It’s culture clash and culture shock, as two worlds collide in this Starscape reprint of Hoover’s 1981 book. It’s the far future, and mankind has taken to the stars. The spaceship Kekule is on a mission of exploration, seeking out new worlds for potential colonization. Xilan seems suitable, if not entirely perfect. One catch: We’ve already been there. The descendants of a centuries-ago colonization attempt struggle to eke out an existence, having forgotten their origins and almost everything of what they associate of the Founders. Only a few, such as Gareth Mitchell, care about the past or have the ability to accept the things to come. History’s about to repeat itself, as the newcomers from Earth bring change, disruption, disease, and their own ways with them, ways which threaten to destroy what the people of Xilan have built for themselves.
Only a few people, such as biologist Lee Hamlin, are willing to defy orders and try to preserve a way of life so different from what the shipbound humans know.
The strengths of Another Heaven, Another Earth, lie in the skillful way Hoover describes the meeting of two cultures, both in results and in attitudes. Both sides see each other as aliens first, fellow humans later, and not before significant damage has been done. Gareth and Lee are both likeable, able to hold to their principles even when it costs them personally. The plot is classic Old meets New, echoing of Europe finding the New World, and the message still rings true: we have to be careful when we meet our neighbors for the first time, lest things go awry, and we should respect their ways too. All in all, a good solid read, and another fine reprint from Starscape’s growing library.