The Fresco

The Fresco is a decent first-contact novel that is not up to the high standards of other Tepper titles I have read. There are some inventive concepts here and the main character is very likable. Despite the dire consequences for humanity, and the adversity the MC comes from, the tone of the writing is often light. The plot also moves along at a good clip. Where it falls apart for me is the blatant socio-political commentary. Even though I personally agree with most all of the statements she makes, the delivery is just too heavy-handed and quickly becomes tiresome.

As far as stand-alone novels, The Gate to Women's Country or Six Moon Dance are both better places to start with Tepper's catalog. Both are brilliant while this novel is good.

One of Tepper's best works! I understand that some others don't see this as the best example of Tepper's work, but I beg to differ. I can understand why some people didn't think it was great, but personally I felt the mentions and actions about the ACLU, the fundies, the politicians, and everything else was spot on even if it was a caricature.

To me, the focal point in this book was of course, the Fresco itself. Many good issues are touched on/addressed, and the Fresco was used as a metaphor for these issues. Despite all the character and other events in this book, the Fresco and what happened to it stand out for me the most - and I wish more people would read this book and learn from it as I have. Religious fundamentalists, especially.

I’ve read quite a few of Sheri Tepper’s books. I usually consider them a guaranteed entertaining read; regardless of the author’s tendency to preach her spiritual/ecological agenda, and her tendency toward overwrought denouements. I can take that in stride, when balanced out by vivid worldbuilding, unique and interesting settings and social extrapolation, and dramatic events that ofter veer toward the horrific. Lots of Tepper’s books have lots of that good stuff.

This one features none of Tepper’s strengths, and practically works as a showcase for all of her weaknesses. I think most of the problem here is that it’s set in present-day Earth, rather than a fantasy world. Usually Tepper is forced by her sci-fi settings to use show more metaphor to get her agenda across. Without that barrier, every single page of this book beats the reader over the head with Tepper’s political opinions. It also made me less than impressed with those opinions. When filtered through a fantastic allegory, I’ve usually felt that I agree with her (even if I don’t agree with the didacticism). I still don’t totally disagree, but the opinions in this book, applied directly to our own world, made her politics come across as overly simplistic and somewhat condescending.

Our heroine, Benita (that means “good” – get it!) is a minority woman escaping an abusive relationship. (Men! Bad!) Luckily, although disadvantaged in many ways, Benita works at a bookstore and has been able to self-educate herself (Education! Good!). Her employers are nice to her (Gay men! Good!). She has a son who’s a jerk and a daughter who’s nice. (Men BAD! Women GOOD!) Benita’s life really turns around, though, when she happens to meet a couple of aliens, members of the Pistach race, who ask her to be their representative to Our Leaders.

These aliens seem to just want to help Earth and help end our wars and ecological depredations, (Peace and Ecology GOOD!), and help us join a Galactic Federation. Unfortunately, they’re just one member of a complicated society out there in space, and some other alien species would rather use Earth as a hunting reserve. (Humans tasty!) Some self-centered right-wing politicians make a deal with other aliens that would give away our legal rights. (Right-wing BAD!) In order to defend Human Rights (to not be hunted as game), Earth will need the help of our new allies. Unfortunately, at a critical juncture, the Pistach have a social crisis of their own regarding religious and historical revelations. If it’s not resolved, they might descend into chaos and leave us to our fate. (Snacks!)

The way the crisis is resolved is absolutely INFURIATING (not to mention unrealistic, unbelievable, and dumb). Without creating any spoilers, I think I can say that Tepper comes out firmly on the side that believes that both truth and history should take a back seat to a political agenda, and that knowingly re-writing the past as lies is just fine and dandy if it serves her perceived ‘greater good.’ She dismisses the destruction of ancient historical artifacts with a blithe ‘they weren’t very well-crafted anyway.’ Myself, I believe in learning from history – even the most unpleasant aspects of it. I don’t believe in whitewashing the past or intentionally twisting facts. So I really did find this book quite personally offensive.

I also felt that it failed as far as what Tepper was trying to do. I couldn’t tell if it was supposed to be humorous or not. There certainly are many bits that seem to be intended as funny (the anti-abortionists being injected with alien fetuses; the middle-eastern women having an illusion of ugliness cast over them) but then it veers into over-earnestness. The tone wasn’t consistent or effective. Overall, it just wasn’t very good. At all. Disappointing. show less

Somehow I missed this when it came out in 2000. I loved that it looked at so many problems that are unfortunately still huge issues. I can't help but think Tepper was so underappreciated because of her feminism and care about the environment. Looking her up, I was shocked to see had won no Hugo or Nebula awards but she was writing when even more of a majority of folks voting for the awards were male.

I have in the past enjoyed some of this author's novels, but thoroughly disliked others. This one almost scraped into the 'OK' category because there are some aspects which were enjoyable. The trouble is, these are outweighed by the Mary Sue nature of the protagonist Benita (abused dormat wife turns into confident articulate representative after suitable 'adjustment' by benevolent and powerful aliens), and the wish fulfilment which resolves all the world's problems by the intervention of those same aliens.

There are a couple of subplots dealing with other, inimical aliens and their alliance with a small coterie of reactionary anti-feminist, anti-environment politicians, but those difficulties are fairly easily swept aside. And the show more central connundrum of a civilisation which has based its peaceful interventionist stance on a false reading of a work that has been deliberately obscured - the Fresco of the title - is satisfied by a solution in which the ends satisfy the means.

There are some attempts to be satirical/humorous - for example, the misogynism shown to women in a Middle Eastern country is dealt with by making the women appear ugly and smelly so that the men no longer feel the need to imprison them - but those I found clumsy.

The book isn't badly written as such, but it is unrelentingly didatic and has quite a bit of infodumping especially at the start where we are given Benita's background. And after being told very clearly that the alien emissaries are non sexual (their race differentiates at age thirteen and only some individuals can reproduce) the whole ending seems to turn this on its head. My basic problem with it is that it is a 'magic wand' way of solving all the world's problems, including many still with us today, suggesting that humanity is incapable of bettering itself - an update to the theme of the Erich von Daniken bestsellers of the 1970s. In other words, we are doomed unless beneficient aliens step in to bail us out. So I'm afraid I didn't like it, hence the one star rating. show less

This is a damn fine book that I plan on reading again!

What if aliens came and achieved all the things that humans couldn't achieve for themselves? An end to violence in the Middle East, equal rights for women, an end to drug trafficking, an end to abuse (physical and sexual). And what if their chosen go-between to the Human Race was. . . a 36 year-old mother of 2 who's physically abused by her alcoholic husband?

I love this book because it raises so many ethical questions (my favorite kind), many of them religious. Tepper is well-versed in everything she writes about: linguistics, religion, sociology, ethics, women's rights.

I liked this book, about aliens contacting humanity through a self-educated middle-aged woman in a sometimes abusive marriage. A good story, it is also a reflection on how societies determine their values and how those values color reflection and interpretation of history and art.