The colony was failing, and the Company was going to withdraw, and resettle its colonists elsewhere. But Ofelia has no desire to leave, and so hides out when the Sims Bancorp Cryo ships came to remove the colonists. The Company did not waste time, and Ofelia was left alone with the deserted but effectively operational village. She was elderly but active; not well-educated but bright, and well loaded with common sense and effective wisdom. So she established a one-person (with several sheep and cows - not forgetting the tomato plants) colony. Then, activating the communications array one day, she learns of a new colony arriving - at a different location. This is immediately attacked by native inhabitants, whose existence had not been known. The aboriginals destroy the newly arrived colonial ships. And now the rather simple "Robinson Crusoe" theme is replaced by an unusual
"first contact" story. I feel that going deeper into the story would rob the resder of much enjoyment. Ms Moon has envisaged an unusual approach, some suprising biological arrangements, and not least a neat, albeit not entirely original, solution to the problem she has set. This novel is a "stand alone" work, I would judge.
Companion novels are possible, but a true sequel
unlikely.
