Sheri S. Tepper's Shadow's End (a review)
Shadow's End is the story of humanity's right to populate the universe, regardless of the obstacles which stand in the way. Saluez, a woman of Dinadh, tells us the story of Lutha Tallstaff and her goal to find the answers to the mystery of the disappearing colonists on the worlds that surround Dinadh. We learn of the Firsters, who think that man has the right to use the universe; we shudder at the arrogance of Fastigats, who can feel our every emotion; we experience the wonder of seeing a living animal, when all other species have been removed from planets as obsolete; we are gripped by the awesome power of the Ularians, the behemoths which carry destruction; and we eagerly await the answer to this complex riddle that must be clear to little Leelson's different mind. And because we are eager, Tepper offers us hints of a solution to the mystery, but they are lost among fears of the unknown and gruesomely detailed monsters.
Tepper has done it again. She has left us looking for the truth because this resolution is truly deflating. The solution is too fantastical, too extraordinary, and because of this it is not a satisfactory solution. It leaves the reader feeling cheated. Tepper creates astounding worlds with exceptional characters and mysterious plots and then leaves the reader wondering what happened to the story.
About the Book
Shadow's End copyright 1994 by Sheri S. Tepper
A Bantam book published by Bantam Doubleday Dell, New York
Hardcover edition December 1994
Paperback December 1995; ISBN: 0-553-57326-8
Sites of Interest
- the Unofficial Sheri S. Tepper Web Page
- Sheri S. Tepper's bibliography compiled by Lucie MacDougall
- Sheri S. Tepper's Available Books by Non Com
- A review of Tepper's novel Gibbon's Decline and Fall by Curt Wohleber of Science Fiction Weekly
Check out my booklist for a list of books I have recently read and plan to review.
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