What do you think?
Rate this book
The Fresco
An Albuquerque bookseller is caught up in an intergalactic drama when aliens choose her as messenger of their wisdom in this feminist sci-fi novel.The bizarre events that have been occurring across the United States—unexplained “oddities” tracked by Air Defense, mysterious disappearances, shocking deaths—seem to have no bearing on Benita Alvarez-Shipton’s life. That is, until the soft-spoken thirty-six-year-old bookstore manager is approached by a pair of aliens asking her to transmit their message of peace to the powers in Washington. An abused Albuquerque wife with low self-esteem, Benita has been chosen to act as the sole liaison between the human race and the Pistach, who have offered their human hosts a spectacular opportunity for knowledge and enrichment.But ultimately Benita will be called upon to do much more than deliver messages—and may, in fact, be responsible for saving the Earth. Because the Pistach are not the only space-faring species currently making their presence known on her unsuspecting planet. And the others are not so benevolent.
484 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 7, 2000
129 people are currently reading
980 people want to read
About the author
Sheri S. Tepper
74 books1,081 followersSheri Stewart Tepper was a prolific American author of science fiction, horror and mystery novels; she was particularly known as a feminist science fiction writer, often with an ecofeminist slant.
Born near Littleton, Colorado, for most of her career (1962-1986) she worked for Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood, where she eventually became Executive Director. She has two children and is married to Gene Tepper. She operated a guest ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
She wrote under several pseudonyms, including A.J. Orde, E.E. Horlak, and B.J. Oliphant. Her early work was published under the name Sheri S. Eberhart.
Born near Littleton, Colorado, for most of her career (1962-1986) she worked for Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood, where she eventually became Executive Director. She has two children and is married to Gene Tepper. She operated a guest ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
She wrote under several pseudonyms, including A.J. Orde, E.E. Horlak, and B.J. Oliphant. Her early work was published under the name Sheri S. Eberhart.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 163 reviews
June 20, 2013
I’ve read quite a few of Sheri Tepper’s books. I usually consider them a guaranteed entertaining read; regardless of the author’s tendency to preach her spiritual/ecological agenda, and her tendency toward overwrought denouements. I can take that in stride, when balanced out by vivid worldbuilding, unique and interesting settings and social extrapolation, and dramatic events that ofter veer toward the horrific. Lots of Tepper’s books have lots of that good stuff.
This one features none of Tepper’s strengths, and practically works as a showcase for all of her weaknesses. I think most of the problem here is that it’s set in present-day Earth, rather than a fantasy world. Usually Tepper is forced by her sci-fi settings to use metaphor to get her agenda across. Without that barrier, every single page of this book beats the reader over the head with Tepper’s political opinions. It also made me less than impressed with those opinions. When filtered through a fantastic allegory, I’ve usually felt that I agree with her (even if I don’t agree with the didacticism). I still don’t totally disagree, but the opinions in this book, applied directly to our own world, made her politics come across as overly simplistic and somewhat condescending.
Our heroine, Benita (that means “good” – get it!) is a minority woman escaping an abusive relationship. (Men! Bad!) Luckily, although disadvantaged in many ways, Benita works at a bookstore and has been able to self-educate herself (Education! Good!). Her employers are nice to her (Gay men! Good!). She has a son who’s a jerk and a daughter who’s nice. (Men BAD! Women GOOD!) Benita’s life really turns around, though, when she happens to meet a couple of aliens, members of the Pistach race, who ask her to be their representative to Our Leaders.
These aliens seem to just want to help Earth and help end our wars and ecological depredations, (Peace and Ecology GOOD!), and help us join a Galactic Federation. Unfortunately, they’re just one member of a complicated society out there in space, and some other alien species would rather use Earth as a hunting reserve. (Humans tasty!) Some self-centered right-wing politicians make a deal with other aliens that would give away our legal rights. (Right-wing BAD!) In order to defend Human Rights (to not be hunted as game), Earth will need the help of our new allies. Unfortunately, at a critical juncture, the Pistach have a social crisis of their own regarding religious and historical revelations. If it’s not resolved, they might descend into chaos and leave us to our fate. (Snacks!)
The way the crisis is resolved is absolutely INFURIATING (not to mention unrealistic, unbelievable, and dumb). Without creating any spoilers, I think I can say that Tepper comes out firmly on the side that believes that both truth and history should take a back seat to a political agenda, and that knowingly re-writing the past as lies is just fine and dandy if it serves her perceived ‘greater good.’ She dismisses the destruction of ancient historical artifacts with a blithe ‘they weren’t very well-crafted anyway.’ Myself, I believe in learning from history – even the most unpleasant aspects of it. I don’t believe in whitewashing the past or intentionally twisting facts. So I really did find this book quite personally offensive.
I also felt that it failed as far as what Tepper was trying to do. I couldn’t tell if it was supposed to be humorous or not. There certainly are many bits that seem to be intended as funny (the anti-abortionists being injected with alien fetuses; the middle-eastern women having an illusion of ugliness cast over them) but then it veers into over-earnestness. The tone wasn’t consistent or effective. Overall, it just wasn’t very good. At all. Disappointing.
This one features none of Tepper’s strengths, and practically works as a showcase for all of her weaknesses. I think most of the problem here is that it’s set in present-day Earth, rather than a fantasy world. Usually Tepper is forced by her sci-fi settings to use metaphor to get her agenda across. Without that barrier, every single page of this book beats the reader over the head with Tepper’s political opinions. It also made me less than impressed with those opinions. When filtered through a fantastic allegory, I’ve usually felt that I agree with her (even if I don’t agree with the didacticism). I still don’t totally disagree, but the opinions in this book, applied directly to our own world, made her politics come across as overly simplistic and somewhat condescending.
Our heroine, Benita (that means “good” – get it!) is a minority woman escaping an abusive relationship. (Men! Bad!) Luckily, although disadvantaged in many ways, Benita works at a bookstore and has been able to self-educate herself (Education! Good!). Her employers are nice to her (Gay men! Good!). She has a son who’s a jerk and a daughter who’s nice. (Men BAD! Women GOOD!) Benita’s life really turns around, though, when she happens to meet a couple of aliens, members of the Pistach race, who ask her to be their representative to Our Leaders.
These aliens seem to just want to help Earth and help end our wars and ecological depredations, (Peace and Ecology GOOD!), and help us join a Galactic Federation. Unfortunately, they’re just one member of a complicated society out there in space, and some other alien species would rather use Earth as a hunting reserve. (Humans tasty!) Some self-centered right-wing politicians make a deal with other aliens that would give away our legal rights. (Right-wing BAD!) In order to defend Human Rights (to not be hunted as game), Earth will need the help of our new allies. Unfortunately, at a critical juncture, the Pistach have a social crisis of their own regarding religious and historical revelations. If it’s not resolved, they might descend into chaos and leave us to our fate. (Snacks!)
