Colony Fleet [Mass Market Paperback]

Dave Matthews

This gives rise to several questions. First, will the people on board at the time of arrival even remember the mission or even know they are on a ship? Will the on-board society remain constant or evolve. Heinlein's "Orphans in the Sky" (probably the standard for the genre) and Stephen Baxter's Ring address both questions, but with strikingly different endings. Frank Herbert's "Destination: Void" asks philosophical and religious questions in a generation ship taken over by an artificial intelligence.

Colony Fleet varies the theme by sending numerous ships (hollowed out asteroids), as well as supporting vessels, to ensure the survival of humankind in the wake of a collapsing Earth. There is not one, but instead several destinations, called Waystations. The story involves a society stratified into the "Jneers" at the top and "Mechs" at the bottom. The journey didn't start out that way. The Jneers live in the big ships, called Noun Ships, which have names such as "Polar" and "Temperate" that define the types of environments the fleet is trying to preserve. The Jneers have evolved into a ruling class and have vested interest in maintaining the status quo. The Mechs fix things and live in the supporting vessels, which are run down and often lacking in resources. There is an in between "Admin" class that plays supporting role.

The story begins about 400 years in the future and revolves around a young woman, Hillbrane Harkover, as she prepares for her Jneer exam. The results of the exam are a foregone conclusion; she will pass (everyone passes) and take her rightful place among the Jneers. However, her best friend betrays her during the exam and she ends up failing, the first failure in the fleet in a long time. She is banished to the Mechs' ships as unfit to be a Jneer. After her initial shock and disappointment, she discovers she likes her Mech life and falls in love. Eventually, she and her love are assigned to the advance party to Waystation One

This party is a mix of Jneers and Mechs; her "friend" is also a member of the advance crew. A things go worng, the friend constantly rationalizes that everything he has done is for her. He is absolutely convinced that once she realizes it, she will go back to him. He really hasn't a clue and (hope this does not become a spoiler) plays a significant role in the many problems experienced by the advance party both to and on Waystation One. She and several others manage to escape the planet and make their way back to the fleet.

The story ends years later; Waystation One is settled by residents of one the Noun Ships, which remains in Orbit. The rest of the fleet sails toward Waystation Two. H. "aitch" Harkover is a now mother and wife and lives happily ever after with her Mech husband. And that is a fine way to end a story.

This is a good book, I've always liked generation ship stories (and happy endings); I really liked this one. The crew knows and understands what its mission is and is focused on it. However, the society has changed considerably from what the mission planners had intended. The Jneers are not about to give up their position. The book is also a very easy read. Ms. Matthews write clearly and concisely. I will read more of her.

'Colony Fleet' quickly sets itself up as a typical 'Good Girl Hardly Done By' story. Hillbrane Harkover is a Jneer, one of the ruling class of the fleet sent from Earth 400 years earlier. Through a fairly quick series of events culminating in Hillbrane being betrayed by her best friend she is demoted to the level of a Mech. Surprisingly, she finds the harsh life of a Mech more to her liking, even as she dreams of returning to the privileges of being an elite Jneer.

This is not a challenging book but it is definitely an improvement over Matthews' last novel and a welcome step back in the direction of her intelligent and thought provoking first novel.