From Publishers Weekly
Fans will hail Hugo nominee Tepper's latest (after 2002's The Visitor), with its compelling story of an ordinary woman flung into extraordinary circumstances, but interesting ideas left undeveloped, awkward transitions from first to third person and unfair withholding of information may annoy others. Earth, incredibly overcrowded, has passed a new law prohibiting nonhuman life on the planet. Jewel Delis, dog keeper and member of an underground animal-rights group, wrangles her way to the planet Moss with several dogs, ostensibly to help her unpleasant half brother Paul, a linguist, figure out the peculiar language of the planet's varied inhabitants. Jewel finds Moss every bit as odd as advertised, with strange and dangerous plants, fantastic dances performed by creatures that may or may not be intelligent, and a group of humans descended from the crew of a spaceship that crash-landed years earlier. But figuring out how the Mossen communicate is only the beginning, as Jewel and her dogs get sucked into a portal, where Moss, Mars, the dogs, a missing alien race and Jewel's ex-husband collide. As usual in this author's novels, overt themes of ecology and feminism combine with thrilling mystery, and just as typically, a deus ex machina-here aliens stepping in to save the day-makes for a less than emotionally satisfying ending. Still, Tepper talks about important issues, besides excelling at world-building and at creating strong and independent characters. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Tepper's new grand-space opera contains a mysterious planet that may or may not bear intelligent life but does host the remains of a fleet of Earth ships; several predatory cultures, human and alien; an implausible law that will eliminate all nonhuman animal life on Earth; and a heroine who is a true speaker to animals and is trying to find a refuge for them. The good guys are larger than life, the bad guys smaller (whining rather than bold villains), and everything in the book comes together in a magnificent climax. The profeminist, antimale, antireligious didacticism that marks so much of Tepper's work is present in full measure, but so is her extremely fine writing. Tepper's command of language and characterization should have readers busily turning pages right up to the climax, even if, now and then, they will want to install earplugs to soften the shrieking of axes being ground. Oh, well, Tepper's hefty following will happily receive this book, which, neophytes should be advised, isn't the ideal introduction to her. Frieda Murray
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description

Three planets have been recently discovered in deep space, and prosaically named to reflect their respective environments. Jungle, lush and foreboding, swallowed up an eleven-member exploratory team more than a decade earlier, while hot, harsh, and dusty Stone turned out to be phenomenally rich in rare ore, the most profitable new world to be found in a century. But it is the third, Moss, that could well prove to be the most enigmatic . . . and dangerous.

Enlisted by the Planetary Protection Institute -- an organization founded to assess new worlds for potential development and profit -- famed linguist Paul Delis has come to Moss to determine whether the strange multicolored shapes of dancing light observed on the planet's surface are evidence of intelligent life. With Delis is his half sister, Jewel, the wife of one of the explorers lost on Jungle. Working together, they are to determine the true nature of the “Mossen” and decipher the strange "language" that accompanies the phenomenon.

Yet the great mysteries of this bucolic world -- three-quarters covered in wind-sculpted, ever-shifting moss -- don't end with the inexplicable illuminations; there is the puzzle of the rusting remains of a lost fleet of Earth ships, moldering on a distant plateau. Perhaps the biggest question mark is Jewel Delis herself and her mission here at the far reaches of the galaxy. Leaving an overpopulated homeworld that is rapidly becoming depleted of the raw materials needed for human survival, Jewel is a member of a radical underground group opposing a recent government edict that will eliminate all of the planet's “nonessential” living inhabitants. And it is here, at the universe's unexplored edge, where the fate of endangered creatures may ultimately be decided -- though it will mean defying ruthless and unforgiving ruling powers to repair humankind's disintegrating relationship with the beasts of the Earth.


About the Author
Sheri S. Tepper is the author of several resoundingly acclaimed novels, including The Fresco, Singer from the Sea, Six Moon Dance, The Family Tree, Gibbon's Decline and Fall, Shadow's End, A Plague of Angels, Sideshow and Beauty, which was voted Best Fantasy Novel of the Year by the readers of Locus magazine. Ms. Tepper lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Three planets have been recently discovered in deep space, and prosaically named to reflect their respective environments. Jungle, lush and foreboding, swallowed up an eleven-member exploratory team more than a decade earlier, while hot, harsh, and dusty Stone turned out to be phenomenally rich in rare ore, the most profitable new world to be found in a century. But it is the third, Moss, that could well prove to the the most enigmatic...and dangerous.

Enlisted by the Planetary Protection Institute - an organization founded to assess new worlds for potential development and profit-famed linguist Paul Delis has come to Moss to determine whether the strange multicolored shapes of dancing light observed on the planet's surface are evidence of intelligent life. With Delis is his half sister, Jewel, the wife of one of the explorers lost on Jungle. Working together, they are to determine the true nature of the "Mossen" and decipher the strange "language" that accompanies the phenomenon.

