A Door Into Ocean

Rating:
Summary: All-nighter
Review: A Door Into Ocean is the kind of book that you stay up all night to read--even when you've read it five times.

Rating:
Summary: Environmental utopia
Review: Dune was probably the first "environmental" sci fi, exploring issues of how "where you live" and how your relative harmony/disharmony with that place can affect your society. This book is similar in that way-- and it adds the element of a society where gender relationships are examined, like the best utopia sci-fi. I thought that the characters were interesting, and the clash between a sort of "patriarchy" with a definite matriarchy was thought-provoking, as well. If you liked books like Ursula K. LeGuin's The Left Hand of Darkness, The Handmaid's Tale, The Gate to Women's Country, and other "dystopic/utopia" fiction, you'll probably like this one.

Rating:
Summary: Environmental utopia
Review: Dune was probably the first "environmental" sci fi, exploring issues of how "where you live" and how your relative harmony/disharmony with that place can affect your society. This book is similar in that way-- and it adds the element of a society where gender relationships are examined, like the best utopia sci-fi. I thought that the characters were interesting, and the clash between a sort of "patriarchy" with a definite matriarchy was thought-provoking, as well. If you liked books like Ursula K. LeGuin's The Left Hand of Darkness, The Handmaid's Tale, The Gate to Women's Country, and other "dystopic/utopia" fiction, you'll probably like this one.

Rating:
Summary: Read this book. The power of some deity compells you!
Review: I read a LOT, and I don't usually have an affinity for science fiction, but I absolutley love this book. It's my favorite book of all time. In fact, I just ordered Brain Plague because I liked this book so much. It's a great scientific novel on the surface, but I also found it to be very political. Some of the characters in it made me mad, and I always say that any book that can make me angry or upset is a really good book. I bought this a million years ago but I've read it about every summer since. Please, support Joan Slonczewski, she deserves your money, she is an excellent writer and only we can entice her to write more. ^_^

Rating:
Summary: Something different and interesting
Review: If you're looking for something different and interesting, this is a story worth reading. A planet consisting of only water and floating rafts populated by women struggles to cope with a visiting planet's representatives. On the planet, Shora, the women live based upon a philosophy of sharing, but the visiting delegation only is interested in having Shora and their inhabitants as resources. A philosophy of sharing and cooperativeness vs. a philosophy of domination and control. This one is worth sharing with others. The only drawback I noticed was the slow start I felt reading through Part One and the beginning portion of Part Two. Don't stop there, as this is all necessary as building blocks for the rest of the novel.

Rating:
Summary: Something different and interesting
Review: If you're looking for something different and interesting, this is a story worth reading. A planet consisting of only water and floating rafts populated by women struggles to cope with a visiting planet's representatives. On the planet, Shora, the women live based upon a philosophy of sharing, but the visiting delegation only is interested in having Shora and their inhabitants as resources. A philosophy of sharing and cooperativeness vs. a philosophy of domination and control. This one is worth sharing with others. The only drawback I noticed was the slow start I felt reading through Part One and the beginning portion of Part Two. Don't stop there, as this is all necessary as building blocks for the rest of the novel.

Rating:
Summary: A Timeless Science Fiction Classic
Review: In this novel Joan Slonczewski combines striking character interactions with a solid science background, making a thoroughly enjoyable story that completely captured my attention. The clash of the Sharer society concerned with fitting into the overall ecosystem on the ocean moon Shora with the techno-mechanical Valan military trying to establish lordship over Shora makes for an excellent story that should become one of the textbooks for future science fiction writers. The interaction of the Shora and Valan cultures are effectively illustrated from both an overall culture perspective and a personal point of view, and I was captivated with the diverse character set created by the author. The book manages to convey the Shora ecosystem science aspects in an easily readable form that you don't have to be a rocket scientist to understand. The internal conflict in the Sharer community over how to deal with the Valan presence seems to me to be a classic study on the trials all non-violent societies go through to maintain their ideals when confronted with an opponent prepared to use violence. I found this book to be a most enjoyable read and have gone back many times to reread it.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful expression of long suppressed female spirit
Review: The female spirit in our monotheistic, patriarchal culture has long been suppressed, repressed, oppressed. Just read Engh's "Arslan" for an example of the "shadow feminine," to use Jung's vocabulary. Not that there have been no important female authors writing from an overt female viewpoint, but there is a Yin Renaissance going on now. I doubt that this book could have been written thirty years ago, much less a hundred. A thought provoking view into the female soul, and a really entertaining story for both male and female readers alike. One of my all time top ten. (OK, I am a male, for those of you who are wondering.)

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful expression of long suppressed female spirit
Review: The female spirit in our monotheistic, patriarchal culture has long been suppressed, repressed, oppressed. Just read Engh's "Arslan" for an example of the "shadow feminine," to use Jung's vocabulary. Not that there have been no important female authors writing from an overt female viewpoint, but there is a Yin Renaissance going on now. I doubt that this book could have been written thirty years ago, much less a hundred. A thought provoking view into the female soul, and a really entertaining story for both male and female readers alike. One of my all time top ten. (OK, I am a male, for those of you who are wondering.)

Rating:
Summary: A glorious telling
Review: The ocean planet Shora is home to the Sharers, a purple humanoid race of women who reproduce by parthenogensis. As traders from the neighboring planet Valedon interact with the Sharers, the seawomen strive to better understand the Valans and travel to Valedon. Merwen and her lovesharer bring Spinel, a young man, back to Shora to exchange knowledge. All too soon, the armies of Valedon arrive on Shora to bring it under their rule, but how can a people who have no comprehension of war or rule submit to this harsh invasion? Merwen wages a peaceful communication with the Valans, but understanding is tenuous for both sides and this strange war escalates beyond the control of either party. Only through a blending of Valan and Sharer ways can this war be stopped before Shora is damaged irrevocably. "A Door into Ocean" is an expansive ecofeminist feast featuring two radically different cultures trying to find common ground. Not just a dialogue between men and women or between warmongers and peacemongers, this book is a fascinating vision of coexistence in a universe where differences carry more weight than similarities. Rich in philosophy and love, "A Door into Ocean" is a compelling novel beautifully rendered.