Customer Reviews

AFTER LONG SILENCE

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

While I found this book confusing at first, as I persevered the story gradually crystalized. That's an appropriate way of putting it, as the book is set on a planet filled with lovely but fractile crystal structures that shatter, killing foot travellers. The trip singers have created soothing musical sounds to play to each structure, which allow passage. But are the singers commuicating with the crystals and are the crystals a new form of intelligent life? If so, planetary exploitation can be halted.

Tepper has a great imagination and creates believable situations that speak into our own time and lives as well.

I was ultimately caught up in the dilemma and found the conclusion immensely satisfying. Worth hanging on through the initially confusing stages, for the characters are ultimately well developed and the reader cares what happens to them.

Vintage Tepper. And a lovely piece of work it is.

Jubal, a planet in the process of colonization by humans, is a world full of strange and wonderful things, some amusing, some dangerous. The Presences, large crystalline structures scattered throughout the land, are dangerous, and they are everywhere, preventing easy travel between settlements. They can be passed only with the aid of a Tripsinger, a trained vocalist and musician who accompanies a group of travelers and, in essence, sings the party past the fragile crystal mountains. Each structure requires a different song; the song seems to set up some sort of counter-resonance peculiar to the individual structure that prevents the crystal from fracturing due to the vibrations made by the mules, wagons, and humans as they pass. Even one wrong note could cause a potentially fatal shatter. One structure, called Enigma, has thus far proven impassable: no one has discovered the proper song which will allow safe passage. Except, perhaps, one person.

And then there are those who want to see the Presences destroyed because they hinder free trade and easy commerce. A strange cult which worships the Presences has also arisen. Amid much intra-planetary politics, money grubbing, and, umm, a few alluded-to deviant sex games, the fates of Jubal and the Presences will be decided.

In this early novel, Tepper establishes some of her touchstone themes which she continues to develop in her later work: responsible use of natural resources; religious fanaticism; tolerance of differences; human (and non-human) rights.

Tepper's vivid imagination stands her in good stead here. As a trained vocalist myself, I was intrigued by the notion of literally singing for one's life. How would the knowledge that one wrong note could kill affect the quality of my song? I was captivated by the viggies, small indigenous mammalian-like creatures, who are so much more than they seem. As are the Presences themselves, beautiful and deadly and awe-inspiring.

My only quibble with the story is insufficient information on the cult of the Crystallites. Did they want to preserve the Presences? Or were they allied with those who wished to destroy them? Either I missed it or Tepper never made clear what precisely was their purpose, their agenda. The agenda of the leaders was made quite clear, but not the purpose of the cult they established -- what was the propaganda they preached? At any rate, it's a relatively minor quibble in an otherwise wonderful read.

While surfing about the internet, I discovered this book has an alternate title, The Enigma Score. A rose by any other name, etc. etc. [grin]

I started reading Tepper's books years ago, starting with the "True Game" series. I've loved everyone of her books. But I think that the alien intelligences in "Raising the Stones" are the best realized of any Sci. Fi. book Ever! How funny, they didn't realize men were intelligent!

With many of Sheri S. Tepper books one can't help but conclude that it is indeed better to travel than to arrive. The scenery and novelties one encounters during her stories are often so enchanting and captivating that they make the final conclusion come as something of a let-down. Often this is because her stories are about the gradual fathoming of some wondrous central mystery--a coming to enlightenment which, with the mystery solved, destroys our sense of wonderment and we discover that much of the beauty was actually in the mystery itself; without the mystery, the fantastic becomes reduced to the commonplace. Alternatively, she tells of the thwarting of some evil but hidden central power (usually one which has been misleading the greater populace for generations). Even there, though, the story remains one of enlightenment: an escape from ignorance to some new understanding and from oppression to freedom in a world remade. As a consequence, most Sheri Tepper stories conclude with the protagonists facing some fresh, uncertain beginning, in a world where either reality--often a plainer, more ordinary albeit less frightening reality--or their perceptions of it have been radically reoriented, with their vision no longer blinkered. Even Tepper's happy endings, therefore, are invariably tinged with sadness and seasoned with no small degree of regret, at least for the reader, as they tell of the passing of the old and rather than finish they leave the tale feeling oddly incomplete as they launch their protagonists into a new unknown.

