A few years ago I read a science fiction book and I'd love to read it again but can't remember what it was called. It was set in the future and about a small group of astronauts, including a husband and wife, who set off for another planet. When they arrived they found that it was unexpectedly inhabited by a human-like race and there were workers and an upperclass people, the ones in authority had their knuckles broken so that their fingers hung loose to show that they didn't need to do anything for themselves and one of the astronauts had this done to him. Also the husband of the couple made a journey back to Earth for some supplies and when he returned his wife had died and so had some of the others and gradually they all died until there was only one man left. I think they established a village of sorts and made gardens etc. That's all I can remember really but would be really grateful for any help in tracing this book. :confused:

It sounds somewhat similar to Children of God, by Mary Doria Russell, the sequel to The Sparrow. The knuckles weren't broken, by the way - the meat was stripped from the bones rendering the fingers virtually useless.

Vasily

Thanks very much, that was a quick reply! I'll look into that on the library site now. I've obviously forgotten more of the story than I thought. Thanks again!

No, sadly that's not the one but thanks very much for trying vingogly

Vingogly.. I've been looking again at Mary Doria Russell's books and the book I want is The Sparrow, thanks very much for alerting me to the author. I've been chasing this book for five years now so I'm ecstatic to have found it at last. Thanks again