Pages : 453
Overall Mark : 8/10
When the human settlers arrived on Hobbs Land, the native Owlbrit were almost extinct, but before the last one died, the humans learned a little of their language, ideas and religion. And it seemed that maintaining the last Owlbrit temple, with the strange statue that was its God, led to peace and prosperity. But then men from the harsh patriarchal religion of Voorstod came to Hobbs Land in pursuit of a refugee and determined to impose their own way…
SHERI S. TEPPER (1929-2016)
Sheri S. Tepper was the author of several resoundingly acclaimed novels, including The Margarets and Gibbon’s Decline and Fall, both shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Aware, A Plague Of Angels, Sideshow and Beauty, which was voted Best Fantasy Novel of the Year by readers of Locus. She is one of the few writers to have titles in both the SF and Fantasy Masterworks lists. She died in 2016.
VERDICT
This was an interesting story, showing how many religions around the world have based their foundation on weak facts and disinformation. That is the fun side of the story, though the darker side focusses more on the wars that result from these religions as well as the persecution of certain sectors of society for no other reason than it was apparently dictated by religion. A solid read that never gets to the point of becoming dull, even though it can at times feel like it is dragging out an otherwise simple and succinct premise.