The way the crisis is resolved is absolutely INFURIATING (not to mention unrealistic, unbelievable, and dumb). Without creating any spoilers, I think I can say that Tepper comes out firmly on the side that believes that both truth and history should take a back seat to a political agenda, and that knowingly re-writing the past as lies is just fine and dandy if it serves her perceived ‘greater good.’ She dismisses the destruction of ancient historical artifacts with a blithe ‘they weren’t very well-crafted anyway.’ Myself, I believe in learning from history – even the most unpleasant aspects of it. I don’t believe in whitewashing the past or intentionally twisting facts. So I really did find this book quite personally offensive.
I also felt that it failed as far as what Tepper was trying to do. I couldn’t tell if it was supposed to be humorous or not. There certainly are many bits that seem to be intended as funny (the anti-abortionists being injected with alien fetuses; the middle-eastern women having an illusion of ugliness cast over them) but then it veers into over-earnestness. The tone wasn’t consistent or effective. Overall, it just wasn’t very good. At all. Disappointing.
October 1, 2020
Rating: 4* of five
The Publisher Says: The bizarre events that have been occuring across the United States seem to have no bearing on Benita Alvarez-Shipton's life. That is until she is approached by a pair of aliens asking her to transmit their messsage of peace to the Powers That Be in Washington.
Her obligation does not end once the message is delivered, however, for the Pistach have offered their human hosts a spectacular opportunity for knowledge and enrichment, with Benita as sole liasion between the two sentient races. The more she learns about the extra-terrestrials, the more her appreciation grows for their culture, their beliefs and their art - especially the ancient and mysterious Fresco that dominates their collective lives.
But the Pistach are not the only space-faring species making their presence known on Earth. There are others, cold, malevolent and hungry...
My Review: Saddened to learn of Ms. Tepper's death at 87. What a career! Public service as director of Planned Parenthood out West, owner and manager of a guest ranch, and a solid authorial corpus. Damned fine legacy to leave.
Her deft touch with young women's thoughts and feelings is nowhere on better display than here, and in THE MARGARETS. The Pistach are a delightful culture, and in a properly run Universe will be out there among the trillions of solar systems waiting for us to find them. THE FRESCO didn't change my life or my worldview, but it gave me a great deal of pleasure to read.
The Publisher Says: The bizarre events that have been occuring across the United States seem to have no bearing on Benita Alvarez-Shipton's life. That is until she is approached by a pair of aliens asking her to transmit their messsage of peace to the Powers That Be in Washington.
Her obligation does not end once the message is delivered, however, for the Pistach have offered their human hosts a spectacular opportunity for knowledge and enrichment, with Benita as sole liasion between the two sentient races. The more she learns about the extra-terrestrials, the more her appreciation grows for their culture, their beliefs and their art - especially the ancient and mysterious Fresco that dominates their collective lives.
But the Pistach are not the only space-faring species making their presence known on Earth. There are others, cold, malevolent and hungry...
My Review: Saddened to learn of Ms. Tepper's death at 87. What a career! Public service as director of Planned Parenthood out West, owner and manager of a guest ranch, and a solid authorial corpus. Damned fine legacy to leave.
Her deft touch with young women's thoughts and feelings is nowhere on better display than here, and in THE MARGARETS. The Pistach are a delightful culture, and in a properly run Universe will be out there among the trillions of solar systems waiting for us to find them. THE FRESCO didn't change my life or my worldview, but it gave me a great deal of pleasure to read.
February 22, 2008
This was one of the most captivating and enjoyable sci fi reads I've found in ages. It does not try to follow the typical "alien visitation and occupation" formula beyond the initial "take me to your leader". Instead, Sheri Tepper twists and turns the plot in ways that you don't see coming but which certainly make sense once you find out where you've landed. Her sense of humor is wicked, and I found myself cheering on characters, laughing out loud at some of the clever "cures" the aliens had for what ails the human race (making me want to start sending invitations out into space immediately), and playing match maker between the very lovable characters, both human and alien. It's got adventure (space travel, of course), under currents of romance, a touch of horror (bad human eating aliens) and a whole lot of drama. And, as a masterful writer should, without terribly loose ends, and feeling like it ended in the right place. Just not where you would expect it to.
Sheri Tepper writes in that sneaky way that leaves you wanting more at the end of every chapter - and up all night with tooth picks under the eye lids. I can't wait to read more of her work.
Sheri Tepper writes in that sneaky way that leaves you wanting more at the end of every chapter - and up all night with tooth picks under the eye lids. I can't wait to read more of her work.
Read
February 8, 2018Excellent worldbuilding derailed significantly by needless political pontificating. The ending was offensive to good sense and the rest of the novel as a whole. I felt like Ms. Tepping was sitting next to me, nudging me with her elbow and saying "Do you get it? Did you see what I did there? Do you get the parallels?"
Authors, when you manage to annoy me by preaching politics I generally agree with, there's something wrong.
Minus stars for ideological mud-slinging, but plus for fascinating worldbuilding, xenology, and xenosociopolitics.
Authors, when you manage to annoy me by preaching politics I generally agree with, there's something wrong.
Minus stars for ideological mud-slinging, but plus for fascinating worldbuilding, xenology, and xenosociopolitics.
January 10, 2014
I loved this book. I am having a hard time articulating even to myself why I liked it so much. It doesn't have super exciting action scenes. There's some cool technology but none of it is explained in any way. The ending was a little too simple--every bad guy got what was coming to him and everyone else got a happy ending. However, something about the story and the character of Benita just grabbed me from the start and I was totally sucked into the book.
The core idea of the book really resonated with me--how cultures/religions become ossified by the revering of ancient artifacts such as scriptures (or in the case of the aliens, a fresco) whose validity is lost in the mists of time while the original basic, decent message is ignored. I love this quote:
"You reminded me about the Dead Sea Scrolls. The reason there was such a tizzy was that many religious groups don't worship God, they worship the scriptures. Christians, Jews, they both do it. So do the Moslems. Even though the commandment says 'You shall have no other God before me', the scripture worshippers put the writings ahead of God. Instead of interpreting God's actions in nature, for example, they interpret nature in the light of the Scripture. Nature says the rock is billions of years old, but the book says different, so even though men wrote the book, and God made the rock and God gave us minds that have found ways to tell how old it is, we still choose to believe the Scripture."
Wow. Can I get an Amen?
This is the first book by Tepper that I have read but I'm eager to check out the rest of her works.
