The Visitor [Hardcover]

Sheri S. Tepper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 26, 2002

When an asteroid crashed into the Earth hundreds of years ago in the twenty-first century, much of what was considered civilization was obliterated. All that remains of that time are paltry fragmented memories of science and life colored by myth and superstition. The "magic" that once was America died horribly, along with most of the planet's inhabitants. But a wasted world is coming back alive -- despite the tyranny and cruel punishments that the repressive ruling order inflicts daily on a greatly reduced populace.

Dismé Latimer's entire family was lost forever, though not as a result of global cataclysm. Rather, much more recent and mysterious circumstances made Dismé an orphan, leaving the gentle, troubled young woman at the mercy of a cruel stepmother, an abusive stepsister...and a book.

A sacred, unsettling tome written by an ancestor -- the courageous scientist Nell Latimer, who left a husband and family behind in her attempt to salvage something of the post-castastrophe world -- Dismé's book contains disturbing ideas and revelations that are compelling a shy youth to take bold and dangerous action. But common "wisdom" and lore warn of malevolent entities out in the world, and advise would-be adventurers to stay where they are. Yet other myths suggest that the selfless band of planet-repairing scientists -- including Dismé's brave forebear -- have somehow, miraculously, survived to this day. And Dismé Latimer will uncover the truth and reclaim a lost world, whatever and wherever it might be.

Destiny, it seems, has chosen a most improbable defender to lead an imperiled planet out of the darkness. Perhaps somewhere beyond everything Dismé has ever known is her true identity -- and, hopefully, others similarly inclined who will fight alongside her for the common good. But there is evil also, a malevolence beyond imagining.

And far away, in the depths of the Earth, a gargantuan beast has roused itself after centuries of slumber. And it has begun to stir...

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Do people change their ways? The Visitor explores this question on a number of levels in a postapocalyptic setting. Centuries after a catastrophic asteroid strike on Earth, survivors have rebuilt a society of religious conservatism and repression. Past technology is remembered as magic, and violent sorcery is a common political tool. Young Dismé Latimer is only concerned with surviving her abusive childhood until she discovers the journal of ancestor Nell Latimer, a scientist chosen to survive the asteroid and preserve as much human knowledge as possible. As the forces of good and evil, of science and magic, begin to converge and conflict, Dismé learns the truth about the world that came before and begins to understand that she, like Nell, has a role to play in the current preservation of Earth.

Tepper's writing is always skillful and eminently readable, and she's not afraid to tackle big ideas as well as individual stories of growth and change. Although the novel loses some focus toward the end, it paints a compelling picture of a society on the point of disintegration and graphically demonstrates how humans who are unaware of their own history are in fact likely to repeat it. --Roz Genessee

From Publishers Weekly

Known for her thoughtful and sensitive exploration of such subjects as religion, politics and familial relationships, Tepper (The Fresco) here weaves two stories into an intriguing, and frequently chilling, vision of the future. After the mysterious deaths of her brother, her father and her stepmother, Dism‚ Latimer is left to the disdainful care of her ambitious older stepsister, Rashel. In a world where the ruling Regime regards questioning authority as un-Regimic, the government trades with demons for precious technology. Admitting to the existence of magic can get you "bottled" in a living death. Dism‚ must tread lightly particularly after Rashel gains a high post as conservator of the famed Faience Museum, once home to one of the last practitioners of magic. Magic disappeared, history says, during the Happening, a cataclysm so lost in time that no one knows exactly what happened no one except astronomer Nell Latimer, Dism‚'s many-times-great-grandmother, and a handful of hidden survivors who strive to keep science and learning from being lost forever. As Dism‚ strives to understand and disguise her growing magical abilities from Rashel and the Regime, Nell and her colleagues prepare for the worst: the Visitor who caused the global wreckage of the Happening is on the move again, getting closer to their hidden redoubt every day, threatening to finish the job it started millennia ago. Once again Tepper has created a mesmerizing story full of intriguing characters, resonant images and powerful themes. (Apr. 1)awards.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Harper Voyager; First Edition edition (March 26, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380979055
• ISBN-13: 978-0380979059
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,180,553 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Bringing the world back into light, December 11, 2002

By 

David Roy (Vancouver, BC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Visitor (Hardcover)

The Visitor, by Shari S. Tepper, is a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel set 700+ years after a giant object slams into Earth. I've heard many good things about Tepper, and I read one of her books a long time ago (After Long Silence) and really enjoyed it, so I was looking forward to dipping back into one of her books. However, after a very promising beginning and middle, the book screeches to a halt, falling apart at the seams.

Tepper really has a flair for interesting characters. The story of Disme is almost heart-wrenching at times, as we see her go through despair after despair at the hands of her stepsister, Rashel. Tepper portrays her vividly, making the reader care deeply about her. From the very first pages, when she goes out alone at night to get away from her family and to think about things, she is seen as an innocent who seems fated to feel nothing but despair. It seems that every time she is shown to love or treasure something, Rashel is there to take it away. As the story progresses and Disme grows into what she will become, you are overjoyed with the way she starts to handle things. The book follows her from a very rough childhood to when she becomes a woman who can look after herself, and the transformation is remarkable. She is a wonderful main character.

The villains in the novel are also well-portrayed. Rashel, of course, is thoroughly evil, but Tepper provides enough backstory to show not only why she is, but also makes you almost pity her instead of hating her. Her mother saved her life once by making a dreadful bargain, a bargain that Rashel must live with for the rest of her life. It feeds on her natural selfishness, but you still feel a little bit sorry for her even as you're rooting for her to get her comeuppance. She is a completely three-dimensional character. I didn't like the fate Tepper gave her, however, as it seemed a bit pointless and unfinished. I'm sure Tepper was making a point with it, but I couldn't fathom what it is. It just seemed a bit lazy, and I was beginning to wonder if she was going to finish Rashel's character arc. She does, but in a perfunctory fashion.

I have heard from other readers that Tepper has a tendency to make her male characters evil, following from her feminist tendencies. I'm glad to say that this time, she generally avoids that. Of course, there are only a couple of them to worry about, but Doctor Ladislav is a very good man. He's dedicated to his craft, his patients, and to the eventual downfall of the despotic regime that has a hold of Bastion. He's very kind, and he becomes very protective of Disme. He is a great help to her on her quest, and he has a fine mixture of warmth, intelligence, and humour to help things along.

What can I say about the plot? I loved the way Tepper balanced things, telling the story from many different angles before having them all come together in what is almost an explosion of tension. At first, you have trouble deciphering what all of these disparate plot elements have to do with each other, but Tepper really handles it well. She uses Nell's Latimer's journal to give a bit of history about this world and what happened to it up until the time the asteroid hit. She then uses effective exposition to inform about what happened afterward, but avoids the massive infodumps that some authors use to explain this. Instead, you get snippets that you have to put together. I found the world Tepper created to be very interesting.

Unfortunately, the book has to end. The Visitor, after chugging along so wonderfully, just completely collapses at the end. I will avoid giving any spoilers about the ending, but I can tell you that, after the exciting story that has been told so far, and after avoiding all of the political, social, environmental, and feminist dogma that she is supposedly famous for, Tepper all of a sudden spends three whole pages lecturing the reader on almost every one of her pet causes. The book slams to a halt, losing all sense of momentum that it had reaching this point. When Tepper explains what the book has been about, when our heroes finally meet their destiny, we find that destiny to be one of fulfilling all of these social dreams that Tepper apparently has for making our current world a better place. As I was reading this book, I found myself saying "It looks like she's avoided everything bad I've heard about her." And then I get to the end and I almost screamed. It completely destroys almost everything I liked about the book. What a complete waste. I felt betrayed.

I find I have to give the book a marginal recommendation, because the evocative world that Tepper has created, and the sheer wonderfulness of the storytelling up to that point. If you like science fiction, you will love everything about this book. Until the ending. Of course, if you like being preached to, then you won't mind the ending and you will really love the book. Keep the ending in mind, be ready for it, and maybe you'll enjoy it more than I did.

It's sad, really.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars science fiction at its bleakest best, April 4, 2002

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Visitor (Hardcover)

Her older stepsister Rashel, who cares nothing about her except to insure she does not get in her way, raises (a loose verb for Cinderella-like slavery) Disme Latimer following the strange deaths of family members. As Rashel becomes conservator of a renowned Museum, Disme finds a book written by an ancestor that explains the "magic" that followed the asteroid catastrophe that destroyed the planet. The book hints that her distant relative Nell, author of the tome, still miraculously lives.

Disme knows she must hide this book from Rashel who would turn her and her book in to the authorities to further her own career. The youth begins to learn the ancient magic. If the government finds out what she is doing, they would "bottle" her away and her relative would gladly turn her in. However, THE VISITOR who caused the pandemic destruction in the long ago twenty-first century is apparently returning. The world needs a hero, but could that person be a so young, too frightened, and clearly all alone female hiding her activities from her guardian?

THE VISITOR is science fiction at its bleakest best as Sheri S. Tepper paints a dark panorama of a distant future filled with repression and gloom. The story line is as complex and furnished with intelligent concepts as much as any genre novel contains yet THE VISITOR is also loaded with action and deeply drawn charcaters. As Zager and Evans break into song, readers will agree that Ms. Tepper has written a tale that will be on everyone's short list as a candidate for the genre's book of the year.

Harriet Klausner

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strong and vibrant, April 2, 2002

By 

C. MacMillan "cmacmillan" (Minneapolis, Minnesota United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Visitor (Hardcover)

Tepper has a strong and vibrant voice in her books that knits incredible, terrifying, beautiful worlds together. The Visitor is a shining example.

A book to answer the questions of what happens to us in the very near future after the Earth is struck by an asteriod, it leaps eons to raise issues of science, magic and science as magic. Its underpinnings are futuristic and fantastic, but its story is an emotionally honest tale of the herione's life, disasters, and future consorting with "gods."

The characters in this book are wonderfully broad and deep, providing true warp and weft to a fantastic story. Tepper reaches into each of them, pulls out their loves, dreams and fears, and lays them bare for reweaving into a solid story. The imagery of the book's unbelievable violence is tempered by the delicate empathy in its touching humanity. Strong, warm, bloody, icy: you care about the people in this book.

Strongly recommended, I wish it had never come to an end.