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zober's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
I think the setting is very cool. In some ways it's your standard fantasy quest journey - hero rides off on a horse to complete a quest. But the hero is a heroine, the horse is genetically engineered (it's actually sci fi not fantasy), instead of a sword the heroine is a healer carrying a box of snakes, and the quest is a bit meandering. I like all of that! But I think my reading tastes are too modern for this book - at the very least, for most of the book I was astounded at how easily you could tell this was written many decades ago. I'm sure this was incredibly feminist and progressive in the 70s - discussion of birth control (for men and women)? Women with autonomy? Highlighting the issue of sexual assault? Found family communities? Free love mentality? Cool, but also very second-wave feminist.
Things I didn't like:
- Lots of medical trauma/gore descriptions
- Snake pressures Gabriel into having sex with her. AND it's supposed to be a weird mentor moment where she gets him to overcome his fear of sex??
- Insta-love. Really the whole romance. I think the book would have been stronger without that plotline entirely. Erevan (or however you spell his name, I did the audiobook version) could have just not had a role after the first section and that would have been fine
- There's a plot point about how a 15-year-old boy sleeps with a 12-year-old girl. They don't take proper precautions and that's the only reason it's an issue, not their ages.
- Snake has no flaws, aside from being too trusting. She is a talented healer, she rescues and adopts a child in need, she convinces people to follow their dreams, she looks past physical deformities. She is sex-positive, forgiving, kind, blah blah blah
- we have the classic "the albino is the villain" trope, gross
- how easy it was to convince anti-vax people to get vaccinated. if only!
- the implication that Melissa would be essentially disabled if she couldn't enjoy sex. also, I think Snake offers to teach Melissa (a 12 year old girl) about how sex can be enjoyable.... what
Things I didn't like:
- Lots of medical trauma/gore descriptions
- Insta-love. Really the whole romance. I think the book would have been stronger without that plotline entirely. Erevan (or however you spell his name, I did the audiobook version) could have just not had a role after the first section and that would have been fine
- There's a plot point about how a 15-year-old boy sleeps with a 12-year-old girl. They don't take proper precautions and that's the only reason it's an issue, not their ages.
- Snake has no flaws, aside from being too trusting. She is a talented healer, she rescues and adopts a child in need, she convinces people to follow their dreams, she looks past physical deformities. She is sex-positive, forgiving, kind, blah blah blah
- we have the classic "the albino is the villain" trope, gross
- how easy it was to convince anti-vax people to get vaccinated. if only!
- the implication that Melissa would be essentially disabled if she couldn't enjoy sex. also, I think Snake offers to teach Melissa (a 12 year old girl) about how sex can be enjoyable.... what
mouthoflethe's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bonhoefferfan's review against another edition
5.0
I adored this book. It had so many things that I love in science fiction. But what truly struck me the most was how very different and unique it was in what issues it addressed.
For example, how often do we run into -anything- about men having difficulties with sex in science fiction? Especially when those difficulties are not something like "He's ugly so he can't get with a hot woman"? I mean, I was absolutely blown away by the discussion of Gabriel's difficulty with control, whether it was meant as a possible euphemism for something more explicit or not. Just having that part of the story exist made it wonderfully unique, and, frankly, intimate in a way that I have rarely experienced in a book. As a reader, I hugely appreciated Snake's handling of the situation as well as the way it all played out.
Then, there's the story right alongside that with Melissa, which not only addresses another serious issue but also does it in a way that provides a child with genuine agency. After Snake rescues Melissa, they have a rather lengthy conversation about what happens next. And Snake actually listens to the 12-year-old child and grants that this child might have reasons for wanting something. I cannot say how huge that is for me to encounter in science fiction. Children are generally either prodigies with near (or actual) divine powers or essentially props for adults. Here, Melissa is granted space to have agency.
Really, this made me think of the book in strongly feminist terms, which apparently is not unwarranted given McIntyre's history so far as I can tell on Wiki. It's not only adult women given autonomy and action in this world. It's girls whose opinions are valued and who even manage to change the mind of an adult. It's a beautiful moment, and one that basically made this a 5 star read for me almost immediately.
I haven't even mentioned McIntyre's handling of the city and the hints of "offworlders," or the deft handling of the Dreamsnake problem itself. All of these were things I loved--the limited perspective, the hints of hard sci-fi in my Mad Max-like book, etc.
I honestly thought this was a very mature story. It was filled with themes that inspired me to think about them for some time afterwards.
Overall, I was enraptured by this book. It's going on my list of all-time favorites.
For example, how often do we run into -anything- about men having difficulties with sex in science fiction? Especially when those difficulties are not something like "He's ugly so he can't get with a hot woman"? I mean, I was absolutely blown away by the discussion of Gabriel's difficulty with control, whether it was meant as a possible euphemism for something more explicit or not. Just having that part of the story exist made it wonderfully unique, and, frankly, intimate in a way that I have rarely experienced in a book. As a reader, I hugely appreciated Snake's handling of the situation as well as the way it all played out.
Then, there's the story right alongside that with Melissa, which not only addresses another serious issue but also does it in a way that provides a child with genuine agency. After Snake rescues Melissa, they have a rather lengthy conversation about what happens next. And Snake actually listens to the 12-year-old child and grants that this child might have reasons for wanting something. I cannot say how huge that is for me to encounter in science fiction. Children are generally either prodigies with near (or actual) divine powers or essentially props for adults. Here, Melissa is granted space to have agency.
Really, this made me think of the book in strongly feminist terms, which apparently is not unwarranted given McIntyre's history so far as I can tell on Wiki. It's not only adult women given autonomy and action in this world. It's girls whose opinions are valued and who even manage to change the mind of an adult. It's a beautiful moment, and one that basically made this a 5 star read for me almost immediately.
I haven't even mentioned McIntyre's handling of the city and the hints of "offworlders," or the deft handling of the Dreamsnake problem itself. All of these were things I loved--the limited perspective, the hints of hard sci-fi in my Mad Max-like book, etc.
I honestly thought this was a very mature story. It was filled with themes that inspired me to think about them for some time afterwards.
Overall, I was enraptured by this book. It's going on my list of all-time favorites.
seanakadug's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
yopoydan_kirjat's review against another edition
4.0
Unikäärme on mainio feministinen klassikko, joka sijoittuu postapokalyptiseen maailmaan. Ydinsota on pyyhkäissyt maailman ylitse ja ihmiset ovat hajaantuneet pieniin heimoihin tai sulkeutuneet omiin kaupunkeihinsa. Parantaja nimeltään Käärme kulkee eri ihmisryhmien luona, välillä ylittäen vaarallisia aavikoita ja hoitaa heidän sairaitaan sekä rokottaa heitä mm. jäykkäkouristusta vastaan.
Kun Käärmeen apulainen, unikäärme nimeltään Ruoho tapetaan, alkaa kuumeinen seikkailu. Kukaan ei tiedä, kuinka unikäärmeet lisääntyvät, mutta eräässä kaupungissa on maan ulkopuolelta kotoisin olevia olentoja, joilla voisi olla niitä. Parantajien ei tosin ole koskaan sallittu astua tuon suljetun kaupungin sisälle. Käärmeen on saatava Ruohon tilalle uusi unikäärme tai ei voi kutsua itseään enää parantajaksi. Matkan aikana Käärme tapaa kauniita miehiä ja itsekkäitä ihmisiä, hän harrastaa suostumuksellista seksiä ja pelastaa lapsen, jonka adoptoi. Samaan aikaan eräs mies etsii häntä. Mies, josta Käärme uneksii.
Unikäärmeen maailma on huima. Tässä on selvästi polyamorisia perheryhmiä, useamman aikuisen kumppanusliittoja. Ihmiset ovat kehittäneet keinoja säädellä omaa lisääntymistään muuttamalla kehonsa osien lämpötilaa. Käärme on immuuni useimmille sairauksille sekä käärmeiden puremille, minkä vuoksi hän - kuten parantajat lähes aina - on steriili. Parantajat adoptoivat lapsensa ja kutsuvat kaikkia joukossaan tasa-arvoisesti perheekseen. Ei ihme, että tämä on ollut Otherwise -retropalkintoehdokkaana.
Tämän soisi olla tunnetumpikin. Pidin tästä enemmän kuin Atwoodin Oryx ja Crakesta (molemmissa on geenimanipulaatiota). Harmillisesti käännökseen on jäänyt paljon kirjoitusvirheitä (lisäksi osa sanoista puuttui osin tai kokonaan), etenkin viimeiseen kolmannekseen, mikä luultavimmin kertoo kiireestä.
Kun Käärmeen apulainen, unikäärme nimeltään Ruoho tapetaan, alkaa kuumeinen seikkailu. Kukaan ei tiedä, kuinka unikäärmeet lisääntyvät, mutta eräässä kaupungissa on maan ulkopuolelta kotoisin olevia olentoja, joilla voisi olla niitä. Parantajien ei tosin ole koskaan sallittu astua tuon suljetun kaupungin sisälle. Käärmeen on saatava Ruohon tilalle uusi unikäärme tai ei voi kutsua itseään enää parantajaksi. Matkan aikana Käärme tapaa kauniita miehiä ja itsekkäitä ihmisiä, hän harrastaa suostumuksellista seksiä ja pelastaa lapsen, jonka adoptoi. Samaan aikaan eräs mies etsii häntä. Mies, josta Käärme uneksii.
Unikäärmeen maailma on huima. Tässä on selvästi polyamorisia perheryhmiä, useamman aikuisen kumppanusliittoja. Ihmiset ovat kehittäneet keinoja säädellä omaa lisääntymistään muuttamalla kehonsa osien lämpötilaa. Käärme on immuuni useimmille sairauksille sekä käärmeiden puremille, minkä vuoksi hän - kuten parantajat lähes aina - on steriili. Parantajat adoptoivat lapsensa ja kutsuvat kaikkia joukossaan tasa-arvoisesti perheekseen. Ei ihme, että tämä on ollut Otherwise -retropalkintoehdokkaana.
Tämän soisi olla tunnetumpikin. Pidin tästä enemmän kuin Atwoodin Oryx ja Crakesta (molemmissa on geenimanipulaatiota). Harmillisesti käännökseen on jäänyt paljon kirjoitusvirheitä (lisäksi osa sanoista puuttui osin tai kokonaan), etenkin viimeiseen kolmannekseen, mikä luultavimmin kertoo kiireestä.
books_and_keys's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
timbo001's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
squiggly_cj's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Thanks Ursula Le Guin for the recommendation! I enjoyed the fluid and open sexuality of the setting, and was particularly struck by how the book was set in the future (post-nuclear warfare and genetic engineering) but still felt so human and tangible