Reviews

The Snow Queen by Joan D. Vinge

accidentalspaceexplorer's review against another edition

3.75

I started reading this and got about 70 pages in and wasn't vibing with it much. I put it down for about a week, picked it up again and this time enjoyed it enough and was immersed enough to carry me through the rest of the book. So it definitely has a slow start, and it's a pretty slow book in general, with not a ton happening throughout the book besides the political intrigue, but I ultimately ended up enjoying the book for the political intrigue and the complicated worldbuilding. The sibyls are really interesting, and I was glad to get more information about how and why they exist.

manuphoto's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

It’s not every day that I read a sci-fi novel based on a Danish fairy tale, so I had no idea what to expect from this book. Add to that the fact that it was my first Joan D. Vinge novel, and I was really going into the unknown.

The book started fairly slowly, with Vinge establishing the rules of her universe step by step, with just enough characters and locations to make the whole thing seem coherent and interesting. I thought she did a great job with her world-building, presenting it through the eyes of multiple characters. It felt a bit like a mix of Asimov’s Foundation universe with a bit of Dune’s fantasy. Although Vinge’s characters are much better than Asimov’s, and her writing is better than Herbert’s (at least in Dune), her concepts are not as creative or original. Nothing is perfect, I guess!

The whole novel is centered around a love story, something I usually don’t care for much. It actually works well here, even if it was a little tedious at times. But that tediousness was compensated by the actions of secondary characters who kept the whole thing moving forward, at least in the first half of the book.

In the second half, things get bogged down. The central character, Moon, proves to be quite uninteresting, although the rest of the cast is multilayered. I cared a lot more about them than her. They all seem to have arcs; she just goes through the motions with a clear goal in sight. She’s consistent, but I found her development thin, especially compared to the other characters.

An example is Jerusha, the police officer. She’s very well handled, and Vinge uses her to demonstrate very intelligently how sexism happens at every level of power structures and how the game is rigged against women. Very well done here.

The novel also tackles colonialism, prejudice, and bigotry in good ways. But it does so a bit too slowly and sometimes with a lack of focus or pacing that makes the whole thing feel dense.

So, this novel has many qualities, but sadly it’s not better than the sum of its parts. It’s good, tackles some very important themes, and has some very compelling characters, but it lacks something. A layer of coherence or improved pacing to make it an excellent novel. It’s frustrating, especially given how good Vinge’s prose is; I can see a great novel here, but I’m only reading a good one. A tad disappointing, in a good way, if that makes sense.

teaenjoyer's review against another edition

3.5

7 ꙳
śmierć za zabicie sybilli... śmierć za kochanie sybilli.
zimacy, letniacy > the winters, the summers

b_witchment's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

4.75

emilyb_chicago's review against another edition

4.0

3.5 stars

This was fun science fiction. Easy to read with a far away, heavy technology (yay spaceships!) but no time was spent explaining the technology or even dwelling on it past the need to use it to move the story. It was at its heart a character piece. I'm interested in the next book in the series, but not enough to pick it up right away.

I would mildly recommend this one. I'll probably end up forgetting about it in not too long, but it is a solid read.

stacis16's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

kivt's review against another edition

2.0

Liked the cover art a hell of a lot more than the writing.

whimsicalmeerkat's review against another edition

5.0

I was very excited to read this book. Some of that excitement might have come from the fact that it was my nomination that became the BotM. Regardless, I found a fascinating tale that reached back into ancient mythologies to weave a conflict born of and enforced by the time and seasons of a planet. A planet split in two, ruled by a native, but policed by offworlders. A planet proscribed so that no one who leaves can return and no native can leave. Looming over everything is Arienrhod, the Snow Queen and her attempts to make sure Winter never ends. The story also weaves its way through Sparks Dawntreader Summer and his cousin Moon Dawntreader Summer. The world created as backdrop is vibrant and complex in away that makes it almost a character itself.

athryn's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I remember seeing one of the covers of this book back in the day when I was looking at books on the shelf, and being fascinated by the cover art. I never picked it up and I'm really glad I finally did. What a great bit of worldbuilding, and what an inventive book. This would make an incredible series or miniseries!

ketutar's review against another edition

5.0

"She smiled at him, uncertainly; he fed her smile with his own until it grew strong"

What a brilliant retelling of the Snow Queen. And so... ah. Very, very good. Science fiction with just enough fantasy to make it enjoyable for a fantasy fantast like me :-D
I can't wait to read the next book. :-)