Pennterra by Judith Moffett
Pennterra is a science-fiction novel by Judith Moffett that delves into the psychological and ecological dynamics of human interaction with an alien species. The story follows George Quinlan, a middle-aged widower and leader of a Quaker colony on the newly settled planet of Pennterra. The Quakers have established a harmonious relationship with the native hrossa, who enhance their interactions through pheromonal communication and seek to maintain ecological balance. However, the arrival of a second group, known as the Sixers, complicates this balance due to their aggressive approach and disregard for the hrossa's ecological codes.
Central to the narrative is George's son, Danny, who becomes a pivotal figure in mediating the tensions between the Quakers and the Sixers. As Danny develops a unique emotional connection with the hrossa, he grapples with his own identity and burgeoning sexuality, which further complicates his relationships with both the Quakers and Sixers. The novel explores themes of environmental stewardship, cultural coexistence, and personal identity, culminating in a crisis that forces all parties to confront their differences and strive for harmony. Pennterra offers a thought-provoking exploration of the intersection between human nature and ecological responsibility.
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Subject Terms
Pennterra
First published: 1987
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Science fiction—cultural exploration
Time of work: Around c.e. 2500
Locale: The newly discovered planet Pennterra
The Plot
Pennterra was the first science-fiction novel Judith Moffett published after turning from a successful career as a poet and teacher. An engrossing and moving story, it is most notable as a study in the psychological and ecological effects of human interaction with another species.
George Quinlan is a middle-aged widower, the parent of one son, Danny, whom he dearly loves. He is one of the leaders of a colony recently established by Quaker emigrants from Earth on a planet they have named Pennterra. The settlement has gone well, and the Quaker inhabitants have developed friendly relations with the natives, called “hrossa.” The hrossa have been of great assistance to the Quakers. The hrossa derive inherent delight from contact with other life-forms. They emit pheromones that enable individual beings to commune in delight with one another while retaining their mental individuality. The hrossa find the human settlers beautiful and pleasurable, while the Quakers are able to live in amity with their hrossa hosts. George feels a special interest in the hrossa, and his emotional bond with KliUrrh, the primary hross liaison to the Quaker community, is especially close. The hrossa, though, make some requirements of the humans. They stipulate that the Quakers confine their settlement to one small river valley and demand that human technology be limited. These requests are made for reasons of ecological balance.
This balance is upset when a second wave of settlers arrives. Far more of a conventional military expedition than the Quaker voyage, this wave is called “the Sixers” and is led by Commander Esposito. The Sixers are much more bound by the old ways of Earth than are the Quakers, and they are hostile toward the hrossa because hross ecological codes stand in the way of full human colonization of the planet. Among the Sixers are Frank Birtwistle, the chief of building and design who is later revealed to be sadistic and abusive, and Maggie Smithson, who is curious about the Quaker mentality and feels more sympathy with the hrossa. The Sixers try to implement their own, more divisive and destructive, social vision.
Danny, George’s son, is caught in the middle. He is the first human to be so emotionally akin to the hrossa as to be able to take on aspects of their mentality. Danny becomes more friendly with Sixers, particularly Maggie and Joel, a boy his own age who becomes his confidant and soulmate. Partially through Danny’s role as intuitive mediator between the Quakers and Sixers, the new arrivals come to understand the need for environmental balance. This point is brought home when the Sixers’ water is contaminated because the planetary ecology cannot cope with their way of life. Even as the planetary crisis is resolved and hrossa, Quakers, and Sixers begin to live in harmony, Danny’s inner conflicts about his sexuality intensify. Because he has begun to feel like a hross inside, he wants to have sex not with only one person that he loves but with many people that he likes. He thus feels himself attracted to everybody he likes, including Maggie, Joel, and even his own father.
At the end of the book, Danny, Maggie, Joel, and some others get lost in the wilderness as they try to rescue the Sixer community. During this ordeal, Danny resolves his conflicts about his complex identity and prepares for life as a mediator between species.