Scan barcode
blairconrad's review against another edition
3.0
Started strong, I thought, but ultimately introduced a few concepts and plot threads that didn't go anywhere, weakening the story. I wanted either more time to develop them, or for them to not have been teased.
lauralauralaura's review against another edition
4.0
I resisted the hell out of reading this book, because the cover art for every edition is corny as hell. And then I really enjoyed this heroes journey; the world building hangs together, the character development (mostly) makes sense, with people making choices that are, on the surface, irrational, and that deeply connect to the values they have. I will read more by this author.
hagbard_celine's review against another edition
4.0
This book has everything. Snake healing! Giant albino villains! Radioactive wastelands!
kynan's review against another edition
3.0
I picked up Dreamsnake when news of the death of its author, Vonda Neel McIntyre, reached me. I had not heard of her but the fact that this novel won a Hugo, Locus AND Nebula award back in the late 70's made me keen to check it out.
Dreamsnake tells the story of the healer "Snake" (there's a reason, albeit not a great one, that she's named that) as she roams post-nuclear-apocalypse Earth somewhen in the far future. The future of Dreamsnake is a similar one to the Star Wars future, wherein lies super-duper advanced technology that can turn snakes into gene-scanning bio-replicators and people do manual genesplicing with microscopes but, at the same time, everyone gets around on horses and spends a bunch of time herding animals in the desert and not being entirely sure how to rise beyond the basic blacksmithing level. It's not the most terrible thing in the world, but I found it a little distracting at times.
Anyway, Snake's been trained up as a healer, equipped with a set of the aforementioned scanner-snakes and is out on-duty, healing all those who require healing. She's out in the desert and attempts to help out a sick child but, whilst dealing with the child, someone with a bit of a snake phobia (that's called ophiophobia it turns out) feels the need to kill the anaesthetic snake, Grass, who was left looking after the child and thus Snake the human becomes a crippled healer, Grass the snake becomes dead and our story kicks off.
Snake goes on a massive guilt-trip about being Grass being killed whilst in her custody because, apart from being a requisite third of the traditional healer triptych of snakes, Grass was also a very rare type of snake the loss of which could lead to the expulsion of Snake from her order. Thus, Snake goes into self-imposed exile whilst trying to work out some way to make amends for the loss of Grass.
What follows is a somewhat whacky set of wanderings through what I felt were somewhat Tolkeinesque landscapes where Snake (the very much good person in this story) proceeds to right all wrongs that she encounters, whilst being a little moody about being 2/3 of a healer.
There's not a whole lot of nuance to the characters: there's Snake, angsty healer and doer of right, doing right to a bunch of naive (or, I feel more likely, realistically-portrayed) villagers turning a blind eye to wrongs that don't directly affect their lives. The right-doing just kinda happens by default as Snake thrashes around attempting to work out how to replace Grass because she's exceptionally even-minded and fair.
Then we have Arevin, the "POW!! You're a love interest character!" whom drops out of the sky at the appropriate time to setup a sub-plot. He's one of the desert dwellers (part of the clan that killed Grass) and who feels that Snake is being overly self-recriminating (correct!) and that his clan is far more to blame than she. He is also instantly besotted with Snake (and vice versa) but there's more angst to this love story and Snake bails on her Grass-replacement adventure while Arevin pines at home...or does he?
There's a pretty big supporting cast after that, but those two are the main plot-bearers, at least until midway through the book when we get a new sub-plot and a couple of characters out of it whom I shan't describe because spoilers.
I found the overall pacing a little bit slow but the last third of the book took a delightfully adventurous and swashbuckling turn as Snake (finally!) takes life by the scruff of the neck and gives it a damn good shake. I was reminded quite a bit of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom actually (which came after this book, just to be clear)!
One other thing to mention, this book was published in 1978 and features a lot of leading female characters, not the least of which is Snake. This doesn't really raise (much) of an eyebrow in these semi-enlightened times but (as confirmed in an interview with Ms McIntyre: https://io9.gizmodo.com/feminism-astronauts-and-riding-sidesaddle-talking-to-30859488) it was very much a thing back then. You can take it in your stride now as just a part of the plot, just another thinking (as opposed to "kill them all") style sci-fi story but if you read enough really old sci-fi then you can see the break from the pattern.
Overall, the story told here is pretty interesting (even if it is a bit circuitous and angsty) and there's a bunch of fun to be had!
Dreamsnake tells the story of the healer "Snake" (there's a reason, albeit not a great one, that she's named that) as she roams post-nuclear-apocalypse Earth somewhen in the far future. The future of Dreamsnake is a similar one to the Star Wars future, wherein lies super-duper advanced technology that can turn snakes into gene-scanning bio-replicators and people do manual genesplicing with microscopes but, at the same time, everyone gets around on horses and spends a bunch of time herding animals in the desert and not being entirely sure how to rise beyond the basic blacksmithing level. It's not the most terrible thing in the world, but I found it a little distracting at times.
Anyway, Snake's been trained up as a healer, equipped with a set of the aforementioned scanner-snakes and is out on-duty, healing all those who require healing. She's out in the desert and attempts to help out a sick child but, whilst dealing with the child, someone with a bit of a snake phobia (that's called ophiophobia it turns out) feels the need to kill the anaesthetic snake, Grass, who was left looking after the child and thus Snake the human becomes a crippled healer, Grass the snake becomes dead and our story kicks off.
Snake goes on a massive guilt-trip about being Grass being killed whilst in her custody because, apart from being a requisite third of the traditional healer triptych of snakes, Grass was also a very rare type of snake the loss of which could lead to the expulsion of Snake from her order. Thus, Snake goes into self-imposed exile whilst trying to work out some way to make amends for the loss of Grass.
What follows is a somewhat whacky set of wanderings through what I felt were somewhat Tolkeinesque landscapes where Snake (the very much good person in this story) proceeds to right all wrongs that she encounters, whilst being a little moody about being 2/3 of a healer.
There's not a whole lot of nuance to the characters: there's Snake, angsty healer and doer of right, doing right to a bunch of naive (or, I feel more likely, realistically-portrayed) villagers turning a blind eye to wrongs that don't directly affect their lives. The right-doing just kinda happens by default as Snake thrashes around attempting to work out how to replace Grass because she's exceptionally even-minded and fair.
Then we have Arevin, the "POW!! You're a love interest character!" whom drops out of the sky at the appropriate time to setup a sub-plot. He's one of the desert dwellers (part of the clan that killed Grass) and who feels that Snake is being overly self-recriminating (correct!) and that his clan is far more to blame than she. He is also instantly besotted with Snake (and vice versa) but there's more angst to this love story and Snake bails on her Grass-replacement adventure while Arevin pines at home...or does he?
There's a pretty big supporting cast after that, but those two are the main plot-bearers, at least until midway through the book when we get a new sub-plot and a couple of characters out of it whom I shan't describe because spoilers.
I found the overall pacing a little bit slow but the last third of the book took a delightfully adventurous and swashbuckling turn as Snake (finally!) takes life by the scruff of the neck and gives it a damn good shake. I was reminded quite a bit of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom actually (which came after this book, just to be clear)!
One other thing to mention, this book was published in 1978 and features a lot of leading female characters, not the least of which is Snake. This doesn't really raise (much) of an eyebrow in these semi-enlightened times but (as confirmed in an interview with Ms McIntyre: https://io9.gizmodo.com/feminism-astronauts-and-riding-sidesaddle-talking-to-30859488) it was very much a thing back then. You can take it in your stride now as just a part of the plot, just another thinking (as opposed to "kill them all") style sci-fi story but if you read enough really old sci-fi then you can see the break from the pattern.
Overall, the story told here is pretty interesting (even if it is a bit circuitous and angsty) and there's a bunch of fun to be had!
kerstincullen's review against another edition
4.0
This award winning classic isn't discussed as much as some other books, but I think worth reading. It's both dated and subversive, sparsely detailed but mostly world building. While feminism and the post-apocalyptic genre has moved on quite a bit since this book was published (being you know, more intersectional), much of this book still feels fresh and relevant today. While this book has some very dark themes (pain, death, child abuse, addiction), ultimately it is uplifting and very human.
saraupsidedown's review against another edition
4.0
Picked this one up in a used book store jam packed with musty paperbacks. My expectations were low but I found it a surprisingly enjoyable read. Yes to women sci-fi authors writing about women (especially in the 70s).
coriandercake's review against another edition
3.0
3/3.5
Interesting premise but I didn't care for the romance.
Interesting premise but I didn't care for the romance.
sci_fi_si's review against another edition
2.0
A little bland and slow moving. Not sure what the point was.
johnazoidberg's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
sparklingreader's review against another edition
5.0
I first read this book back in the 70s and loved it then, reading it now, it is still as fascinating as it was then with great characters and amazing world building. Snake is a great lead character. As a healer in a dystopian society, she travels around with her snakes in what passes for doctors in the distant future. The different people she runs into run the gamut of desert nomad bands to snobbish mountain dwellers to paranoid city dwellers, and even an alien landscape and strange man who attempts to kill her.
Join Snake on her adventures as she travels this new landscape. You won't be sorry.
Join Snake on her adventures as she travels this new landscape. You won't be sorry.