Moon, Elizabeth: Remnant Population

[calico_reaction]

Comments

[celestialgldfsh]

I noted your review for this was upcoming, so I read this book this week as well.

I really enjoyed Remnant Population. It is definitely a slow read. Not many dramatic things happen. I really saw it as the story of Ofelia's awakening. I didn't mind as much about the backward nature of the story; after all, the entire purpose of the colony was to go forth, cultivate, and breed. That puts women in a very difficult position if they compete with men.

The idiocy of the other humans was a bit aggravating at the end, but at the same time, I've come across many so-called teams of intellectuals that were just as petty and selfish.

My review is right below yours at LibraryThing:
http://www.librarything.com/work/18910/reviews/78583089

[calico_reaction]

I really saw it as the story of Ofelia's awakening.

Right. We really wouldn't have gotten the extent of her awakening if the society hadn't been what it was, even though that society drove me bonkers. But good point about women in a society whose primary purpose is essentially breeding more labor.

The idiocy of the other humans was a bit aggravating at the end, but at the same time, I've come across many so-called teams of intellectuals that were just as petty and selfish.

True.

Thanks for reading along! I'll be sure to check out your review!

EDIT: Oh, I saw that review earlier! I wanted to ask: have you read The Speed of Dark?

[celestialgldfsh]

Yes, Speed of Dark was the first book of Moon's that I read. It was a deep read for me since my son is autistic. The personal nature of it made it a hard read at certain points, but she handled the issues very well. Elizabeth Moon is a great resource on a special needs community here on LiveJournal and it's inspiring to see where her son is today.

[stfg]

I think I read this originally when it was first published in 1996. I would have been 28 then. I came to Elizabeth Moon's books by way of the Paksennarion and Herris Serrano books, and this book seemed pretty different from those, but I really enjoyed reading it. I re-read it for the book club this month and realized that I had forgotten that there were aliens in this book. What stuck with me was the character of Ofelia, which I really appreciated.

Moon does a good job of giving old women agency, though this is her most extreme example of this. I love the aunts in the Herris Serrano books.

I loved Speed of Dark, by the way, though it is different enough from her other books that I wouldn't know it was by the same author if I weren't told so.

[calico_reaction]

You know, that's a great point: in her Vatta's War books, the lead has a great-aunt or grandmother or someone who's a real force to be reckoned with in the family. Great observation about Moon "giving old women agency."

[burgandyice]

I enjoyed Remnant... it's funny you say "not a beach read" b/c that's where I was when I started it, and I can't shake the lingering feeling of the slow pace. I really enjoyed Ofelia. She is a neat character that makes the concept of age a good thing, trading the physical weaknesses for increased wisdom and confidence. I really liked the People, too, their communication, especially, with the drumming and right/left hand meanings. They added another depth to the idea of honoring age, too. I have read a lot of Moon's books in the last few months (although, not Speed of Dark, as of yet) and it's really interesting to see her perspective on age thru the Vatta series and Herris and even Paks books. She has very intelligent older women orchestrating a lot of crucial details in all of them. But in Remnant, she let the spotlight loose on the idea with Ofelia.

[calico_reaction]

Ha! So maybe it's a beach read for some, but not for others?

[burgandyice]

:-) I agree that it shouldn't be a beach read. Ya don't always know what you're starting or bring multiple options to the beach. :-) The pace of the book and the waves resulted in more napping than reading. Ironic, is all.