Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre

 Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre was the first feminist science fiction novel I have read, and I enjoyed it. 

Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre, published in 1978, won the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards for best science fiction novel in 1979. It takes place in a post apocalyptical world, destroyed by nuclear war, where humans live in more primitive, nomadic ways outside of inaccessible domed futuristic cities. Out in the barren black deserts, destroyed by nuclear war, wanders the medicine woman, Snake, seeking out those who need her healing abilities. Her primary medical tools are her genetically modified snakes, the cobra Mist, rattlesnake Sand, and an alien dreamsnake named Grass. After Grass is killed, Snake must go an adventure to find another rare dreamsnake. 

This novel is famous for being a second wave feminist science fiction novel. However, there are no girl boss action heroes in this novel. Snake ventures into the barren and dangerous world as a healer, not a warrior. She meets various nomads and the city dwelling mountain people helping them and nurturing them. Her biggest fight is to protect herself and the weak and innocent. 

The story flowed smoothly like a quiet river. It never felt stilted. The world of Snake slowly opened up to the reader revealing the reality of the world naturally. It opened like a fantasy tale but the science fiction crept in. The characters were well developed, and delicate topics were handled respectfully. The author's politics and beliefs were subtly weaved into the story. 

McIntyre's ideas date the novel. As our main character is basically a doctor, topics of sex education, abortion, abuse, and birth control are discussed. The family groups are made up of triad marriages. The women ask men for sex, and they have free sex because birth control isn't an issue. A character's gender isn't really specified, and the person has an equal relationship with a male and a female. These topics are still valid, but they are handled in a more 1970's way in the novel. It sounded like a Hippie wine aunt's dream at times, but it wasn't annoying enough to distract from the story. 

The worldbuilding is fantastic. The story flows from barren black sands to serene mountain cities to futuristic domed cities. It is a world trying to survive after a nuclear war. It is a world of genetic modification, interstellar space travel, cloning but told from the point of view of the more primitive people. 

The book was an easy read and proved to me that feminist writing can be great. However, I thought the antagonist at the end was uninteresting and the love interest was pointless. It is a fun adventure story, so I give it a B+.