R- Grass (v,x,b), Six Moon Dance (v,some x), The Gate to Women's Country (x,v,b)
PG16- The Family Tree (some x,some v)
Tepper is labeled as a "feminist writer", but I honestly think she just likes to play with gender roles, which is not quite the same thing, or at least doesn't carry the same connotations. Her other favorite theme is religion, and she does some interesting (and sometimes bizarre) combinations with these two.
In general, Tepper novels contain a reasonably hefty amount of description for both the physical world and the social situation. This can be lively or long-winded, depending on the book. Most of the worlds are fascinating, though, and what Tepper does with the basic human impulses will either tickle your fancy or horrify you, I don't know which. Her writing is usually tight, with good foreshadowing and social mysteries. The main point of her works is always moral, so those who agree with her vision of morality will probably like her much more than those who don't.
A reviewer for another publication said that Grass had structural parallels to Dune. While a few general comparisons can be drawn between them, honestly as many could be drawn between other unrelated books. The truth is, every comparison I have thought of, from LeGuin's poetry in The Left Hand of Darkness to C. J. Cherryh's harsh world in 40,000 in Gehenna, had about as many similarities. But none of them really describe Grass. Simply put, Tepper has created one of those incredibly rare books that combines excellent writing with awe-inspiring ideas and a fresh perspective on some of the oldest human questions.
Marjorie, Lady Westriding is a Very Small Being (read: only human) wrestling with Justice, Mercy, and Guilt against a backdrop of stifling order and impending chaos. She leaves Earth with her husband and two children to discover the secrets of Grass, a strange planet about which little is known on Terra. The layers within layers of mystery and theological debate that she and her family confront are beautifully forshadowed without giving away the outcomes- I could never have predicted most of the ending. I can only say that if you have ever wondered about Humanity's purpose in the universe, you should read this book. Anyone with the temerity to write the Judeo-Christian God as a character without having him parrot anyone's philosophy but her own is worth giving a chance. Emotionally involving and not always comfortable. Includes some disturbing elements of both violence and subject matter.
The Family Tree is slightly unusual for Tepper in that it begins in modern-day Earth. However, her talent for building worlds which showcase a social message comes through once again both in the "real" world, and in the world she introduces in the second chapter, which at first seems to have no connection to the solid mostly normal life of Dora Henry in our world. Dora gets caught up in the mystery of a strange new plant that appears in front of her house, growing much more rapidly than even your usual sort of weed. Meanwhile, in the other world, the servant Opalears goes on a pilgrimage with her prince, where a wide variety of very different people appear along the way. At first it may seem strange to skip back and forth between these two storylines, which have little in common, but Tepper masterfully ties them both together in the end in order to point out how poorly we're treating our world, and some of the dangers of this treatment. Some may object to the strong ending (which I don't want to describe in more detail that might give it away), but the description of Opalears' world and companions is, as always, well-done and highly detailed, and even if you don't like the strong moral bent of most of Tepper's work, the book is worth reading just for that.
I found the message of Six Moon Dance slightly more obvious than in some of Tepper's other books, perhaps because it's an issue that has already been called to my attention by other means. This time, Tepper explores the acceptance of sexual roles and of "proper" behavior for men and women. The world of Newholme was settled by humanity on the understanding that there was no native life to be disturbed by their presence, but lately it has come to the attention of the Council of Worlds that all may not be going as well as it should. But the problem and the mystery aren't what people think they are, and while the solution in the end drives home Tepper's message well, I found that this story had a little more emphasis on giving a lesson throughout than on telling a good tale. There are some lengthy descriptions of the reasoning behind Newholme's social system and other planets which slowed down the story for me, although they are well-thought-out and interesting on their own. However, this may be in part due to the fact that I felt like Tepper was preaching to the choir, and may not be as much of a problem if you haven't encountered this sort of commentary before.
In this future world, a world built upon the ancient Greek past, the city-states are all divided. The women live in one part, women's country, the soldiering men on the other side of a wall in warrior's country. Sons are sent to their fathers at the age of five, and may return when they are grown only as the unmanly servitors through The Gate to Women's Country. Of course general society believes that the highest honor is for the men to be soldiers and protect their city-state and the weaker women. But Stavia is learning that the true society isn't focused on the glory of the soldiers at all, but on the power of the women to shape their world. This story is a provocative look at the roles that we hold, and how the truth of societal forces must sometimes be obscured while still reaching for a perfect world, in order to keep it from falling apart entirely. It is a story of masks and layers of meaning, of different solutions to the problem of sociality, and of humanity in many forms. While the revelations about the nature of the people within it may be disturbing, as the story tells us, the truth can often be disturbing. In my opinion, this book is one of Tepper's better explorations of alternate worlds and the problems facing potential utopias.
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Last Updated: February 29, 2000
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