Rating: 
Summary: Poor variation on a theme
Review: I came to this book hoping for another tight yarn like The Mosaic, but I came away rather dissatisfied. Some authors can keep a sprawling plotline from getting unwieldy, but I don't think that is Tepper's forte. While I greatly enjoyed the many alien races, the last third of the book turned them all into mere caricatures, along with almost all of the characters. I longed for the believable character development of Mosaic, instead of the patchy bits of insight we get into why Jewell was so stunted by Paul's influence her whole life. Jewell remained merely a plot device for me, and she had the golden touch, which is pretty lazy on Tepper's part. The bad guys are irredeemably bad, bad by nature, and stupid besides, and the good guys have no depth either. But I suspect character depth would get in the way of the plot. Yes, there's a strong plot, but it is all rendered moot by the Deus Ex Machina of the Phain and Splendor setting all to rights in the last couple pages. Wish-fulfillment is fun, but it's awfully light fare when untempered by ambiguity. If God gave you three wishes, that wouldn't help you understand the causes for the problems you were fixing with a wave of your hand. Advice? For a more complete experience, read The Mosaic, or Family Tree, but use The Companions for mere escapism.
Rating: 
Summary: Unforgettable if a little confusing at times
Review: I just finished reading "The Companions." It was amazing! I do have to admit that I prefer "The Fresco" because of the truly entertaining way bad behaviors were abolished but I am glad I read this book! The human characters seem to be drawn either as black or white - no trouble deciding who is "good" and who is "bad."
The first half of the book had me almost ashamed to be human what with the overpopulation and complete disregard by most humans of other species and intelligences other than their own. It was a relief when the action on Moss began because the Earth portrayed sounds like a particularly nasty version of Hell.
The other reviews explain the plot so I won't go into that here. This is a book that will make you think carefully about human behavior, even as it is beating you over the head with environmentalist beliefs. If you have a cavalier attitude about other species, you won't like this book. If you love animals, you'll never forget it and will hug your furry friends a little tighter and appreciate them a lot more after reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: expand your mental horizons
Review: i know few writers who can match tepper's world building and social imagination, and none who are as capable of envisioning a future that isn't exactly like the present without succumbing to to the usual post-apocaliptic nonsense. as other reviewers have noted, this novel contains a lot of tepper's familiar themes. which is not a bad thing. i found _the cmpanions_ much more readable than _the visitor_, which i still haven't been able to finish, but not as much sheer fun as, say, _the family tree_ or_fresco_. still, not quite topnotch tepper is still much better than most of the rest of the stuff being published. her writing is superb, her imagination is beyond description, her characters are clearly drawn and realistic. some of her solutions to social problems are inspired (and occasionally hysterically funny), and don't i wish they were possible. i can't imagine a reader whose mind wouldn't be stretched by reading her. and the process would be thoroughly enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: Not Tepper's Best, but Still Worth the Price!
Review: I'll admit up-front that I'm prejudiced. There are very few authors whose works I'll order in advance - in hard-back - without reading the reviews first. Sheri S. Tepper is one (she's in the rarified company of Neal Stephenson, Elizabeth Scarborough, Ursula LeGuin and Carl Hiaasen). These people not only make me think, but they keep me entertained for hours. Tepper's genius has always been to create believable Alien species, and to point out just how appalling a world-view that only takes account of human desires, and enforces rigid gender roles really is. Of course, anyone who thinks that White Human Christian Heterosexual Males are the pinnacle of Creation is going to be offended. Good. You *should* be! She doesn't disappoint here, but she's done it better in *Grass* and *The Family Tree*. And I want one of those dogs! For now, I'll have to settle for my affectionate, good-natured, gentle - but stupid - mixed-breed mutt
Rating:
Summary: Not Tepper's Best, but Still Worth the Price!
Review: I'll admit up-front that I'm prejudiced. There are very few authors whose works I'll order in advance - in hard-back - without reading the reviews first. Sheri S. Tepper is one (she's in the rarified company of Neal Stephenson, Elizabeth Scarborough, Ursula LeGuin and Carl Hiaasen). These people not only make me think, but they keep me entertained for hours. Tepper's genius has always been to create believable Alien species, and to point out just how appalling a world-view that only takes account of human desires, and enforces rigid gender roles really is. Of course, anyone who thinks that White Human Christian Heterosexual Males are the pinnacle of Creation is going to be offended. Good. You *should* be! She doesn't disappoint here, but she's done it better in *Grass* and *The Family Tree*. And I want one of those dogs! For now, I'll have to settle for my affectionate, good-natured, gentle - but stupid - mixed-breed mutt
Rating:
Summary: Sheri Tepper returns to "Grass", only this time it's "Moss"
Review: In a novel reminiscent of her best-selling "Grass", author Tepper creates a complicated exobiology on a world "Moss" that has an abundance of perplexing denizens. At first, the explorers from the "PPI" or Planetary Protection, aren't even sure if what they are observing on Moss is an indigenous species. Rest assured, however, something is living there, and it may not be entirely friendly. Jewel and her half-brother, the slimy Paul, go off on an expedition to Moss. Jewel is happy to leave Earth, which is overcrowded and being threatened by a draconian leadership with the extinction of the sad remnants of non-Human species which take up too much valuable space. This novel is ambitious, complicated and darker in tone than "Grass" or "Family Tree" but is similar in ideology (ecological concerns, harmony with nature and all creatures.) The complexity of the system on Moss is like the complex interactions Tepper created in "Six Moon Dance" but with again, a darker tone. If you like imaginative science fiction that is not a re-hash of typical sci-fi generic themes, you will enjoy "The Companions" though it is not perhaps quite as good as "The Fresco", "Singer from the Sea" and "Six Moon Dance."
