Sheri S. Tepper

My grandmother gave me a great gift the day she handed me a worn copy of Jinian Footseer. Although the cover drawing was promising I was skeptical because I have seen many books where the nicest thing about them was the cover. I am and have always been an avid reader. I devoured it! It was as if Mrs. Tepper had pulled me into this sparkling adventure. There is a line quite quotable when near the end of the book Jinian has her last battle with a basilisk. And I recall being thrilled when Jinian falls asleep under a tree in the forest and the tree actually gets up and moves!
I have only been able to aquire and read Jinian Footseer, The Flight of Mavin Manyshaped, and Beauty (my interest in these works having only began a few months ago). I senced a little of Mrs. Tepper’s philosophy in Jinian but only really knew what she was about when I read Beauty. I admit that I am not of the same persuasion as Mrs.Tepper on all matters and for that reason I cannot love Beauty as I love The True Game (as she expounded on these matters more) but I love reading good works of literature. Just as I read George Orwell’s 1984, Charles Dicken’s Great Expectations, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Diana Wynne Jones Howl’s Moving Castle and many other great works by other talented authors I esteem Sherri S. Tepper among those authors. I thank her for giving me books to enjoy.

Dear Ms. Tepper,
I am currently reading my first Tepper book, Singer from the Sea, and I love it. I’m just sorry that it has taken me so longer to discover such a talented and imaginative writer. Your new fan, Cathy

I am so appreciative of all your books from Gibbons Decline onwards. I have only come across a few of the True Game series. I am a Unity minister and your messages fit so well into my personal theology, that I read your books over and over. My real favorite is the Fresco simply because it has wonderful and practical solutions to so many things. Plus the fresco itself. We are, so often, who we believe we are…. Writing is an enormous process,but I hate to think of the last book you will write. I will miss you. Blessings and Light, Rev. Carol Landry

As a reader of many years, I am saddened but not surprised to hear this is the last novel. I can think of a couple books that I didn’t love, but I couldn’t pick my favorite, and I’m not sure any books other than the lighthearted True Game series have failed to bring a few tears of frustration or a hopeful wish and sometimes both.

I hope Mrs. Tepper enjoys a long and joyful retirement.
Nicole

Heartfelt greetings and thank you very much for the amazingly good news of a new book!
Republishing the Marianne trilogy?
Yes! No other resource has equally vital info on how to successfully battle manipulative relatives and nightmarish buerocracy at the same time! Besides, Jumanji too piped up a moment ago and says that after reading Marianne, it now wants to be re-written by Sheri ASAP to include at least one Malachite Mouse (AND a character like Agrehond!).

Re. the new book: What message would Lom have for a world where (if current news reports can be trusted) we appear to be entirely ruled by global commercial interests, only barely masquerading as governments? Take Japan: It is now openly sacrificing its children – its future – by publicly raising acceptable radiation levels for kids dangerously high just to avoid costly evacuations. It beggars belief! The global watchdogs we once put into place to prevent exactly this from happening (such as the WHO) are helpfully silent. And so unfolds a public disaster (not that it’s the only one). Perhaps the particularly heartbreaking aspect here is that it seems so surreal; like slow-mo time lag, it’s happening oh so very slowly, while the rest of the world sits back and watches..
Why are we so little able to learn? No, wrong: Why are we so consistently ignoring our better knowledge? Surely we can’t pretend not to know better, so why are the afflicted (in this case the Japanese people) standing by (or worse, treating Fukushima refugees like outcasts)?
..Just to name one small example.

What in all hell’s name is wrong with us?
We must be mad?!
No dark scenario Sheri ever has come up with so far seems as endlessly, inevitably and uncaringly brutal as what goes on right here on Earth, right now, every day.

While I really do wonder what Lom has to say to all this, how could anyone possibly wish for Mavin (or her family) to have to wake up to THIS (what a lousy welcome, poor sods!).
However, wherever you go (at the very least): Bon voyage!
And respectful thanks for those beguiling, bewitching, fascinating stories.
Lots of love from Simone

Dear Sheri,

I hope it’s not too presumptive to call you Sheri, but it’s too late now! I recently picked up your novel “Grass” while rummaging randomly one day through my house mate’s books. It sounded neat enough to give it a try, and I did. Something has changed for me, you’ve charged my brain in a way I have not felt in a regretfully long time. I can only thank you for your imaginative story. I cannot regret taking so long to find your work as that means there’s so much more of it for me to enjoy!

I am a writer and have been struggling for a very extended period of time with writer’s block. I have ideas, but there’s some sort of dam in there – I call it mental constipation. Reading your words, your ideas were enlightening. There were themes that I felt had been missing from science fiction, ones very near and dear to me. I am a transgendered, female-to-male. It pains me to see such a lack of strong, female protagonists in science fiction. I feel as if many of the female characters I have encountered in all my reading come across more as caricature. They are strong in the ways that are acceptable and also weak in the ways that are acceptable. This is not engaging, it’s not believable. I found Majorie to be none of these, she was as real to me as any of my female friends. As easy to empathize with, too. At the end, I found myself so scared and so hopeful for her, aching for a confirmation of that but not daring to wish too hard, because the not knowing is the perfect ending I never would have asked for, but so badly needed.

Thank you for being you, for having your ideas and being willing to share them with the world. You are an amazing woman, and a wonderful writer. You are inspiring in the truest sense of the word. Thank you.

-Oliver

Dear Sheri,

Just a quick line to say many, many thanks for all your wonderful books. They are beautifully written and imagined, of course, and they chime with my imagination in a way that no other stories do.

At the moment I’m going back to your earlier books, but like one of the people above have discovered that some of them are like hen’s teeth and really expensive – shame on the publisher not to re-issue them. (Reading The Revenants at the moment – brilliant characters against a terrifying enemy – unputdownable!)

Very best wishes to you and thanks again.

Michael, Hampshire, England

Dear Sheri

Hi, I am a Masters student from National University of Singapore. I am currently working on a paper for my ‘Literature and Politics’ module. I would like to compare your novel, The Gate to Women’s Country, with Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. Perhaps, you can tell me what you think of Atwood’s novel? Do you see any connections like similarities or differences between both novels? Thanks!