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Penterra
An Isaac Asimov Presents Book
The first colonists who had arrived on Pennterra from a ruined Earth had learned to live under the guidelines set up by the planet's natives, the hrossa, but now a second group of humans threatens the peace.
The first colonists who had arrived on Pennterra from a ruined Earth had learned to live under the guidelines set up by the planet's natives, the hrossa, but now a second group of humans threatens the peace.
608 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1987
7 people are currently reading
183 people want to read
About the author
Judith Moffett
50 books9 followersJudith Moffett was born in Louisville in 1942 and grew up in Cincinnati. She is an English professor, a poet, a Swedish translator, and the author of twelve books in six genres. These include two volumes of poetry, two of Swedish poetry in formal translation, four science-fiction novels plus a collection of stories, a volume of creative nonfiction, and a critical study of James Merrill's poetry; she has also written an unpublished memoir of her long friendship with Merrill. Her work in poetry, translation, and science fiction has earned numerous awards and award nominations, including an NEA Creative Writing Fellowship in Poetry, an NEH Translation Grant, the Swedish Academy's Tolkningspris (Translation Prize), and in science fiction the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer and the Theodore Sturgeon Award for the year's best short story. Two of her novels were New York Times Notable Books.
Moffett earned a doctorate in American Civilization from the University of Pennsylvania, with a thesis on Stephen Vincent Benét's narrative poetry, directed by Daniel Hoffman. She taught American literature and creative writing at several colleges and universities, including the Iowa Writers' Workshop, the University of Kentucky, and for fifteen years the University of Pennsylvania. She has lived for extended periods in England (Cambridge) and Sweden (Lund and Stockholm), as well as around the US, living/teaching/writing in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Colorado, Wisconsin, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Utah. In 1983 she married Medievalist Edward B. Irving, Jr., her colleague at Penn. Widowed in 1998, Judy now divides her year between Swarthmore PA and her hundred-acre recovering farm in Lawrenceburg KY, sharing both homes with her standard poodles, Fleece and Corbie.
Moffett earned a doctorate in American Civilization from the University of Pennsylvania, with a thesis on Stephen Vincent Benét's narrative poetry, directed by Daniel Hoffman. She taught American literature and creative writing at several colleges and universities, including the Iowa Writers' Workshop, the University of Kentucky, and for fifteen years the University of Pennsylvania. She has lived for extended periods in England (Cambridge) and Sweden (Lund and Stockholm), as well as around the US, living/teaching/writing in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Colorado, Wisconsin, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Utah. In 1983 she married Medievalist Edward B. Irving, Jr., her colleague at Penn. Widowed in 1998, Judy now divides her year between Swarthmore PA and her hundred-acre recovering farm in Lawrenceburg KY, sharing both homes with her standard poodles, Fleece and Corbie.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 25, 2014
An interesting and compelling book, and I cannot but approve of the existence of more Quaker sci-fi! All the same, I found this a very flawed work, and not one I'm likely to read again.
Primarily, I'd want to post a huge trigger warning on the whole book for anyone who has experienced any form of sexual abuse, assault or harassment, especially in childhood, and I can only recommend the book cautiously to others. Please note also that the following paragraph goes into more detail, and may be triggering in itself:
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In long sexual passages, generally either positively-treated or ambivalent, I was left feeling repelled by Moffett's lack of respect for ideas of consent, and suggestion of a moral equivalence between the unconventional but benign (homosexuality, polyamory, casual sex) and the anything but (mature adults having sex with young adolescents, incest). All of this was given a context involving contact with and adjustment to the attitudes of an alien species, but I personally felt unable to make the leap Moffett seemed to be asking of me, and most especially when it was clear that not everybody involved in the activities described was happy about it. I remained surprisingly untriggered myself, but definitely uncomfortable and alienated from characters I know I was meant to be liking. A gratuitous character death towards the end, removing the possibility of a positive character arc that might have given a different perspective on issues of consent especially, left me feeling emotionally detached, annoyed, and even a little bored by what might otherwise have been a moving finale. Obviously some discomfort in readers was Moffett's intention; I doubt the boredom was!
The most frustrating thing about all of this is that if you remove the problematic sexual passages, there's a *glorious* story here: a truly fascinating mixture of environmental cautionary tale (and one refreshingly different from the usual kind), first-contact story, hard science, Quaker myth and community-centered character piece. The landscape of Pennterra came alive for me, and Moffett is no mean writer. If she had removed or even just minimised the sexual angle, and focused on the rest, it would be an extraordinarily fine book.
