A review by barnstormingbooks
Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre

5.0

The 1979 Hugo Award for best novel DreamSnake holds up decently well. In a post apocalyptic world where a healer armed with the knowledge somewhere between magic and science travels the deserts on her tiger pony armed with three poisonous snakes she can control to heal the ill. The science fiction is believable, the themes of family, care, healing and love in all its forms are powerful. 

The characters (especially the females) are the heart and soul of this book. Challenging ideas of women’s work and women’s roles in society, as well as the right to be a mother or not in all of the definitions of motherhood. 

McIntyre sets all of the deeper themes against a travel adventure over landscapes and challenges that push the characters to their limits, keeping the reader on the page.