Marianne, the Madame, and the Momentary Gods

It's embarrassing when you are digging through your to be read shelf (shelves) and you discover that a book has managed to get tucked away so well that it has remained hidden for ten years. Sheri Tepper, probably still best known for her True Game series is one of my favorite fantasists. She has an artful way of combining humor, whimsy and drama into works that take frequent unexpected turns and have endearing casts.'Marianne, the Madame, and the Momentary Gods' is the sequel to 'Marianne, the Magus, and the Manticore,' which I read so long ago that I dare not attempt to remember it. But the heroine is Marianne, a young woman with surprising talents and assets that are coveted by Madame Tabiti Delubovoska, a very nasty witch who has a knack for catapulting her victims into bad places and doing away with anyone who gets in her way. When the Madame kills Marianne's parents and sets out after the young lady, Marianne escapes, and then doubles back on her history to try to set things right.And this brings us to the current volume, in which Marianne reawakens as a child and starts to relive her live, this time with the assistance of the previous Marianne and 5 dog-like Momentary Gods, who just might control reality. The Madame's attempt on Marianne and her parents is foiled this time. However, Marianne, a bit upset at discovering there are two Marianne's in her head, rebels and sets out to live her own life. Unfortunately, this leaves her vulnerable, and the Madame traps her in a world where nothing stays the same and one needs a new map every day. The Momentary Gods and Makr Avehl (her former lover) come to her rescue, but is will be an intense struggle and a very close thing.While the concepts that underlie the story are fairly complex, Tepper manages to avoid and gobbledygook in exercising our imaginations. The story is light and charming, perhaps a bit too much of an appetizer than anything else. Even so, the writer shows a talent for social satire in her depiction of the chaotic city. Tepper also makes sure that the reader understands that finding two minds in one body is no trivial thing. Although the story really should be read after it's predecessor, no harm was really done by my memory failure. Even after ten years this is a pleasing confection.

This haunting book by Sheri S. Tepper draws me back year after year. Images pop into my mind of huge washing machines where people clean and tumble dry their lives and sins. This book has many images that are incredibly vivid. Marianne is back after finding herself in Marianne the Magus and the Manticore (the first book in the series). She starts her life over again and is transported to a new world with strange rules. This time five helpers/dogs/gods go with her with unique abilities of their own. A girl once abused and withdrawn learns how to live, fight, and trust. A person can get lost in the deep symbolism apparent in this complex, short novel. This book it can be equally enjoyed by tasting, and feeling the rich tapestry of colors, sights, and smells of this very intriguing book. To read this book is to experiance something totally unlike reality and totally enjoyable. Enjoy the ride.