What could be more commonplace than grass, or a world covered over all its surface with a wind-whipped ocean of grass? But the planet Grass conceal...
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Oct 04, 2010
Kay
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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 pl
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Aug 31, 2010
Phoebe
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Aug 31, 2010
Julian
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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 le
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Aug 31, 2010
Tracy
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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 More...
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 More...
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Aug 31, 2010
Krista
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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
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Aug 31, 2010
Sam
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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 mor More...
This was my first Sherri Tepper novel and it was very very good. I will be picking up mor More...
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Aug 11, 2011
Jessica
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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 San More...
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 San More...
Sep 12, 2011
Heather
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Mar 14, 2011
Pikachu
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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 More...
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 More...
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Sep 28, 2010
Celeste
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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 t More...
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 t More...
Aug 06, 2011
Jordan
rated it: 
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 real More...
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 real More...
Aug 31, 2010
Buzzy
rated it:
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.
Aug 31, 2010
Meg
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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.
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Feb 21, 2011
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 res
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Apr 24, 2011
Choupette
rated it:
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
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(4 people liked it)
Jan 28, 2012
Anna
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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 More...
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 More...
Jan 17, 2012
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 More...
This reads like a Gothic romance which happens to be set on another planet, for the first 4 More...
Aug 31, 2010
Kay
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Jan 25, 2011
Alicia
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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
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Aug 31, 2010
Eric
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This was truly a wonderful book. The world building, characterization, and plot were all excellent.
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Feb 10, 2012
Dawn
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I really enjoyed the first two thirds of this book. A diplomatic party is sent to Grass to investigate the planet’s apparent immunity to the plague gradually wiping out human settlers in the rest of the known galaxy. Once on Grass they find a divided human society. There are a handful of aristocrat families (the Bons), a large ‘commonor’ town and a group of penitent monks the ”green brothers”. The aristocratic class have a strange hunting ritual, involving the planet’s strange horse-like
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Sep 06, 2011
Melissa
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This book is strange - an ambassador and her husband are sent to the far-off planet of Grass. Earth has become plagued and the citizens of Grass seem to be immune. Once the ambassador arrives, they discover that the nobility of this planet live on huge estates and go out on "fox hunts" but their mounts and the fox are not what they seem... There is also an archeological dig of an ancient civilization and other stuff going on. It's a weird book and a bit ambiguous but I have enjoyed it
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Jan 18, 2011
Lynyrd
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What could be more commonplace than grass, or a world covered over all its surface with a wind-whipped ocean of grass? But the planet Grass conceals horrifying secrets within its endless pastures. And as an incurable plague attacks all inhabited planets but this one, the prairie-like Grass begins to reveal these secrets -- and nothing will ever be the same again . . . (courtesy of amazon)
Its good. I found it a slow starter and initially had a feeling that i wasnt gonna like it. But i More...
Its good. I found it a slow starter and initially had a feeling that i wasnt gonna like it. But i More...
Aug 31, 2010
Sean
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Tackling any one of the topics of religion, faith and politics is a risky business when writing any fictional work. Each of them offers something for people to stand by, to cling to when they feel challenged by others and ultimately to provide a solid base upon which to construct their own belief. In 'Grass' Sherri S. Tepper bravely utilises these themes to weave an amazing story set years in the future when man has spread his reach out into the stars.
With unflinching honesty, Tepper More...
With unflinching honesty, Tepper More...
Aug 31, 2010
Krystle
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Hmm… what do I say about this book? It’s complex, thought-provoking, and confusing. It is most certainly in-your-face science fiction but not the number crunching formulaic info driven ones. This is what you would call an adventure; one that takes place on another planet.
The driving force behind the book is the mystery behind the plague that’s striking the entire universe and potentially wiping out the human race. As the plot got more involved and I got deeper into the story I always More...
The driving force behind the book is the mystery behind the plague that’s striking the entire universe and potentially wiping out the human race. As the plot got more involved and I got deeper into the story I always More...
Oct 04, 2010
Matt
rated it:
I had a difficult time determining the rating for this book...to be transparent, I would have given it 3.5 stars if the option were available. The selection of this book continued my foray into various genres and topics that previously held little interest to me. There is a certain amount of risk that is assumed when partaking in a somewhat haphazard selection process. I decided to read Grass after reading the brief intro to the book...the combination of plague and aristocracy in a foreign land
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Aug 31, 2010
Marshall
rated it:
A fairly intriguing story, more ecological than science fiction, about a planet named Grass, the only in the known galaxy where people were immune from a plague that threatened to wipe out mankind. Ambassadors were sent to work with Grassians, to persuade them to cooperate in learning about Grass, and understand why Grass was immune to the plague. Various cultural and ecological issues arose, the most interesting of which were some of the sentient creatures they discovered, and the relationshi
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Aug 31, 2010
Zoe
rated it:
This was a great scifi feminist mix as usual from Tepper. It takes place on an erie desolate planet with a cast system and something akin to fox hunting but much more deadly to the humans and animals involved.
I reread this book recently and found it to be one of the most beautifully crafted of Tepper's books. the planet reminded me of Dune though not covered with desert it is covered with all different kinds of grasses. the Planet itself is one of the characters in the story. the de More...
I reread this book recently and found it to be one of the most beautifully crafted of Tepper's books. the planet reminded me of Dune though not covered with desert it is covered with all different kinds of grasses. the Planet itself is one of the characters in the story. the de More...
Jul 26, 2011
Wealhtheow
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When a plague sweeps humanity, a diplomatic mission is sent to Grass, the only human-settled planet without signs of the sickness. Grass is nominally run by the bons, a patriarchal society modeled after old European nobility. But the bons are far more interested in the Hunt than in the running of the planet, or even the certain extinction of humanity. The ambassadors are as ill-suited to saving humanity as the bons are. Lady Marjorie Westriding Yrarier is consumed with guilt, and her husband
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Aug 31, 2010
Amanda
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Sanctity (a thiny disguised Mormon church) is ruling the universe with an iron fist, a deadly plague is spreading everywhere, and the Westriding family has been sent as ambassadors to the only planet where people aren't getting sick to see if they can find out what's going on. They are told that the "Bons" (Grassian aristocrats) like to hunt, so they take their own horses, only to find out that the hunt isn't exactly for foxes, and the mounts aren't anything like horses.
Marjorie More...
Marjorie More...
