Last month we read Grass by Sheri S. Tepper. Tepper was a science fiction writer, particularly known for her feminist and eco slants to the genre.
The novel is set in the future when the Earth has become over populated and so humans have spread themselves out amongst the planets. One such planet is Grass, named because of the abundance of grass, which comes in a myriad of colours.
Our heroine is Majorie Westriding Yrarier whose husband is sent to discover why the population of Grass have not succumbed to the plague wiping out mankind. There are creatures native to Grass, hounds, hippae and foxen, who in strange dreamlike (or even nightmarish) ways interact with the humans. There is also a very unusual sex scene involving Majorie and a foxen.
As with any good sci-fi novel, the story and themes are much deeper than just exploring a strange future world. Tepper is fascinated with religion, especially that practiced by men, relationships between men and women and philosophical discussions about original sin.
Unfortunately, our group was halved for this meeting, so while we did have an enjoyable discussion about the book, we quickly moved on to other topics. At April's meeting I managed to get everybody's marks, we gave it an average of 7.5. I am a bit of a sci-fi buff but even those who wouldn't normally read this type of book, did enjoy it.
I made some cupcakes for the meeting and whipped out my grass tip, but I wanted to make the grass more Grass-like so I coloured it in purples and pinks.
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