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After Long Silence Paperback | Pages: 384 pages

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Title	:	After Long Silence
Author	:	Sheri S. Tepper
Book Format	:	Paperback
Book Edition	:	First Edition
Pages	:	Pages: 384 pages
Published	:	November 1st 1987 by Bantam Spectra (first published 1987)
Categories	:	Science Fiction. Fantasy. Fiction. Science Fiction Fantasy

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I finished this last night, and expressed a deep sigh of satisfaction as I laid it on the bedside table and turned out the light.

Vintage Tepper. And a lovely piece of work it is.

Jubal, a planet in the process of colonization by humans, is a world full of strange and wonderful things, some amusing, some dangerous. The Presences, large crystalline structures scattered throughout the land, are dangerous, and they are everywhere, preventing easy travel between settlements. They can be passed only with the aid of a Tripsinger, a trained vocalist and musician who accompanies a group of travelers and, in essence, sings the party past the fragile crystal mountains. Each structure requires a different song; the song seems to set up some sort of counter-resonance peculiar to the individual structure that prevents the crystal from fracturing due to the vibrations made by the mules, wagons, and humans as they pass. Even one wrong note could cause a potentially fatal shatter. One structure, called Enigma, has thus far proven impassable: no one has discovered the proper song which will allow safe passage. Except, perhaps, one person.

And then there are those who want to see the Presences destroyed because they hinder free trade and easy commerce. A strange cult which worships the Presences has also arisen. Amid much intra-planetary politics, money grubbing, and, umm, a few alluded-to deviant sex games, the fates of Jubal and the Presences will be decided.

In this early novel, Tepper establishes some of her touchstone themes which she continues to develop in her later work: responsible use of natural resources; religious fanaticism; tolerance of differences; human (and non-human) rights.

Tepper's vivid imagination stands her in good stead here. As a trained vocalist myself, I was intrigued by the notion of literally singing for one's life. How would the knowledge that one wrong note could kill affect the quality of my song? I was captivated by the viggies, small indigenous mammalian-like creatures, who are so much more than they seem. As are the Presences themselves, beautiful and deadly and awe-inspiring.

My only quibble with the story is insufficient information on the cult of the Crystallites. Did they want to preserve the Presences? Or were they allied with those who wished to destroy them? Either I missed it or Tepper never made clear what precisely was their purpose, their agenda. The agenda of the leaders was made quite clear, but not the purpose of the cult they established -- what was the propaganda they preached? At any rate, it's a relatively minor quibble in an otherwise wonderful read.

While surfing about the internet, I discovered this book has an alternate title. It is also known as The Enigma Score. A rose by any other name, etc. etc.

Be Specific About Books Toward After Long Silence

Original Title:	After Long Silence
ISBN:	0553269445 (ISBN13: 9780553269444)
Edition Language:	English URL http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?173

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Ratings: 3.95 From 862 Users | 45 Reviews

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There is a reason Tepper is one of my favorites. She rarely fails me and this novel is no exception. In this book we follow primarily Tamsin Ferrence. He is a tripsinger, which basically means he has learned the sounds that allow land travel past huge crystalline structures. He is joined by two of his acolytes and an explorer (someone who figures out the tripsinger songs) as they attempt to do nothing less than save their world. With this book Tepper has created not just a plausible world or

Good and evil in an amazing, very detailed, fantasy environment and its inhabitants. The inhabitants and the place become alive in your mind as you read and it's astounding. So clever, so much imagination. The people, the Precences and the Viggies needed to find a way to work together to save their home from blatant destruction and greed.

It's from 1987, but the human problems are every bit as relevant today ... and quite unusual.And, of course, sentient crystalline structures talking.

My favorite characters were by far the viggies. They were really neat. It took along time for the Presences to become characters, so I had lost a bit of reading momentum by that point. The humans were solid. They didn't really wow me ever. I wish the overall plot could have been different from the age old question: will humans turn to destruction when they have to share with other sentient beings?

Anyone who's seen The Sound of Music knows that singing to the mountains isn't a new concept. And fantasy literature from long before Tolkien to current offerings is with references and themes involving large rock formations possessing personalities and/or "awareness".With After Long Silence, however, Sheri Tepper taps into the interesting concept that crystalline awareness may be paired with well-rendered harmonies, with consequences for not singing on-key! I wasn't particularly amazed by the

I read this as 'The Enigma Score', and again, I love it. There are a few writers I will crawl over broken glass to read - Tepper, McKinley, McKillip and de Lint. Read it. Then go back and read it again.

Not quite as polished as some of Tepper's later books, but still . . . such a unique voice, complex plot, engaging characters, etc. One of the great SFF authors, for sure.