As it is? I'm glad I read this, but I'm sad it wasn't better and less... unpleasant. If anyone reading this is interested in books about Quakers in space, I recommend Molly Gloss's "The Dazzle of Day" far more highly! Which is also problematic in its own ways, but significantly more nuanced, skillful and satisfying.
Primarily, I'd want to post a huge trigger warning on the whole book for anyone who has experienced any form of sexual abuse, assault or harassment, especially in childhood, and I can only recommend the book cautiously to others. Please note also that the following paragraph goes into more detail, and may be triggering in itself:
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
In long sexual passages, generally either positively-treated or ambivalent, I was left feeling repelled by Moffett's lack of respect for ideas of consent, and suggestion of a moral equivalence between the unconventional but benign (homosexuality, polyamory, casual sex) and the anything but (mature adults having sex with young adolescents, incest). All of this was given a context involving contact with and adjustment to the attitudes of an alien species, but I personally felt unable to make the leap Moffett seemed to be asking of me, and most especially when it was clear that not everybody involved in the activities described was happy about it. I remained surprisingly untriggered myself, but definitely uncomfortable and alienated from characters I know I was meant to be liking. A gratuitous character death towards the end, removing the possibility of a positive character arc that might have given a different perspective on issues of consent especially, left me feeling emotionally detached, annoyed, and even a little bored by what might otherwise have been a moving finale. Obviously some discomfort in readers was Moffett's intention; I doubt the boredom was!
The most frustrating thing about all of this is that if you remove the problematic sexual passages, there's a *glorious* story here: a truly fascinating mixture of environmental cautionary tale (and one refreshingly different from the usual kind), first-contact story, hard science, Quaker myth and community-centered character piece. The landscape of Pennterra came alive for me, and Moffett is no mean writer. If she had removed or even just minimised the sexual angle, and focused on the rest, it would be an extraordinarily fine book.
As it is? I'm glad I read this, but I'm sad it wasn't better and less... unpleasant. If anyone reading this is interested in books about Quakers in space, I recommend Molly Gloss's "The Dazzle of Day" far more highly! Which is also problematic in its own ways, but significantly more nuanced, skillful and satisfying.
March 27, 2020
4.5 stars. Quaker settlers on an alien planet struggle against native restrictions on population growth and machine use. Moffett's voice is assured, particularly for a debut, but the sectioned narrative makes for disjointed, disappointing shifts in focus and therefore tone--the abrupt switch from a xenoanthropological study to a coming of age narrative within a settler city is the most marked of these. Yet the sections themselves are phenomenal. I annotated this on my TBR as "alien/human sex book!" and it delivers--delivers abundantly, which is the book's trademark. In each section Moffett hones in on the most interesting element, making it the center of the character arc/plot and thus of the reader's focus; she builds an exquisite, desperate fascination such that each hurdle is meaningful and each development is captivating. And the cumulative effect of those disparate sections builds an unusual, controversial character arc--and I agree criticisms of it are warranted, but I also appreciate the determination to push the premise as far as it can go.
But I wish it went further. There's a thread of biological determinism in the xenobiology which isn't reflected in the human characters, who are progressively diverse albeit not flawless, despite/including the controversial elements. In a book focused on free will--or rather, the way a sapient mind is influenced and created by infinite and infinitely strange experiences--the limits to the alien culture, and thus the way humans are influenced by that culture, rankle. It's a delightfully weird book and world, compelling and thoughtful and provoking, and I loved it, but I want more.
But I wish it went further. There's a thread of biological determinism in the xenobiology which isn't reflected in the human characters, who are progressively diverse albeit not flawless, despite/including the controversial elements. In a book focused on free will--or rather, the way a sapient mind is influenced and created by infinite and infinitely strange experiences--the limits to the alien culture, and thus the way humans are influenced by that culture, rankle. It's a delightfully weird book and world, compelling and thoughtful and provoking, and I loved it, but I want more.
February 28, 2019
It was really good. Outside of Molly Gloss's The Dazzle of Day, I haven't seen many "Quakers in Space" plots, and the integration of the Pennterran colonists' faith into their lifestyle (and how that faith and lifestyle makes them particularly suitable to coexistence with the hrossa) was well-done. I also enjoyed the Gaia aspect of the plot, the slow reveal of just how interconnected life on Pennterra is, and how the warned-of threat to the disbelieving Sixers wasn't any kind of dramatic natural disaster, but just...antibodies against an encroaching illness. If you can't follow the rules, you don't get to thrive here. Nothing personal.
