Customer Reviews

Remnant Population

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

When her husband Humberto died, Ofelia became her son's dependent in the eyes of Sims Bancorp. Forty years after she helped to found Colony 3245.12, all of her children but Barto are dead along with their father; and Ofelia tolerates her domineering daughter-in-law Rosara as best she can. When Sims Bancorp sends a ship to withdraw the colonists, after deciding to abandon its unprofitable colony and cede its license to the world that Ofelia now considers her home, the company demands extra payment for relocating the useless old woman who will probably die in cryosleep, anyway. Luckily for Ofelia, though, she's scheduled for a later shuttle than Barto and Rosara. When she slips away from the village to hide in the nearby, still untouched alien forest, the only two people who would protest her absence are already in the cryotanks. Soon the ship is gone, leaving Ofelia alone. And that's just fine with her.

The old woman revels in her solitude, because this is the first time in her long life that she's been free from the demands and restrictions placed on her by others. She tends her garden, competently maintains the village's power plant, and laughs when she throws her last pair of detested shoes into the recycler. Then another company's ship enters orbit, and starts to insert a colony at a location thousands of miles from Ofelia's village. At which time she, and the newly arrived colonists, find out that this world has indigenous intelligent life after all.

The friend who recommended this book to me was right. Ofelia, a person who had little worth to start with in her society's eyes - a housewife and mother, educated no more than necessary to perform her expected tasks - has no value at all now, in age and physical infirmity. But what she does have, a naturally intelligent old woman's experience and wisdom and insight, turn out to be exactly what the unexpected and dangerous first contact situation on her adopted world requires. Grumpy and no longer willing to suffer fools gladly - still savoring life, but no longer reluctant to risk leaving it behind if that's the price of being free at last to make her own choices - Ofelia is at once a fully realized individual, and a worthy representative of all the other wise and salty old women whose value too few Human societies appreciate. Or even comprehend.

A thought-provoking delight!

Remnant Population is a character-based story. It contemplates the nature of radical change, exploring its effects on an aged individual and her physical world. This book begs the questions... Is it ever too late to remake life and redefine self? Is it truly possible to change our own, and other's, social values? How stable is change, begun in solitude, when challenged with social expectations?

I enjoy novels, of any genre, that offer a platform from which readers may contemplate the mysterious depth of their own truths and choices. In Remnant Population, Elizabeth Moon has gifted her readers with a rare combination of ageless truths, introspection and a sensitivity to wisdoms most prevalent in the aged. She has also gifted me with a book I treasure and won't part with.

"Remnant Population" is a beautiful story about an "old woman" whose path of discovery is set in a SF context.

At 70, Ofelia is considered to be too old to be of any use to the Colony which had settled on the planet some 40 years earlier, but have now been told to move on. Ofelia knows this, and does not look forward to the move in cryopreservation, which is likely to kill her. As an elderly woman, she is no longer appreciated by her fellow colony, rather - she is a liability.

But Ofelia has her own plans. If she can only convince the colony to leave her behind ... all she wants to do is tend to her garden and be left in peace. No one to tell her what to do. No one to tell her what to wear. No one to chide her. She decides to hide herself when the colony moves out. She knows that they won't look long for an old woman ... and she's right.

Soon, Ofelia learns to set herself free. As the only one remaining on the planet, she can do whatever she wants. There is enough infrastructure left behind by the colony that she can survive for years. So she plants everyones gardens and finally gets to walk around barefoot and hatless.

But then, something unusual happens. One day, as she is at the center, monitoring for storms and writing "real" stories behind the notes on people who dies in the colony, she hears an interchange of humans attempting to land on the planet --- and something goes horribly wrong. Against all Ofelia's expectations and knowledge, the humans are attacked by aliens. Shortly after, strange things start to happen where she is. Doors left open that she was sure she'd closed. Or maybe she was just a crazy old woman after all?

The story of this 70 year old helps to remind us all that older people have lives and thoughts and feelings and are capable of things that younger ones are. Too often, our society disregards and disrespects those with experience who have the potential to live so much more. Life doesn't end at 70. Ofelia learns, in spite of herself, that she is capable of much more than she ever dreamed of. Her new self is the first to among humans to have alien contact. At 70, she has all the skills necessary to deal with this strange encounter and build good relationships with the aliens. Their society respects elders ...

Slightly unusual for a SF topic, but nonetheless full of insight. Moon reminds us all that we should respect those who have the most experience.

Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon is an unusual book in quite a few ways.

To start with, the protagonist, Ofelia, is over 70 years old, and a grandmother. She's not as spry as she was, and not taken seriously by her family or community. Just a "crazy old lady". I can think of very few SF books where the protagonist is that old, unless of course they have some life-extension technology. Ofelia's people do not seriously consider the wants and concerns of an old person. Perhaps our culture doesn't either, if you judge by their (lack of) prominence in fiction.

Ofelia lives in a struggling colony on a far-away planet. She's put her whole life into the colony -- the gardens, the family and friends she has buried there, the labor of a long life. Now the corporate owners of the world and the colony have decided it is "not viable" and they are shipping their employees off to start over on another world. Ofelia decides she won't leave.

The colonists and the corporate masters leave, not too concerned about one missing old lady. Ofelia is alone. Alone means un-fettered by the needs and demands of other people. Un-concerned about what the neighbors will think of what she wears or does. Free to do sensible things which she is very capable of, and also free to make her own artwork and to sit in the sun and dream.

This is the first and perhaps largest joy of the book. It is a personal growth story about someone whose life we might have assumed to be nearly over. Left to go wild, Ofelia blossoms. She is practical and careful, but at the same time her child self is finally set free.

Of course all is not well in paradise for long. Ofelia will be presented with plenty of challenges. She was un-educated and under-valued by her society, but it turns out that a lifetime of experience at "women's work" has given her skills that she needs but barely has names for - diplomacy, conspiracy, management, teaching, practical use of social dynamics, to name a few. Through it all we enjoy Ofelia's sharp wit about the strange goings-on around her.

This is also a First Contact story. The aliens (natives actually) are quite interesting, with a very different culture and social structure than what we are used to. They do have some surprises in store for the humans. I always like well-done aliens and alien - human interactions, and this is the second joy of this book.

Remnant Population is also unusual in that there is very little violence. Elizabeth Moon has written quite a lot of military SF and swords-&-sorcery, but this book is free of those familiar combat scenes. Instead we have the joy of seeing inept corporations and short-sighted military baffled and outwitted by an old lady who understands how people work, how to resist, and how to find common ground.

Anyway, this is the best book I've read this year, and goes on my "favorites" shelf, to lend to friends and read and re-read. It's available in paperback now, copyright 1996. You should find and read this one now, before it vanishes from the publishing scene and becomes an unobtainable legend.

(This review first appeared in TANSTAAFL, the 'zine of the
Stilyagi Air Corps science fiction club.)

Moon has proven herself capable in the past of providing masterful characterizations of young women (Deed of Paksennarion) and middle-aged women (Heris Seranno in Hunting Party et. al.). Here she proves herself equally adept at very old women. The basic plot involves a first contact where only one human is left. I can think of several cases where this has been used where the protagonist is a young person inadvertently or willfully left behind. In this case, the twist is that the person is a very old woman, on the order of 80. She stays behind deliberately and the early part of the book details her blossoming once she has gotten away from family oppressors. By the time the aliens arrived I was thoroughly identifying with the protagonist and really hoped for her success. This one deserves an award nomination, Hugo probably

This unhurried tale about the freedom and peace of solitude and success in later life is presented as science fiction, but I believe people at any stage of life can relate.

Ofelia is an old woman who decides to stay behind on a colony planet she has called home for half her life when the sponsoring company decides to move the colonists to another world. She is ready for a few years of freedom at the end of her long life. The freedom to wear what she wants, eat what she wants, rise and rest when she wants. She spends a few seasons and about a hundred pages alone. Then she encounters native intelligent life i.e. aliens and Ofelia gets acquainted with them and watches them learn at a marvelous rate that belies her initial impression of their childlike intelligence. Off world powers become aware of the intelligent life and send a group of specialists to study them.

This book was slow moving, but the writing was lovely. For some reason, I really like descriptions of weather and gardening and Moon provides plenty of both along with rather simple arts and crafts of bead painting and clothes making that I rather enjoyed. The story of rising to success and finding oneself highly valued, respected and useful is not new. But I have never read a book where the main character is old and Ofelia offered a refreshing perspective. I enjoyed this book.

Recommended.

Not only tough to put down, but brought a tear to my eye at the end. Nice to read something that makes one feel good to be a human. Advice: ignore other reviewer's comments that attempt to make this book an issue for sexism or ageism.. it's for and about people.

Remnant Population is the very best of Elizabeth Moon - an author noted for combining inspiring fantasy with gritty realism. Our heroine is unexpectedly found in the character of an elderly Hispanic woman who has worked herself into the very ground, too stubborn to move, too strong to die. She helps an alien population find harmony with the violent human race in a surprisingly delightful way - using a woman's strengths and a mother's perceptions. Although this book addresses deep seated human fears and agressions, it's a fun, light read. When I reached the last page, I turned the book over and read it again!

I found Elizabeth Moon's, REMNANT POPULATION, fascinating because the main character is an older woman. In late life, she makes a revolutionary decision to stay on a planet without her community. Through leading her normal life alone, she creates a richer and more fulfilling life for herself among the indigenous population. She's spunky, capable, self doubting yet brave. The best part of the book is that she becomes important and appreciated in her new community. This book not only has an interesting story and main character, but great aliens as well.

Elizabeth has probably written her best book yet with this one. She has given us a glimpse of life after 20 without it being condensending or simplistic. The character of Sera Ofelia reflects many of the emotions and feelings that seem to be part of life. Even though the setting is in the sci-fi area, this book could easily be set on the good old planet earth and the rich interaction between characters would still be valid. I would rate her writing up there with Anne McCaffrey, Mercedes Lackey or David Eddings because of her in depth characterization. I only wish that she published more often.