Raising the Stones

A big far-future "social SF" novel, with an emphasis on ecological and feminist issues - in effect, midway between Tepper's two most recent efforts Grass and The Gate to Women's Country. Hobbs Land is an agricultural world, home of an easygoing, egalitarian society under the broad oversight of the company that founded the colony. The children of one small town begin restoring a mined temple of the aboriginal Owlbrit race, already all but extinct when the human settlers arrived; before anyone knows quite how or why, there is a god residing in the rebuilt temple, and the town begins to prosper. Gradually, other settlements acquire gods of their own, and Hobbs Land becomes a model of harmony and productivity. At this point, two off-world societies take notice: the misogynist fanatics of Voorstod, who believe it their destiny to rule the universe with whip and sword, and the equally fanatical High Baidee, who decide that the living gods of Hobbs Land are blasphemous monstrosities to be wiped out by main force. At the focus of events are Sam Girat, top man of his settlement in Hobbs Land, and his mother Maire Manone, a refugee from Voerstod's oppression. At the crucial moment, the gods of Hobbs Land intervene to blunt the threats. Tepper effectively combines satire (ranging in tone from lighthearted fun to out. right nastiness), inventive social engineering, strong main characters, and a plot that works on both internal and external levels in what may be her best novel to date. (Kirkus Reviews)