, Linda was the other tease, there was the teacher who didn’t know better than to keep her mouth shut when she saw girls being abuse and deservedly got the back of her head bashed in (or something like that) ... I’m sure there are more but my mind is doing me the favour of blocking them out for the moment. And I’m not even going to get started on the cutesy crap that passed for the ‘aliens’ - shudders.
We’re dropped into the colony with no real backstory which is fine if the character study and plot can handle being the sole focus of the novel, but it can’t, not after the first quarter of the book anyway. It just all read so superficial, stereotypical in spite of its proffered premise, and binary to me. Ofelia exists in a world of cardboard cutouts, and the promise of following Ofelia’s spark of interiority quickly peters out. Its like the author just forgot that Ofelia was meant to be growing.
The tropes were plentiful and lay around like dead fish, and the way the other women were written, bloody hell. I think the only one who was described and/or written in any kind of positive way was the woman who grew up with one of her dead daughters. Kira was an uppity scientist, Bilong was a tease and a whore, Rosara was an ungrateful hag, Linda was the other tease, there was the teacher who didn’t know better than to keep her mouth shut when she saw girls being abuse and deservedly got the back of her head bashed in (or something like that) ... I’m sure there are more but my mind is doing me the favour of blocking them out for the moment. And I’m not even going to get started on the cutesy crap that passed for the ‘aliens’ - shudders.
November 15, 2020
I’ve wanted to read Remnant Population for a long time, but I only knew that it would be about an old woman on a far away planet. So, I really did not expect what I would get and that it would move me so much!
Ofelia is an old woman who has lived her life by sacrificing herself to others – the husband, the children, the colony. She was not allowed an education, although she was smart (this reminded me very much of my own grandmother). So, she’s hardworking, but also a bit grumpy and insecure, but finally her time and some peace seem to be coming. I don’t want to say anymore, because of course things do not turn out as expected – but I loved it! The slow build-up and especially the resulting . I even felt quite emotional about the wonder of the as well as ashamed for my own species (unfortunately, a recurring feeling recently and has nothing to do with this book). How can we always assume? How can we be so arrogant and respectless? It is time we do better! (Yes, I also loved the ending).
An excellent Sci-Fi read that I’m sure will stay with me for a while – and also my 300 review! 😊
Ofelia is an old woman who has lived her life by sacrificing herself to others – the husband, the children, the colony. She was not allowed an education, although she was smart (this reminded me very much of my own grandmother). So, she’s hardworking, but also a bit grumpy and insecure, but finally her time and some peace seem to be coming. I don’t want to say anymore, because of course things do not turn out as expected – but I loved it! The slow build-up and especially the resulting . I even felt quite emotional about the wonder of the as well as ashamed for my own species (unfortunately, a recurring feeling recently and has nothing to do with this book). How can we always assume? How can we be so arrogant and respectless? It is time we do better! (Yes, I also loved the ending).
An excellent Sci-Fi read that I’m sure will stay with me for a while – and also my 300 review! 😊
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July 6, 2016I suppose it might not be the biggest draw in the world to have a cover that showed an old woman mostly nude, wearing only a few things she'd made herself, completely unconcerned about covering anything in particular or anything more than being comfortable and wearing things that she enjoys. But did they have to go with such stereotypical ragged old woman clothes? It's such a big part of the book, the time Ofelia has to herself to figure out who she is without society breathing down her neck, and how she dresses when she can dress how she likes.
Note: The rest of this review has been withheld due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
Note: The rest of this review has been withheld due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
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