"After Long Silence" (also published under the title "The Enigma Score" in the UK) is a fairly early Tepper story, dating from 1987 and sadly long out of print. It nevertheless conforms very much to the mold which she has been continuously polishing and refining over the last 25 years.

The planet Jubal is a world of wonders; man-kind has been on it for only a few generations and still knows but a small fraction of those wonders and understands even less about them. Much of Jubal's terrain is dominated by mysterious, massive crystalline Presences which resonate strangely. Extremely sensitive to sound and to other vibrations, they erupt violently and unpredictably if approached, killing any who come close without taking adequate precautions. Human habitation on the planet is confined to Deepsoil pockets, well away from the Presences and shielded from their roots by the depth of soil, and travel between these is only possible for quietly-shod mule caravans, accompanied by an appropriate party of Tripsingers, armed with their portable synthesisers. Tripsingers are members of a quasi-religious order, who spend a long apprenticeship learning the complex musical Passwords necessary to prevent the Presences from reacting violently to movement and sound, and thus assure safe passage. The planet's entire economy is based on the production and the shipping off-world of the narcotic plant Brou, which grows only on Jubal. That economy is controlled by Brou Distribution Ltd, under the personal control of Planetary Manager, Harward Justin, whose greedy and perverse designs for the planet are currently held in check only by the Planetary Exploitation Council.

Anyone who has read any number of Sheri Tepper books will recognise most of her prime ingredients here--the issues of environmental preservation versus corporate greed and the value of beauty versus the acquisition of material possessions being paramount, of course. As usual, there is more than a reasonable smattering of corruption in high places, which together with the abuse of human rights and violent and sexual perversions of the book's almost comic-book villains, makes for many candidates in need of a major comeuppance. The book's characters are as well fleshed-out as Tepper's ever are, although her descriptions of the wonders of Jubal, whilst enticing, are nevertheless nothing like as vivid (nor as positively spine-tingling) as she manages in her later fantasy novels, such as "Grass" or "The Awakeners". Overall, the writing generally lacks the potency and power of her mature works such as "The Fresco" or "The Visitor". Nevertheless, much of the book is beguiling, with the action moving along at a great pace, with a great number of intriguing twists and turns, as well as a positive welter of colourful characters encountered along the way. One quickly comes to despise BDL and all its cronies, while yearning to know more of the life of both Explorers and Tripsingers, risking all amongst the Presences on nothing more than the depth of their intuition and the strength of the music-making. And indeed to have the opportunity for oneself to witness the spectacle of Gyre-birds dancing in the sky above towering mountains of glittering crystal, or to lie beneath the stars and listen to the tremulous night-singing of the viggies.

In summary then: "After Long Silence" is a powerful and evocative novel from one of the greatest exponents of the political fantasy genre. It is not always as finely crafted as some of her books but is not really any less enjoyable for all of that. It is well worth hunting to find a copy.

Tepper is one of the best SF writers at creating worlds and the aliens that inhabit them. Her aliens nearly always have real depth to them and a real impact on her storylines besides the usual shoot-em-up space opera SF. This book in particular [surprised] me because I wasn't sure I was going to like it after the first couple of chapters but I ended up amazed at her handling of humans and aliens and plots. This was my 2nd Tepper book (after Sideshow) and by the end of this book I was determined to read everything she'd ever written. Still am, too! I loaned this to my sister and it had the same effect on her even tho she's not as much of an SF fan as I am, so I would recommend this as an introduction to Tepper too.

With many of Sheri S. Tepper books one can't help but conclude that it is indeed better to travel than to arrive. The scenery and novelties one encounters during her stories are often so enchanting and captivating that they make the final conclusion come as something of a let-down. Often this is because her stories are about the gradual fathoming of some wondrous central mystery--a coming to enlightenment which, with the mystery solved, destroys our sense of wonderment and we discover that much of the beauty was actually in the mystery itself; without the mystery, the fantastic becomes reduced to the commonplace. Alternatively, she tells of the thwarting of some evil but hidden central power (usually one which has been misleading the greater populace for generations). Even there, though, the story remains one of enlightenment: an escape from ignorance to some new understanding and from oppression to freedom in a world remade. As a consequence, most Sheri Tepper stories conclude with the protagonists facing some fresh, uncertain beginning, in a world where either reality--often a plainer, more ordinary albeit less frightening reality--or their perceptions of it have been radically reoriented, with their vision no longer blinkered. Even Tepper's happy endings, therefore, are invariably tinged with sadness and seasoned with no small degree of regret, at least for the reader, as they tell of the passing of the old and rather than finish they leave the tale feeling oddly incomplete as they launch their protagonists into a new unknown.

"After Long Silence" (also published under the title "The Enigma Score" in the UK) is a fairly early Tepper story, dating from 1987 and sadly long out of print. It nevertheless conforms very much to the mold which she has been continuously polishing and refining over the last 25 years.

The planet Jubal is a world of wonders; man-kind has been on it for only a few generations and still knows but a small fraction of those wonders and understands even less about them. Much of Jubal's terrain is dominated by mysterious, massive crystalline Presences which resonate strangely. Extremely sensitive to sound and to other vibrations, they erupt violently and unpredictably if approached, killing any who come close without taking adequate precautions. Human habitation on the planet is confined to Deepsoil pockets, well away from the Presences and shielded from their roots by the depth of soil, and travel between these is only possible for quietly-shod mule caravans, accompanied by an appropriate party of Tripsingers, armed with their portable synthesisers. Tripsingers are members of a quasi-religious order, who spend a long apprenticeship learning the complex musical Passwords necessary to prevent the Presences from reacting violently to movement and sound, and thus assure safe passage. The planet's entire economy is based on the production and the shipping off-world of the narcotic plant Brou, which grows only on Jubal. That economy is controlled by Brou Distribution Ltd, under the personal control of Planetary Manager, Harward Justin, whose greedy and perverse designs for the planet are currently held in check only by the Planetary Exploitation Council.

Anyone who has read any number of Sheri Tepper books will recognise most of her prime ingredients here--the issues of environmental preservation versus corporate greed and the value of beauty versus the acquisition of material possessions being paramount, of course. As usual, there is more than a reasonable smattering of corruption in high places, which together with the abuse of human rights and violent and sexual perversions of the book's almost comic-book villains, makes for many candidates in need of a major comeuppance. The book's characters are as well fleshed-out as Tepper's ever are, although her descriptions of the wonders of Jubal, whilst enticing, are nevertheless nothing like as vivid (nor as positively spine-tingling) as she manages in her later fantasy novels, such as "Grass" or "The Awakeners". Overall, the writing generally lacks the potency and power of her mature works such as "The Fresco" or "The Visitor". Nevertheless, much of the book is beguiling, with the action moving along at a great pace, with a great number of intriguing twists and turns, as well as a positive welter of colourful characters encountered along the way. One quickly comes to despise BDL and all its cronies, while yearning to know more of the life of both Explorers and Tripsingers, risking all amongst the Presences on nothing more than the depth of their intuition and the strength of the music-making. And indeed to have the opportunity for oneself to witness the spectacle of Gyre-birds dancing in the sky above towering mountains of glittering crystal, or to lie beneath the stars and listen to the tremulous night-singing of the viggies.

In summary then: "After Long Silence" is a powerful and evocative novel from one of the greatest exponents of the political fantasy genre. It is not always as finely crafted as some of her books but is not really any less enjoyable for all of that. It is well worth hunting to find a copy.

Came across this title when reviewing other books Ms Tepper has written. I enjoyed it as I have all her books. I keep lists of titles by favorite authors and this one was not on my list until now.

This book was received on time and in good condition. This was my second try at getting this rare Tepper book so I was glad to get it. My first buy was cancelled and I had to protest to get my money back. It pays to notice the buyers ratings on each seller.

With many of Sheri S. Tepper books one can't help but conclude that it is indeed better to travel than to arrive. The scenery and novelties one encounters during her stories are often so enchanting and captivating that they make the final conclusion come as something of a let-down. Often this is because her stories are about the gradual fathoming of some wondrous central mystery--a coming to enlightenment which, with the mystery solved, destroys our sense of wonderment and we discover that much of the beauty was actually in the mystery itself; without the mystery, the fantastic becomes reduced to the commonplace. Alternatively, she tells of the thwarting of some evil but hidden central power (usually one which has been misleading the greater populace for generations). Even there, though, the story remains one of enlightenment: an escape from ignorance to some new understanding and from oppression to freedom in a world remade. As a consequence, most Sheri Tepper stories conclude with the protagonists facing some fresh, uncertain beginning, in a world where either reality--often a plainer, more ordinary albeit less frightening reality--or their perceptions of it have been radically reoriented, with their vision no longer blinkered. Even Tepper's happy endings, therefore, are invariably tinged with sadness and seasoned with no small degree of regret, at least for the reader, as they tell of the passing of the old and rather than finish they leave the tale feeling oddly incomplete as they launch their protagonists into a new unknown.

"After Long Silence" (also published under the title "The Enigma Score" in the UK) is a fairly early Tepper story, dating from 1987 and sadly long out of print. It nevertheless conforms very much to the mold which she has been continuously polishing and refining over the last 25 years.

The planet Jubal is a world of wonders; man-kind has been on it for only a few generations and still knows but a small fraction of those wonders and understands even less about them. Much of Jubal's terrain is dominated by mysterious, massive crystalline Presences which resonate strangely. Extremely sensitive to sound and to other vibrations, they erupt violently and unpredictably if approached, killing any who come close without taking adequate precautions. Human habitation on the planet is confined to Deepsoil pockets, well away from the Presences and shielded from their roots by the depth of soil, and travel between these is only possible for quietly-shod mule caravans, accompanied by an appropriate party of Tripsingers, armed with their portable synthesisers. Tripsingers are members of a quasi-religious order, who spend a long apprenticeship learning the complex musical Passwords necessary to prevent the Presences from reacting violently to movement and sound, and thus assure safe passage. The planet's entire economy is based on the production and the shipping off-world of the narcotic plant Brou, which grows only on Jubal. That economy is controlled by Brou Distribution Ltd, under the personal control of Planetary Manager, Harward Justin, whose greedy and perverse designs for the planet are currently held in check only by the Planetary Exploitation Council.

Anyone who has read any number of Sheri Tepper books will recognise most of her prime ingredients here--the issues of environmental preservation versus corporate greed and the value of beauty versus the acquisition of material possessions being paramount, of course. As usual, there is more than a reasonable smattering of corruption in high places, which together with the abuse of human rights and violent and sexual perversions of the book's almost comic-book villains, makes for many candidates in need of a major comeuppance. The book's characters are as well fleshed-out as Tepper's ever are, although her descriptions of the wonders of Jubal, whilst enticing, are nevertheless nothing like as vivid (nor as positively spine-tingling) as she manages in her later fantasy novels, such as "Grass" or "The Awakeners". Overall, the writing generally lacks the potency and power of her mature works such as "The Fresco" or "The Visitor". Nevertheless, much of the book is beguiling, with the action moving along at a great pace, with a great number of intriguing twists and turns, as well as a positive welter of colourful characters encountered along the way. One quickly comes to despise BDL and all its cronies, while yearning to know more of the life of both Explorers and Tripsingers, risking all amongst the Presences on nothing more than the depth of their intuition and the strength of the music-making. And indeed to have the opportunity for oneself to witness the spectacle of Gyre-birds dancing in the sky above towering mountains of glittering crystal, or to lie beneath the stars and listen to the tremulous night-singing of the viggies.

In summary then: "After Long Silence" is a powerful and evocative novel from one of the greatest exponents of the political fantasy genre. It is not always as finely crafted as some of her books but is not really any less enjoyable for all of that. It is well worth hunting to find a copy.

From Back Cover:

The Presences mean something different to each of Jubal's colonists. In some, these towering crystals inspire awe, in others fear. A small bank must break through the long silence between humanity and the Presences to strike a new alliance - and bring about the end of a tyranical dynasty.