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zephonsacriel 's review for:
The Snow Queen
by Joan D. Vinge
This is one of those books that is long, is a long a journey, and when you're done you're just like "Wow...what a ride."
Update 1/11/21: Since this review is getting likes again, I thought I should add some info I forgot to add when I original wrote the review. Winner of the 1981 Hugo Award for Best Novel, The Snow Queen tells the story of Moon Dawntreader Summer, a young woman from the planet Tiamat who is training to become a sibyl among her people, the Summers; a people who are a bit fearful of advance technology. Tiamat is currently ruled by Arienrhod, the Snow Queen, and thus Winter dominates Tiamat not only environmentally, but culturally and socially as well. Arienrhod's rule has lasted 150 years due to her ingesting of the water of life, a substance taken from the native nautical life of Tiamat. Not only that, Winter is more technologically advanced than the Summers, but it is far form being a utopia.
Moon along with her cousin-lover Sparks train to become sibyls, but only Moon achieves this. Sparks leaves for the capital to seek answers about his unknown father and to find a new path in life. After being robbed, The Snow Queen takes him in and psychologically manipulates him into being her new prime lover, doing away with her original lover Starbuck. It is soon revealed that Moon is actually a clone of Arienrhod--the only surviving one--and that the Change is coming; in which Summer will finally take over from Winter via a literal sacrifice of the Snow Queen. Thus Arienrhod attempts to find Moon and use her as an extension of her life, but Moon escapes Tiamat into a journey that will uncover the history and mystery of the sibyls.
Also, I am upset with myself that in my original review I forgot to mention the police woman Jerusha PalaThion, probably one of the best characters. She's trying to unravel the mystery of the Snow Queen and keep Tiamat from falling into disarray, but the Snow Queen's manipulations get in the way. This the end of the update editions, everything else below is the original review.
The Snow Queen wasn't perfect. Some scenes went on for too long, the romances had some hitches (but were far from being the worse romances I've seen), and I felt at times that Joan D. Vigne over explained some things. But other than that, it was a very enjoyable read. What surprised me the most is the lush writing that Vigne often employed. I'd expect that for a short novella or something, but in a full-length sci-fi novel? I was surprised at how well it fit.
Vigne had some amazing ideas that she played out well and, unlike some other sci-fi works that dealt with the topics she did, there was care and nuance. Even our main heroes and heroines had questionable actions, although this book is far from being anything grimdark or grey-morality tone.
All in all, I really enjoyed this! I will read The Summer Queen at some point, but now my brain needs a break.
Thanks for the ride, Joan!
Update 1/11/21: Since this review is getting likes again, I thought I should add some info I forgot to add when I original wrote the review. Winner of the 1981 Hugo Award for Best Novel, The Snow Queen tells the story of Moon Dawntreader Summer, a young woman from the planet Tiamat who is training to become a sibyl among her people, the Summers; a people who are a bit fearful of advance technology. Tiamat is currently ruled by Arienrhod, the Snow Queen, and thus Winter dominates Tiamat not only environmentally, but culturally and socially as well. Arienrhod's rule has lasted 150 years due to her ingesting of the water of life, a substance taken from the native nautical life of Tiamat. Not only that, Winter is more technologically advanced than the Summers, but it is far form being a utopia.
Moon along with her cousin-lover Sparks train to become sibyls, but only Moon achieves this. Sparks leaves for the capital to seek answers about his unknown father and to find a new path in life. After being robbed, The Snow Queen takes him in and psychologically manipulates him into being her new prime lover, doing away with her original lover Starbuck. It is soon revealed that Moon is actually a clone of Arienrhod--the only surviving one--and that the Change is coming; in which Summer will finally take over from Winter via a literal sacrifice of the Snow Queen. Thus Arienrhod attempts to find Moon and use her as an extension of her life, but Moon escapes Tiamat into a journey that will uncover the history and mystery of the sibyls.
Also, I am upset with myself that in my original review I forgot to mention the police woman Jerusha PalaThion, probably one of the best characters. She's trying to unravel the mystery of the Snow Queen and keep Tiamat from falling into disarray, but the Snow Queen's manipulations get in the way. This the end of the update editions, everything else below is the original review.
The Snow Queen wasn't perfect. Some scenes went on for too long, the romances had some hitches (but were far from being the worse romances I've seen), and I felt at times that Joan D. Vigne over explained some things. But other than that, it was a very enjoyable read. What surprised me the most is the lush writing that Vigne often employed. I'd expect that for a short novella or something, but in a full-length sci-fi novel? I was surprised at how well it fit.
Vigne had some amazing ideas that she played out well and, unlike some other sci-fi works that dealt with the topics she did, there was care and nuance. Even our main heroes and heroines had questionable actions, although this book is far from being anything grimdark or grey-morality tone.
All in all, I really enjoyed this! I will read The Summer Queen at some point, but now my brain needs a break.
Thanks for the ride, Joan!