The core idea of the book really resonated with me--how cultures/religions become ossified by the revering of ancient artifacts such as scriptures (or in the case of the aliens, a fresco) whose validity is lost in the mists of time while the original basic, decent message is ignored. I love this quote:
"You reminded me about the Dead Sea Scrolls. The reason there was such a tizzy was that many religious groups don't worship God, they worship the scriptures. Christians, Jews, they both do it. So do the Moslems. Even though the commandment says 'You shall have no other God before me', the scripture worshippers put the writings ahead of God. Instead of interpreting God's actions in nature, for example, they interpret nature in the light of the Scripture. Nature says the rock is billions of years old, but the book says different, so even though men wrote the book, and God made the rock and God gave us minds that have found ways to tell how old it is, we still choose to believe the Scripture."
Wow. Can I get an Amen?
This is the first book by Tepper that I have read but I'm eager to check out the rest of her works.
December 30, 2023
feminist scifi at it's best! off planet aliens; battle zones disappearing; male political leaders becoming pregnant; & all weapons nullified. who is going to mediate, a 30something woman!
December 12, 2007
I am a huge Sheri Tepper fan. However, this book was a disaster. Clunky prose and over-the-top preaching kept me from ever becoming immersed in this tale.
If Ms. Tepper and I were to have a chat over coffee, I'd imagine we'd agree on almost everything. However, I don't need to be whacked over the head repeatedly with the political views of this book. I get it already! In short, this book gave me a concussion.
If Ms. Tepper and I were to have a chat over coffee, I'd imagine we'd agree on almost everything. However, I don't need to be whacked over the head repeatedly with the political views of this book. I get it already! In short, this book gave me a concussion.
August 4, 2019
I have in the past enjoyed some of this author's novels, but thoroughly disliked others. This one almost scraped into the 'OK' category because there are some aspects which were enjoyable. The trouble is, these are outweighed by the Mary Sue nature of the protagonist Benita (abused dormat wife turns into confident articulate representative after suitable 'adjustment' by benevolent and powerful aliens), and the wish fulfilment which resolves all the world's problems by the intervention of those same aliens.
There are a couple of subplots dealing with other, inimical aliens and their alliance with a small coterie of reactionary anti-feminist, anti-environment politicians, but those difficulties are fairly easily swept aside. And the central connundrum of a civilisation which has based its peaceful interventionist stance on a false reading of a work that has been deliberately obscured - the Fresco of the title - is satisfied by a solution in which the ends satisfy the means.
There are some attempts to be satirical/humorous - for example, the misogynism shown to women in a Middle Eastern country is dealt with by making the women appear ugly and smelly so that the men no longer feel the need to imprison them - but those I found clumsy.
The book isn't badly written as such, but it is unrelentingly didatic and has quite a bit of infodumping especially at the start where we are given Benita's background. And after being told very clearly that the alien emissaries are non sexual (their race differentiates at age thirteen and only some individuals can reproduce) the whole ending seems to turn this on its head. My basic problem with it is that it is a 'magic wand' way of solving all the world's problems, including many still with us today, suggesting that humanity is incapable of bettering itself - an update to the theme of the Erich von Daniken bestsellers of the 1970s. In other words, we are doomed unless beneficient aliens step in to bail us out. So I'm afraid I didn't like it, hence the one star rating.
There are a couple of subplots dealing with other, inimical aliens and their alliance with a small coterie of reactionary anti-feminist, anti-environment politicians, but those difficulties are fairly easily swept aside. And the central connundrum of a civilisation which has based its peaceful interventionist stance on a false reading of a work that has been deliberately obscured - the Fresco of the title - is satisfied by a solution in which the ends satisfy the means.
There are some attempts to be satirical/humorous - for example, the misogynism shown to women in a Middle Eastern country is dealt with by making the women appear ugly and smelly so that the men no longer feel the need to imprison them - but those I found clumsy.
The book isn't badly written as such, but it is unrelentingly didatic and has quite a bit of infodumping especially at the start where we are given Benita's background. And after being told very clearly that the alien emissaries are non sexual (their race differentiates at age thirteen and only some individuals can reproduce) the whole ending seems to turn this on its head. My basic problem with it is that it is a 'magic wand' way of solving all the world's problems, including many still with us today, suggesting that humanity is incapable of bettering itself - an update to the theme of the Erich von Daniken bestsellers of the 1970s. In other words, we are doomed unless beneficient aliens step in to bail us out. So I'm afraid I didn't like it, hence the one star rating.
March 19, 2018
I hate it when I do this: read a book, finish before I'm sleepy, start a new book and nearly forget to write my review of the last book! Boo! Me! And this book deserves reviews!!!
My friend, Kay, gave such a marvelous review that I knew I had to read it. I highly recommend it!
It has everything. Aliens, other planets, other points of view. The main character is female, Benita, who finds herself in a bad, abusive marriage. She is looking to get out and not be found.
What finds her is new opportunities the likes no one would expect to happen. That is all I can give you without feeling I'm spoiling it for you.
Needless to say, there is adventures and space travel, and meeting alien beings. Like all good sci-fi, this has a lot of philosophical, political, social, and spiritual commentary. Much of it tongue-in-cheek humor that may cause snorting of the hot tea if not careful.
If you get the chance to read this, you should. I'm sorry that it isn't loanable. Seems many Benitas out there might not be able to afford it but would benefit from the read. Benitas need humor, escapism, and ideas. In fact, I think everyone could learn something and enjoy this story.
My friend, Kay, gave such a marvelous review that I knew I had to read it. I highly recommend it!
It has everything. Aliens, other planets, other points of view. The main character is female, Benita, who finds herself in a bad, abusive marriage. She is looking to get out and not be found.
What finds her is new opportunities the likes no one would expect to happen. That is all I can give you without feeling I'm spoiling it for you.
Needless to say, there is adventures and space travel, and meeting alien beings. Like all good sci-fi, this has a lot of philosophical, political, social, and spiritual commentary. Much of it tongue-in-cheek humor that may cause snorting of the hot tea if not careful.
If you get the chance to read this, you should. I'm sorry that it isn't loanable. Seems many Benitas out there might not be able to afford it but would benefit from the read. Benitas need humor, escapism, and ideas. In fact, I think everyone could learn something and enjoy this story.
August 8, 2007
One of my all-time favorite books, & with ideas I still think about years later. The plot: an advanced and friendly alien race attempts to help Earth become ready to join its Federation; if Earth can't meet the standards of non-violence required of the advanced civilizations, it will become fair game for predatory non-Federation alien races.
