Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't put it down...
Review: Sherri Tepper is brilliant! This book was fantastic and I can't wait to read it again. She is quickly becoming one of my favorite authours. Sure, she does thickly layer her politics/beliefs into her stories, but if you are sympathetic to her views, then it's not a problem. Not EVERY book has to be so thick with metaphor that you need a knife to get through it - sometimes it really is okay to just come out and say what you believe through your characters...Sherri Tepper is a woman of deep conviction, impeccable logic, and amazing skill. Her stories reflect this perfectly. Some people just need to get over their pretensions and enjoy things for what they are....(see below reviews of 1 and 2 stars) ...
Rating: 
Summary: poisoned, unfunny... and a much recycled idea
Review: I admit I have loved some of Sheri's past works (particularily the Mavin series), so I picked up her latest on a whim. My, how far she's come...this novel is so thoroughly poisoned by over-the-top feminist diatribe that I found it annoyingly bad enough to returned it to the mega-store I purchased it from.
It's a tale done many times before (and much more cleverly by other authors)... aliens come to Earth to save us, and in turn be saved by us- with a one dimensional rantfest of spite aimed at men, the military, government, big business, foreign cultures, etc etc that grows tiresome almost immediately.
Why is this necessary? The books main ideas might have been entertaining without all this. I was annoyed at being preached to, rather than instructed through the writing.
Social commentary in SF (ala Childhood's End) is where good books become great; but when the commentary amounts to virtual hate speech against all men (not a single male character in here is a decent being), it isn't worth the time it took to plow through it.
Sheri still makes interesting characters (her greatest talent), particularily any of the races NOT primarily involved in this story. The main character is particularily annoying, and the main race of aliens comes off as underdeveloped 70's love-aliens, on a mission of groovy peace and love and stuff (so long as it involves smashing the evil male patriarchy, yeah baby!).
2 thumbs WAY down for this angry, simplistic, polemic book - borrow it if you must, but don't go out and buy it. Buy some of her earlier works used, and enjoy the author's talents (before they became populated with all these mean-spirited and depressing [male] characters).
Rating: 
Summary: The old cliche "take me to your leader" in a fun new guise
Review: That famous sci-fi cliche where aliens land and demand "Take me to your leader" is the start of Tepper's latest novel Fresco. But, if you've read Tepper before, you know to expect:
1. Imaginative aliens
2. Surprises
3. Feminism
4. Eco-activism and
5. Creative suggestions to cure society's ills. So, if you can stand the eco stuff and man-bashing you are in for a fun, funny, imaginative read. This was the first Tepper book that was truly humorous as well as serious. Benita, the protagonist, is a mostly blameless Hispanic housewife, who, after making one or two dumb mistakes in her personal life, has been leading an impeccable existence. That's why she's been chosen to be a messenger of greetings by a race of moralistic beings, the Pistach, who roam around to improve the world and invite new planets to a consortium. So, after the "take me to your leader" part, the aliens and Benita settle into an exciting time of convincing the Earth and the politicians to play nice. The Pistach value Earth and want to help because humans show good taste, especially in art. But, there are other planets and aliens who view Earth as good huntin'--we chucked a probe or two in their direction and now they've come to check us out. They're members in good standing of the consortium, too, and natural predators. They are interested in Earth, yes, because humans taste good. Uh-oh. This is one sci-fi novel where the aliens, though having a superior way of life, bow to something superior on Earth, art in this case. Usually, sci-fi aliens are showing Earthlings just how low on the galactic food chain they think we are. Here, humans eventually provide something of great value to the Pistach. I got annoyed a couple times, especially at the inevitable NRA bash. If people are to become responsible for their own actions, a philosophy the author espouses in this and other of her books, then the gun manufacturer isn't the primary cause of someone shooting someone else. What about knife manufacturers, and auto makers who sell to potential drunks who kill? Hmmm, Sheri? Despite this, and despite the fact I think the eco-stuff and man-bashing needs to be more subtle in future works, I enjoyed this book as much as Singer from the Sea and Six Moon Dance (recent works of Tepper and highly recommended.) It was better than Gibbon's Decline and Fall and WAY better than Family Tree. In my not so humble opinion, that is. If you haven't read Tepper, start with Gate to Women's Country, which I still contend is her very best. Grass, Six Moon Dance come next in my list, followed by the others. I simply adore Tepper's work, even with the heavy-handed pontificating. You can't get much better than Tepper for imagination, characters and surprises.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Tepper political diatribe - far from her best
Review: Synposis: Aliens come to earth, pick abused housewife to take message of peace to U.S. gov't. Housewife gets cool job, nice new digs. Personal hang-ups healed by aliens. Good aliens want Earth in galactic U.N. Bad aliens want Earth as game preserve. Good aliens fix Earth problems of religious discord, subjugation of women, drugs in miraculous fashion. Good aliens suffer through iconoclast-style revolt. Humans fix problems with innate artistic talent. Housewife's loser son gets hang-ups healed too. Loser husband gets stuck in alien-style homeless shelter. Housewife gets new husband. As a reader who thouroughly enjoyed Tepper's earlier work, especially the "True Game" and "Awakeners" series, for Tepper to continue to waste her enviable talents in prose and characterization on second-rate political diatribes is beyond me. Tepper's greates talent lies in her ability to create believable characters with a minimum of prose. Tepper, at her best, creates science fiction that uses human drama and conflict to produce a readable story. Tepper's work, to me, was a break from the traditional science fiction tendendency to obsess over descriptions of dubious technological advances, social structures, and wacky aliens. This work rivals "Star Trek" for all of these things. Her political points are actually weakened by the story line. The problems of education, religious war, drug war, and subjugation of women are solved through silly techno-gimmicks that add nothing to current debate. No one denies that the problems exist, but since we don't possess the technology described in the book, and there's no story outside of descriptions of easy solutions, what's the point? Want political commentary? Read the paper. Want decent sci-fi? Tepper's pen has dried out. Other readers have commented on the 9-11/Afghanistan link in the book. There's nothing in this book that displays more prescience than could have been gleaned from watching "Oprah." It's been cause celebre for years. And again, silly techo-solutions while we're having to send troops in to rip out the Taliban by force: not prescient, just irritating.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't Put it Down
