First published 2003
Ofelia has called Colony 3245.12 home for four decades. She raised her child here, buried her husband here, and tended her garden through all the seasons of this distant world. When Sims Bancorp orders the colony disbanded and all residents relocated to an unknown planet, Ofelia makes a different choice. She hides until the transport ships leave, claiming her world as a population of one. For the first time in her life, Ofelia answers to no one. She tends her garden, explores abandoned buildings, and savors the peace of solitude. The quiet stretches on until a reconnaissance ship arrives to survey the empty colony. The crew dies under mysterious circumstances, and Ofelia realizes other intelligent beings inhabit her world. When contact between species finally occurs, Ofelia finds herself thrust into the role of translator and mediator. Her decision to stay behind transforms from simple stubbornness into something far more significant. The elderly woman who just wanted to finish her days in peace becomes the bridge between two worlds.
Genres: fiction, science-fiction, literary-fiction, adventure
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, reluctant-hero
Setting: Colony 3245.12
Period: Future
326 pages · Paperback · Random House Worlds