Marianne, the Matchbox, and the Malachite Mouse
Win, lose, or die.
It started with a most unusual deathbed request from Marianne's Great-aunt Dagma. A matchbox, borrowed ever so long ago, needed returning to its elusive owner, Cattermune. But how and where to find this creature? For Marianne, the clues took the form of a strange game, indeed...
In which reality changes from roll to roll, transforming Marianne into a malachite mouse in a dinosaur zoo... among other things.
In which Cattermune himself is oddly reluctant to receive the matchbox in question, expecting instead a more devastating settlement.
In which the souls of Marianne and her family are the ultimate prize to this malignant being who plays to win - and cheats to conquer.
The name of the game, it appears, is survival.
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Sheri S. Tepper
Sheri Stewart Tepper (1929-2016) was an American writer of science fiction, horror and mystery novels. She was known for feminist science fiction, often with an ecofeminist slant.
She was born Shirley Stewart Douglas near Littleton, Colorado. She has written under several pseudonyms, including A. J. Orde, E. E. Horlak, and B. J. Oliphant.
Stewart recalled she "spent ten years...working all kinds of different jobs" as a single mother of two. She wrote some poetry and children's stories as Sheri S. Eberhart. From 1962 to 1986, she worked for Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood, finally as Executive Director.
Marianne
Marianne consists of three primary books, and includes one additional book that complement the series but is not considered mandatory reads. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
