Reviews

Il serpente dell'oblio by Vonda N. McIntyre

ultimatecryptid's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Dreamsnake absolutely SKYROCKETED up my favorites list. I adored the ingenious worldbuilding, the emotional stakes, the interesting and unique characterization, and the realization at the end was foreshadowed well enough that I felt very clever when I realized what had happened.

Snake is a hugely interesting character, and her absolute willingness to interact with people on their own grounds was so admirable. Her emotional connections with her snakes, with Melissa, with Arevin, and with all the others she met werre beautifully written.

slategrey's review against another edition

4.0

4.5 out of 5

mymidnightheart's review against another edition

4.0

Fantastic concept, well executed. The pacing dragged in the middle, but the brilliance of the opening and the conclusion convinced me it deserved 4 stars.

mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition

4.0

I remembered liking this and thinking it was one of typically very good Nebula award winners that I had been reading all in a row. But I didn't remember anything else so everything about this felt completely new. And later on reading pretty much everything Vonda McIntyre had written and wishing there was more.

I re-read this now because there will be a panel discussion on Dreamsnake at Sasquan. But after reading a bunch of lousy books it was a nice change to read a really good one. So what's good about this one? The pacing is great - almost no exposition, no intro - and yet you learn about Snake's world on every page. And it is not the same as our world. The technology is different as are the social practices. And each place we go to is different. And the characters are real and different from each other. And the idea of the snakes as med-kit is crazy but rings true. Even the length is a good one - very little padding. And we never do learn if it is an after-the-day or failed colonization or whatever, and it doesn't matter that we don't. Worth reading. 4.5 of 5.

spinnerroweok's review against another edition

3.0

Snake healer story from the 1970s seems to be a metaphor for modern-day opioid drug abuse. Interesting.

jcpinckney's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

elisahec's review against another edition

adventurous challenging fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

jonmhansen's review against another edition

4.0

It has a very languid feel. I read another review of it recently that described the plot as meandering like a snake; I would agreed to that. It's a good read. Surprising it's not currently in print.

halieh's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

5.0

sortabadass's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful inspiring mysterious tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse

Minor: Pedophilia