The Survivors

Eight thousand colonists are racing toward Athena when the Gern Empire attacks their ship. Irene hears the explosions from the compartment she shares with her family, then learns that the damaged vessel can no longer renew its air. The invaders offer survival on terms that divide people by their occupations and separate families. Through Irene and her young son Billy, this science fiction novel gives an intimate view of a crisis that threatens an entire settlement plan.

On Ragnarok, the struggle becomes a matter of food, water, heat and scarce minerals. Humbolt and Barber explore a chasm and encounter small, friendly animals called mockers, whose repeated speech suggests an unusual means of communication. Their curiosity offers a brief warmth amid the hard calculations of survival. Readers interested in planetary exploration will find practical obstacles alongside questions about trust and the cost of carrying hope into an unfamiliar environment.