Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon
01/03/2002 . Source: Mark Greener 

pub: Orbit. 360 page paperback. Price: £ 6.99 (UK). ISBN: 1-84149-136-5.

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Ofelia's children are grown and married. She's widowed and now all she wants is to tend her garden in peace. But when the Company loses the franchise on the planet Ofelia is colonising, she's expected to leave 40 years of her life behind and re-enter cryogenics for the transfer to a new home.

Ofelia helps the rest of the village prepare to leave but decides to stay. She hides from the Company, who - given her old age - makes little attempt to track her down. They'll simply tell Ofelia’s family that she died in transit. Ofelia is alone on the planet.

Soon, another group of colonists land on a different part of the planet - only to be savagely slaughtered by seemingly primitive indigenous creatures that Ofelia's colony was unaware existed.

Ofelia hears the massacre over the radio. Then the indigenous creatures arrive in Ofelia's village, inquisitive about human culture and technology but as disruptive as toddlers. Ofelia fears that if their interest in Earth technology wanes, her life could be in danger. Meanwhile, Earth dispatches a mission to discover what massacred the colonists.

Ofelia is beautifully drawn. Indeed, she is one of the most rounded, one of the most real characters in any SF book. Moon takes you inside Ofelia's mind.

You come to understand how older women feel once their offspring leave the nest, their partner dies and they face their declining years alone.

Moon takes her time to draw Ofelia's character in considerable detail. The plot moves little for 50 or so pages as Ofelia explores the abandoned village, her memories and her feelings.

Indeed, ‘Remnant Population’ is, in general, a slow-paced book that takes its time to explore its characters and subjects. However, ‘Remnant Population’ is never dull, never boring, never less than totally engaging.

Moon also gets inside the mind of the indigenous creatures to create a real sense of 'alieness' which is often lacking in SF. When Ofelia first makes contact, Moon generates a sense of unease and disquiet that she sustains for a considerable time.

If I have one criticism, it's that the communication and empathy with the indigenous creatures comes too easily and with too few complications. Indeed, everything in ‘Remnant Population’ is resolved somewhat too simply and too neatly. Life isn't usually like that. However, it's a minor criticism taken against Moon's considerable achievement.

One of SF's great strengths is its ability to step back, isolate and comment on current issues facing society. As Thomas Disch notes in ‘The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of’ much SF "is not about predicting the future but examining the present". And ‘Remnant Population’ deals with a couple of important contemporary themes.

Firstly, Ofelia is a font of pragmatic wisdom and experience. Yet this lifetime of experience and the old women herself are often disregarded and ignored. ‘Remnant Population’ is a powerful and poignant look at the wisdom that comes with age - and the way younger people misjudge and misinterpret that wisdom and the elderly themselves.

Secondly, the mission from earth sent to investigate the massacre exudes a dangerous mix of ignorance and arrogance. Indeed, you can read parts of ‘Remnant Population’ as a post-colonialist view of the hubris and racism of more technologically advanced civilizations towards economically deprived nations on Earth.

However, Moon offers some hope for the human race: Empire building isn't on the future Earth's agenda. Nevertheless, ‘Remnant Population’ offers several insights into contemporary racial and ethnic problems.

As you've probably gathered, ‘Remnant Population’ is extremely well written and on the literary end of the SF spectrum. Indeed, it's about as far from the space opera of Bova or Asimov as it's possible to get.

However, with the increasing proportion of older people in the population and pervasive racial tension throughout society, ‘Remnant Population’ is a remarkable, timely, thought-provoking novel that I cannot recommend too highly.

Mark Greener

Check out website: www.orbitbooks.co.uk