Customer Reviews

Still Forms on Foxfield

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I remember reading this back in the 80's, some time after reading True Names, and thinking that she not only published earlier but likely got closer to true prophecy. I've reread it recently, and found that it stands up. In fact, its predictions of a wired world are just now coming true, though she wrote about them as happening centuries in the future. The main plot is about an isolated Quaker commune on another planet that is suddenly faced with an arriving ship full of people from Earth, who start handing out a piece of jewelry that is a combined health monitor and comm device, putting them in instant contact with all other humans who exist. The story is partly about their struggle for survival on a planet not designed for humans, and their coming to terms with an interesting alien species (a sort of intelligent plant with a hive mind). Meanwhile, they now are faced with the impact of full electronic contact with some very friendly humans who are by now nearly as alien as the aliens, who don't understand them or the local aliens, and are more concerned with assimilation than with understanding. And, as a bonus, there are feminist (and lesbian) subplots to complicate matters.

It's not space opera. But if you want psych-social ideas, alien contact, and an early concept of the Net that may come true in the next decade or so, this is a book you might want to find. Too bad it's out of print.

This is an unusual and solidly written novel. The plot is the rediscovery of a small Quaker colony on Tau Ceti by a technologically advanced and somewhat intolerant Earth society. The confrontation between Quaker quietism and the Earth society is handled very well. Particularly good, however, are the unusual aliens that the author introduces as a crucial plot element. These are some of the most creative non-humans ever featured in a science fiction novel. This novel, like several of Slonczewski's books, deserves to be known better.

Fearing an imminent nuclear holocaust, a group of Quakers sets out in the 21st century to settle a planet around the star Tau Ceti. For nearly a hundred years, this group of Quakers have survived -- and coexisted with its native species -- on the planet they dubbed Foxfield. For nearly a century, Foxfielders believed they were all that was left of Humanity after the feared holocaust. Now, Humanity has made contact with those living on Foxfield...and there have been an awful lot of changes. Can the small group of Humans living on Foxfield reintegrate back into greater Human society? Or will those living on Foxfield choose to separate themselves from the rest of Humanity?

Joan Slonczewski's Still Forms on Foxfield is an interesting study of people surviving on an alien world with alien creatures very different from us. The Commensal's are evolved "plantoids" who appear to have developed a quasi-hive mind...individuals are able to think and perform tasks on their own, but are still part of the overall "Whole". But despite living in peace with the Commensals for nearly a century, those living on Foxfield still understand very little about them...and when the rest of Humanity makes contact with those on Foxfield and wants to reintegrate them into the fold it sets up a conflict between the two disparate entities. Not a conflict with guns and bombs, but a conflict of ideas and how those ideas affect everyone who lives on Foxfield...and beyond.

Slonczewski is great at depicting connections. Connections between people. Connections between societies and cultures. Where this book doesn't manage to hold up is in the "scientific details". Slonczewski strength is in the way she describes the interactions between the Commensals and Human's, both those living on Foxfield and those from Earth. But she seemed to want to throw into the story a mishmash of astrophysics and quantum theory that didn't really serve much of a purpose and at times hindered the relational depictions within the story. Nonethless, Still Forms on Foxfield is worth reading as a character study of people surviving on an alien world -- with alien creatures -- and coping with stresses that they could not have predicted.

I've read a couple other books by Joan Slonczewski, and really liked what I've read so far. So since I've had this sitting on my shelf for a few years, I figured I'd better pick it up. I have to say I was a bit disappointed. I believe this was her first novel, and she has definitely improved (although she hasn't written anything recently), but Still Forms on Foxfield left a lot to be desired.

To start with, I just kept waiting for something big to happen, something that would surprise or excite me, and it never came. The ending kind of fizzled out, and I was left feeling like I had just wasted my time. There were times when I found my attention wandering, specifically when dealing with the Commensals, who I just never understood. They were the planets indigenous, alien (at least to the humans) lifeform, and I couldn't get a feel for them. I couldn't picture what they looked like, the science behind what they were doing, how they lived. None of it made any sense to me, and it felt like the author kept going into detailed scientific descriptions about them, which is fine if you're a biologist or really into science, but I'm neither of those things. It really took me out of the story.

I also didn't feel like there were any characters to root for. Allison, the main character, was okay, but it seemed like she always just went with the flow. The whole thing was just so blah, with very little excitement for being a clash of the cultures type novel. There were some interesting things, but they seemed to be few and far between, and I just wish they had been explored further. I don't think I would recommend this one, but I would very highly recommend A Door Into Ocean by the same author. It's one of my favorite science fiction novels.

Still Forms on Foxfield is set on the alien planet Foxfield, settled by Quakers who were afraid of World War III destroying humanity. The protagonist Allison is in charge of the technology center of her settlement town (one of five), and she re-establishes contact with the rest of humanity. The basis is the UN charter agreed to by the founders of the colony. The big twist is Foxfield is home to the commensuals, an alien proto-plasm like race which base their thinking on a quantum level. They helped the colonists survive in the earlier years and are now thought of as another part of living in Foxfield.

The novel explores themes of pacifism, cultural integration, adulthood, personal choices, and the Quaker interpretation of Light. It is not space opera; I'd call it more a psychological novel. I found the science backdrop held up well in 2008 (for a novel written in 1980), and as a main character, Allison had developed emotions. She is a change for the better from the normal cardboard characters in the science fiction genre.

Still Forms comes off well as a whole novel, and it is highly recommended if you like science fiction and can handle open-minded speculation regarding future cultures. It has a slight feminist bent, but this helps builds a unique voice.

I could see this being required reading in an 8th grade curriculum given the spectrum of issues covered by the novel. Note that Slonczewski randomly spends a few paragraphs on the influence/existence of homosexuality in her future society. Not even close to the focus of the novel, but probably why I didn't find this excellent work in my school library.

This book introduced me to Joan Slonczewski. It is not a great, trumpets-and-drums sort of novel. It actually consists of a very strange mix of science, belief, and emotion. But it made me think, and enjoy myself while doing so. It is a very refreshing read, it does not tire you out. I've read it numerous times and it still retains its charm. If there's anybody existing who has also read this book, or would want to, please let me know. I wouldn't want to think that I am alone in my appreciation of Foxfield.

I guess I was expecting Simak style science fiction. Meaning quiet, low key, rural, spiritual, pacifist, & even unabashedly sentimental. A story of a colony of Quakers being "discovered" set me up for that. Lesbian-feminist aspects & a sort of angriness underneath ruined that. Also the author gave a "kill all the men" philosophy more credence then it deserved. Why does it have to be women in charge or men in charge can't we be equal, while respecting the differences? I think the book's message is egalitarian, but she argued "Women good, Men worthless" better. The Quaker stuff was good, although she has some style problems. I hate to trash a book someone else loved, so I'll stop there. Except to say I probably had wrong expectations & maybe I'd "get it" if I were a woman. (Although I like books to be a little more universal than that)