Ms. Tepper, in this book in particular, reminds me of a strange mix of Vance and Le Guin. The cultures depicted have that strange sort of allure, institutions are plausible in their bizarre nature and interesting words pop up at charming frequency.

Unfortunately, as was the case with Beauty, Ms. Tepper doesn't allow a good story alone to serve as an allegory. At times points are made that stick out at a disturbing extent. Some of the characters and plot twists seemed superfluous. The characters, although interesting, were never properly developed. The story, observing different groups of people at different times, became fractured and never gained the momentum it deserved.

All said, I still enjoyed reading the work for its aesthetic value, occasional laugh and message. Six Moon Dance ascends over the average entertainment novel in that it powerfully engages the brain and questions social values and systems. It causes you to ask pointed questions, but doesn't pretend to know better answers.

The back cover blurb reassures the reader that the book is enjoyable by both genders. Perhaps Ms. Tepper has managed to convince someone that such a warning is in order with deeds of the past. Six Moon Dance certainly doesn't deserve such an insulting phrase. If there is an agenda that offends any one gender, I am too thick-headed to discover it.

As with so many other books I have read lately, I do wish publishers would find and employ skillful editors that can send manuscripts back to established authors and tell them to fix it. Six Moon Dance has a promising premise and characters, but unfortunately the delicious dough was not fully baked.

SIX MOON DANCE shows off Tepper's wonderful flair for creating unusual cultures and fascinating aliens. Some gender roles on Newholme are reversed, but it is NOT simply a mirror image society. She acknowledges two things: the roots of gender issues are biological, and both men and women are capable of both good and evil. This is a blessed departure from the man-bashing in some of her earlier books; one very evil character is female, some charming characters are male and others are, well, gender-benders for lack of a better term.

The aliens also show the author's imagination: we have totally different forms of life that are not only non-anthropomorphic but evolved through an entirely different process. None is what it initially seemed, either to the reader or the characters (a Tepper trademark.)

Some have accused this book of having no plot, but while plot does sometimes take a backseat to the sociology, it is still strong, if not as brilliant as THE FAMILY TREE, which took some bizarre turns. I kept thinking I had second-guessed Tepper, and she still managed to throw in some surprises at the end. The overall tone, moreover, is not total pessimism. This book's interstellar civilization sounds a lot nicer than some others thanks to being based on a radical philosophy. Even if you hated books like GIBBON'S DECLINE AND FALL, try this one - it will get you back to reading Tepper!

This book is long, with complex characters, confusing story lines, and I could not put it down. Tepper creates a multi-faceted world with well-developed characters. She plays with gender. She explores ethical, cultural, sociological, and political issues. It is a wondrous book.

I have just recently discovered Sheri Tepper - she is a wonderfully creative, imaginative, good writer. I am ordering all her books.

A Plague of Angels is definitely a well-written, engaging story. The combination of science fiction and fantasy elements is effectively done, and the characters are entertaining even though rarely fully-developed. The book's weaknesses would have been easily forgivable if the premise had been as new to me as it was to some of the other reviewers, but for me, it was not breaking new ground.

In the early '80s, I read two books by James Kahn, "World Enough and Time", and "Time's Dark Laughter". These works similarly follow a post-technological world moving back into the realm of myth and legend, but do so far more effectively. It is possible that the main difference is that my standards have changed over the last 20 years, but I sincerely believe that those earlier works were far better developed than "A Plague of Angels." If you are familiar with Kahn's work, you may be disappointed by this book, but still, it is an enjoyable read.

This book is honestly one of the best books I have ever read. It's up there with Dune as one of my all-time favourite epics. It's beautifully written, and you will read it and re-read it again and again. If you like Sheri Trepper, read this. If you don't, read it and be converted...

With every Sheri S. Tepper book I read, I wonder "why didn't I read this before?!". Her imagination, skilful writing and her social and environmental engagement in her stories makes you look around in the world we live in and raise an eyebrow... "A plague of Angels" is one more of her page-turners, which made me want to keep reading to understand the meaning of it all. Longing for that last page, where everything would become clear, yet sad when that last page, and thus the book, is finished and the dream ended. I could say that about every book of her I read so far. Besides terrific stories, her stories makes a person THINK. Well, *me* anyway ;-)

She did it to me again. Tepper builds a solid, clear and convincing world, creates a compelling and three-dimensional set of characters, sets up an intriguing plot that builds logically and excitingly to a climax and then-- well, I still am not sure exactly what the heck happened. It's like someone else finishes the book for her-- all of that solid logical specific foundation disppears ion metaphysical poetically vagur fog. Perhaps a reader more gifted than I would get that part, but for me it was 9/10ths of a great novel.

Pretty great, abit slow at first, with an unbelievable ending that didn't seem complete. BUt still worth buying and reading. An altogether interesting, facinating experience!

Like all of Tepper's work, this novel is a brilliant demonstration of her skill at world-crafting. Tepper constructs the most beautiful and bizarre societies I have found in speculative fiction, which are all the more real for their strangeness. In this masterpiece, as in Raising the Stones and Singer from the Sea, she evokes a powerful religious paradigm rich with myth and archetypical significance. the end is haunting, compelling as the story itself. it is impossible to forget; these are books that can change the world you live in if you let them. Tepper also has interesting arguments to add to the dialogue on feminism, ecology, and technological advancement; these, too, are impossible to forget, and will keep you thinking and turning new sides of the issues around for a long time. I enthusiastically recommend this novel, and all of Tepper's work, to every intelligent SF reader.

This is a story of bleakness and evil, of peoples caught up in horrible myths and traditions. This story focuses on a confusing array of characters and storylines, on plots and deceptions. It is a terribly black story with little direction. I think I must be missing something here, because I didn't enjoy it.