Pamela Sargent, Farseed

Farseed

Pamela Sargent

Tor, Mar 2007, $17.95

ISBN: 0765314274

Ship was created to find worlds that could contain human life and seed these orbs with humans. One of the first worlds to fulfill the requirement is Home where Ship deposited colonists. The colonists make up two groups. One segment led by Ho settles in the warm south while the rest headed by Zoheret moved into the coastal north. The people of the south lost much of their technology and devolved into a moreprimitive lifestyle, while the Northerners built domes and relied on the technology brought from Earth.

Ho's teenage daughter Nuy sees three strangers approach from the north. She brings them to their village, but Ho assumes they bring death so he kills them and exiles his offspring. A year passes with the second generation Northerners wanting to know what happened to their compatriots. At a town hall meeting Leila a second generation person wants to send a second expedition to the South and she is supported by the settlement so they go south to find out the truth. When they camp for the night, Ho sends his forces to attack them killing two of the campers. Leila insists on continuing and soon meets Nuy, who wants to save both groups from her out-of-control parent.

Two groups, one primitive and one advanced, battle for control with some in power (on both sides) preferring the status quo. It takes the female adventurers from both sides to demand change and go against the status quo established by the original landing party. Pamela Sargent has written a fantastic science fiction novel that shows how humans adapt to new environs. FARSEED is enjoyable and exciting as readers will care what happens to the colonists, especially the heroic offspring.

Harriet Klausner