The Margarets

Sheri Tepper has done another exemplary novel. She has taken on some of the issues of today and put those issues into a Science Fiction format. I enjoyed her heroine. I was well pleased with the novel.

It's always a toss-up when I read Teper - some of her books I've liked & some I haven't. This one I liked. Interesting characters, interesting story. The only thing I didn't like was the jumping around from character to character. Note: Even though the jacket credits the cover to Stephan Martiniere, he has told me that it isn't his.

"The Margarets" is a complicated book and it is necessary (and enjoyable) to pay close attention to all of the storylines while reading it. The close attention is certainly worth the trouble: no less than the future of the human race is dependent on single bored child, Margaret Bain. "The Margarets" are creations of the mind of Margaret Bain is the only child on the Mars station, Phobos. The six Margarets that she invents have their own complex, and very different, personalities. As Margaret gets older, the invented Margarets split off from her, leaving only the original Margaret behind. This book tells the stories of all 7 Margarets in alternating chapters with that Margaret speaking in that chapter in the first person. While I was expecting part the ending of the book, the more I read, the more possibilities presented themselves. The entire culmination of "The Margarets" was unexpected -- and completely unsuspected (at least by me)! I really enjoyed this book and am going to read it again shortly so I can pick up anything I could have missed the first time around. I may even take notes! The story feels so real -- Sheri Tepper's novels are like that -- and rereading them is a joy. I always find something new in them, even when I reread them more than once.

Sheri Tepper has an amazing ability to take you to new places that not only facinate but make you go hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. I have been reading SF for over 45 years and she has the ability to surprise me by taking me to new places, new ideas, new thoughts while so many others have become predicable. She enlightens while she entertains. My only complaint is that she can't write faster. Her books are of the kind that you want to rush through because you can't put them down, but you also want to make them last. She is a gourmet chef of literary achievments.

This is one of the best books that I have read in years. Sheri Tepper touches upon so many themes in this book that my head is still spinning from the literary delight! Well done Sheri, you ROCK!