Review: This is an incredible book. As someone else said, I found it particularly relevant in light of the state of the world since the recent destruction of the world trade center -- some of the subject matter makes Tepper seem psychic. Several things did keep me from giving _The Fresco_ a five star rating. There were several characters that I thought were not developed as fully as they could have been. Tepper is usually very good about not having extraneous characters; everyone generally has a significant part to play. This was not true here. I would have liked to have seen more Lupe and Angel, for example. A couple of plot elements were mentioned that were never explained, either. I kept expecting an elucidation of Morse's fear of/distaste for pregnancy, but it never came. As a result he -- and his cohorts, the antagonists of the story -- seemed flat and arbitrarily evil. Lastly, the end struck me as just a little too pat and happy. Tepper's other books often end on kind of a question mark; this one was more positive, but that struck me as unrealistic. I'm a cynic, though, so others might not be as bothered by this. On the plus side, this book had all those things that make me love Sheri Tepper. She writes unapologeticaly from a particular feminist point of view (which I happen to share) that often is invalidated even while lip service is paid to it. She is willing to say that things like the opression of women are morally wrong and that people in power often continue and justify morally wrong behavior because it is to their financial advantage. She also points out that there is no problem that is unsolvable, but that no solution is going to make everyone happy or be comfortable for everyone, and that there are no easy solutions to complicated problems -- a point of view I appreciate in a world where it often seems that everyone is out for his own advantage and devil take the starving and homeless. In Tepper's world some people are just dumb as bricks and not everyone is an artist. Thank the gods!!!!! Many of Tepper's "solutions" to social problems are both humourous and scathing -- a difficult balancing act to carry off. They also display a sense of practical justice that is deeply satisfying. Unfortunately, it would take an alien intervention to bring such change about. But if you're disatisfied with the way the world is and the ineffectiveness of politicians and other people in power, you'll definitely want to visit Tepper's world. It makes a nice vacation to the realm of what could be.
Rating:
Summary: A Timely, Thoughtful Book
Review: The events in this book are amazing in light of the 9/11/01 tragedy at the World Trade Center. The story is involving and it seems that Ms. Tepper has done a lot of thinking before writing in order to keep the story plausible. Her politics are very in tune with my own, so I thoroughly enjoyed the way she solved some of the problems presented in the book. I just finished the book last night, and oh how I wish aliens would come to earth and solve our problems like in the book.
Rating:
Summary: Happily surprised
Review: Having been bored nearly to tears by Six Moon Dance and Family Tree, and longing for a little mind candy again like Gate to Women's Country, I didn't have the heart to actually buy this one. After getting it from the library, I'm happy to say that it is wonderful--funny, charming, and thought-provoking in a nice lite sort of way. Let's face it, most of us don't look to sci-fi for deep philosophy... Suffice it to say that this book explores solutions to the world's problems that are simultaneously deeply satisfying, and yet slightly abhorrent. Good stuff for discussing with, say, an intelligent 12 year old daughter. Let's hope Tepper is on a roll!
Rating:
Summary: I didn't know Tepper could be so funny
Review: "First Contact" is a staple plot-format in science fiction and Tepper has given it a wonderful twist. The first Tepper novel I read was Grass. I loved it. Further reading in Tepper's works seemed repetitive. Fresco is fresh and very funny. Fresco is placed in a science-fiction universe of the now, a world we all know. Humans have sent out space exploration machines beyond the solar system and this attacts the attention of a multi-specie space confederation. It seems we are throwing garbage over the fence. First contact is not with one group of aliens, but at least five different species, all with their own agenda for using humans for their own purpose. None are totally beneficial to humanity. Yes there are flat, stereotypical characters. But there is also much wonderful social commentary, particularly on justice and theology, that can stand up to comparison with Jonathan Swift. This one gets permanent shelf space in my library.
Rating:
Summary: If Only it were true
Review: Sheri Tepper has written excellent books before, but nothing as wonder"ful" as this one. Using the basic, aliens come to the Earth and change civilization format, she creates an exciting character who empowers herself without magic or "greater"powers. The aliens and of course the politicians and their responses are believable and the answers to the world's problems are so good you wish it really happened. And being able to help the aliens in return is a great twist. I wish all the pro lifer men would get pregnant and all the guns would hurt those who try to shoot others. The answer to the drug causality is wonderful. Thank you Ms. Tepper.
Rating:
Summary: Men Will Like It - Women Will Love It
Review: A witty, insightful and very imaginative page-turner - but with with a definite agenda. This was my first Sheri Tepper novel and, as a man, I quickly picked up on the "men/bad women/good" thing going on here. Nevertheless - I simply couldn't put it down. A definite "2AM-gotta-get -up-at-5 -and-go-to -work-but-maybe -just-one -more-chapter" book. Tepper has a LOT to say about modern society, from the way we run our prisons to the way we run our nation and our lives - and she is generally right on target. It you're up for a funny and thought provoking Sci-Fi based mystery - this book's for you. Plus a surprise ending!
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