Fish Tails

Product Information

She does not back away from talking about rape and other violence because they are central to her points about sexism, racism, poverty, and environmentalism.

In this dystopic world, the evil technology fiends have torn the world apart with their weapons of mass destruction and continue to do so. Tepper's thirty-fifth novel, features a handful of major characters from her very first novels published over thirty years ago. That is a slight overstatement, but really the plot comes down to "people mill around until a near omnipotent alien named Fixit visits and sorts out everything. I should also mention that some readers may find Tepper's underlying message in the novel objectionable.

Read as an exercise in world-building, it's an impressive feat; Tepper can go on at considerable length about the aerodynamic makeup of a griffin wing, for example, or the intimate details and mating habits of extra-planetary cultures. This fish is perfect for the BBQ, posh dinner party, or just a tasty home cooked supper, having a fine flavour. Sheri Tepper has written some of my all time favourite books and shaped the person I am and so it is a little disappointing that all I can summon up for Fish Tails is a vague meh.

I admit I have not read her work previously, but Tepper has a respectable pedigree, with Hugo, Clarke and Campbell nominations, as well as a Locus Award for her 1991 novel “Beauty. I tried to make the story last; it did take me over two months to read, but I read other things in between. There are also some characters that I have not read, yet, Jinian and Silkhands, but I am looking forward to reading some day.However, I think she is losing her edge, a pun if you've read this book and know about 'the edgers'.

Most of this novel seems to be a road novel and consists of the main characters traveling and encountering problems as well as supportive people along the way. Did she get scientific training in the 8 months since the end of The Waters Rising while taking care of the newborn twins? Please note that due to market conditions, sometimes dictated by the weather or tides on rare occasions we may have to send you frozen fish, which could arrive partially-defrosted. Various comments or plot elements which were contrary to the world as it had been portrayed previously (either previously in this book or in the other books in the series).

I have been reading Tepper's work for 25 years or more and am sad to learn that this is the last of her "new" work as she died in October of 2016. This book continues the story from The Waters Rising, following Abasio and Xulai as they travel with their children across the land looking for recruits to bear children that can survive the coming flood waters.

Very very long book, following up the story from The Waters Rising (and also tying in with characters from a lot of her earlier works), a future humanity doomed to imminent environmental disaster and blighted by societal collapse, which gives her an opportunity to make many of her favourite points about how things are and how they should be. Born near Littleton, Colorado, for most of her career (1962-1986) she worked for Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood, where she eventually became Executive Director. With the world slowly flooding, Abasio, his wife Xulai, and their two amphibian children travel the world promoting preparation for eventual submersion. It does little good for this book to refer back to characters and plots that are far out of reach to most current Tepper readers. The book's garrulous characters spend so much time explaining their cultures, however, or acting as the orators of Tepper's ecofeminist brand, that the book is actually fairly free of Tepper's multi-threaded plots.I can't recommend this book, but for Tepper at her best, try Raising the Stones, the Gate into Women's Country, Grass, the Jinian sub-series of the True Game, or the Revenants.