Reviewed by layawaydragon on
Snake’s quest appears simple enough but that’s the beauty of it. It’s complete, compelling and personal, which is refreshing in a genre dominated by surviving or saving the world. It is an optimistic yet down to earth post-apocalyptic. And an enjoyable journey to boot.
Published in 1978, Dreamsnake takes on sex, gender, orientation, and rape with insight and courage. From having a love interest that bucks toxic masculinity to a woman protagonist that can save herself, it’s progressive for its time and remains so.
Vonda McIntyre broke tremendous ground with Dreamsnake, a daring story so well written that even the Hugo’s had to award her. She’s the third woman to ever win one and since 1979, only six others have accomplished that feat. (Though that really says more about the Hugo Awards then the authors.)
Pros
Loved Snake and Melissa. Well-done flushed out characters with true flaws born of their backstory and environment
Loved the world building, with biocontrol, polyamorous relationships and interacting with different tribes.
Social justice and Sci-fi aspects holds up, groundbreaking when first published and now
Enjoyed Snake’s quest with her mysterious stalker and patients
Villain’s interesting and had a point about healers and ableism
Striking details add insightful realism worthy of discussion
Cons
Didn’t like the instant attraction romance becoming so important (though I didn’t hate it altogether either)
Villain’s last act was odd. I wish we got more information, maybe that would make their last actions more believable
Somewhat unsatisfied with the ending, wanted to go deeper into Snake’s world
Exploring Older Sci-Fi as a Fantasy Reader
Catspaw was my first non-young adult dystopian sci-fi book. I loved Catspaw (I have friends with great tastes) but was impatient with waiting to discover more while reading. I learned I’ve got to chill the fuck out when it comes to Science Fiction.
I took that to heart and Dreamsnake fared better for it. I waited for explanations of in-world terms and enjoyed the journey. I ran into a wall though when Snake finally spoke with the Gatekeeper. It left more questions than answers, which frustrated me.
I wonder if that barrier will remain since I found fantasy young rather than science fiction. This bias probably explains why I wasn’t completely pleased when finished reading. Dreamsnake’s great but I wasn’t sated.
Or, thinking more positively, maybe I liked the world so much I wanted more than the story could give. I do love my young adult books. I’m unsure how old Snake is but given she’s on her own for the first time I imagine she qualifies. Or close enough.
It is classed as an adult book though. Yet Catspaw’s edgier. There’s like two non-graphic sex scenes and talk of child rape. So I’d be cool reading this as a teen (I wish I did) and letting my daughter read it when she’s ready.
Building Blocks of an Optimistic Post-Apocalyptic
I fucking LOVE Snake’s world. I find every aspect interesting, refreshing or just plain cool. Like bio-control, poly relationships, and Snake’s healing, which seemed like archaic home remedies until explained.
There’s little details that ring true and make for good discussion like xenophobia, the scaremongering propaganda inside the Center and human presumptions. Snake’s meeting the Gatekeeper was captivating in the assumptions they made about each other.
I loved Snake’s journey through it all haunted by a mysterious stalker. I liked the twists and the endgame villain. Her quest seems straightforward in a genre that’s booming with books but it’s enjoyable and surprising.
I recommend it for post-apocalyptic fans and non-fans alike. It's a fun trip that doesn’t brain you with the usual tropes decrying “doom!” It’s also a nice break, having an outsider's take instead of the overseen setup where insiders discover the lies.
It’s not “humanity has screwed itself” or even “the 1% will screw us to death”. Rather than the wild wild west, or action flicks, people band together and cooperate with in- and out-groups. Life goes on. Everything isn’t perfect but it’s ratio of assholes to non-assholes is realistic.
Has Time Changed Her into Snake Sue?
Reading other reviews you’ll see several people call Snake a(n almost) Mary Sue. I don’t agree and would like to offer a counterview. Besides the whole “those characteristics are just general main character traits in fiction so it’s only useful when talking about fanfiction” thing. First up, some rebuttals to typical Mary Sue traits:
--Mary Sue’s are perfect. Besides being the classic altruist hero, Snake’s naïve, arrogant, shortsighted, and headstrong. She runs into situations without a plan propelled by pressure, passion, and pride. Of which, she doesn’t come out unscathed.
--Everyone loves and trusts Mary Sue upon meeting her and those that don’t are evil. The Mayor, Collectors, and Arevin’s tribe don’t trust her immediately and aren’t villains or reviled. In fact, lack of trust starts Snake’s quest when fearful, ignorant people kill her dreamsnake.
Then there's Center, who's assholish to every outsider. If Center threw open its doors and broke all their rules, I’d think that’d be suspiciously Mary Sue-like but that doesn’t happen either.
--Humble like an Everyman but clearly Elite in Abilities. The one area she’s exceptionally skilled in is healing; she did do something extraordinary during training. However, she can’t reproduce it or heal everyone. Her snakes are also snakes. She’s trained them during school but they’re still animals. They aren’t subservient nor cartoonishly in love with her a la Snow White.
Besides, humble is not how I’d describe her. She’s proud of what she’s accomplished and arrogant, which leads to problems. Plus, she has no unusual eye color, hair color, or backstory to mark her as special either.
--Reality Bends to Accommodate Mary Sue: There’s only two instances that I’d say were rather convenient. However, they’re reasonable like a panther running away and rain after a storm. It’s minor details like touching the panther that rang rather absurdly lucky. But the whole encounters aren’t rule breaking.
Is Snake still Mary Sue-esque?
--"A key point: It's when a trait exists more to make somebody stand out than to develop them as a character that it starts going into Mary Sue territory (unless it's Played for Laughs).
--Sue-full all along? Sometimes it's just one eye-rolling event too many that leads you to think back over your hero or heroine's career and wonder "Is she ever wrong about anything that's important?" or "Is there anyone in the story who isn't completely obsessed with him?" Sometimes Sue-ness is occasionally annoying, but livable-with."
Her healing and her relationships aren’t to make her special. They do further her character, especially the ending. It’s also not exclusive to her. Anyone could’ve been the hero. She’s just the first to go this route and headstrong enough to follow through. She carves this path through talent, will, and luck in sensible quantities.
Granted, Mary Sue is a controversial trope that hardly anyone can agree on. It’s worth remembering that our entertainment has shifted into dark and gritty territory. Not as an excuse, but for context and perspective.
Still, I don’t think Snake’s a Sue. Unless now a good hero qualifies as a Mary Sue, then I don’t get the complaints. It’s like saying Superman’s a Marty Stu. Of course, Superman is an ideal while Snake is not...
And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention feminist critiques of the trope Mary Sue:
the label seems to be used more indiscriminately on female characters who do not behave in accordance with the dominant culture's images and expectations for females as opposed to males.[12] Professional author Ann C. Crispin is quoted as saying: "The term 'Mary Sue' constitutes a put-down, implying that the character so summarily dismissed is not a true character, no matter how well drawn, what sex, species, or degree of individuality."[13]
Bacon-Smith, Camille (1 December 1991). Enterprising Women: Television Fandom and the Creation of Popular Myth. Pg 97, 98
Romance: Feminist, Sweet, & Unconvincing
Snake’s romance is better when I think about it but while reading I wasn’t moved. They connect and depart so quickly, which made it hard to accept when that sub-plot become important.
I did enjoy seeing the journey through the eyes of Snake’s would-be lover and the contrasts between the two. I also like how xe’s not a knight in shining armor nor typically masculine. I do appreciate that their hunt to find Snake was morally motivated and would’ve happened regardless.
However, their romantic attachment is tenuous. Then it overshadows, making it easy to forget why xe set out in the first place. It’s as if doing the right thing was merely a guise to cover for someone so thirsty, you’d think they were desert-stranded.
Sorry, I don’t find insta-love compelling. If I go into a book prepared, as with romantic suspense, I do better. But I wasn’t ready for it, I just went in knowing Dreamsnake was a revolutionary feminist sci-fi novel. It delivered that in spades, even in the two places I wasn’t hot on.
Their romance has great elements and I don’t hate them being a couple but I wasn’t won over. Not yet anyways, they’re sweet but they’ve got a long way to get home.
The Last Boss: Last Minute Flop
I liked The Villain’s characterization. They had a point about healers and ableism. Still a bastard, but gotta give ‘em credit for being such a smart one. However, there’s one point that I don’t grok: the final showdown reaction.
Their weakness I believe, but not the way they handled it. It’s like Achilles whacking himself in the heel when someone does nothing but threaten to hit him there. The antagonist is interesting but needs more information and depth so the last part made sense. Instead of being so damn odd.
We skim along like sandwinder when bigger stories, places, and people loom. Snake’s quest does end and it’s easy to see her future from where she lands. I was happy and pleased, but not fulfilled. However, I don’t think that’s a fault in Dreamsnake. That’s me wanting more. Science Fiction has that effect on me apparently.
I’ll be reading The Exile Waiting, which follows a young woman who lives in The Center. There's also The Moon and the Sun, which combines science fiction and historical romance between King Louis XIV’s court. It beat out The Song of Fire and Ice and won the 1997 Nebula Award for Best Novel. Adding fantasy elements is the only way to get me reading such complicated courting and lineage. I couldn’t care or make it through such hits like The Other Boleyn Girl.
If all that doesn’t convince you, here’s Ursela K. LeGuin’s review (Link: Spoiler Warning):
Dreamsnake is written in a clear, quick-moving prose, with brief, lyrically intense landscape passages that take the reader straight into its half-familiar, half-strange desert world, and fine descriptions of the characters’ emotional states and moods and changes. And its generosity to those characters is quite unusual, particularly in science fiction with its tendency to competitive elitism.
Recommendation: Yes, fantastic science fiction with a female protagonist though I wish it went deeper into the flourishing world it resides in.
About the Author
Look at her bead creatures! I can barely make a bracelet. From her many awards, here’s a great interview with io9
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 28 February, 2015: Finished reading
- 28 February, 2015: Reviewed