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purepazaak's review against another edition
5.0
the description for this book is ridiculous. every chapter was about her learning a new, completely alien language with a different planetary species. the narrative comes from a scientific point of view and does not focus on the narrator's sexuality whatsoever
theres a couple mentions of her body
theres a huge problem in sci fi where if a woman experiences something, it is read as hyper sexual. this is an important issue to address
THIS BOOK IS ABOUT VISITING AND OBSERVING ALIEN WORLDS WITHOUT BREAKING THE PRIME DIRECTIVE
and unlike star trek the narrator actually TRIES not to break the prime directive
theres a couple mentions of her body
theres a huge problem in sci fi where if a woman experiences something, it is read as hyper sexual. this is an important issue to address
THIS BOOK IS ABOUT VISITING AND OBSERVING ALIEN WORLDS WITHOUT BREAKING THE PRIME DIRECTIVE
and unlike star trek the narrator actually TRIES not to break the prime directive
binge's review against another edition
4.0
Exceedingly imaginative, sensitive and readable science fiction. As is often said of Naomi Mitchison, she brings here key aspects that the genre usually lacks : emotional intelligence and depth of character, therefore opening up a whole a new dimension in which to invent evolutions and changes in space travelling humans and their newfound galactical neighbours. Only downside would be a sometimes dated approach to masculinity and femininity as well as other gender role stereotypes (although sometimes clearly - and clumsily - inverted for effect). Loved it.
paigem's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
eloiseandromeda's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
carllovesbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
djwudi's review
4.0
Really neat thoughtful, hard sci-fi exploring ideas of communication with truly alien intelligences, and the adaptations our society might make when exploring the galaxy while dealing with relativistic time distortion, where explorers may see a few subjective months go by while years pass on Earth. An unexpectely good find in my used book impulse purchasing adventures.
lbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
nelsonminar's review against another edition
3.0
What an odd book! It's basically a collection of short stories, musings on different forms of sentient life and the challenge of communicating with it. Very alien, improbable forms of existence, with an idea of what intelligence is much broader than most sci-fi. Loved the speculative nature of all that.
Also appreciated the perspective of the woman narrator (and author). There's a lot of writing here about motherhood, both a relatively-normal human kind and then this bizarre grafting technology that the story keeps returning to. It's quite moving and unusual and I am glad for it.
Also a bit unsettling. I don't think this was the author's intent but some of the alienness verges into the body horror that Octavia Butler was so great at writing. At least, I imagine Butler got some ideas from here and then ran with them. Neat to see that thread of sci-fi explored, I wish more authors would do it.
(As many reviewers have noted; the synopsis of this book is a weirdly sexist thing that inappropriately highlights erotic elements. There's a bit of that but it's a very minor theme, and most of it is in service to a sci-fi exploration of an interesting form of communication.)
Also appreciated the perspective of the woman narrator (and author). There's a lot of writing here about motherhood, both a relatively-normal human kind and then this bizarre grafting technology that the story keeps returning to. It's quite moving and unusual and I am glad for it.
Also a bit unsettling. I don't think this was the author's intent but some of the alienness verges into the body horror that Octavia Butler was so great at writing. At least, I imagine Butler got some ideas from here and then ran with them. Neat to see that thread of sci-fi explored, I wish more authors would do it.
(As many reviewers have noted; the synopsis of this book is a weirdly sexist thing that inappropriately highlights erotic elements. There's a bit of that but it's a very minor theme, and most of it is in service to a sci-fi exploration of an interesting form of communication.)
kungfusquirrel's review
adventurous
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
3.5