In Earthseed (1983), Sargent told the story of Ship, sent into space with a mission to find new worlds for humanity to populate and regenerate in lieu of extinction on a dying planet. Ship found such a planet, and the colonists called it Home. This sequel takes place almost 20 years later. The colonists have divided into separate, disparate and untrusting groups: those who endeavor to replicate the lives lost on Earth, and those who have abandoned “civilization” to revert to the natural environment. Nuy, the 16-year-old daughter of Ho, leader of the breakaway faction, knows that her father has slowly sunken into madness. His hatred and fear of the original colonists has spread terror and malignancy through his few surviving followers. When Nuy stumbles across travelers from the original settlement trekking toward her village, she struggles with conflicting emotions: fear of the death her father says these travelers will bring, and hope that there is a better life out there somewhere. This bleak story has an interesting premise, but can be plodding in its development; intriguing plot lines are hinted at, but neither explored nor clarified. It most clearly resembles life itself: a murky, unresolved struggle for survival. (Science fiction. YA)
