Customer Reviews

Sideshow (One Last Wish)

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

 

 

The book was just a teensy bit slow to start. Many characters, destined to meet later on, were introduced, but you also got to know them pretty well and, most importantly, care about them. Some of the premises, like the abilities of the core personalities, didn't seem quite plausible, but it didn't detract too much from the story, at least for me.

Many interesting viewpoints concerning the concept of diversity and religious practices were explored through the characters: How far should we go in respecting another's diversity? At what point should someone step in, if indeed they should step in at all, to put a stop to what others might see as barbaric practices? Are we really free or just products of our individual cultures and upbringing? Are the choices we make really our own? Do our supposedly objective views and moral codes change when events wear a more personal face?

All in all, most of the characters were pretty likable, though Danivon was a little too stiff and seemingly perfect for my liking. His olfactory abilities were rather interesting though. The different cultures visited in the book were also quite, uh, interesting--actually they were a bit frightening. A few events towards the end of the book even managed to surprise me, but just a bit. :-)

I would definitely recommend this book as a good read. It gave me food for thought, made me rethink some of my own ideals. Really, once the characters were introduced, and the action picked up, I couldn't put it down. =RTK=

This was my introduction to Sheri Tepper and, while I didn't understand all the references to the previous happenings in this trilogy, I couldn't tear myself away. I liked the characters a lot, I loved the world (altho it is a little similar to one of Jack Chalker's series), and I thought the overall plot was good. If you like plot-driven books (as most SF books are), you probably will enjoy this one. Plus, the sheer variety in this world is fascinating. I would probably recommend that you start off with Grass, tho it didn't hurt me to do it backwards. This book will always have a place in my heart since it introduced me to a great SF writer.

I read this after reading Grass, and was pleased to note a couple of familiar names and faces. Personally, this is one of my favorite of Ms. Tepper's works, and the commentary on religion and tolerance amidst various barbaric practices in this book make it a worthwhile read.

This book would have achieved 5 stars if it wasn't for the Tepper-style deuz ex machina that I have come to expect from her books. This one wasn't as obvious or contrived as some of her other books (Family Tree, The Visitor, Gibbon's Decline and Fall) and it was a bit of a letdown, but the ending was better than some of her other books, so a solid 4/5 stars.

I do not often write reviews here but this time I simply had to share. I had never heard of Sheri S. Tepper before reading this book so I started reading it without any pre-conceived notions of what to expect but already from the first page I was convinced that it was a great book - and all the rest of the book, every page of it, was just as good as the first one!

The book has just the right mix of mystery, a good action-laden plot and loads of interesting philosophical questsions all mixed together into a convincing and enjoyable package.

The plot of the book has already been described by others on this page. I'll just say that I think that the Great Question (what is the ultimate destiny of man?) is something that we DO need to answer.

"Sideshow" is one of the best speculative fiction books I have read in a long time. Not only does the author present difficult ethical questions for the reader to consider, but she provides a thrilling story which through the whole book never ceases to get better and better. Though I could never have predicted most of the plot twists, everything made perfect sense in the end and I never felt 'manipulated' as with so many lesser works which seem to provide cliffhanger situations just to play on your emotions and keep you guessing. Ms. Tepper demonstrates herself to be among the most competent world-builders in the genre with the world of Elsewhere. It has more of a fast-paced, cyberpunk environment than most of her other works, but she demonstrates that she is equally at home in this style as with her more low-tech fantasies. I was glad to have read "Grass" first which provided a bit of helpful background on some of the situations in "Sideshow", though reading it first is not essential. I regret that I have been unable to locate a copy of "Raising the Stones." "Sideshow" is a provocative and well-constructed work which, like all of Ms. Tepper's fiction, raises the difficult choices societies must make in order to survive.

A friend warned me "I can't figure this book out." Indeed it takes some work to follow the characters and pull out the important parts. But the two central characters, brother and sister both blessed and cursed, are interesting enough to help you push your way to the end. Not the happiest of books, but then the possible is rarely beautiful.

Very slow to get started and grab me, I liked the middle but the end just fell flat for me. I had to force myself to finish the end which I found very unsatisfying.

Trust me this is Tepper's funniest book. Loved aunt Sizzy, Celery, and his exposition to the "twins" was fantastically funny, and it sure would be great to have the "sentient fungus" rooting around in our world. You don't need to have read the other books in which Tepper has the "Arbi", or the wonderful "sentient fungus" as characters to enjoy this story. Celery dangles the "great concession" like a carrot to the "twins", who inadvertantly become involved in saving the world. Tepper does sermonize, as usual, in her latter stories, but her humanity is big enough to poke fun at lots of outmoded and wrong thinking conventions, and manages to be a scream.

I enjoy science fiction, especially science fiction by women. Sheri Tepper is one of the best sci-fi writers in the world and this is her best book. She creates great stories that also have relevance for life on earth today. Don't miss this one.

This is an excellent Tepper book set in the future on a planet called Elsewhere, the gods from her book 'Raising The Stones' have been rejected by humans and people are divided into catogories from brutal to advanced and the answer to the human races destiny will emerge from the diversity. A very good book but I would advise you read 'Raising the stones' which is even better.