Yet the great mysteries of this bucolic world - three-quarters covered in wind-sculpted, ever-shifting moss - don't end with the inexplicable illuminations; there is the puzzle of the rusting remains of a lost fleet of Earth ships, moldering on a distant plateau. Perhaps the biggest question mark is Jewel Delis herself and her mission here at the far reaches of the galaxy. Leaving an overpopulated homeworld that is rapidly becoming depleted of the raw materials needed for human survival, Jewel is a member of a radical underground group opposing a recent government edict that will eliminate all of the planet's "nonessential" living inhabitants. And it is here, at the universe's unexplored edge, where thefate of endangered creatures may ultimately be decided - though it will mean defying ruthless and unforgiving ruling powers to repair humankind's disintegrating relationship with the beasts of the Earth.

FROM THE CRITICS

The Washington Post

Tepper is admired for the astonishing revelations she springs on her readers, the most famous of these occurring in Grass and The Family Tree. The Companions delivers many epiphanies, not all pleasant -- the one at the end is a real horror -- and its conclusion is the author's most satisfying yet. — Fiona Kelleghan

Publishers Weekly

Fans will hail Hugo nominee Tepper's latest (after 2002's The Visitor), with its compelling story of an ordinary woman flung into extraordinary circumstances, but interesting ideas left undeveloped, awkward transitions from first to third person and unfair withholding of information may annoy others. Earth, incredibly overcrowded, has passed a new law prohibiting nonhuman life on the planet. Jewel Delis, dog keeper and member of an underground animal-rights group, wrangles her way to the planet Moss with several dogs, ostensibly to help her unpleasant half brother Paul, a linguist, figure out the peculiar language of the planet's varied inhabitants. Jewel finds Moss every bit as odd as advertised, with strange and dangerous plants, fantastic dances performed by creatures that may or may not be intelligent, and a group of humans descended from the crew of a spaceship that crash-landed years earlier. But figuring out how the Mossen communicate is only the beginning, as Jewel and her dogs get sucked into a portal, where Moss, Mars, the dogs, a missing alien race and Jewel's ex-husband collide. As usual in this author's novels, overt themes of ecology and feminism combine with thrilling mystery, and just as typically, a deus ex machina-here aliens stepping in to save the day-makes for a less than emotionally satisfying ending. Still, Tepper talks about important issues, besides excelling at world-building and at creating strong and independent characters. (Sept. 2) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

VOYA - Timothy Capehart

Twenty-eighth-century Earth is covered with interconnected towers. There is no green space, and an organization called In God's Image-Humans First and Only wants to ensure that there are no animals taking up precious resources. Arkists are attempting to save Earth plants and animals by buying out-of-the-way planets and seeding them with Earth flora and fauna. Jewel Delis, unbeknownst to her unbalanced but gifted linguist brother, Paul, is an Arkist and an employee of the Exploration and Survey Corps. Sand, Jungle, and Moss, recently discovered planets, might be inhabited by intelligent life-or not. Paul is sent to find out whether there is a native intelligent species, and he takes Jewel along as a gofer. He, of course, does not know that she has a mission of her own that involves the dogs that she insists travel with her. Meanwhile the Orskimi, an alien race, are planning to start a war between the Derac and the humans to take over the planets belonging to both races. This summary just scratches the surface of this wonderfully complex, issue- and character-driven science fiction novel. All the plots and plotting are drawn together in a satisfying and realistic conclusion that will surprise some and leave a knowing smile on the faces of others. Although not a purchase for those libraries with a small young adult collection budget, this adult title should be kept in mind for SF fans as well as budding feminists and animal rights activists. It should be short-listed for Hugo and Nebula awards. VOYA CODES: 5Q 3P S A/YA (Hard to imagine it being any better written; Will appeal with pushing; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12; Adult-marketed book recommended for Young Adults). 2003,Eos/HarperCollins, 462p., Ages 15 to Adult.

Library Journal

The planet Moss holds many mysteries for the two human groups sent to survey the planet and assess its potential for human colonization and profit. Accompanying her linguist brother, Paul, Jewel Delis has her own agenda for exploring Moss. As a member of the "arkist" movement, she seeks hospitable planets to provide homes for Earth's animal population, now threatened with extinction as the planet's government seeks to make room for the growing human population. As Jewel and her specially bred companion dogs explore the planet's surface, they uncover the world's true indigenous population, as well as a hidden group of humans descended from colonists stranded there generations ago. Each group holds secrets that, when put together, reveal an immediate threat from a long-forgotten race of technologically advanced predators. Tepper (The Visitor) once again confronts timely issues-in this case, the potential conflict between animal rights and human survival-with sensitivity and imagination. Her characters, whether human, animal, or alien, resonate with realism, while her imagined worlds come to vivid life as more than simply background. Highly recommended. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews