Grass by Sheri S. Tepper

Science Fiction


Grass by Sheri S. Tepper was the January book selection for the Science Fiction Book Club. I missed that meeting and do not have any feedback from other members. Grass did not catch me at first and I laid it down several times. I had read 50 pages before the story reeled me in. Filled with complex characters, not all human, and placed in an intricately constructed world Grass looks at many human perceptions and actions. The human race is faced with a plague and cannot find a cure. Settled long ago by a group that wanted to get away from the rest of humanity the people of Grass do not welcome newcomers. However, Grass is the only world that is not affected by the plague. The only way to get people on Grass to look for a cure is to send them as Ambassadors. One of the institutions on Grass is The Hunt. Marjorie Westriding Yrarier and her family have been sent to Grass as Ambassadors because they ride and have horses but they are really there to look for a cure before all of humanity is wiped out. When they attend the first Hunt it is not anything like they expect. The horses, hounds and fox are all native to Grass and bear little resemblance to Earth animals. They control the purpose and people riding in the Hunt. Grass is a world that is not at all what it seems. Because of her experience with The Hunt Marjorie starts investigating what is really happening on Grass. What and who she finds changes the path of both humans and aliens.

In Grass Sheri S. Tepper has written an original story filled with fascinating details.

Bantam published Grass by Sheri S. Tepper in 1989. Grass is currently out of print. I purchased it used from AbeBooks.