This book is strong in
character and story.
Summary:
Snake is a newly trained healer who has learned ways to manipulate the
genetics of certain snakes to use their venom to cure illness. When she sets
out for the desert to begin her "proving year" her bag contains Sand, a
diamondback rattlesnake, Mist, an albino cobra, and Grass, a dreamsnake. On her
first case she leaves Grass alone with the young boy she is treating while she
prepares Mist's venom to be administered. Though Grass poses no danger to the
boy, his parents become alarmed and kill the dreamsnake. This seriously
compromises Snake as a healer because without the dreamsnake she no longer has
the means of easing the suffering of dying patients. Unless Snake can somehow
get another of the extremely rare dreamsnakes, she will have to return to her
teachers and admit failure. Thus begins a quest that leads to encounters with a
patient who demands assistance with suicide, a young girl who has been abused,
and a "crazy" who captures Snake and takes her to an alien world where dreamsnakes are plentiful but healers are hated.
I would recommend this book!
Why?
This would be a good first sci-fi read, especially for women because it has
believable, strong female characters, an emphasis on the psych-social rather
than on technology and situations that can be identified with even though the
story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world. All the elements that make a book
enjoyable -- adventure, danger, romance -- are present in Dreamsnake.
Other interesting information about this author:
Vonda McIntyre has also written several books in both the Star Trek and Star Wars series, as well as other sci-fi and fantasy stories.
Other suggested reading:
Unwillingly to Earth by Pauline Ashwell and
A Gift upon the Shore by M.K. Wren both feature strong female characters.
Employee Initials: AJ
Review Date: November 2002
Read other reviews by this staff member.
