Rating: 
Summary: A great book -- women save the world!
Review: I loved this book. I first found it at the library, but after I had read it I quickly bought a (hardcover) copy for my sister AND a copy for my best friend, taking care of Christmas in one swoop. It's been several months since I read it, but I certainly recommend it to any female science fiction fan, and to any male sf reader who is not too easily threatened by the concept that testosterone worship may not be the best thing for the world
Rating:
Summary: Once again, Tepper has outdone herself.
Review: I read this book in less than 24 hours. Once again, Tepper has written a fine novel that has far more to it than what appears on the surface.At the outset, the novel appears radically feminist, and so I suppose it is. But Tepper has a point to make beyond that, and she makes it well: the diminishing of any is the diminishing of all, and the oppression of women has robbed the whole of the human race. Plotwise, the story consists of the adventure of six women trying to both learn the fate of their seventh friend, who apparently committed suicide years before, and avert the terrible force that may destroy human civilization. The story focuses on Carolyn, a retired lawyer called back to the courtroom for one more case -- the trial of a fifteen-year-old girl who murdered her newborn baby by leaving it in a dumpster. Like everything else about this book, the real issue lies beneath the surface, slowly emerging like the implacable enemy of our seven heroines. One might argue that this is not science fiction, and one would be correct if one's definition of science fiction is that technology will solve the problem. It is not technology that will save us, but wisdom -- the wisdom to guide our own paths and choose our own fate. This novel has been compared to "Grass" and especially "The Gate to Women's Country," but Tepper's previous work that I find it most similar to is "Beauty," her adaptation of the Sleeping Beauty tale. There, as here, Tepper explores the theme of responsible intelligence. Evolution does not tend toward intelligence, she argues; what, then, are we to do with this gift? Are we to ignore the possibilities it presents us, and enjoy only our baser instincts? Or will we use what we are given? The choice, as Sophy (the name is no accident) tells her six friends near the end of the book, is ours. And while, as in most speculative fiction, good does triumph, that triumph in itself makes another point. There is no quick fix, no easy solution, no way to lock evil in a vault and leave it there indefinitely. It would be easy for such a story as this to grow heavy-handed in the telling, but Tepper neatly sidesteps such pitfalls, avoiding the cliches both of radical feminism and of science fiction to give us something new. I have always been pleasantly surprised by Sheri S. Tepper in the past, and was not disappointed this time around
Rating: 
Summary: disappointing
Review: i was really disappointed with this one, especially after 'the gate to women's country'. three main things were wrong with it: 1st, the numerous factual inconsistencies. i noticed them in virtually every chapter. while some can be explained away since the book technically takes place in the future (4 years from when it was written, and rapidly diminishing each day), in other places, the writer just screwed up. examples? vassar college is no longer a women's college, its been coed since 1969 (the book mentions that fact that it was bombed because it is a women's college three times), lawyers are legally prohibited from prosecuting their sister-in-laws (its called a conflict of interest, yet the fact that one of the bad guys did this is fairly important background material in the novel). The author apparently had only rudimentary knowledge of the catholic position on women and total ignorance of how various arab states stand on women's issues (not all are like saudi arabia, the gulf states, and iran (which is also not an arab country). in fact, two of the countries who are solidly portrayed as backers of the anti-women plot are considered to be relatively progressive in the arab world, libya and iraq (read 'in search of islamic feminism' to read more)--both of which are solidly anti-fundamentalist as well. i'm not saying that these places are feminist paradises either, its just that an iran/iraq/saudi alliance to put down women is so implausible given their history and politics that it made the novel seem ignorant and unbelievable.) which leads me to my 2nd point: the plot was unbelievable. okay, reading the above, it looks like i've already covered that one above. 3rd: i didn't really mind the hints of tepper's neo-eugenics philosophy when i read "women's country". maybe because it was presented in the context of the far future, and in a very different culture than our own. but it bothered me more in this one because it really was supposed to take place in the real world. not too say that it was a total loss. it was an entertaining read, if frustrating at times. it just could have been so much better...
Rating: 
Summary: A big dissapoinment
Review: I was so dissapointed by this book. I had heard so many good things about Sherri Tepper, but this makes me wonder why she is so highly rated.The politics are unsubtle, the characters unengaging, the plot devices either poorly-thought out or frankly ridiculous, and the writing is at best patchy and reminiscent of the worst of Danielle Steele and the like. There are some brilliant feminist sci-fi and fantasy writers out there (Ursula Le Guin, Pat Cadigan, Marion Zimmer Bradley), but, at least on the basis of this book, Sherri Tepper is not one of them. And I had so wanted to like this book...
Rating: 
Summary: Flawed, but interesting
Review: I've been a Tepper fan for a long time; this is NOT Tepper's best work (that honor has to go to *Grass* and *The Family Tree*), but it's miles ahead of most popular SF. Some may complain that Tepper's characters here are stereotyped caricatures, but has anyone checked out the Taliban lately? Atrocities like the ones she describes take place daily on this planet. Her only stretch is imagining the same sort of rabid fundamentalism taking over the US. The moral dilemmas she presents are delicious. Which vial would YOU pour in Sophie's Cup? That tells me more about one's character and beliefs than any number of astrological charts. I also want to volunteer for the Baba Yaga League...
Rating:
Summary: not her best work by a long shot...