Rating:
Summary: Sheri Tepper returns to "Grass", only this time it's "Moss"
Review: In a novel reminiscent of her best-selling "Grass", author Tepper creates a complicated exobiology on a world "Moss" that has an abundance of perplexing denizens. At first, the explorers from the "PPI" or Planetary Protection, aren't even sure if what they are observing on Moss is an indigenous species. Rest assured, however, something is living there, and it may not be entirely friendly. Jewel and her half-brother, the slimy Paul, go off on an expedition to Moss. Jewel is happy to leave Earth, which is overcrowded and being threatened by a draconian leadership with the extinction of the sad remnants of non-Human species which take up too much valuable space. This novel is ambitious, complicated and darker in tone than "Grass" or "Family Tree" but is similar in ideology (ecological concerns, harmony with nature and all creatures.) The complexity of the system on Moss is like the complex interactions Tepper created in "Six Moon Dance" but with again, a darker tone. If you like imaginative science fiction that is not a re-hash of typical sci-fi generic themes, you will enjoy "The Companions" though it is not perhaps quite as good as "The Fresco", "Singer from the Sea" and "Six Moon Dance."
Rating: 
Summary: One of the best world builders in the science fiction genre;
Review: In the far distant future, mankind has colonized other worlds and made alliances with many sentient species. On Earth people live in small apartments in huge towers miles high. Whatever land isn't used for habitation is used for growing food, which means that the flora and fauna is pretty much extinct. Whatever animals are left are cherished by the arkists who need to take them off planet since a law was passed saying that all non-humans on earth must be destroyed. Jewel Delis is determined that dogs will have a place to live free and she has a staunch supporter in someone highly placed in Earth's government. She travels with her brother Paul to the planet Moss to see if they can find a way of communicating with beings of different color light. Moss and it's moon Treasure also play an intricate part in the canine breeding program but this is a strange and unusual planet, one that will take Jewel on the adventure of a lifetime. Sheri S. Tepper is one of the best world builders in the science fiction genre; a writer who can make alien beings and unique planets seem very real and alive. The heroine is very committed to saving the dogs and she makes huge sacrifices to ensure their survival and that will endear her to readers. A sub-plot involving two species determined to wipe out humanity is a pivotal and necessary device to advance the story line. THE COMPANIONS is a special work, one that will appeal to fans who love great space opera. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: An Enjoyable Read
Review: In the year 2700 (give or take), Earth is a wasteland of mile-high apartment towers, desalinazation plants, and algae processing facilities, populated by WAY too many people. The gap between the rich and poor is worse than ever, real food is non-existent and space colonization hasn't helped anything because of a law that every colonist who can no longer work (read: the elderly) must be returned to Earth. On top of all this, a religious group declaring that humans are the only species with a right to live has taken power and passed a law that all remaining companion animals must be destroyed because they use up too much air and water. Jewell Delis, a devoted preservationist who has spent years developing a bigger and better dog, manages to get herself and her charges shipped off to a recently discovered world, ostensibly to assist her linguist brother. And that's where the story really begins. I liked _The Companions_, but not as much as I've liked others of Sheri Tepper's novels. This is not because of the story: reminiscent of _Grass_ and _After Long Silence_ in its themes, this was a hard book to put down. We find here the familiar "human only" club that appears (by other names) in Tepper's other books; also familiar are Tepper's playing with Planetary consciousness, languages that don't resemble languages we recognise and sentience in forms that are hard to acknowledge. Less prominent is is the theme of the existence of pure evil, but it's there. All this is woven into an agile plot populated by likable characters. But I felt the story was rushed. There were a lot of subplots that I really wanted to hear more about and a lot of things that, I felt, didn't really get developed the way they deserved to. I think Tepper really limited herself by telling the bulk of the story in the first person -- a new technique for her -- because _The Companions_ didn't seem to have the scope of her novels where she's free to jump about more in time and space. The last third of the book seemed particularly cramped. Where Tepper talks about relationships and communication, _The Companions_ is a great read. Where the major conflict comes in, it falls a little flat. But it's still a good choice for readers of speculative fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Thought-provoking, suspenseful, mysterious...but...
Review: My favorite thing about this book? The way it took me by the shoulders and gave me a quick shake -- regarding dogs. It's hard to take them for granted once you fall into the main character's world. My least favorite thing about this book? The last half. It's zipping right along, then stumbles and becomes difficult to follow and, even given the setting, sort of implausible. I'd say that the content of the book is (perhaps as usual for Tepper?) better than the storytelling. I always find her books worth reading.
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