Grass

Grass (Arbai #1)

4.03 of 5 stars 4.03  ·  rating details  ·  4,012 ratings  ·  243 reviews
Generations ago, humans fled to the cosmic anomaly known as Grass. But before humanity arrived, another species had already claimed Grass for its own. It too had developed a culture......

Now a deadly plague is spreading across the stars, leaving no planet untouched, save for Grass. But the secret of the planet's immunity hides a truth so shattering it could mean the end o...more
Paperback, SF Masterworks, #48, 540 pages
Published February 2nd 2002 by Gollancz / Orion (first published August 27th 1989)
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Community Reviews

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mark monday
'tis the season...

13 TALES OF TERROR: BOOK 4

once upon a time there was a delightful young story named Grass by Sheri S. Tepper. this story seemed to know exactly what i was longing for: Horror in Space! and so she provided it to me. a fascinating planet full of strange multi-colored grass, bizarre fauna, the ruins of an alien civilization. a backdrop based around a particularly esoteric and semi-totalitarian theocracy. an expertly portrayed and atypical heroine who felt alive and real (and who r...more
Phoebe
Jun 29, 2009 Phoebe added it
Shelves: phreminism, sciffy
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Kay
One of my favorite science fiction books in recent years, this intricately plotted book creates a complete world and is utterly absorbing. Tepper reminds me a bit of another favorite woman sci-fi author, C.J. Cherryh, in that she takes a somewhat anthropological approach to the alien societies she creates. I won't go into details of the plot -- it's one of those complex sagas that doesn't summarize too well, but I will mention that I enjoy her style, which is lyrical and lush, much like the plan...more
Julian
A family of ambassadors comes to the planet Grass, inhabited by isolated, rural aristrocrat families and one large commoner town, to figure out why it's the only human-inhabited planet where people are dying of plague. Really great human-alien interaction as well as between humans of extremely different cultures. The whole thing takes place in a universe dominated by a religion called Sanctity that is trying to cover up the existence of the plague. On the planet, the aristocrats could care less...more
Tracy
I read Grass within a couple of years after I read The Gate to Women's Country. It is, once again, a science fiction novel with a great mystery guiding the action.
This book is more highly reviewed than any of Tepper's other books. It is intriguing, and it is one of the books that I like to read of Tepper's because it challenges me. It forces me to ask what I believe about humankind. Are we inherently good and trustworthy, as I've believed in the past? Or, are we inherently evil...at least some...more
Krista
Once again, I am not a fan of Science fiction, but the blurb about this book intrigued me. Generations in the future, when humanity has spread to other planets and Earth is ruled by Sanctity, a religion that looks to resurrection of the body by storing cell samples of its communicants, a plague is threatening to wipe out mankind. The only planet that seems to be spared is Grass, so-called because that is virtually all that grows there. It was settled by families of European nobility who live on...more
Sam Grace
Dec 09, 2008 Sam Grace rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Joaquin Munoz
I have a friend who was literally scared off by another of Tepper's books, and I can see why. This book is dark and, yes, scary, in a very human way. It takes on religion and faith (not necessarily the same thing) as essential questions, and answers them in ways that I ended up likely immensely. Which is not to say that I necessarily agree with the conclusions, but they fit the heroine very well.

This was my first Sherri Tepper novel and it was very very good. I will be picking up more Sherri Tep...more
Juushika
Plague threatens to ravage all of mankind, and only one place is exempt: an isolated planet called Grass, with its strange human culture and stranger native residents who may be nothing that they seem. Grass is reminiscent of Mary Doria Russel's The Sparrow: spiritual/philosophical issues brought to light by human exploration of a truly alien world and society--so alien that humans are initially unable or unwilling to realize the world's true nature, to their own detriment. The Sparrow has more...more
Jessica Strider
Pros: several complex plot lines that all get resolved satisfactorily, interesting characters that develop over the course of the book, detailed world building - for the planet Grass as well as Earth and the rest of the universe (even though the rest of the universe isn't mentioned much)

Cons: can't think of any

Grass is a planet with no reports of plague victims in a universe of worlds dying of the plague.

Lady Marjorie Westriding Yarier and her family are sent by Sanctity, the dominant religion i...more
Heather Shipley
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Nenia Campbell
I read this book after reading Speaker of the Dead by Orson Scott Card, and was struck by the similarities between the two books. Both feature humans that are living as expatriates on another planet. Both have highly sentient indigenous beings that are ill-treated by the Earthling colonists. The difference is that Sheri S. Tepper does it better.

This isn't one of those sword-and-planet pulp sci-fi novels that has laser battles and blood-sucking aliens. Tepper takes an anthropological approach to...more
Celeste
Tepper's writing always has a very strong theme and moral to it, and Grass is not an exception. But, like in most of her writing, she avoids being didactic about it in this one.

Humankind has spread out on several colony planets after population pressure on Terra became too much. The Hierarch of Sanctity, a religious cult, controls most of the galaxy through doctrine. Though Sanctity denies it, a deadly plague is spreading throughout the planets of humankind. All the planets except the isolation...more
Rob
...I do see a few problems with Grass but on the whole it is a fascinating read. There is so much in the way of social, religious and scientific ideas stuffed into this novel that the scope of it is comparable with some of the most ambitious works in science fiction. I felt the execution is not quite good enough to name it a great work of science fiction but it is not far off. The novel is essentially one big puzzle and examining the pieces is enough to keep a science fiction fan reading. It’s n...more
Nick
Man, this was a weird one. It was a bit of a ponderous read for me. There was good and bad in Grass, and I think other people might enjoy it more than I did.

I said in my last status update for this book that reading it was "like having a vivid, strange nightmare that didn't quite make sense." I think this captures both the good and the bad of Grass. Sheri Tepper's world building is excellent. Her universe is nuanced, vibrant, original and memorable. Unfortunately, that's really where my praise e...more
Buzzy
A suspenseful, planet-hopping, incredibly complicated mystery story of sorts. I really enjoyed how Tepper communicated the odd class dynamics of the family moving to a new planet, and new society, and intermingled those dynamics while unfolding a really compelling search for answers about the strange nature of the planet. As usual, Tepper builds really strong characters about whom you actually grow to care.
Daniel Roy
Some reviewers have called this book "social SF", and I feel this label is a disservice to what SF should aspire to be. Yes, it features very intricate social bonds and relationships, but isn't that what SF should always do? Good SF shows us how a society twists and bends when some fantastical pressures are applied, and the resulting is social. Dune was political, but also social SF.

In Grass, the social intricacies are multi-layered. The first half of the novel concerns itself--brilliantly, I mi...more
Meg Powers
One of the most original sci-fi novels I've read in a long time. The female lead is heroic without falling into that grating, "spunky," tough as nails,tank-top wearing cliche. Grass takes an non-cynical philosophical approach towards Catholicism without being preachy and dogmatic. Horrific and inspiring. It combines a creative bestiary with an interesting religious and political hierarchy.
Audrey
Feb 21, 2011 Audrey added it
I was fascinated with this book about the planet Grass immune from a spreading plague.Diplomats Rigo and Marjorie Westriding Yrarier and their children are sent to investigate becoming immersed in strange flora,dangerous native species, a horrible "hunt "and life threatening strangeness.The Bons,former European aristocracy risk their own lives and those of their children recreating their favorite sport with strange horse-like creatures,the,Hippae,hounds and foxen.Mingling with town residents Mar...more
C.
This started absolutely brilliantly, but I found the resolution a little ridiculous. It's quite a long book and the resolution started to come at about half-way through, so it added up to quite a lot of ridiculous. I think this is a manifestation of a common problem with this sort of book (intriguing alien world with a strange underlying secret): the build-up to the revelation makes it seem like it will be something utterly revolutionary, but the reality is inevitably disappointing. Also she nev...more
Stan Pedzick
Yet another great book from Sheri S. Tepper.

Grass held my interest from beginning to end, the pacing of the reveal was perfect and the book could have been longer and I still would have enjoyed it.

Some really well constructed characters, doing their best to work out a planetary secret with ramifications that will effect more than one race.
Anna
Surprisingly, since I usually devour science fiction, I found Grass to be a fairly difficult read despite the fact that the book isn't exactly filled with big words and the plot moves along at a pretty steady pace.

The beginning confused me with its descriptions of an earth-like sport somehow twisted by early human settlers into something that could barely pass for sport at all. But once it got past those parts, I actually enjoyed it a great deal. Overall, I read the book in entirety without too...more
Bart Everson
This is your typical story of a middle class do-gooder sent on a secret mission to another planet to save the human race because of her Olympian equestrian skills, only to find that the extraterrestrial fox-hunting is not all that it seems to be; meanwhile she grapples with a crisis of faith and deep problems in her marriage. There are horses. There are crazed monks. There is psychic alien sex.

This reads like a Gothic romance which happens to be set on another planet, for the first 4/5ths or so....more
Mike Franklin
I have given Grass 4 stars though I would have given it 4.5 if I could but it just didn't quite make it to my top rating.

It is, however, a very good book; thought provoking, entertaining and believable (mostly).

The first half of the book has an almost claustrophobic feel to it that put me in mind of a Hitchcock movie. The full picture is deliberately hidden from us (somewhat crudely at the beginning of the book), instead the writing is filled with a sense of building threat from a menance that s...more
Kian
Tepper is new to me. Not only new, but before I read Grass, I had not even heard of Tepper. I had no preconceptions, I had no idea of the plot - completely fresh.

The result completely blew me. Grass sets up a complex society involving a main religion, a controlling empire, and a rogue planet detached from the rest of the Universe, and uninterested in its plight. Some would compare it to Dune, but they tackle the subjects from very different approaches. Dune takes a heavy handed approach to the m...more
Kay
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Oni
As any good sci-fi novel, it ponders a lot on the human nature; it questions religion and philosophy. The Grass has done a great job in this.

Grass is planet which the predominant vegetation is (not surprisingly) grass! Grass is located on the rim of galaxy wide-spread human civilization, which given its unique sociology.

The intro is a bit surprising, it does not give you any orientation. You get confused, or even let down, but once you finished the entire chapter, you are hooked (it's a spoiler,...more
Seth Woodworth
Grass is a 1980's novel by Sheri Tepper. It's set on a grassy planet with native versions of what they call a horse, a hound and a fox, and the native nobles hunt foxen in their approximation of a traditional english hunt. The rest of the mystery about the planet is fairly straightforward scifi. What the story excels at is making you care about the main characters, a family of ambassadors, especially the jaded Marjorie and the philandering Rico.

The book has been described as a light-hearted tak...more
Ania
Mar 05, 2012 Ania rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Feminists, Horse Lovers & Catholics
Recommended to Ania by: goodreads, cause I read "The Sparrow"
I really struggled giving this book a 4. I couldn't do it. I couldn't say "I really liked it". That's not to say that it's a 3 star book. It's probably a 3.75 star book. But like I said, I cannot say "I really liked it" and commit to clicking 4 stars.

This book was recommended to me by goodreads, solely on the fact that I read, and LOVED, The Sparrow By Mary Doria Russell. Both books are essentially about Catholics in space, but other than this minor similarity, they are not much alike.

What I lov...more
Alicia
I'm re-reading one of my favorite books by my very favorite author. As the years go by, I find that there is no other author quite like Tepper. I still think about them years after I've finished them. 'Grass' is among her best. It builds layer upon layer like an onion. Or perhaps a rose. That's the point: you can never be certain exactly what the hell Tepper is building. It's almost never what you think. I often wonder how she evolves her intricate plots and addictively accessible worlds. I'm al...more
Mark Harding
Now this is what I call SF.

* Strange cool planets
* Strange lifeforms
* Weird procreation
* Aliens that don’t think like humans
* Good debates on religion
* Lovecraftian / horror story vibes
* Plausibility (apart from the ftl travel, but we can allow that)
* Logical working out of behaviours and implications
* Complex characters
One of the things I enjoyed was that the novel is sooo girlie. It’s all about horses and brooding incomprehensible husbands and the duties of wives and men falling hopelessly in...more
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Reddit SF Book Club: 'Grass' by Sheri S. Tepper is the January Selection 1 8 Jan 05, 2012 08:09am  
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Sheri Stewart Tepper is a prolific American author of science fiction, horror and mystery novels; she is particularly known as a feminist science fiction writer, often with an ecofeminist slant.

Born near Littleton, Colorado, for most of her career (1962-1986) she worked for Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood, where she eventually became Executive Director. She has two children and is married to Gen...more
More about Sheri S. Tepper...
The Gate to Women's Country Beauty The Family Tree Raising the Stones Gibbon's Decline and Fall

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“—Me dijeron que las verdades eternas…

—¿Cómo cuáles —Dios se rió—. ¡Si hubiera alguna verdad eterna Yo lo sabría ¡He creado todo un cosmos basado en el cambio y un ser minúsculo viene aquí para hablarme de verdades eternas

—No quería ofenderte. Es sólo que… Bueno sí no hay verdades eternas ¿cómo podemos saber dónde está la verdad

—No me has ofendido. Nunca creo cosas capaces de ofenderme. En cuanto a la verdad la verdad es lo que está escrito. Todas las cosas de la creación llevan mis intenciones escritas en sí mismas. Las rocas las estrellas los seres minúsculos… Para cada cosa sólo hay un camino natural el camino que Yo he concebido para ella. El problema es que los seres minúsculos escriben libros que contradicen a las rocas y luego dicen que Yo escribí los libros y que las rocas son mentiras. —Se rió. El universo tembló—. Inventan reglas de conducta que ni los ángeles pueden obedecer y dicen que Yo las he ideado. El orgullo de la autoría… —Dejó escapar una risita—. Dicen: «Oh estas palabras son eternas así que deben de haber sido escritas por Dios».”
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