Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
34 used & new from £2.36

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Grass (S.F. Masterworks)
 
 

Grass (S.F. Masterworks) (Paperback)

by Sheri S. Tepper (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
Price: £5.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £2.00 (25%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Only 5 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want guaranteed delivery by Tuesday, July 21? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
25 new from £2.36 9 used from £2.37
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover 3 used & new from £10.00
Paperback (paperback / softback) 12 used & new from £0.12
Mass Market Paperback (Reissue) 17 used & new from £0.91

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with Eon (S.F. Masterworks) by Greg Bear

Grass (S.F. Masterworks) + Eon (S.F. Masterworks)
Price For Both: £11.98

Show availability and shipping details

  • This item: Grass (S.F. Masterworks) by Sheri S. Tepper

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • Eon (S.F. Masterworks) by Greg Bear

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Lathe Of Heaven (S.F. Masterworks)

The Lathe Of Heaven (S.F. Masterworks)

by Ursula Le Guin
4.5 out of 5 stars (20)  £5.49
Bring the Jubilee (Millennium SF Masterworks S.)

Bring the Jubilee (Millennium SF Masterworks S.)

by Ward Moore
4.0 out of 5 stars (6)  £5.49
Life During Wartime (S.F. Masterworks)

Life During Wartime (S.F. Masterworks)

by Lucius Shepard
3.0 out of 5 stars (3)  £5.49
Eon (S.F. Masterworks)

Eon (S.F. Masterworks)

by Greg Bear
4.5 out of 5 stars (24)  £5.99
Where Late the Sweet Bird Sang

Where Late the Sweet Bird Sang

by Kate Wilhelm
4.6 out of 5 stars (8)  £8.77
Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 544 pages
  • Publisher: Gollancz; New Ed edition (14 Feb 2002)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1857987985
  • ISBN-13: 978-1857987980
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.8 x 3.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 76,196 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #2 in  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > T > Tepper, Sheri S.

Product Description

Product Description
What could be more commonplace than grass, or a world covered over all its surface with a wind-whipped ocean of grass? But the planet Grass conceals horrifying secrets within its endless pastures. And as an incurable plague attacks all inhabited planets but this one, the prairie-like Grass begins to reveal these secrets -- and nothing will ever be the same again . . .

About the Author
Sheri S. Tepper is the author of several resoundingly acclaimed novels, including the Arthur C. Clarke Award-nominated GIBBON'S DECLINE AND FALL, SIX MOON DANCE, THE FAMILY TREE, A PLAGUE OF ANGELS, SIDESHOW and BEAUTY, which was voted Best Fantasy Novel of the Year by readers of LOCUS.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Grass (S.F. Masterworks)
67% buy the item featured on this page:
Grass (S.F. Masterworks) 4.5 out of 5 stars (12)
£5.99
The Road
9% buy
The Road 4.3 out of 5 stars (332)
£2.99
The Lathe Of Heaven (S.F. Masterworks)
8% buy
The Lathe Of Heaven (S.F. Masterworks) 4.5 out of 5 stars (20)
£5.49
The Death of Grass (Penguin Modern Classics)
8% buy
The Death of Grass (Penguin Modern Classics) 4.4 out of 5 stars (19)
£4.99

 

Customer Reviews

12 Reviews
5 star:
 (8)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A book that builds its way into a masterpiece, 12 Jan 2002
By A Customer
The beginning of this book may seem to dwell on seemingly unrelated topics, but they wind together as you progress through it to give a thoroughly satisfaying read.

The third person narrative is used to its fullest extent, unlike some writers Sheri S. Tepper does not focus in on one character but explores the motivations and feelings of many, giving the reader a comprehesive understanding of the events that unfold.

I found myself not caring as deeply about the characters as perhaps I should, but with a storyline such as the one in Grass it was of little concern.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has become dissatisfied with the meaningless and infantile science fiction that has flooded the market today, for it restores all faith in science fiction as a credible genre.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars The Moral Responsibilities of Aliens, 16 Nov 2003
By Patrick Shepherd "hyperpat" (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
Grass presents a very interesting alien world, one where the entire planet is covered by grasses of various kinds except for small treed areas, with a very original set of aliens. The Hippae and their associated Hounds are the type of thing that can give you nightmares, an enlarged, horrific parody of horses, capable of mentally controlling those around them, with a totally egocentric and blood-thirsty attitude. And the human society that has formed around the Hippae is also intriguing, somewhat modeled on the South American estancias, but with a strong English manor element, as the humans use the Hippae as mounts for the Hunt, a direct parody of the sport of fox hunting, with the object of the Hunt being the Foxen, a creature never really seen in its entirety, but only glimpsed from the corners of the eyes. The ecology and relationships of the various species of the planet form the major scientific underpinnings of this novel, relationships that are somewhat surprising and very interesting.

Into this world come Marjorie Westriding, her husband Rigo, her children Stella and Tony, Rigo's mistress Eugenie, and the family Catholic priests, sent as ambassadors from Sanctity, the controlling religious body on Earth, to investigate why Grass is the only known planet that does not seem to be infected with a fatal plague that is slowly wiping out humanity. The novel's action is driven by the consequences of family learning about the strange social structures and alien life forms of the planet.

