Rating: 
Summary: A thoughtful and provocative book
Review: "Sideshow" is one of the best speculative fiction books I have read in a long time. Not only does the author present difficult ethical questions for the reader to consider, but she provides a thrilling story which through the whole book never ceases to get better and better. Though I could never have predicted most of the plot twists, everything made perfect sense in the end and I never felt 'manipulated' as with so many lesser works which seem to provide cliffhanger situations just to play on your emotions and keep you guessing.Ms. Tepper demonstrates herself to be among the most competent world-builders in the genre with the world of Elsewhere. It has more of a fast-paced, cyberpunk environment than most of her other works, but she demonstrates that she is equally at home in this style as with her more low-tech fantasies. I was glad to have read "Grass" first which provided a bit of helpful background on some of the situations in "Sideshow", though reading it first is not essential. I regret that I have been unable to locate a copy of "Raising the Stones." "Sideshow" is a provocative and well-constructed work which, like all of Ms. Tepper's fiction, raises the difficult choices societies must make in order to survive.
Rating:
Summary: A thoughtful and provocative book
Review: "Sideshow" is one of the best speculative fiction books I have read in a long time. Not only does the author present difficult ethical questions for the reader to consider, but she provides a thrilling story which through the whole book never ceases to get better and better. Though I could never have predicted most of the plot twists, everything made perfect sense in the end and I never felt 'manipulated' as with so many lesser works which seem to provide cliffhanger situations just to play on your emotions and keep you guessing.
Ms. Tepper demonstrates herself to be among the most competent world-builders in the genre with the world of Elsewhere. It has more of a fast-paced, cyberpunk environment than most of her other works, but she demonstrates that she is equally at home in this style as with her more low-tech fantasies.
I was glad to have read "Grass" first which provided a bit of helpful background on some of the situations in "Sideshow", though reading it first is not essential. I regret that I have been unable to locate a copy of "Raising the Stones."
"Sideshow" is a provocative and well-constructed work which, like all of Ms. Tepper's fiction, raises the difficult choices societies must make in order to survive.
Rating: 
Summary: A disappointment to an avid Tepper fan
Review: A friend warned me "I can't figure this book out." Indeed it takes some work to follow the characters and pull out the important parts. But the two central characters, brother and sister both blessed and cursed, are interesting enough to help you push your way to the end. Not the happiest of books, but then the possible is rarely beautiful.
Rating: 
Summary: better than I was expecting
Review: A friend warned me "I can't figure this book out." Indeed it takes some work to follow the characters and pull out the important parts. But the two central characters, brother and sister both blessed and cursed, are interesting enough to help you push your way to the end. Not the happiest of books, but then the possible is rarely beautiful.
Rating:
Summary: A disappointment to an avid Tepper fan
Review: I am a great fan of Tepper, I own and have read all of her books. Unfortunately this book struck me as repetitive in the resolution of the characters, especially Owldark. I read for pleasure as well as to learn, this book was so dark and uncomfortable that I did neither. While the story was well crafted, I didn't like any of the characters and could not make an investment in their stories. The creativity and ingenuity of the plot may however be enough for other readers.
Rating:
Summary: Very dark, disturbing, and violent
Review: I am Tepper's most avid fan, and, as such, I guess there must be one book that is my least favorite. This one is it. It is very dark and violent and it is the only one of her books that I could not read more than once. This is a great author. If you want to read her work, please do not start with this book. I highly recommend her "Beauty," "Grass," "Raising the Stones," "Family Tree," "Gibbons Decline and Fall," and the entire True Game series.
Rating:
Summary: A *very* good book
Review: I do not often write reviews here but this time I simply had to share. I had never heard of Sheri S. Tepper before reading this book so I started reading it without any pre-conceived notions of what to expect but already from the first page I was convinced that it was a great book - and all the rest of the book, every page of it, was just as good as the first one! The book has just the right mix of mystery, a good action-laden plot and loads of interesting philosophical questsions all mixed together into a convincing and enjoyable package. The plot of the book has already been described by others on this page. I'll just say that I think that the Great Question (what is the ultimate destiny of man?) is something that we DO need to answer.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: I enjoy science fiction, especially science fiction by women. Sheri Tepper is one of the best sci-fi writers in the world and this is her best book. She creates great stories that also have relevance for life on earth today. Don't miss this one.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: I enjoy science fiction, especially science fiction by women. Sheri Tepper is one of the best sci-fi writers in the world and this is her best book. She creates great stories that also have relevance for life on earth today. Don't miss this one.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: I loved this book because of its intricate detail and the way it deals with the problems of humanity. I absolutely could not put it down. I want to run to the library now and check out everything written by her.
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