Still Forms on Foxfield

by Joan Slonczewski

Fleeing the final war that would destroy Earth's civilization, a small group of Friends--Quakers--found refuge on the uncharted planet they named Foxfield. Somehow they managed to survive, with the aid of the bizarrely gifted native life-form, the Commensals--and, even more extraordinarily, they kept up the practice of their gentle but demanding beliefs.

Then, after nearly a century of silence, Earth contacted them--human civilization had miraculously survived the war and had spread out to the stars, flourishing to an undreamed-of richness.

And the Friends of Foxfield were a part of it--whether they agreed or not.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Religion, Science Fiction Fantasy

214 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1980

About the author

Joan Lyn Slonczewski is an American microbiologist at Kenyon College and a science fiction writer who explores biology and space travel. Her books have twice earned the John W. Campbell award for best science fiction novel: The Highest Frontier (2012) and A Door into Ocean (1987). With John W. Foster she coauthors the textbook, Microbiology: An Evolving Science (W. W. Norton).

Reviews

[Keri Smith]

4.5 stars, rated up!

Still Forms on Foxfield is currently out of print, but I sought out and bought a copy of it because Joan Slonczewski's other book, A Door into Ocean, was one of my favorite reads of 2025. Also, “Quakers in space” is such an irresistible starting point for a book!

Still Forms on Foxfield follows main character Allison and her fellow Quakers. Many years prior, their Quaker ancestors left Earth and settled on another planet, which they named Foxfield. The Quakers have, through trial and error, figured out how to live in harmony with the planet’s indigenous aliens. They call the aliens Commensals, and the Commensals are basically sentient ambulatory plants who are able to communicate with the Quakers using a form of sign language. But life on Foxfield is interrupted by a message from Earth survivors wanting to make contact with the Quakers, and no one is sure of the best way to handle the changes that are coming to Foxfield.

To say that I was obsessed with the Commensals is an understatement. They are truly one of my favorite book aliens, and I wish that the author had written a sequel to this, because I would have loved to explore their culture further. Everything about them is fascinating! The use of sign language as a way for them to communicate was also brilliant in this.

This is definitely the sort of book for a reader who loves reading about cultures that are unknown to each other, meeting and figuring out how to communicate and get along. It’s a “working through problems thoughtfully” scifi book. I also feel like this would be a perfect book for fans of the show Star Trek: The Next Generation.

While I loved reading Still Forms on Foxfield, it’s a 4.5 rather than a full 5 star read because the conclusion of the story didn’t have quite as much payoff as I was expecting. If it had been longer, I’m certain it would’ve been a full 5 stars. While it doesn’t quite reach the heights of A Door into Ocean, fans of that book will still find a lot to appreciate here, making it well worth the read!

[Donna]

Allison and her colony group of Quaker Friends are startled to be visited by a ship from Earth which they thought had been destroyed.

4.5 stars - this book was wonderful! I loved that the author (who is herself a Quaker as well as a microbiologist) took the time to think through problems that human colonists would have faced. I especially enjoyed the relationship with the Commensals (in my head they're a cross between plants and mobile sea anemones) and the communications that occur between them. This is a slow-paced book (nowadays, as soon as the ship landed the book would have exploded into action scenes) that matches well with the harmony the author presented with Quakerism. I am very much looking forward to reading more books by Joan Slonczewski including the two (Wall Around Eden and The Highest Frontier) that I already had on my TBR list. Here's to authors who write truly alien aliens!

[Kelly]

Good feminist sci-fi, envisions an alternative world where women understand natural forces and work with it.

[Rain]

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. Intriguing concept, a colony of human Quakers colonised the planet Foxfield 100 years earlier, escaping World War 111 on Earth. Foxfield was a harsh environment with heavy gravity and a sentient plant-like Indigenous species, the Commensals, with a group "mind" known as the One.
Then the Earth-based interstellar civilization makes contact with its advances in technology inviting them to adapt to becoming citizens, throwing the Foxfielder Quakers into crises and conflicts.

[Fran]

There's a lot I liked about this book. The passages about Meeting and the internal reflections that happen within are brilliant, likewise any other time the book deals with Quaker issues. The rest was an interesting exploration of cultures meeting, but it ultimately fell a little flat and went nowhere satisfying for me.

[ribbonknight]

Aghast by the prescience of some of the predictions in here, comforted by humans being humans. Also learned a new way to use “fuck” (“fucked out”). I met Joan a while back when she was a Guest of Honor at WisCon, including sharing a meal with her. I like her even more now! Excited to read the rest of her work.

[Nora]

An interesting and enjoyable read based on a very specific premise. More detailed discussions of Quakerism than I anticipated, which ended up bringing up a lot of interesting questions related to philosophy and psychology. The alien (to humans) life form the “One” and her fractions were creatively imagined.

[Kristīne Vītola]

https://www.tor.com/2020/11/30/four-s...