While Marjorie, the main character, if fairly well drawn with a fair amount of depth, most of the other characters are very much stick figures that are supporting spear carriers only. This is a pity, as Rigo, Stella, and the dom Sylvan show intimations of being intriguing people, but they are never portrayed in enough depth to make them come alive. The total cast of characters is fairly large, and at later stages in the book it becomes difficult to remember just who each one is due to their limited portrayal.

Grass is at least partially an investigation of religion, faith, and original sin for both humans and for two different alien races. As such, it invites some comparison with other science fiction works that have dealt with these themes - Walter M. Miller, Jr.'s A Canticle for Leibowitz, Orson Scott Card's Speaker for the Dead, and the one closest in theme to this, James Blish's A Case of Conscience. Unfortunately, Grass does not meet the high level shown by these other books, as the crisis of faith experienced by Marjorie and the Foxen is dealt with somewhat shallowly. There is little deep explication of the problems, ambiguities, and paradoxes that entail from the concept of original sin applying to an alien race that were so well investigated by Blish's work. Marjorie's own changing concept of God from the traditional Catholic picture to one where humans are mere instruments of God's will, a virus that He unleashed to perform a specific action, where individual humans are not known by name to God, is a better formed and portrayed concept, but still not at the depth and emotional level that Canticle for Leibowitz achieved.

This is an ambitious work, with many sub-themes twined around the main one, each of which is deserving of in-depth portrayal. As written, this book is just too short to do justice to either the sub-themes or the main theme, not to mention the need for greater character development. It probably should have been twice its current length to fully develop all of the richness of ideas that Tepper presents here. Still, a very original work, more focused on anthropology and with difficult thematic material than is common in science fiction, items which make this a worthwhile reading experience.

--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning: like all Sheri Teppper books, 4 April 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Grass (Hardcover)
Gripping, well developped, highly imaginative: Tepper combines her usual combination of sensitivity, dark humour and biting insights into the corruptability of humankind. Truly moving. Beware - it's part two of a trilogy (Raising the Stones, Grass, Sideshow), though the first two can be enjoyed in either order.
Comment Comment (1) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars taking the 'sci' out of sci -fi

This is a great book - highly recomended. what interests me most is the lack of the normal SF stuff. there are no robots, no hyper-drives, no warp speeds. Read more
Published 6 months ago by R. J. Macaulay

5.0 out of 5 stars Part of a trilogy...Not Really
I remember reading Raising the Stones and coming across Marjorie and the Foxen from Grass as little more than a figure passing through leaving their mark before travelling... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Solitude

3.0 out of 5 stars Lengthy description of aristocrats on the planet Grass - and their pets' reaction
Living in the second oldest democracy in Europe (since 1291 !), it is somehow hard for me to find an interest in what basically boils down to a description of English aristocrats... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Rupf Peter

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, is all
OK, how to describe it? I guess the best would be to call it a feminist, original-morality, anti-religious fantasy. Read more
Published on 16 Dec 2006 by Grab

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't read the reviews that give the plot away - just read this book
This is superlative fiction, whatever genre you try to put it in. I came to the book knowing nothing of the plot, and that's as it should be - otherwise you miss some of the most... Read more
Published on 12 Dec 2006 by J. L. Ashurst

5.0 out of 5 stars Sherri Tepper's Grass - a darker vision
It sounds almost like normal on Grass; a spaceport, big estates for the aristocracy in the countryside, hunting, horses, hounds, quarry........ Read more
Published on 6 Dec 2004 by smmay7

5.0 out of 5 stars Clever and enthralling
'Grass' is a brilliant book ... it's complex, many-layered, and full of action and conflict. This, like most of Tepper's novels, builds slowly, with many sub- and side-plots... Read more
Published on 12 Nov 2002 by J. Eltzeroth

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping
The story unfolds on Grass, a planet that has a self appointed aristocracy, who have removed themselves from contact with the rest of an interplanetary society. Read more
Published on 28 Oct 1999

4.0 out of 5 stars Imaginative use of scifi genre to comment on human condition
Regular Tepper themes occur here; women struggling to do the right thing to survive and save loved ones and humanity. Read more
Published on 23 Dec 1998

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Feedback


The Body Shop

The Body Shop - Vitamin C Skin Boost
Protect and boost your glow with The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost.

Shop The Body Shop

 

More From Sheri S. Tepper

Beauty (Fantasy Masterworks)

Beauty (Fantasy Masterworks)

Beauty is the half mortal, half fairy daughter of a 14th century... Read more
£7.99 £5.99

 

Up to 53% off Braun Series Shavers

Braun Series 3 390cc Clean & Renew System Rechargeable Foil Electric Shaver
Get in touch with your smooth side with Braun Series shavers, now with Gillette blade technology.

Discover Braun Series at Amazon.co.uk

 

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

Learn more about Gift Certificates

 
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.

Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates