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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
Despite winning a Hugo, Dreamsnake is mostly forgotten and it really shouldn’t be. An immensely underrated book. I haven’t stopped thinking about it more than half a year later.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
First thing I understood about this book is that its narration and language fell very close to my heart, so the whole story was a breeze to read. The setting is very imaginative and a pleasure to discover. Characters are also humane and compassionate, nice to spend time with.
However, the progression of the story felt slightly imbalanced, with too little time dedicated to the final part. Certain story elements surrounding sex are dubious, and the main love story is very weak and kind of unnecessary.
However, the progression of the story felt slightly imbalanced, with too little time dedicated to the final part. Certain story elements surrounding sex are dubious, and the main love story is very weak and kind of unnecessary.
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
hopeful
reflective
sad
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:
No
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I think the setting is very cool. In some ways it's your standard fantasy quest journey - hero rides off on a horse to complete a quest. But the hero is a heroine, the horse is genetically engineered (it's actually sci fi not fantasy), instead of a sword the heroine is a healer carrying a box of snakes, and the quest is a bit meandering. I like all of that! But I think my reading tastes are too modern for this book - at the very least, for most of the book I was astounded at how easily you could tell this was written many decades ago. I'm sure this was incredibly feminist and progressive in the 70s - discussion of birth control (for men and women)? Women with autonomy? Highlighting the issue of sexual assault? Found family communities? Free love mentality? Cool, but also very second-wave feminist.
Things I didn't like:
- Lots of medical trauma/gore descriptions
- Snake pressures Gabriel into having sex with her. AND it's supposed to be a weird mentor moment where she gets him to overcome his fear of sex??
- Insta-love. Really the whole romance. I think the book would have been stronger without that plotline entirely. Erevan (or however you spell his name, I did the audiobook version) could have just not had a role after the first section and that would have been fine
- There's a plot point about how a 15-year-old boy sleeps with a 12-year-old girl. They don't take proper precautions and that's the only reason it's an issue, not their ages.
- Snake has no flaws, aside from being too trusting. She is a talented healer, she rescues and adopts a child in need, she convinces people to follow their dreams, she looks past physical deformities. She is sex-positive, forgiving, kind, blah blah blah
- we have the classic "the albino is the villain" trope, gross
- how easy it was to convince anti-vax people to get vaccinated. if only!
- the implication that Melissa would be essentially disabled if she couldn't enjoy sex. also, I think Snake offers to teach Melissa (a 12 year old girl) about how sex can be enjoyable.... what
Things I didn't like:
- Lots of medical trauma/gore descriptions
- Insta-love. Really the whole romance. I think the book would have been stronger without that plotline entirely. Erevan (or however you spell his name, I did the audiobook version) could have just not had a role after the first section and that would have been fine
- There's a plot point about how a 15-year-old boy sleeps with a 12-year-old girl. They don't take proper precautions and that's the only reason it's an issue, not their ages.
- Snake has no flaws, aside from being too trusting. She is a talented healer, she rescues and adopts a child in need, she convinces people to follow their dreams, she looks past physical deformities. She is sex-positive, forgiving, kind, blah blah blah
- we have the classic "the albino is the villain" trope, gross
- how easy it was to convince anti-vax people to get vaccinated. if only!
- the implication that Melissa would be essentially disabled if she couldn't enjoy sex. also, I think Snake offers to teach Melissa (a 12 year old girl) about how sex can be enjoyable.... what
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes