On two worlds colonists have been purposely marooned with the intention to visit them 1,000 years later and investigate in which way they can best be transformed into industrialized societies. This in order to make them members of the empire of industrialized planets. The crew who has to do this falls apart in two factions. One will try 'free enterprise', the other 'state-governed and planned economy'. Sounds familar? The point Reynolds wants to make is that it doesn't really matter, since personal greed will take the upperhand, no matter what system you follow.
The point is driven home, but unfortunately the story is utmost clumsy and does not convince on any level. They find on one of the planets a kind of culture similar to our old Azteks and Italian pre-Renaissance on the other. Reynolds clearly thinks that every civilization will follow the same path through barbarism, feudalism and so on, just like any history book of the Western world, no matter on what planet and even though the first settlers were highly educated and technically evolved people.. Such inflexible thinking proves to be very disadvantageous for SF, since no surprising cultural element of the by now 1,000 year old cultures is thus available to be described. Neither the Iwans nor the Yanks, eh sorry, neither the Genoans nor the Texcocos win out, that's a bonus for sure. Unfortunately the language is below par, the protagonists are caricatures. Hopeless, really. ( )