artisticonny's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
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? No
4.0
Liked it much more during the beginning, middle. The scientific differences here were great and I loved them
ALSO??? EVERYONE BEING POLYAMOROUS?? THE HEALERS IN THIS BOOK?? GOOD SHIT THATS SOME GOOD SHIT I TELL YOU
ALSO??? EVERYONE BEING POLYAMOROUS?? THE HEALERS IN THIS BOOK?? GOOD SHIT THATS SOME GOOD SHIT I TELL YOU
frederica49's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
Great author.
jkwriting24's review
adventurous
reflective
slow-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? It's complicated
4.75
kathrat's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
bleepbloop's review against another edition
adventurous
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, and Pedophilia
lisalark's review against another edition
4.0
I quite liked this one. To me it feels like classic 1970s Science Fiction, the kind that actually has staying power. The main character, Snake, has a clear voice and is very sympathetic while human and fallible. The plot points around health and genetics are really fascinating and fairly prescient in many ways.
If you like class SF, don't miss this one. Really beautifully written and a fully formed world in only about 300 pages.
Also now I want pet poisonous snakes.
If you like class SF, don't miss this one. Really beautifully written and a fully formed world in only about 300 pages.
Also now I want pet poisonous snakes.
jennykeery's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
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? No
5.0
melaninny's review against another edition
4.0
Part of an unofficial book club in which we read the books that have won both the Hugo AND Nebula, as featured in this article:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/sci-fi-fantasy/the-novels-that-won-both-the-hugo-and-nebula-awards-ranked/
--
We're reading in article order, which means the author of said article thinks this one was the "worst" of the award winners.
If this is the worst, then I am highly looking forward to the next ones on the list. This book was equal parts eerie, immersive, and interesting. Having recently acquired a pet snake, I was ready for this to be some sort of weird fantasy with unrealistic snake magic. Instead it was post-apocalyptic science fiction and the snakes are portrayed (very accurately) as fairly brainless, relatively untrainable animals.
The plot... meanders. The pacing was definitely odd, not always in a way I disliked, just in a way that I was unaccustomed to. Our book club had trouble agreeing on why it was so odd or what would have made it better. One of us wished that it was longer and the first in a series, and I do agree that some of the world-building would make more sense if there were more books to come. Since it was written in 1978, that is clearly not the case.
I also enjoyed how progressive Dreamsnake was for its time. Is this the time period the rabid puppies want to return to? Because this book follows a female lead, a healer, on her journey. She is both soft and independent as a character, feminine and bold, and she doesn't wait around to be saved in the end. Peppered with details like the men being in charge of caring for the babies once they're born, and the odd use of "bio-control" birth control that requires both men and women to take equal responsibility for their reproductive health, and you have a complex look at gender roles transposed on a science fiction backdrop.
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/sci-fi-fantasy/the-novels-that-won-both-the-hugo-and-nebula-awards-ranked/
--
We're reading in article order, which means the author of said article thinks this one was the "worst" of the award winners.
If this is the worst, then I am highly looking forward to the next ones on the list. This book was equal parts eerie, immersive, and interesting. Having recently acquired a pet snake, I was ready for this to be some sort of weird fantasy with unrealistic snake magic. Instead it was post-apocalyptic science fiction and the snakes are portrayed (very accurately) as fairly brainless, relatively untrainable animals.
The plot... meanders. The pacing was definitely odd, not always in a way I disliked, just in a way that I was unaccustomed to. Our book club had trouble agreeing on why it was so odd or what would have made it better. One of us wished that it was longer and the first in a series, and I do agree that some of the world-building would make more sense if there were more books to come. Since it was written in 1978, that is clearly not the case.
I also enjoyed how progressive Dreamsnake was for its time. Is this the time period the rabid puppies want to return to? Because this book follows a female lead, a healer, on her journey. She is both soft and independent as a character, feminine and bold, and she doesn't wait around to be saved in the end. Peppered with details like the men being in charge of caring for the babies once they're born, and the odd use of "bio-control" birth control that requires both men and women to take equal responsibility for their reproductive health, and you have a complex look at gender roles transposed on a science fiction backdrop.