[Jeff]

Great book! Much better than the last book I read

[Brenda]

I've read a couple other books by Joan Slonczewski, and really liked what I've read so far. So since I've had this sitting on my shelf for a few years, I figured I'd better pick it up. I have to say I was a bit disappointed. I believe this was her first novel, and she has definitely improved (although she hasn't written anything recently), but Still Forms on Foxfield left a lot to be desired.

To start with, I just kept waiting for something big to happen, something that would surprise or excite me, and it never came. The ending kind of fizzled out, and I was left feeling like I had just wasted my time. There were times when I found my attention wandering, specifically when dealing with the Commensals, who I just never understood. They were the planets indigenous, alien (at least to the humans) lifeform, and I couldn't get a feel for them. I couldn't picture what they looked like, the science behind what they were doing, how they lived. None of it made any sense to me, and it felt like the author kept going into detailed scientific descriptions about them, which is fine if you're a biologist or really into science, but I'm neither of those things. It really took me out of the story.

I also didn't feel like there were any characters to root for. Allison, the main character, was okay, but it seemed like she always just went with the flow. The whole thing was just so blah, with very little excitement for being a clash of the cultures type novel. There were some interesting things, but they seemed to be few and far between, and I just wish they had been explored further. I don't think I would recommend this one, but I would very highly recommend A Door Into Ocean by the same author. It's one of my favorite science fiction novels.

[Cissa]

This is not space opera. While some of the conflicts have wide implications, Slonczewski keeps the focus narrow- on THIS colony, and THESE issues. I really like that. I am getting bored with sf that always seem to have to Save The Universe!!! and prefer things on a more human scale.

The culture clashes are depicted very thoughtfully- the ones the colonists had with the aliens (mostly historical); the ones the colonists had with the Authority that swept in and demanded allegience, and the ones said Authority had with the aliens. One could see and sympathize with all the various motivations, and that made it fascinating to me.

Nothing super-dramatic happens. It's about the small stuff- the stuff that makes up our lives- like, figuring out how to negotiate with those very, very different. In some ways, it reminded me of Le Guin's "The Dispossessed" in terms of culture clash, and there is not higher praise I can give.

Don't read it for the explosions, which are rare and not plot-central. Read it for the interactions, and the hope that entities with good hearts can find common ground.
Comment

[Jenny Yates]

I enjoyed this sci-fi novel very much. Culture clash is always fertile ground for a story. In this one, we are introduced to a bunch of Quakers from Earth who have managed to survive for four generations as colonists on a new planet, Foxfield. In the meantime, they’ve developed a peaceful relationship with some strange and sensitive indigenous beings. When the book begins, Earth – which has gone off in some new directions – makes contact again.

This book was written about thirty years ago, but there are some things very familiar about these future earthlings. For one thing, their technology connects them to each other, no matter where in the universe they are. They basically exist en masse all the time, while the citizens of Foxfield are more accustomed to privacy, solitude and autonomy. Interestingly enough, the indigenous beings on their planet see themselves as all part of one whole, but their approach to unity is very different, and they are the ones who finally set the boundaries for the earthlings.

[Cokewater]

I really enjoy Joan Slonczewski's knowledge of biology and quantum physics, which shines through in her writing. She puts the science first in science fiction. I'm also a huge fan of the spirituality and philosophy in her books.

I have no problem believing in the worlds she creates. And the messages and themes she puts forth are ones I can get on board with.

Specific to Still Forms on Foxfield, I am forced to wonder if the current (late 2014) consumer trend of smart watches à la the Apple Watch- coupled with the invasive breaches of personal privacy by our governments- will one day evolve into the credometers of the book.

To my surprise, after reading the book I find myself interested in sitting in on a Friend's Meeting.

[Otessa]

Shockingly good. The premise (um, "Quakers in space"...) could have strayed into mere gimmick territory. And, admittedly, I read it on a lark, expecting little more than a laugh.

But this book is no mere gimmick. Spell-binding world-building. Remarkable and yet believable characterization-- which also drives the action, instead of the other way around, like in some lackluster sf. Complicated and rewarding storyline. Utterly enthralling. Recommended to spec. fic. and science fic lovers, especially those with a bent toward "feminist lit".

[Dana]

I really enjoyed this read. I found the idea of a group of Quakers sent off in spaceship to colonize another world intriguing. I enjoyed Allison, the central character very much. Her love of tech and struggle with her spirituality very honest and believable. The dystopian civilization that comes looking for their lost colonists is fascinating. What kinda dropped my interest was the ending. It was, less than satisfying. I understand the author's desire to convey the attitude of Quakers, but it needed a better sense of completion.

[C]

This book was hilariously poorly written, and had decided themes of American superiority, acceptance but degradation of homosexuality, and anti-industrialism. Fantastically bad.

[Freyja]

Interesting premise for a book. Especially compelling was how the visitors from Earth tried to change the Foxfield colonists and the way the colonists limited the tech onslaught.