curse puts the entire household into an extended sleep, but Beauty escapes using a magic cloak. Outside the castle, she is captured by a film crew from the 21st century who have come to film the end of magic. Beauty lives for a while in the overpopulated, ugly 21st century where nature has been completely destroyed by humans and magic no longer works. She escapes, and her subsequent adventures take her to imaginary countries, the land of Faery, the late 20th century (where she is brutally raped), and to various times during her own century where her descendants become, in turn, Cinderella, Snow White and the Frog Prince.Like much of Tepper's fiction, this book is driven by a controlled fury. She sees the destruction of beauty all around us by those who believe humanity has a right to use up the rest of nature, and this book is a stark warning that if we don't change our ways we will destroy the world. Her heroine is the guardian of all that is beautiful in the world, of all that is being devoured by human greed. An angry novel, it makes its point heavy-handedly in places, but with great poignancy overall. It's a powerful and thought-provoking read.Elizabeth Sourbut
Advantages: Wonderful writing style combined with more twists than a french plait. Disadvantages: Apart from the fact that it will make you think and it isn't a light read I can't think of any.
...A wonderful must read which will make you think as you travel through a compelling alternative reality created by a master of fiction. Jumping through times past, present and future, it will question your values and give an insight into much we take for granted such as the benefits of charity. A spin on the traditional fairy tale, Sleeping beauty, that will grab you from the start. This book will make you think but its well worth it. I would strongly recommend this as book to buy as you will want to read it more than once. Whlst it is not the best Tepper book but it is one that easy to read and provides a wonderful blend of science fiction and fantasy....
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Advantages: Will grab your attention and not let go! Disadvantages: Will grab your attention and not let go!!!!
...This has also been published as 'After Long Silence',in US.
Well I won't go into details as the previous reviewer has already done that,but I did want to add my two penn'oth!
SheriTepper is one of the best fantasy writers around.She manages to combine adventure and excitement with more serious issues to produce novels which are both thought provoking and entertaining.
This particular story has all the elements you may expect from fantasy ; aliens,heros,villains.unfamiliar planets,mysterious happenings etc. but there isn't a 'sword or sorcerer' in sight! Instead you will find characters and situations that a human can relate to and a clever plot to keep your interest .
If you are looking for a different approach to fantasy writing look no further.
I wrote a 'review'....,you seem to be after a 'precis'....(see definitions...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Advantages: A beautifully constructed tale full of gems Disadvantages: Some may find the darker elements upsetting
...It’s my view that Tepper is an author who should be a lot better known than she is. She’s written an impressive list of books, ranging from outright fantasy, through slightly fantastical SF, to nearly non-SF period drama. She’s a fine writer and can write a world that glows with life in all its variety. Emphasis on the all: perhaps part of the reason she’s not more popular is that she does sometimes seem to relish the darker elements, coming up with impressively inventive and gruesome ways to torture characters, both major and bystanders. She can be a bit morbid, but these elements are only part of a larger tapestry. She undeniably has an incredible imagination.
The Enigma Score is set on the planet of Jubal. In an advanced universe Jubal is a technologically poor backwater, partly thanks to the crystal ‘presences’ that dominate...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
23.01.2004
12.03.2007
23.04.2004
