A review by cordial75
Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.5

Dreamsnake lured me in with its Nebula/Hugo double award, but I just didn't enjoy it. It's a novel expanded from an acclaimed short story, but, I think it should have stayed a short story. There were very few insights. The plot meandered from go this story  to trying to get more magic snakes -  a fetch quest. I don't think it aged well? The fetch quest, in the 2020s, as an RPG player, makes me sigh. I can say the world is pretty interesting. The concept of healers as snake-handlers has an allure and a beautiful aesthetic. This book covered some dark themes, but it just felt like it was there for shock factor to me. The ending was quick and predictable and tidy. When sci-fi was a new genre, I can see this making a splash as a Conan the Barbarian equivalent for women to feel less like cardboard - to press inclusivity into the genre - but it just doesn't hold up to the quality of sci-fi we have now.
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