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| 4 out of 5 stars |
They called the healer Snake, and she bore the name proudly, for the
medicine she distilled from the venom of the viper she carried with her was a
potent cure; and the soothing power of her other companion, the alien
dreamsnake, banished fear. But the primitive ignorance of those she served
killed her dreamsnake and wrecked her career - for dreamsnakes were dreadfully
rare, and Center would not grant her another.
Snake's only hope was to find a new dreamsnake - and on her quest, she
was pursued by two implacable followers, one driven by love, one by fear and
need.
I enjoyed this short little tale of a healer trying to find
her place in the world, making mistakes as we all do and struggling to find a
way out of a bad situation. Finding
companionship, love and an adopted daughter.
A strong female main character, solving problems competently yet
accepting help when it is offered. A
book which passes the Bechdel test with flying colours [there is more than one
female character and they talk to each other about something besides men].
My only complaint was that it was too short—there were
several interesting items which tickled my curiosity and made me wish that there
was a sequel or that the original was a bit thicker, with more detail. For example, how did Earth get to this
post-apocalyptic state? Who are the
aliens who created the domes and brought the strange plants and dreamsnakes to
Earth? Have they stuck around or who
exactly is in the intact city dome?
In a world where there are still so many books in which the
female characters are stiff as cardboard or stereotypical caricatures , this
book from the 1970s really shines as a book where I felt real affection for Snake. She is a realistic woman, with emotions and dilemmas
that I can relate to. I must read more
of McIntyre’s work.
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