The benign aliens apply such crash-course measures as removing Jerusalem from the planet & putting it into safekeeping -- like it's a toy that all the different religions fight over. They also make all women in the Middle East hideously ugly, which makes them free, because then there is no longer any purpose in forcing them to wear veils & burkas. It's fascinating, thought-provoking, & really makes you think about out world, & the place of women in it.
The benign aliens apply such crash-course measures as removing Jerusalem from the planet & putting it into safekeeping -- like it's a toy that all the different religions fight over. They also make all women in the Middle East hideously ugly, which makes them free, because then there is no longer any purpose in forcing them to wear veils & burkas. It's fascinating, thought-provoking, & really makes you think about out world, & the place of women in it.
November 8, 2013
Tepper at some of her most preachy.
I like the fact that this writer has issues to address, and she has always been one of my favourite feminist authors and I appreciate her environmental stance. However, in recent years she has abandoned subtlety or balance to lead us around by the nose, as well as here espousing the dubious stance that the end justifies the means - or perhaps it is simply that it is perfectly fine to meddle with other cultures in underhanded and mendacious ways if it for their own good. And who decides what is good? Well, the meddler of course.
The worrying thing about this book was how it seemed to morph from blunt instrument feminist-environmental stance to pro-American cultural imperialism, almost seamlessly. Naturally we should take steps to protect vulnerable women from abusive husbands. We should also support their ability to leave those relationships if they wish. So then we should encourage the women to leave countries which treat women less than equally. And we should take steps to disrupt that country's social make-up (because it is bad). The steps are not so far apart... and it is only a few more to, in the absence of super-alien wish technology we should send in troops to pacify the country and make them act like us... oh, and while we are there, we would not mind your oil as well. Thanks very much.
A very disappointing read from one of my favourite authors. Tepper have you simply got old and reactionary? This is the second time I have read this book, and I was looking for something a bit more on the re-read, but the few gems which are buried in the dross are dulled my disappointment in this offering.
I like the fact that this writer has issues to address, and she has always been one of my favourite feminist authors and I appreciate her environmental stance. However, in recent years she has abandoned subtlety or balance to lead us around by the nose, as well as here espousing the dubious stance that the end justifies the means - or perhaps it is simply that it is perfectly fine to meddle with other cultures in underhanded and mendacious ways if it for their own good. And who decides what is good? Well, the meddler of course.
The worrying thing about this book was how it seemed to morph from blunt instrument feminist-environmental stance to pro-American cultural imperialism, almost seamlessly. Naturally we should take steps to protect vulnerable women from abusive husbands. We should also support their ability to leave those relationships if they wish. So then we should encourage the women to leave countries which treat women less than equally. And we should take steps to disrupt that country's social make-up (because it is bad). The steps are not so far apart... and it is only a few more to, in the absence of super-alien wish technology we should send in troops to pacify the country and make them act like us... oh, and while we are there, we would not mind your oil as well. Thanks very much.
A very disappointing read from one of my favourite authors. Tepper have you simply got old and reactionary? This is the second time I have read this book, and I was looking for something a bit more on the re-read, but the few gems which are buried in the dross are dulled my disappointment in this offering.
May 12, 2020
deleting this review because despite not liking the book, I didn't need to be such a gigantic dick about it.
Read
February 20, 2023DNF. I’m giving up at 42% of the book. I gave it a fair chance but simply couldn’t get into it. Too bad because it came highly recommended by someone I like and respect a lot.
August 12, 2025
This was my favorite book of all time when I read it in 2020. 25 years later, I understand why I liked it but the world and politics have changed so much that some of it seems prophetic and some if it seems laughable. I wish John McCain was the most evil republican out there still.
August 12, 2019
I managed to finish this. But it was a mess, with an unlikable protagonist who changed too quickly and unbelievably, a whole lot of 1972-era lecturing about liberal values (which I'd have said I shared, but maybe not, I think, after reading this. So much nonsense. And all sorts of "religion is for childish people who want their problems taken care of by an authoritarian" lectures, yet the whole book is about aliens coming along and taking care of our problems to create a 1972 liberal eden in an authoritarian and fascistic sort of way, which to me seems no different than the Taliban in intent or effect.) I found myself skipping over the alien's chapters, for they were like the most boring long email I've ever received from an old friend I thought I'd gotten rid of. The ending came out of nowhere. Just...awful.
Convinced me along the way that I can safely ignore the award this was nominated for in the future, for it's obviously one of those in-group popularity awards, and not an award for good writing or storytelling. Thanks heavens my library had it rather than me buying it.
Convinced me along the way that I can safely ignore the award this was nominated for in the future, for it's obviously one of those in-group popularity awards, and not an award for good writing or storytelling. Thanks heavens my library had it rather than me buying it.
December 23, 2020
This is my very very favorite Tepper novel. I love Benita and I love the satire. The conflict feels very Clinton-era, but I'm okay with that. In many ways, I feel that this is her funniest novel. You can tell she was enjoying writing it and playing around with spoofing the modern world and its politics. There are still the dark and horror-y themes, but there's a lot more humor to cut the edge. Everytime I read the problem-solving scene I laugh.
BTW, I am totally weird and LOVE the ending of this book. Like 'Waters Rising' it is so very odd and perfect and funny.
BTW, I am totally weird and LOVE the ending of this book. Like 'Waters Rising' it is so very odd and perfect and funny.
March 6, 2011
I really enjoyed her style, but... I can take "preaching to the choir". There are a lot of issues that are on a lot of peoples' minds and are very important. I felt this book was "preaching AT the choir". By the time I got halfway through, I felt condescended to and offended. I was interested enough to want to finish, but I was rolling my eyes the entire time.
To avoid spoilers, I'll just say that, sure I've imagined Bill O'Riley getting raped in the ass, but not as a gimmick for a sci-fi book.
I like reading politics, and I like reading speculative fiction. If you're going to do both: Bell Hooks in space doesn't give you the right to talk down to the rest of us.
To avoid spoilers, I'll just say that, sure I've imagined Bill O'Riley getting raped in the ass, but not as a gimmick for a sci-fi book.
I like reading politics, and I like reading speculative fiction. If you're going to do both: Bell Hooks in space doesn't give you the right to talk down to the rest of us.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2014
Oh dear, I don't think this one is going to be kind.
Since starting to work my way through patches of her oeuvre, I've become accustomed to the various quirks of the author, her pet environmental and feminist concerns, her tendency to recycle various plot elements in novel after novel, and her sometimes aggravating insistence that the plot is secondary to a character lecturing me about how we can live without technology. I've been taking this all in stride because while she seems to want me to find this all provocative and shocking, a good portion of it really isn't, it's ideas and concerns I've seen elsewhere, some of which I actually agree with in one form or another. Generally, it's the presentation that rubs me the wrong way but I've come to see that as one of those things you just have to accept if you're going to make it to the last page of one of these novels. And typically, her imagination with an alien race or a future is inventive enough to at least smooth over the roughest cracks and make it, if not easy going, at least somewhat palatable.
