Rating: 
Summary: True Game; truly inspired
Review: I started reading Tepper a year ago with Family Tree and I've been a fan ever since. I was excited to find the True Game, an epic from her early work. If you've read Tepper you know she builds her stories on a strong foundation of social inequality. But in True Game this sense of inequality is slightly more subtle and has a broader range than some of her other books. I was intrigued by the story's success in weaving the fundamentals of chess with a broad range of characters with "Talents" reminiscient of Dungeons and Dragons. The characters were pieces in the Game from Pawns, to Kings, Wizards and Dragons and they were playing for life or death. Her hero is just a boy, who by some genetic trick has unimaginable talent but still struggles with adolescence and gaining respect from his adult peers. I couldn't put the book down. This book combines science fiction and fantasy in a way that only Ms. Tepper can. It's a must read!!!
Rating:
Summary: True Game; truly inspired
Review: I started reading Tepper a year ago with Family Tree and I've been a fan ever since. I was excited to find the True Game, an epic from her early work. If you've read Tepper you know she builds her stories on a strong foundation of social inequality. But in True Game this sense of inequality is slightly more subtle and has a broader range than some of her other books. I was intrigued by the story's success in weaving the fundamentals of chess with a broad range of characters with "Talents" reminiscient of Dungeons and Dragons. The characters were pieces in the Game from Pawns, to Kings, Wizards and Dragons and they were playing for life or death. Her hero is just a boy, who by some genetic trick has unimaginable talent but still struggles with adolescence and gaining respect from his adult peers. I couldn't put the book down. This book combines science fiction and fantasy in a way that only Ms. Tepper can. It's a must read!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable over multiple re-readings
Review: I very much enjoyed this book 13 years ago when I was a young teenager, and I still enjoy it now. (I actually have the Corgi 0-552-12620-9 edition.) The world created and described by Tepper has quite a lot of depth and detail, but which isn't all presented right in front of you: it was very enjoyable to read the first time, but only by rereading the book can you start to put the pieces together to reveal a greater sense of the interconnectedness of everything. I like this in a book; it means it's not all over just because you've reached the end.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing
Review: I've read this book and its sequel, "The End of the Game" consisting of Jinian's stories, several times. I frequently go back and reread various passages. The stories are very intriguing and addictive. They have wonderful ideas and are emotionally and intellectually satisfying, yet frustrating for all that.It was clear that the author's vision of what was supposed to happen changed progressively as the stories progressed. Part of it was new discovery, correcting the main characters' prior misconceptions, but part was actual change in detail. For example, initially it seemed like the orthodox view of Talent was that very Talent was a separate Talent. Only the heretics viewed named Talents as combinations of eleven basic Talents. But later on, it seems like everyone thinks of them as combinations. For example, Herald = Flying + Moving, and Dragon = Shifting + Firestarting + Flying. This leads to another issue: Sometimes, these names appear! ed to simply represent the combination of basic Talents. Other times, the combination and manifestation of basic Talents seemed to combine to form a coherent whole, rather different from the sum of the parts. I was never sure which it was. In the latter case, the same combination of basic Talents could potentially combine to form different named Talents. The Blues storing the memories and personalities of people caused me the same problem that Star Trek's transporter caused me. Basically, is that person's actual consciousness separated from the body, or simply copied? Was that actually Windlow who entered Peter's mind often in "Wizard's Eleven," or just a copy of Windlow's personality? Did Windlow in reality die in the mountain of the Magicians, in "Necromancer Nine"? In addition to "The True Game" and "The End of the Game", Tepper wrote three stories about Mavin Manyshaped. They are long out of print and hard to find, a! nd I've never read them. It would be nice if someone reprinted those in a single volume.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable over multiple re-readings
Review: I've said it before (and I'm sure I'll say it again), Tepper is one of my favorite authors. This collection is interesting for the "historical" sense that it was her first effort. At a minimum, all one can say, is that she came out of the gate with a bang with her writing career. Note: I was almost put off by the "professional" reviewers that talk about this collection anticipating the Dungeon and Dragons craze because I then thought that the books would be focusing on "Dungeons and Dragons" somehow. The only similarity is that in Tepper's lands some people have different types of Talents (firestarting, mindreading, shapeshifting, to name a few) and the people with these talents can band together and battle (or as the book describes it "call game" with one another). So with that knowledge you can say these books don't anticipate D&D anymore or less than Tolkein did. The story line is a little more staight forward and with a smaller cast of characters than in some of her more recent books which makes it an easier read in that sense. But don't worry, if you are a long time Tepper fan, it is not all lite - there are still the good ol Tepper philosphical questions wound into the story that makes us enjoy her so much. With all that said, I think this collection is better than "standard". It's GREAT. Wizards and mindreaders, dragons, and "magical" talents galore. If you enjoy fantasy stories you'll enjoy this. If you have never read her, this is a great series to get introduced by (even though all of her books are great to be introduced to her by).
