6: Blood Heritage: Sheri S. Tepper: ISBN 0-552-13193-8

[lnr]

There are lots and lots of books on the bookshelves which belong to Richard which I haven't read, many of which I want to read and some I really have no idea either way. A lot of the time I don't know where to start, and simply re-read something I already know I like, or read something new. But in the spirit of trying to be a bit less predictable I thought I'd try and pick out something more random. I've heard of Tepper and never read any, and this was a smallish example and more importantly the only example: if I decided I was to try Moorcock I have no idea where in the many would be a good place to start. SoBlood Heritage it was.

All in all it's a fairly straightforward horrorish book, nicely enough written, interesting enough to keep you going. Sympathetic characters galore, some wonderfully unsympathetic ones, and splendidly horrid creatures. Nothing very special but by and large good enough,and perfect for a lazy Sunday morning. I think perhaps I found the assistance given to the protagonists by some of the other characters just a bit too useful and too frequently so, but that's a minor quibble and it's hard to see how it would be tied up otherwise. All's well that ends well of course, and with these books you do really know all the way through that it's going to finish happily. But despite knowing the destination in advance I still enjoyed the journey. And I guess I don't really have much else to say :-)

Comments

[ptc24.livejournal.com]

Now with Tepper I'd have recommended Beauty, which I absolutely loved, and it's generally had good reactions from a lot of other people too. I've not really delved into the earlier ones (which I am assured are the most horrorish) - the later ones are pretty good, but suffer a bit from being essentially the same story over and over again in different settings, and get quite wearing on after your sixth book or so. Partly because as you go along, the worldview she presents gets familiar, with the bits that grate grating more and the good bits fading into familiarity.

Still, Beauty is a bit different, as is The Fresco (featuring one of the most amusingly if-only-it-could-be-done-for-real actions ever taken by a bunch of Earth-visiting aliens). Apart from Beauty I'd say the best of her's is probably Grass, being a particularly well done example of the Tepper-story.

I'm always willing to lend Tepper books to people - in particular, I'm dead keen to evangelise Beauty to people.

[beckyc.livejournal.com]

Yes, I liked Beauty. And I've just finished reading the Fresco.

(I'd certainly like to be lent more Tepper, btw.)

[timeplease.livejournal.com]

As far as I recall, Richard has a fair bit... (I liked "After Long Silence".)

Fresco was a bit too preachy for me, although it did have its "wouldn't that be cool" moments too.

[lnr]

I didn't spot any others, perhaps I just wasn't paying attention though.

[timeplease.livejournal.com]

Perhaps it was Owen's.

[ewx.livejournal.com]

I have Gibbon's Decline And Fall (which has very little indeed to do with the famous 18th century historical work) which I quite enjoyed. I can remember next to nothing about Blood Heritage.

[cvantien.livejournal.com]

I would highly recommend Beauty to most people, but I can't lend it any longer because the last time I did it didn't return and then the lendee moved overseas. My first introduction to Tepper was the True Game series, followed by the Mavin Manyshaped books and the Jinian books. As I read these while a teenager I spent a lot more time thinking about equality than I would have otherwise. Actually after having a search through Amazon I've read a lot more Tepper books than I'd thought, and it tends to be the older ones that I've read or owned (The Revenants included).

[lnr]

I shall have to keep an eye out for it at some point then. Thanks. And hi :-)

[ottah.livejournal.com]

*goes off and raids bookshelves*
yes, I thought I'd read at least one Tepper - I have "Still Life" which I greatly enjoyed. You are more than welcome to borrow.
BTW, thanks for the inspiration to keep a track on what I am reading.

[lnr]

You're very welcome, I'm glad if it's of any interest to anyone actually, though I do kind of struggle to write anything very exciting or new about them. Another Narnia book next I think.