Please do be advised that there is sex, and a lot of talk of sex. The hrossa have sex, but not for reproductive purposes as we understand them (it's...complicated), so there are no taboos about or against anything. So when twelve-year-old Danny is living in a hrossa village with his father and some other adults (researchers), and "breeder season" kicks in among the broadly telempathic hrossa, things...happen. Some of them rather squicky. And Danny's sexual education--again, at age twelve--influences his development vastly, as well as his relationship with his dad, his peers, and Pennterra. This is presented as a good thing, which it is for Pennterra and the colonists' future, and Danny thinks it all out in detail. Some readers might not want that level of detail.
Please do be advised that there is sex, and a lot of talk of sex. The hrossa have sex, but not for reproductive purposes as we understand them (it's...complicated), so there are no taboos about or against anything. So when twelve-year-old Danny is living in a hrossa village with his father and some other adults (researchers), and "breeder season" kicks in among the broadly telempathic hrossa, things...happen. Some of them rather squicky. And Danny's sexual education--again, at age twelve--influences his development vastly, as well as his relationship with his dad, his peers, and Pennterra. This is presented as a good thing, which it is for Pennterra and the colonists' future, and Danny thinks it all out in detail. Some readers might not want that level of detail.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 17, 2021
I REALLY enjoyed the begining of this book. It was a new twist on the popular "we destroyed Earth, now what?" theme. However, about halfway through, the abundance of pedophilia forced me to put it down.
As any serious sci-fi reader will tell you, turning well held conventions on their ear is a cornerstone to great sci-fi. The "what if" of re-imagining something you have always thought was an unbreakable a social norm is what makes sci-fi fans keep reading.
This author, unfortunately, thought pedophilia and incest and consent were things that needed another look. She failed at convincing me, as I hope she would have with everyone that else that read this book. An interesting plot mixed with hyper-sexual father on under-aged son rape does not make a good book.
I have no idea how anyone could finish this book. It hurts the genre and common decency as a whole.
As any serious sci-fi reader will tell you, turning well held conventions on their ear is a cornerstone to great sci-fi. The "what if" of re-imagining something you have always thought was an unbreakable a social norm is what makes sci-fi fans keep reading.
This author, unfortunately, thought pedophilia and incest and consent were things that needed another look. She failed at convincing me, as I hope she would have with everyone that else that read this book. An interesting plot mixed with hyper-sexual father on under-aged son rape does not make a good book.
I have no idea how anyone could finish this book. It hurts the genre and common decency as a whole.
May 3, 2013
I found it a bit pedestrian in places, and when we started getting alien anthropology I was about to give up, but once our hero visited the new arrivals the story picked up.
I found the sex superflous and un-necessary. I'm not a prude, but I think the contact with the aliens would have been just as good without it.
I also found the one and only (human) death very upsetting. I don't like characters introduced in order to polish them off.
I found the sex superflous and un-necessary. I'm not a prude, but I think the contact with the aliens would have been just as good without it.
I also found the one and only (human) death very upsetting. I don't like characters introduced in order to polish them off.
September 23, 2020
I really enjoyed this book for the world building, but also being a Quaker I related to the characters. In some ways this book evokes Heinlein's "Stranger in a Strange Land" and also John Varley's book "Titan" in the way that it deals frankly and explicitly with variations on sex with aliens and between humans and how it all interacts. But I was also quite taken with the concept of the profound sense of empathy that transpires between humans and aliens.
Having a central character be a teenage boy is also unique and his character was very well drawn. It was also refreshing to read a science fiction book that does not get bogged down in technical details. Call me a sexist, but perhaps it is because it was written by a woman author.
The writing and narrative as told from multiple viewpoints flowed very nicely with unexpected twists and turns in the overall story.
Having a central character be a teenage boy is also unique and his character was very well drawn. It was also refreshing to read a science fiction book that does not get bogged down in technical details. Call me a sexist, but perhaps it is because it was written by a woman author.
The writing and narrative as told from multiple viewpoints flowed very nicely with unexpected twists and turns in the overall story.
March 29, 2021
Quakers in space. Lots of very engaging worldbuilding and well-developed deconstructions of space "colonization" as a concept. Seriously marred by some very uncomfortable sexual elements (see other reviews, which have covered them in depth) involving pubescent characters. The thought that these elements could have easily been avoided by some relatively minor worldbuilding changes without hurting the themes or "moral" of the story is... hard to escape.
Read
March 10, 2012Really enjoyed this. Very strong environmental theme running through the book. This is more than a 'human colonists on strange planet' tale and well worth reading as it explores religion (Quakers), sexuality and the issue of humans arriving on a planet already inhabited by sentient species. Very well written and the foreshadowed 'disaster' is very subtle and clever.
February 8, 2011
I liked how this reexamined many "colonies in space" tropes. I enjoyed the descriptions of the world as well. However I found the prose clunky in places and was frustrated that the biologist in the story didn't ask many of the questions that occurred to me.
February 6, 2019
Such an interesting read! I don't usually read science fiction, and I picked this one because it met a requirement for the BookRiot Read Harder Challenge (a book with fewer than 100 reviews) and because a friend and I had been talking about how we'd stopped reading books about Quakers. Well here's a book about Quakers in space and how they might respond differently to another species than other sorts of people might. Though the book was written quite a long time ago, it turns out to be very topical with its focus on what people on Earth might do if the environmental crisis grew to such proportions that leaving the planet became the only option. How might we act in terms of leaving Earth, and how might we act as new inhabitants of another world? Then there's the always fascinating question of what the others we encounter might be like. The answers here are all posed from a decidedly Quakerly point of view.
October 6, 2021
Interesting ideas, with intent towards Sense of Wonder and What If. But one of the primary themes was awkward and overdone, and some of the writing was awkward, too. Also, I particularly don't like what happened to one young girl character.
In fact, the author assumes that humans will readily revert to old sexist roles & behaviors and I don't like that at all... the book is meant to be hopeful so let's keep letting all the women be people, let the girls play sports, let the boys cook, etc.
I don't particularly recommend it. I can see why some readers claim to love it... but I think what they love is the idea; they want to be a member of the Quaker colonists making a new life on Pennterra.
Btw, I have to admit that it took me far too long to figure out how they came up with a name for the planet. But it is obvious in hindsight....
In fact, the author assumes that humans will readily revert to old sexist roles & behaviors and I don't like that at all... the book is meant to be hopeful so let's keep letting all the women be people, let the girls play sports, let the boys cook, etc.
I don't particularly recommend it. I can see why some readers claim to love it... but I think what they love is the idea; they want to be a member of the Quaker colonists making a new life on Pennterra.
Btw, I have to admit that it took me far too long to figure out how they came up with a name for the planet. But it is obvious in hindsight....
February 17, 2019
After a slow start, I really loved this book. It is science fiction (maybe more than fantasy rather than science fiction) about a group of Quakers who leave a ruined Earth to start over on a new planet. Once there, they discover the indigenous beings there, who change the Quakers plans and mission. Reading about these colonists living their lives and making decisions in the “manner of Friends” was really imteresting, and even moving. What happens when another, non-Quaker group arrives, is fascinating. A really great story, overall.
September 17, 2022
TW for pedophilia and insest treated as rational behavior.
June 25, 2009
It's not *the* Quakers in space book, but it's *a* Quakers in space book. There are at least two!
I'm not sure what i was expecting - generic sci-fi, i guess, since i picked it up solely on account of the fact that it has Quakers in common with the book i was actually looking for. I didn't expect a book about sexuality and ecology.
The family dynamics stuff is somewhat heavy-handed, though effective enough. The anthropology is a little simplistic, and the aliens are (absolutely unsavage) noble savages. A couple of the characters seem to be there just to fulfill structural roles. But it was an enjoyable book nonetheless.
I'm not sure what i was expecting - generic sci-fi, i guess, since i picked it up solely on account of the fact that it has Quakers in common with the book i was actually looking for. I didn't expect a book about sexuality and ecology.
The family dynamics stuff is somewhat heavy-handed, though effective enough. The anthropology is a little simplistic, and the aliens are (absolutely unsavage) noble savages. A couple of the characters seem to be there just to fulfill structural roles. But it was an enjoyable book nonetheless.
March 22, 2025
This is an odd book. It's definitely not for everyone due to some sexual content that I'm not going to go into detail about (see other reviews for more information). But the environmental and religious aspect of the story are both compelling and well-done. Both seem quite timely, despite the book being over 30 years old. The overall themes reminded me of Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough's Petaybee series, but with more alien aliens and much stronger writing.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews