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Marianne #3
Marianne, the Matchbox and the Malachite Mouse
When Marianne's parents died, leaving control of their fortune to her feared older brother, she struggled to make her way as a student in America - and her old home began to seem as unreal as a fairy tale, her childhood there as distant as a dream . . . Until the Magus came to claim her, and the Black Madame to destroy her, and the Manticore to hunt her down through the streets of another world - for there is magic in Marianne's blood, and magic in her soul. And in a battle fought in an everchanging world of warped time and wicked magic, it is the souls of Marianne and her family that are the ultimate prizes. Marianne, the Matchbox and the Malachite Mouse is the final volume of Sheri S. Tepper's acclaimed Marianne Trilogy.
167 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 1989
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188 people want to read
About the author
Sheri S. Tepper
74 books1,083 followersSheri Stewart Tepper was a prolific American author of science fiction, horror and mystery novels; she was 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 Gene Tepper. She operated a guest ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
She wrote under several pseudonyms, including A.J. Orde, E.E. Horlak, and B.J. Oliphant. Her early work was published under the name Sheri S. Eberhart.
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 Gene Tepper. She operated a guest ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
She wrote under several pseudonyms, including A.J. Orde, E.E. Horlak, and B.J. Oliphant. Her early work was published under the name Sheri S. Eberhart.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 10, 2014
I can imagine the author being contracted to produce a third book about Marianne and fantastical lands, but having wrapped up her storyline in book two, being a bit stuck...
This book, involving a boardgame being used to magically kidnap people, is by far the weakest of the three. The rather blatant feminist message in the "Buttercup" section is probably the most interesting bit in it (and I loathe message fiction). Two stars is probably a generous rating, but it's not a bad book, just a mildly dull one.
This book, involving a boardgame being used to magically kidnap people, is by far the weakest of the three. The rather blatant feminist message in the "Buttercup" section is probably the most interesting bit in it (and I loathe message fiction). Two stars is probably a generous rating, but it's not a bad book, just a mildly dull one.
October 3, 2025
A perfect fantasy novel as are the previous two in the series (read them first). This deserves to be much more widely read.
October 2, 2012
I think this one is my favorite, but I like them all. She's so creative in her world-building.
January 8, 2017
I love this book series!
July 17, 2017
I'm giving the final book of this trilogy 3 stars, but not based on its own merits. But rather as an overall rating for the series itself. In fact, I would suggest that this third volume is the weakest of the set. The main fallacy lies in that after the second book, there is no recurring antagonist, so a new one: Cattermune is simply invented out of thin air. And a thin linkage is created to bring Marianne, Agrehond and Makr Avel into a position to thwart Cattermune's designs.
The actual nature of the magical threat is akin to the previous volumes, a series of magic "worlds" which are linked to fashion a sort of grand design. Though how this was done without the assistance of momegs from the previous volume, is never made clear.
The completist in me is glad to have finally read this Trilogy. It brings me closer to finish Sheri Tepper's ouvre.
The actual nature of the magical threat is akin to the previous volumes, a series of magic "worlds" which are linked to fashion a sort of grand design. Though how this was done without the assistance of momegs from the previous volume, is never made clear.
The completist in me is glad to have finally read this Trilogy. It brings me closer to finish Sheri Tepper's ouvre.
February 8, 2019
This book and the second aren't as good as the first. These clearly go into childrens and young adult territory. The last book is basically Marianne living a board game. It's very original and whimsical in terms of imagination but in terms of execution it's average. It reads like a book like Stuart Little, with Messages. Sheri Tepper can get a bit preachy, especially in later books. She seems to be testing the water here.
I'd read the first book in the trilogy and skip the last two. They don't add anything. Just know that the villains are defeated soundly, in ways that are kind of boring.
I'd read the first book in the trilogy and skip the last two. They don't add anything. Just know that the villains are defeated soundly, in ways that are kind of boring.
January 21, 2018
In the sub-genre of fantasy books in which the protagonist enters an alternate reality as a player in a boardgame, this is the most elaborate, fantastical, and richly-described that I have come across.
November 22, 2018
Lucky me, I read the third book first and was enchanted by it. I am hoping to read the other two before I die or soon afterward, but they are difficult to find and I haven't yet.
October 12, 2023
In this fairy-tale-ish story, Tepper gives us something like a hard-edged Jumanji with ramifications that spill over into the real world.
October 26, 2013
As might be intuited by their playful alliterative titles, Sheri S. Tepper's trilogy of Marianne books—Marianne, the Magus, and the Manticore, followed by Marianne, the Madame, and the Momentary Gods and Marianne, the Matchbox, and the Malachite Mouse—are light-hearted caprices. Written early in her career, they're also the shortest of Tepper's output.
Yet they're not slight in content. Tepper's heroine becomes trapped in a series of alternate, fantasy universes, each with their own oddball and inexorable set of rules from which she must puzzle her way out. Imagination as a wild creative force, and specifically the concept of being trapped in worlds created by the imagination of others, is a conceit that Tepper explores again to deeper and more tragic effect in her later novel, Beauty. But in these short works Marianne's determination to prevail is charming and humorous . . . and sometimes her determination to reshape history in her favor is even a little frightening.
If the third book in the trilogy is a little less compelling than its predecessors, it's simply because the antagonist of the piece never appears until near the book's very end, and it's difficult to take him as much of a threat compared to the terrifying Madame of the first two entries. Still, all three books are among Tepper's most whimsical, and can easily be consumed in an afternoon or two.
Yet they're not slight in content. Tepper's heroine becomes trapped in a series of alternate, fantasy universes, each with their own oddball and inexorable set of rules from which she must puzzle her way out. Imagination as a wild creative force, and specifically the concept of being trapped in worlds created by the imagination of others, is a conceit that Tepper explores again to deeper and more tragic effect in her later novel, Beauty. But in these short works Marianne's determination to prevail is charming and humorous . . . and sometimes her determination to reshape history in her favor is even a little frightening.
If the third book in the trilogy is a little less compelling than its predecessors, it's simply because the antagonist of the piece never appears until near the book's very end, and it's difficult to take him as much of a threat compared to the terrifying Madame of the first two entries. Still, all three books are among Tepper's most whimsical, and can easily be consumed in an afternoon or two.
April 1, 2014
I actually didn't enjoy this book as much as the previous two. I lost interest, unfortunately, after she entered the other world.
March 22, 2023
2023 re-read
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews