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A review by elusivity
Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre
4.0
Absorbing story set in a well-realized world. The tale of one lone woman travelling through a harsh land and cultures differentiated by different levels & awareness of technology.
I really appreciated how little info-dump exposition there is in this book. Everything arises from characters interacting with one another, a seemingly off-hand description here and there with no particular fanfare. These seem like genuine thoughts and actions from people who LIVE in their world, with entire lives' knowledge of background info that came to the fore as situation arose, not artificially displayed for some hidden reader /listener.
The world itself, its harshness, the way people lived scrabbling to conserve and re-use every resource, is excellently realized, is thoroughly logically consistent and still beautiful.
I like how the story begins with basic tribe-level subsistence-level life, ignorant of vaccination & complex medicine, then opens up from thereon to hint at greater and greater events, enlarging the scope and complexity of this world. Even though the story remains centered on Snake and her immediate concerns, it is fascinating how knowledg changes one's perspective. If the world is a terrifying and mysterious place to one person who has no understanding of technology, shift the perception to another person who has greater understanding and the very nature of the world shift as well (and we as readers get to experience these shifts first-hand). This happens several times in the novel, and the interaction of characters each with these different levels of understanding is masterfully conveyed.
A story from a master storyteller, told with low-key poetry, and feels as relevant today as it did 40 years ago. Timeless. Highly recommended!
I really appreciated how little info-dump exposition there is in this book. Everything arises from characters interacting with one another, a seemingly off-hand description here and there with no particular fanfare. These seem like genuine thoughts and actions from people who LIVE in their world, with entire lives' knowledge of background info that came to the fore as situation arose, not artificially displayed for some hidden reader /listener.
The world itself, its harshness, the way people lived scrabbling to conserve and re-use every resource, is excellently realized, is thoroughly logically consistent and still beautiful.
I like how the story begins with basic tribe-level subsistence-level life, ignorant of vaccination & complex medicine, then opens up from thereon to hint at greater and greater events, enlarging the scope and complexity of this world. Even though the story remains centered on Snake and her immediate concerns, it is fascinating how knowledg changes one's perspective. If the world is a terrifying and mysterious place to one person who has no understanding of technology, shift the perception to another person who has greater understanding and the very nature of the world shift as well (and we as readers get to experience these shifts first-hand). This happens several times in the novel, and the interaction of characters each with these different levels of understanding is masterfully conveyed.
A story from a master storyteller, told with low-key poetry, and feels as relevant today as it did 40 years ago. Timeless. Highly recommended!