Review: I've read two of Tepper's other books: Family Tree and The Visitor, and they were both much better written than this one. I ploughed along through it because I wanted to see how it ended, but the writing here just isn't up to the usual high standard or her writing. I can't help thinking that this was an old manuscript that she wrote a long time ago, that was published after she became successful. The style of writing comes across as if it were written by someone who lived in the 50's or 60's, not someone who is living now. The one thing that was interesting was the parallel between the events she describes in the book and things that seem to be happening now, but that doesn't make up for the dated, stilted feeling of the writing.
Rating:
Summary: Potent but dark Millennial prophecy
Review: In "Gibbon's Decline and Fall" (the joke reveals itself as the book progresses) Sheri Tepper presents her usual dark view of the future of mankind. Set in the year 2000, if it were going to happen, this particular future would be upon us by now, of course. And perhaps, in a way, it is? The book concerns itself with the perennial battle of the sexes but on a scale far greater than in any of Tepper's other books and with an atmosphere of such immediacy that it is far more discomforting and terrifying than in any of her other stories. And yet while the war is global, she portrays the battles as intimate, personal affairs, as indeed life usual is. As usual for Tepper, the book is peppered with the author's perspicacious observations of the way the world works, as well as countless instances of her wry and acerbic humour. It is nice to see Tepper for once giving us a greater insight into what drives her main protagonists than we usually get, though: a nice touch. All of the classic Tepper hallmarks are there, of course. This tale is as potent and as gripping as anything she's ever written. Indeed it tightens its grip relentlessly right up to the very last moment. And it's amazing just how many things one doesn't see coming, even though she's left them out in plain view throughout. Great stuff - unless you're even the slightest bit depressed!
Rating: 
Summary: Good, Evil, Men, Women ¿ the Eternal Battle
Review: Is there really some force that drives men to mistreat and abuse women? Is such behavior inherent in the biological makeup of humans? Can it be modified via chemical means or by changing some small portion of the human DNA structure? Or, perhaps, is this a cultural, learned trait that can be eradicated with proper education and training? What influence does organized religion have on the relationship between the sexes? These questions form the primary focus of this novel, a novel that perhaps can be considered a feminist tract, but may also be considered as a good story about an age-old problem. From a starting point of the mundane world of 1959, when seven women of very different personalities enter college and form a tight bond with each other, this book travels in quiet, incremental stages to a world that is frightening and strange but in all too many ways much too believable. For by the year 2000 (this book was written in 1996), bands of men roam the streets with whips, looking for any woman who is sinful enough to dress in skirts that expose their legs, and such attacks on women are carefully ignored by police, where the Pope allies with Islamic fundamentalists in calling for women's place in the world to be limited and totally subservient to men, and women's colleges are being bombed. For those who say "this could never happen", it should be kept in mind that societies' ideas about what is proper and moral can change, and change drastically, and not just towards a more liberal set of ideas. The return to Islamic fundamentalism in Iran happened quickly, and with the support of good portion of its populace. Still, it is a bit of stretch to imagine such a change in just the four years that Tepper's scenario envisions. But she has a reason for having such changes happen so quickly - behind her story of normal men and women there is another force, the Alliance, headed by one of the richest men in the world. A man who seems bent on enslaving all the women of the world, with the resources to bend and influence a large number of men, who is planning on an apocalypse with only his chosen favored few as survivors. How the college band of women, now in late middle age, with careers, children, and for some, husbands, work towards unraveling the mystery of why the world is changing so fast forms the heart of the plot. From FBI files to biology laboratories, with murders and judge-buying, Tepper adds believable elements to her story, making the first three-quarters of this book a good read, even if you don't believe that all men are evil or that women have always been downtrodden. Her women characters are well drawn, most especially those of Carolyn Crespin, the main protagonist, Faye as a lesbian sculptor, and Agnes as a nun with doubts. Her male characters, those that we see, are not so good - either impossibly cold and power obsessed, or too acquiescent and thinly drawn. But the tail end of this book was a let down, as Tepper spins off into not just the realm of plausible science fiction, but into religious fantasy. And in doing so, I think her message about how the sexes should relate to each other gets diluted, as blame for poor treatment of women can be shifted to hormonal drives and/or the influence of a supernatural being. I think this book would have been better if it had stayed within the world of today, and looked a little deeper into the social dynamics driving gender relationships, without call to external forces or scientific breakthroughs to either explain or change such behavior. Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)
Rating:
Summary: Excellent. Thought-provoking and insightful. Fair story.
Review: Like other Tepper books I've read, this one is excellent for provocative thoughts and insights, but only fair in terms of characterization and storytelling. This book, for example, involves a group of original and well-detailed characters, but they are typically dealt with in obvious series or sequence. i.e. First her life, then hers, then hers, now hers, and finally hers. This may be a stylistic choice, but it can feel forced. While Tepper's style does not seem to emphasize lush description or detailed scene-setting, sharing ideas is always central and handled well. In fact, during "Decline and Fall" I could not help thinking that Tepper wanted to write a book of non-fiction -- thoughts on male supremacy, feminist history, multiculturalism, anthropology -- but couched it in a millennial storybook for reasons unknown. The best thing about Tepper is that you can LEARN from her books. You come away from them with ideas and new perspectives. Despite the fact that her books aren't going to provide a "wild ride" (i.e. for those who prefer David Eddings, Stephen Donaldson, Robert Jordan), they are going to be entertaining and thought-provoking. Most importantly... In the middle of "Decline and Fall" I had that familiar rush: I didn't want the book to end.
Rating:
Summary: Unusual, thought-provoking, inspiring and fun!
Review: Not for everyone, but Sheri has evoked some brilliant images and themes. Her treatment of the "unseen" is powerful and her unexpected solutions very refreshing. With Ms. Tepper bullets and tech are never the solution. Very refreshing!
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