Rating:
Summary: Tepper Delivers AGAIN!
Review: I've said it before (and I'm sure I'll say it again), Tepper is one of my favorite authors. This collection is interesting for the "historical" sense that it was her first effort. At a minimum, all one can say, is that she came out of the gate with a bang with her writing career. Note: I was almost put off by the "professional" reviewers that talk about this collection anticipating the Dungeon and Dragons craze because I then thought that the books would be focusing on "Dungeons and Dragons" somehow. The only similarity is that in Tepper's lands some people have different types of Talents (firestarting, mindreading, shapeshifting, to name a few) and the people with these talents can band together and battle (or as the book describes it "call game" with one another). So with that knowledge you can say these books don't anticipate D&D anymore or less than Tolkein did. The story line is a little more staight forward and with a smaller cast of characters than in some of her more recent books which makes it an easier read in that sense. But don't worry, if you are a long time Tepper fan, it is not all lite - there are still the good ol Tepper philosphical questions wound into the story that makes us enjoy her so much. With all that said, I think this collection is better than "standard". It's GREAT. Wizards and mindreaders, dragons, and "magical" talents galore. If you enjoy fantasy stories you'll enjoy this. If you have never read her, this is a great series to get introduced by (even though all of her books are great to be introduced to her by).
Rating:
Summary: Fantasy or Philosophy?
Review: In "The True Game", Sheri S. Tepper not only provides compelling plot and fascinating settings, but a catalog of great issues of Western Thought. Inherent in all three stories is the uneasy opposition of science, religion, and magic; a debate that is not only applicable to Tepper's realm, but to the American ideal of freedom of speech and thought. Tepper asserts that the notion of heresy has more to do with tradition and fear than logic. She also pinpoints the attempt of science to compartmentalize religion and the supernatural with the invention of the Blues. Most fascinating, however, is her exploration of the quality of the human soul. Primary is the question of whether a "bad" person is born or made. The stories of the Midwives and the "soulless" births pose the idea that the soul is intrinsically good, but I don't know that she so much gives an answer as asks more questions. I only wish that all science-fiction and fantasy was as intelligent and challenging as "The True Game." I highly recommend it for anyone that wants a book outside the usual sword-and-sorcery realm. Beware, though, it is not cotton-candy fiction that melts in your mouth. These are ideas best chewed and digested.
Rating: 
Summary: Long On Concepts Loosely Told
Review: It is unfortunate that the publisher has allowed this collection to go out of stock. Worthy of reading if only as representing the author's first trilogy of works, it also introduces the reader to Tepper's interweaving of social and philosophical ideas into genre narrative that has so typified and exemplified her later and more serious work. Tepper is largely a writer of science fiction, known for conflating her ventures into fantasy through its elements. They are in evidence here, especially present in "Necromancer Nine," with its references to a world seeded by an alien race who have lost touch with their purpose in colonizing the planet, as well as the technology supporting their society. As usual, Tepper attempts to use fantasy to explore larger issues, here including the relationships between science, religion, education, and society. Unfortunately, as is often the case with science fiction writers, the storyline gets subsumed in the expression of the ideas, greatly diminishing the strength of the narrative. The plot is often loosely wrapped and largely dependent upon the underpinning of the concepts explored, with a concomittant lack of narrative description and character development. Intriguing ideas and conceptual exploration do not by themselves provide good story telling, and it is here that this trilogy appears its weakest. Many of the characters remain one dimensional, and at times Tepper appears to lose track of her earlier plot development in order to tailor the story development to what she wishes to express conceptually. Thus plot contrivances at times emerge, and the resolution of "King's Blood Four" and "Wizard's Eleven" seems rushed and far from satisfying in terms of storytelling, and the evolution of Huld's character is forced to fit Tepper's evolving needs in the latter two works of the trilogy, largely at odds with his earlier characterization in the first book. I suppose a complaint that can be leveled at many writers of fantasy is the lack of substance often present in the telling of a good tale, their avoidance often of addressing larger social or political or philosophical issues in preference for spinning a good yarn. However, true as this often may be, I would offer that many writers of science fiction loose sight, in their pursuit of conceptual content, of the elements necessary to construct a good, tightly woven storyline, the ideas contained in their writing often having to carry or substitute for a lack of solid narrative development. In this work, for all its intellectual merits, Tepper fails to provide a story that fully engages or is developed beyond stimulating an inquiry of the intellect. While offering a large degree of mental richness, visually and emotionally it remains largely atrophied and only minimally developed. It would be wonderful to find Tepper's conceptual skills merged with the narrative and storytelling abilities of an author such as Jordan or Hobb. So far these skills---good storytelling versus conceptual investigation---appear to remain mutually exclusive. However, we can always hope for the future...
Rating:
Summary: Long On Concepts Loosely Told
Review: It is unfortunate that the publisher has allowed this collection to go out of stock. Worthy of reading if only as representing the author's first trilogy of works, it also introduces the reader to Tepper's interweaving of social and philosophical ideas into genre narrative that has so typified and exemplified her later and more serious work. Tepper is largely a writer of science fiction, known for conflating her ventures into fantasy through its elements. They are in evidence here, especially present in "Necromancer Nine," with its references to a world seeded by an alien race who have lost touch with their purpose in colonizing the planet, as well as the technology supporting their society. As usual, Tepper attempts to use fantasy to explore larger issues, here including the relationships between science, religion, education, and society. Unfortunately, as is often the case with science fiction writers, the storyline gets subsumed in the expression of the ideas, greatly diminishing the strength of the narrative. The plot is often loosely wrapped and largely dependent upon the underpinning of the concepts explored, with a concomittant lack of narrative description and character development. Intriguing ideas and conceptual exploration do not by themselves provide good story telling, and it is here that this trilogy appears its weakest. Many of the characters remain one dimensional, and at times Tepper appears to lose track of her earlier plot development in order to tailor the story development to what she wishes to express conceptually. Thus plot contrivances at times emerge, and the resolution of "King's Blood Four" and "Wizard's Eleven" seems rushed and far from satisfying in terms of storytelling, and the evolution of Huld's character is forced to fit Tepper's evolving needs in the latter two works of the trilogy, largely at odds with his earlier characterization in the first book. I suppose a complaint that can be leveled at many writers of fantasy is the lack of substance often present in the telling of a good tale, their avoidance often of addressing larger social or political or philosophical issues in preference for spinning a good yarn. However, true as this often may be, I would offer that many writers of science fiction loose sight, in their pursuit of conceptual content, of the elements necessary to construct a good, tightly woven storyline, the ideas contained in their writing often having to carry or substitute for a lack of solid narrative development. In this work, for all its intellectual merits, Tepper fails to provide a story that fully engages or is developed beyond stimulating an inquiry of the intellect. While offering a large degree of mental richness, visually and emotionally it remains largely atrophied and only minimally developed. It would be wonderful to find Tepper's conceptual skills merged with the narrative and storytelling abilities of an author such as Jordan or Hobb. So far these skills---good storytelling versus conceptual investigation---appear to remain mutually exclusive. However, we can always hope for the future...
Rating:
Summary: I only wish I still had some more of her books to read!
Review: Tepper is an author I can only admire. I've read everything that I can lay my hands on, and this one I discovered by mistake. When I thought I had read everything, I just happened to find this. I couldn't stop reading it from the moment I started.Shari S. Tepper never disappoints me. It was pure magic. I can only hope that one day I will write as wonderfully as she does.
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