Not here. This time it was actively a chore to get through, to the point where I made myself stay up later so that I could finish it and not spend another day on it more than I had to. I can deal with a lot, but if you're going to disguise a book of essays with a plot, then just do us all a favor and file it in the nonfiction section where I'm less likely to look for it. I had to roll my eyes so much that I'm pretty sure I spent part of the evening staring at the inside of my skull.
What am I talking about? Let's start from the beginning. Unlike most of Tepper's novels, this one is set on present-day Earth but like her other novels set in the fascinating world of today it stars a character who starts out as a complete doormat. Benita, we are told, has suffered from emotional abuse and neglect from her no-good alcoholic husband that she had married long enough ago to have two kids currently in college (the girl, of course, is perfect, the boy takes after his father and is thus useless). Like Dora in "The Family Tree", Benita is somewhat aware that she doesn't have the best marital life (which is also what everyone seems to tell her) but unlike Dora she doesn't have a vaguely supernatural excuse for why she lets someone so over-the-top bad basically just do whatever he wants (still, it's a disservice to people who suffer from actual spousal abuse to wonder why she just doesn't up and leave, as sometimes people aren't capable of doing something that seems perfectly rational from an outside perspective . . . still, in Benita's case the lack of subtlety doesn't exactly make you sympathetic, which I don't think the author was going for). Fortunately for her, while taking a picnic one day she meets two friendly aliens who say they want to change the world and give her a whole bunch of money for helping them get into contact with the leaders of Congress and the President.
Up to about this point the plot seems intriguing, in an Alan Moore's "Miracleman" kind of way, the idea of god-like beings coming from out of nowhere and sort of forcefeeding us the idea of utopia. That might have been interesting, to see the formation and any cracks that might have occurred in the process. Instead what we actually get is the plot packing its suitcases and taking a long vacation as Tepper proceeds to use the book as a clearinghouse for things that tick her off in the world and how she would solve them if she had god-like powers. The aliens are here to get us ready to join the Confederation, but we're not quite neighborly enough yet, so they proceed to explain at great length what we're doing wrong as a society and wave magic wands to fix it. Conflict in the Middle-East? Let's just get rid of Jerusalem! Religious extremists treating women poorly? Let's make all the women ugly when they're near someone who reads his holy book too often. It's the kind of book where what passes for a meager plot stops for an entire chapter so the local cops can lambaste people like the ACLU for not allowing them to stop all the shifty-looking minorities on street corners that just know have drugs (the ACLU for whatever reason get criticized at least twice). Fortunately the helpful aliens give them bracelets that tell them who they have probable cause to stop and search, which everyone is okay with because only criminals would have a problem with such a thing.
And on it goes, but you get the idea. Civil liberties in general seem to be a sticking point and Tepper seems to be tacitly blaming them for society being the way it is (Benita at one point gives a speech about how all this liberty only allowed her husband to treat her like crap and let him get away with it, ignoring that a) she's not the only person in the world, b) she also had the liberty to leave him and c) it's a fictional world) but the book proceeds to somehow get more ridiculous as it goes on, with giant wasp aliens impregnating men but only men who have expressed pro-life or anti-women views. It would help if this had the tone of cheeky fun, or was so over-the-top that it could be construed as a Vonnegut-type satire but it's all played more or less straight and instead comes off as incredibly condescending, especially every time the aliens treat us to pages from their journal, where they describe how they fix more societies and keep dropping adages in their languages that magically have equivalents in ours.
What little nod there is toward conflict occurs when other more predatory aliens sneak into the planet to hook up with evil right-wing leaders to concoct some plans of their own but even that is solved fairly quickly. The main concern regarding the fresco that gives the book its title (they base their entire strategy of altruism on it but because it's been covered in candle soot and nobody cleans it, it may not depict what they think it depicts) is taken care of so quickly that you might as well give everyone in the book magic wands and call it "Harry Potter". I don't expect a lot of surprises in a Tepper novel anymore but there's barely a nod toward anything that seems like tension, just one wish-fulfillment fantasy after another that everyone seems perfectly okay to let aliens take the wheel on.
It's insulting, frankly, let alone condescending. There's never a mention made toward how complex these problems actually are (the Middle-East solutions are especially ham-fisted and arresting every person you know has drugs ignores every reason that people might have to sell them in the first place, or maybe not trust the police), nor any serious consideration as to whether this would even be a good idea or not to have aliens solve all our problems for us (the only objections come from right-wing men or people being influenced by evil aliens and they are typically so bwah-ha-ha evil that even the book doesn't bother with them for more than a chapter or two). It's four hundred pages of hand-waving that we're supposed to find thought-provoking or entertaining but seems to have little more substance than me writing a book about what I would do if I won a billion dollars (hint: "Jurassic Park", without all the things going wrong). Both might be fantasy but at least one has dinosaurs. This one has perfect cuddly aliens but without any semblance of drama or conflict or a reason to care if any of it really turns out okay, you're just wondering if she can really fill up four hundred pages with this. And the answer is yes. Yes, she can. I had problems with Doris Lessing's "Canopus in Argos" which mines similar territory but is richer on so many metaphorical and thematic levels that the only real quibble I had was the execution. In Lessing's series, the job was to keep other aliens from steering us wrong while ensuring we stayed on the right track. Here we're treated like children. I think what sticks in me the worst is how the book takes serious issues, problems that are affecting people in serious and permanent and sometimes fatal ways even now and treats it all as something trifling, failing to acknowledge that in the real world people are spending a good amount of time and money and effort trying to find solutions for that her magical aliens just step in to solve without breaking a sweat. That would be an interesting and frightening story, because it's happening every day. With this novel, the only thing you can say is, if only it was that easy. It does itself and us a disservice, moreso because it seems to expect us to take it seriously, when it's not even sad enough to warrant the effort of laughter.
Since starting to work my way through patches of her oeuvre, I've become accustomed to the various quirks of the author, her pet environmental and feminist concerns, her tendency to recycle various plot elements in novel after novel, and her sometimes aggravating insistence that the plot is secondary to a character lecturing me about how we can live without technology. I've been taking this all in stride because while she seems to want me to find this all provocative and shocking, a good portion of it really isn't, it's ideas and concerns I've seen elsewhere, some of which I actually agree with in one form or another. Generally, it's the presentation that rubs me the wrong way but I've come to see that as one of those things you just have to accept if you're going to make it to the last page of one of these novels. And typically, her imagination with an alien race or a future is inventive enough to at least smooth over the roughest cracks and make it, if not easy going, at least somewhat palatable.
