The characters of this book were strong and interesting, but for me I think there is a sense that this is about more than just characters. There's a lot of discussion throughout the book on the various ways that these religions (Voorstod and Hobbs Land) clash and how these two cultures would not be able to co-exist, and we also follow a sub-plot of Marie Manone who is trying to live freely on Hobbs land, but the people of Voorstod want her back and are willing to stop at nothing to convince her to return. Overall, this is mostly a book which focuses on the brutal nature of religion and how some religions are crafted by people to fit their own evil desires, whilst others will blossom and grow because they nourish the good sides of humanity and allow peaceful and happy lives. We have a council who are based on the moon and oversee many of these planets and make the rules for some elements of their daily life.
There's a Queen who has a territory bordering the Voorstod lands and she is most unhappy with their treatment of women and slaves and is doing what little she can to help escapees. We also have other parts of the planets and the moon included as settings at some points. They're brutal and they're allowed to be, and they even like it.
The Voorstlanders are not a group you would ever wish to come across as they believe they are working the name of their God and they do not care what other races think. They also keep Gharm who are basically slaves that they conquered and brought with them to Voorstod. Voorstod is a brutal land which favours men over women and forbids the women from having a say, dressing how they wish or having any freedom. One of these people who has migrated to Hobbs Land is Marie Manone who moved from Voorstod with her young son Sam. Hobbs Land is a farming community which was one the home of the Owlbright cultures but was abandoned by them and is now take over by the Hobbs food production company and various settlements made up of willing migrants who want to live a peaceful life. This is largely set on two different planets: Hobbs land, and Voorstod. It's also my first foray into Sheri S Tepper's work and will no doubt be the first of many as I definitely enjoyed this one. This book is one I picked up as I wanted to continue reading some older SF by ladies, and it did not disappoint.
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