Cheap Pennterra (An Isaac Asimov Presents Book) (Book) (Judith Moffett) Price

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Customer Reviews of Pennterra (An Isaac Asimov Presents Book)

Quakers in Space?..."Pennterra" says ..It can happen!
There is quite a bit of information about the Society of Friends (Quakers) out there, but none as in a more unlikely location as Judith Moffett's "Penterra". The information she provides about the Quaker's stand on non violence, sexual mores and dealing with an entirely different lifestyle are fascinating. The book moves quickly along the lives of George Quinlan, his son Danny, the Hrossa who are allowing the Quakers to set up their colony " Swarthmore" and the new group on the planet " The Sixers". (named for the ship they arrived in on Pennterra)

Danny reaching puberty is handled well, although I blushed at some of the more "graphic" parts of this section, and I'm no prude! That Danny becomes a integral part of the next step in the Quaker/Hrossa world is only fitting to the process.

Ms. Moffett is a gifted author and her many and varied works show this.

As for the Asimov opening..I started to read it, but found it too ponderous. Judith Moffett said pretty much the same thing as Asimov, and FAR more entertaining!

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Humans encounter a living planet
A group of Quakers reach a distant planet, encounter the sentient hrossa, and work out a way to live in peace with these beings. Then they must deal with a second group of humans arriving (non-Quakers) who do not have the same penchant for peaceful co-existance. I found the study of Quaker process in an alien place a delightful unearthing of the human spirit. The hrossa are a sexy lot, and their effect on humans is fun to observe. My favorite part, however, is the unfolding of a new, dynamic, and (not so) alien theory of evolution. If peace and cooperation are your thing, you'll enjoy participating in the world of Penterra.

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Complex and wonderful, challenging and insightful!
I agree with the first reviewer, except that I found the Quaker issues fascinating - what non-violence toward other sentient beings than humans really means, for example.

I also found the presentation of sex and society issues worthy of the best science fiction: clear yet not heavy-handed.

I recommend this book strongly to anyone who likes science fiction that makes them think.