Not here. This time it was actively a chore to get through, to the point where I made myself stay up later so that I could finish it and not spend another day on it more than I had to. I can deal with a lot, but if you're going to disguise a book of essays with a plot, then just do us all a favor and file it in the nonfiction section where I'm less likely to look for it. I had to roll my eyes so much that I'm pretty sure I spent part of the evening staring at the inside of my skull.
What am I talking about? Let's start from the beginning. Unlike most of Tepper's novels, this one is set on present-day Earth but like her other novels set in the fascinating world of today it stars a character who starts out as a complete doormat. Benita, we are told, has suffered from emotional abuse and neglect from her no-good alcoholic husband that she had married long enough ago to have two kids currently in college (the girl, of course, is perfect, the boy takes after his father and is thus useless). Like Dora in "The Family Tree", Benita is somewhat aware that she doesn't have the best marital life (which is also what everyone seems to tell her) but unlike Dora she doesn't have a vaguely supernatural excuse for why she lets someone so over-the-top bad basically just do whatever he wants (still, it's a disservice to people who suffer from actual spousal abuse to wonder why she just doesn't up and leave, as sometimes people aren't capable of doing something that seems perfectly rational from an outside perspective . . . still, in Benita's case the lack of subtlety doesn't exactly make you sympathetic, which I don't think the author was going for). Fortunately for her, while taking a picnic one day she meets two friendly aliens who say they want to change the world and give her a whole bunch of money for helping them get into contact with the leaders of Congress and the President.
Up to about this point the plot seems intriguing, in an Alan Moore's "Miracleman" kind of way, the idea of god-like beings coming from out of nowhere and sort of forcefeeding us the idea of utopia. That might have been interesting, to see the formation and any cracks that might have occurred in the process. Instead what we actually get is the plot packing its suitcases and taking a long vacation as Tepper proceeds to use the book as a clearinghouse for things that tick her off in the world and how she would solve them if she had god-like powers. The aliens are here to get us ready to join the Confederation, but we're not quite neighborly enough yet, so they proceed to explain at great length what we're doing wrong as a society and wave magic wands to fix it. Conflict in the Middle-East? Let's just get rid of Jerusalem! Religious extremists treating women poorly? Let's make all the women ugly when they're near someone who reads his holy book too often. It's the kind of book where what passes for a meager plot stops for an entire chapter so the local cops can lambaste people like the ACLU for not allowing them to stop all the shifty-looking minorities on street corners that just know have drugs (the ACLU for whatever reason get criticized at least twice). Fortunately the helpful aliens give them bracelets that tell them who they have probable cause to stop and search, which everyone is okay with because only criminals would have a problem with such a thing.
And on it goes, but you get the idea. Civil liberties in general seem to be a sticking point and Tepper seems to be tacitly blaming them for society being the way it is (Benita at one point gives a speech about how all this liberty only allowed her husband to treat her like crap and let him get away with it, ignoring that a) she's not the only person in the world, b) she also had the liberty to leave him and c) it's a fictional world) but the book proceeds to somehow get more ridiculous as it goes on, with giant wasp aliens impregnating men but only men who have expressed pro-life or anti-women views. It would help if this had the tone of cheeky fun, or was so over-the-top that it could be construed as a Vonnegut-type satire but it's all played more or less straight and instead comes off as incredibly condescending, especially every time the aliens treat us to pages from their journal, where they describe how they fix more societies and keep dropping adages in their languages that magically have equivalents in ours.
What little nod there is toward conflict occurs when other more predatory aliens sneak into the planet to hook up with evil right-wing leaders to concoct some plans of their own but even that is solved fairly quickly. The main concern regarding the fresco that gives the book its title (they base their entire strategy of altruism on it but because it's been covered in candle soot and nobody cleans it, it may not depict what they think it depicts) is taken care of so quickly that you might as well give everyone in the book magic wands and call it "Harry Potter". I don't expect a lot of surprises in a Tepper novel anymore but there's barely a nod toward anything that seems like tension, just one wish-fulfillment fantasy after another that everyone seems perfectly okay to let aliens take the wheel on.
It's insulting, frankly, let alone condescending. There's never a mention made toward how complex these problems actually are (the Middle-East solutions are especially ham-fisted and arresting every person you know has drugs ignores every reason that people might have to sell them in the first place, or maybe not trust the police), nor any serious consideration as to whether this would even be a good idea or not to have aliens solve all our problems for us (the only objections come from right-wing men or people being influenced by evil aliens and they are typically so bwah-ha-ha evil that even the book doesn't bother with them for more than a chapter or two). It's four hundred pages of hand-waving that we're supposed to find thought-provoking or entertaining but seems to have little more substance than me writing a book about what I would do if I won a billion dollars (hint: "Jurassic Park", without all the things going wrong). Both might be fantasy but at least one has dinosaurs. This one has perfect cuddly aliens but without any semblance of drama or conflict or a reason to care if any of it really turns out okay, you're just wondering if she can really fill up four hundred pages with this. And the answer is yes. Yes, she can. I had problems with Doris Lessing's "Canopus in Argos" which mines similar territory but is richer on so many metaphorical and thematic levels that the only real quibble I had was the execution. In Lessing's series, the job was to keep other aliens from steering us wrong while ensuring we stayed on the right track. Here we're treated like children. I think what sticks in me the worst is how the book takes serious issues, problems that are affecting people in serious and permanent and sometimes fatal ways even now and treats it all as something trifling, failing to acknowledge that in the real world people are spending a good amount of time and money and effort trying to find solutions for that her magical aliens just step in to solve without breaking a sweat. That would be an interesting and frightening story, because it's happening every day. With this novel, the only thing you can say is, if only it was that easy. It does itself and us a disservice, moreso because it seems to expect us to take it seriously, when it's not even sad enough to warrant the effort of laughter.
March 10, 2019
Sheri S Tepper is one of my favourite authors - but this is not one of my favourite books. She seems to have attempted to write a moral fable à la Kurt Vonnegut, in which an earthling encounters aliens who show her all that is wrong with the world, and show her how to fix it. The result is both preachy and fatuous.
It's not that I reject the picture of our wrongs that she paints out of hand. I assent to the idea that we life in a patriarchy, an oppression of women that varies from place to place, but is everywhere intolerable. I agree that humans have messed up the planet. And politicians are corrupt, in democracies and elsewhere. But Tepper reduces these problems to their most simple expression, and offers solutions that are both impossible (you need alien magic/scientific powers to carry them out) and terribly, terribly silly (The oppression of women in Afghanistan is brought to an end by magically making them all so repulsive that no man covets them at all)
In a move that echoes 'Mr Deeds Goes To Town', Tepper's heroine is sent by aliens with a message for the President of the United States. She meets him and his First Lady (clearly the Clintons, who are treated with great sympathy). Tepper alternates chapters of story-telling with chapters of sociopolitical diatribe - the former are marginally less boring than the latter, and considerably less irritating. In the end, the world is saved, and most of the characters achieve some form of redemption.
Tepper's ideal society is one in which there is a place for everyone, and everyone knows their place. To this end, the lower orders should be prevented from breeding and the incompetent should be encouraged to Darwin themselves to death - her politics are more Ayn Rand than Vonnegut.
It's not that I reject the picture of our wrongs that she paints out of hand. I assent to the idea that we life in a patriarchy, an oppression of women that varies from place to place, but is everywhere intolerable. I agree that humans have messed up the planet. And politicians are corrupt, in democracies and elsewhere. But Tepper reduces these problems to their most simple expression, and offers solutions that are both impossible (you need alien magic/scientific powers to carry them out) and terribly, terribly silly (The oppression of women in Afghanistan is brought to an end by magically making them all so repulsive that no man covets them at all)
In a move that echoes 'Mr Deeds Goes To Town', Tepper's heroine is sent by aliens with a message for the President of the United States. She meets him and his First Lady (clearly the Clintons, who are treated with great sympathy). Tepper alternates chapters of story-telling with chapters of sociopolitical diatribe - the former are marginally less boring than the latter, and considerably less irritating. In the end, the world is saved, and most of the characters achieve some form of redemption.
Tepper's ideal society is one in which there is a place for everyone, and everyone knows their place. To this end, the lower orders should be prevented from breeding and the incompetent should be encouraged to Darwin themselves to death - her politics are more Ayn Rand than Vonnegut.
August 30, 2020
Sheri S. Tepper's literary career stretched over three decades and forty-nine books. Although I re-read her novels frequently, with that kind of output it should be understandable there are individual volumes I remember less vividly than the others. The Fresco is one of those. I must have read it at least a couple of times before, but my memories of the plot were so foggy that it might as well have been new to me.
The Fresco is, at heart, a satire of manners between two incredibly high-handed (though well-intentioned) aliens hellbent on reforming Earth, and the seemingly innocuous housewife they select as their go-between with the U.S. government. The Mary Poppins-like briskness with which the practically perfect aliens set about rehabilitating the human race is as audaciously funny as several of the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle-like cures upon which they settle.
When those aliens begin to question the entire correctness of their means and methods, however, the book transforms into an unexpected and touching examination of the small graces and favors even the less powerful can bestow upon their brothers and sisters, particularly those who are helping them become better people.
The novel's seeming cadre of antagonists—a cluster of predatory aliens attempting to harvest Earth for their own appetites—is disposed of without much fuss. However, I'd wager that it's because Tepper cleverly insinuates into the story a more perfidious (and thoroughly modern) type of villainy in which reactionary forces invoke an alleged primacy of sacred text to justify erecting walls between their own culture and the rest of the universe.
I like the handful of books that Tepper sets on contemporary Earth, this one among them. It's all very well (and often amusingly) done, but hoo boy, what in the real world did the ACLU do to rouse Tepper's ire while she was writing this particular novel? She devotes several screeds to blasting them more devastatingly than any of the advanced weaponry her fictional aliens boast.
The Fresco is, at heart, a satire of manners between two incredibly high-handed (though well-intentioned) aliens hellbent on reforming Earth, and the seemingly innocuous housewife they select as their go-between with the U.S. government. The Mary Poppins-like briskness with which the practically perfect aliens set about rehabilitating the human race is as audaciously funny as several of the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle-like cures upon which they settle.
When those aliens begin to question the entire correctness of their means and methods, however, the book transforms into an unexpected and touching examination of the small graces and favors even the less powerful can bestow upon their brothers and sisters, particularly those who are helping them become better people.
The novel's seeming cadre of antagonists—a cluster of predatory aliens attempting to harvest Earth for their own appetites—is disposed of without much fuss. However, I'd wager that it's because Tepper cleverly insinuates into the story a more perfidious (and thoroughly modern) type of villainy in which reactionary forces invoke an alleged primacy of sacred text to justify erecting walls between their own culture and the rest of the universe.
I like the handful of books that Tepper sets on contemporary Earth, this one among them. It's all very well (and often amusingly) done, but hoo boy, what in the real world did the ACLU do to rouse Tepper's ire while she was writing this particular novel? She devotes several screeds to blasting them more devastatingly than any of the advanced weaponry her fictional aliens boast.
July 7, 2023
So unsure about my thoughts about this book, rating may change... But I feel like the central theme was messy and the climax of the story was EXTREMELY UNDERWHELMING... also they left like all the loose ends of the story until the last 20 pages left so...
(huge spoiler)
ALSO... ITS NOT A GOOD TWIST IF YOU WERE SETTING UP A ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHARACTERS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE BOOK AND THEN AS A TWIST U GET HER WITH A ALIEN????? I MEAN IT WAS CUTE BUT... BUT NOT A GOOD TWIST..
agony i wanted them to get together so bad (my review is bias)
(huge spoiler)
ALSO... ITS NOT A GOOD TWIST IF YOU WERE SETTING UP A ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHARACTERS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE BOOK AND THEN AS A TWIST U GET HER WITH A ALIEN????? I MEAN IT WAS CUTE BUT... BUT NOT A GOOD TWIST..
agony i wanted them to get together so bad (my review is bias)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 12, 2020
Pretty odd book. Creative and fun but also heavy-handed with it's politics and pretty awkward in parts. It's hard to categorize. That said, I read it 10 years ago and I just read it again. So, overall, I'm a fan. It's like an album by a band who never succeeded in writing a pop song but nevertheless created something interesting and compelling.
January 28, 2024
Lighter than her other books I have read. Some parts made me laugh out loud. Some parts were like a political lecture. In general - a good book.
September 4, 2017
Loved this book. And I'm not generally a sci-fi reader. But my favorite librarian Rose recommended it, and she's never wrong.
July 21, 2010
It's in the forest of the New Mexico mountains where Benita Alvarez-Shipman meets the first aliens to visit the Earth. They ask her to bring their communication device to her 'leaders', give her money, and disappear, leaving her flabbergasted and reeling. Afraid to tell anyone what happened, she leaves her abusive husband (her children are off to college), and flies across the country to Washington DC where she hands off the package to her congressman.
From there things take off as Benita finds herself unwittingly pulled into the political maelstrom that ensues. Unfortunately, her new friends the Pistach aren't the only aliens recently in contact with the humans, but the other aliens aren't nearly so benevolent and some of the politicians in DC are in league with them.
As a story about what an alien first contact could be like, The Fresco entertains, expounding for us the political, cultural, and religious issues a federation of aliens would bring with it. But Tepper, true to form as in her other books (take for instance Gate to Women's Country), the story is flavored with her political leanings as well as her distaste for religion.
We learn early on that the Pistach aliens are intelligent and advanced, and the designated 'ambassadors' in bringing new races into their federation. However, they have an obvious inconsistency: the fresco.
The fresco is a mural in a temple on their home world, and their entire culture and religious experience is based on what the fresco teaches. Unfortunately, it has been covered with soot and grime for a long time, and no one in the present-day has seen it in its entirety--they base all their knowledge on it from past sketches and commentaries. Important to note: the Pistach aren't particularly good artists.
But what does the fresco have to do with bringing Earth and its inhabitants into the alien federation? Well, everything, as you will learn, but I don't dare spoil it for you.
Tepper's writing is clean and crisp, moving forward at a steady pace, descriptive yet uninhibited. Her side characters suffer from being stereotypical, yet the main characters have more interesting depth. Benita in particular is fascinating as we watch a victim of domestic abuse struggle to escape it and let her true character grow and live up to her full potential.
Tepper rather likes social commentary in her writing, and The Fresco is riddled with it. She explores what it means to interfere for the sake of improving another person's life. For example, the Pistach have a very rigid caste system: artists become artists, but those who love art yet have no artistic skill will teach it instead of becoming artists. Tepper superimposes this over Benita's husband, who's an artist, but spends his life with no success for lack of direction and talent. So the question is, should we guide and 'force' people (the Pistach use drugs and other methods to mold people toward certain behavior) toward their real strengths, convinced they will be happy doing that, or should we allow freedom of choice and risk misery?
The story does make you think, and there are some political and religious ideas I wouldn't mind discussing with another reader, particularly Tepper's version of utopia.
From there things take off as Benita finds herself unwittingly pulled into the political maelstrom that ensues. Unfortunately, her new friends the Pistach aren't the only aliens recently in contact with the humans, but the other aliens aren't nearly so benevolent and some of the politicians in DC are in league with them.
As a story about what an alien first contact could be like, The Fresco entertains, expounding for us the political, cultural, and religious issues a federation of aliens would bring with it. But Tepper, true to form as in her other books (take for instance Gate to Women's Country), the story is flavored with her political leanings as well as her distaste for religion.
We learn early on that the Pistach aliens are intelligent and advanced, and the designated 'ambassadors' in bringing new races into their federation. However, they have an obvious inconsistency: the fresco.
The fresco is a mural in a temple on their home world, and their entire culture and religious experience is based on what the fresco teaches. Unfortunately, it has been covered with soot and grime for a long time, and no one in the present-day has seen it in its entirety--they base all their knowledge on it from past sketches and commentaries. Important to note: the Pistach aren't particularly good artists.
But what does the fresco have to do with bringing Earth and its inhabitants into the alien federation? Well, everything, as you will learn, but I don't dare spoil it for you.
Tepper's writing is clean and crisp, moving forward at a steady pace, descriptive yet uninhibited. Her side characters suffer from being stereotypical, yet the main characters have more interesting depth. Benita in particular is fascinating as we watch a victim of domestic abuse struggle to escape it and let her true character grow and live up to her full potential.
Tepper rather likes social commentary in her writing, and The Fresco is riddled with it. She explores what it means to interfere for the sake of improving another person's life. For example, the Pistach have a very rigid caste system: artists become artists, but those who love art yet have no artistic skill will teach it instead of becoming artists. Tepper superimposes this over Benita's husband, who's an artist, but spends his life with no success for lack of direction and talent. So the question is, should we guide and 'force' people (the Pistach use drugs and other methods to mold people toward certain behavior) toward their real strengths, convinced they will be happy doing that, or should we allow freedom of choice and risk misery?
The story does make you think, and there are some political and religious ideas I wouldn't mind discussing with another reader, particularly Tepper's version of utopia.
October 25, 2010
While "The Fresco" starts out as a fairly decent scifi novel, the plot gets lost in near-constant preaching. It's obvious Ms Tepper dislikes Israel, smokers and gun owners strongly. Cultural annihilation in Tibet, West Papua and elsewhere didn't rate a mention, though. In fact, the social commentary became annoying by about halfway, by which time it was obvious that Ms Tepper was using the SF format loosely, to further her social agenda rather offer a convincing novel. The Muslim "ugly disease" was a lightheated and comical way of treating a very serious issue, and one aspect of the novel which was laudable, though.
The "fresco" of the novel itself is presented, rather thinly veiled, in the light of human religious works. This aspect could have been developed better: the suggestion that major religious books have questionable origins is obvious, of course Ms Tepper would be fearful of being TOO questioning of particular religious works. Those peaceful chaps often react violently.
The "fresco" of the novel itself is presented, rather thinly veiled, in the light of human religious works. This aspect could have been developed better: the suggestion that major religious books have questionable origins is obvious, of course Ms Tepper would be fearful of being TOO questioning of particular religious works. Those peaceful chaps often react violently.
December 7, 2020
Really funny book. This is by no means Tepper’s best work or her best writing, but it was so unlike any of the other books I’ve read that it was a nice change of pace. “The Fresco” basically depicts a feminist wish fulfillment scenario in which first contact is made with aliens and they solve all the world’s problems. Many of the solutions the aliens had were based on dated ideas of feminism and leaned a bit too harsh on the Middle East while being a bit too easy on Americans, but regardless I still enjoyed seeing what they’d come up with. By the end I was actually surprised at how creative the different alien cultures were, even if their physiologies weren’t particularly out there. There were a few shining moments in this book though that really struck me and I have a feeling I’ll be thinking about it for awhile; some interesting ideas to ponder on religion and American culture in this otherwise silly story.
January 29, 2023
Story about aliens coming to Earth to improve things so Earth can become a member of the Confederation. A vehicle for Tepper's lectures about how things should be, especially re women's rights, environment, and social policies based on evolutionary theory (let the useless go). Still, the main character, who is as in all of Tepper's novels, ordinary and oppressed, becomes extraordinary when called upon is engaging. In the end she marries one of the aliens.
February 16, 2013
Neat story idea, possibly interesting characters...but along the way I feel like she's dropping Anvils of Obvious on my head to make her point. Got through half of it and decided to find something more fun to read.
September 5, 2014
Started off well. Lots of interesting ideas. But the story got very convoluted and bit corny. I just flipped through the last section rather than read it fully as it had become a bit tedious. Nowhere near the standard of 'Grass'.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 163 reviews