Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by walkerct
Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre
5.0
Dreamsnake is one of those reading experiences wherein I so thoroughly enjoy the author's worldview that it's hard to separate that enjoyment from my feelings of the book on more objective measures. Simply put, Dreamsnake is one of those novels that drives the Sad and Rapid Puppies crazy. It's a deeply progressive, feminist, and humanistic novel that is far more concerned with the development of the characters and their ideals than with sleek technology action-heavy escapism. It brings to mind the early Hainish novels of Ursula K. Le Guin, particularly [b:Rocannon's World|92610|Rocannon's World|Ursula K. Le Guin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1300039756s/92610.jpg|1357368] and [b:City of Illusions|201889|City of Illusions|Ursula K. Le Guin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1382955526s/201889.jpg|89334]. The science fiction elements provide the scantest backdrop (although the elements that are present are well thought out and intriguing) against which McIntyre plays out a heroic journey that subverts many of my least favorite tropes of both classic science fiction and fantasy.
I don't want to go too deeply into the plot for fear of spoiling the experience, but I did want to share some things that I particularly loved about the book.
1. I love the way sex and sexuality is handled in the novel. Rarely have I read fiction wherein the characters so openly and thoughtfully discuss things like consent and birth control. Moreover, it brings to light the problems that cultural shame, ignorance, and inaccurate information can have on both the sex lives of individuals and the healthy functioning of a society. Add to that the fact that book doesn't erase the existence of various and fluid sexual identification.
2. It doesn't conflate action and suspense with mindless physical violence and exploitation. Sometimes I just get exhausted by the sheer amount of violence (physical, emotional, sexual) that takes place in genre fiction. It was refreshing to see that McIntyre was able to make a thoroughly exciting book that didn't devolve into endless laser battles or sword fights.
3. The hero wasn't a superhero with an endless array of powers. Snake is smart and resourceful, without a doubt, and her training ups some of her abilities related to healing and endurance, but for the most part she is a normal person. She isn't stronger than ten people and trained in hand-to-hand combat. She doesn't have a jetpack, blaster pistol, and utility belt full of goodies. She's not even a princess or the daughter of some galactic emperor. Even her power with snakes isn't some magical, mystical endeavor. Rather it's about what you would expect given a solid upbringing and training within a certain tradition. This not only forces her to use many different practical considerations to solve her problems, but it makes her much more relatable of a character.
4. The world doesn't fall into the trap of an unredeemable dystopia or an impossibly perfect utopia. As a related point, the "good" characters have believable faults and blind spots and the "bad" characters have complex motivations behind their actions. The world, though largely pre-industrial, is markedly more liberal on a number of measures, particularly involving sexuality. However, McIntyre shows that, despite this, inequality, greed, abuse, and many other societal ills have not fallen by the wayside.
Dreamsnake is one of the relatively few novels to have one both the Hugo and Nebula award for best novel, and McIntyre was only the second woman to accomplish this feat (after Le Guin). Though it was first published in 1978, it is just as resonant and relevant to today's world (one of the true markers of a great book, in my opinion.) Highly recommended!
I don't want to go too deeply into the plot for fear of spoiling the experience, but I did want to share some things that I particularly loved about the book.
1. I love the way sex and sexuality is handled in the novel. Rarely have I read fiction wherein the characters so openly and thoughtfully discuss things like consent and birth control. Moreover, it brings to light the problems that cultural shame, ignorance, and inaccurate information can have on both the sex lives of individuals and the healthy functioning of a society. Add to that the fact that book doesn't erase the existence of various and fluid sexual identification.
2. It doesn't conflate action and suspense with mindless physical violence and exploitation. Sometimes I just get exhausted by the sheer amount of violence (physical, emotional, sexual) that takes place in genre fiction. It was refreshing to see that McIntyre was able to make a thoroughly exciting book that didn't devolve into endless laser battles or sword fights.
3. The hero wasn't a superhero with an endless array of powers. Snake is smart and resourceful, without a doubt, and her training ups some of her abilities related to healing and endurance, but for the most part she is a normal person. She isn't stronger than ten people and trained in hand-to-hand combat. She doesn't have a jetpack, blaster pistol, and utility belt full of goodies. She's not even a princess or the daughter of some galactic emperor. Even her power with snakes isn't some magical, mystical endeavor. Rather it's about what you would expect given a solid upbringing and training within a certain tradition. This not only forces her to use many different practical considerations to solve her problems, but it makes her much more relatable of a character.
4. The world doesn't fall into the trap of an unredeemable dystopia or an impossibly perfect utopia. As a related point, the "good" characters have believable faults and blind spots and the "bad" characters have complex motivations behind their actions. The world, though largely pre-industrial, is markedly more liberal on a number of measures, particularly involving sexuality. However, McIntyre shows that, despite this, inequality, greed, abuse, and many other societal ills have not fallen by the wayside.
Dreamsnake is one of the relatively few novels to have one both the Hugo and Nebula award for best novel, and McIntyre was only the second woman to accomplish this feat (after Le Guin). Though it was first published in 1978, it is just as resonant and relevant to today's world (one of the true markers of a great book, in my opinion.) Highly recommended!