Rating: 
Summary: Terrific, strong heroine
Review: "Dreamsnake" was one of the first adult SF novels that I read. It was probably the perfect book to introduce a teen-ager to the possibilities of SF. While it dealt with some dark themes, such as the prejudice against healers like Snake, it never became exploitative. And it was never dull.The one character who could have been developed more was the man who fell in love with Snake. It might have been nice to have him in a few more scenes. Then again, I was glad this wasn't one of those books where the heroine waits around for some guy to save her derriere. Some readers have complained that Snake is too capable and that most of the men are painted as incompetent or evil. If you have limited tolerance for that sort of thing ... chill out and read it anyway. Sheesh! Anne M. Marble Reviewer for All About Romance
Rating: 
Summary: A touching and original story
Review: A touching story about healing as the world heals in a post apocalyptic age. The lead character is strong and realistic. It is a well-written and creative novel. So why only three stars? I think it falls short in style and suspense. Overall, though, it is worthwhile reading.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book
Review: about a beautiful young woman wandering around healing people by using biologically altered snake venom on a future Earth which has in many ways reverted to a preindustrialized society. This is a very personal story told with sensitivity, a warm writing style and vivid imagery. One of the worlds I would most like to be a part of.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the best post-holocaust stories ever
Review: Dreamsnake is one of only 15 books to win both the Hugo and the Nebula. As such, I had high hopes for it, and I was not disappointed. True, it doesn't have ground-breaking vision of books like Gateway or Ringworld, but what it lacks there, it more than makes up in conventional world-building and, even more importantly, characterization. The story takes place in a post-holocause Earth, where a limited amount of bio-technology is all that is keeping humanity to shrinking back to a hunter-gatherer society. The most obvious example of this is the dreamsnake, whose venom enables healers to ease the pain of the wounded, and comfort the dying. Snake, the main character, is such a healer. However, her dreamsnake is killed, and she must seek out another, or cease to be a healer. The story carries the reader from the Great Dessert, to the healer station where they breed dreamsnakes (with little luck), to Center, the sole spaceport where humans from off-world still come, and finally to the mysterious domes. And as we explore this compelling world, we also get to explore the inner workings of Snake, and see what makes her tick. However, while the story is a very pleasing one most of the way through, one gets to the end and can't shake the feeling that the author left some important questions unanswered. This story is definitely ripe for a sequel, but McIntyre doesn't look to be very interested. Pity.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best post-holocaust stories ever
Review: Dreamsnake is one of only 15 books to win both the Hugo and the Nebula. As such, I had high hopes for it, and I was not disappointed. True, it doesn't have ground-breaking vision of books like Gateway or Ringworld, but what it lacks there, it more than makes up in conventional world-building and, even more importantly, characterization. The story takes place in a post-holocause Earth, where a limited amount of bio-technology is all that is keeping humanity to shrinking back to a hunter-gatherer society. The most obvious example of this is the dreamsnake, whose venom enables healers to ease the pain of the wounded, and comfort the dying. Snake, the main character, is such a healer. However, her dreamsnake is killed, and she must seek out another, or cease to be a healer. The story carries the reader from the Great Dessert, to the healer station where they breed dreamsnakes (with little luck), to Center, the sole spaceport where humans from off-world still come, and finally to the mysterious domes. And as we explore this compelling world, we also get to explore the inner workings of Snake, and see what makes her tick. However, while the story is a very pleasing one most of the way through, one gets to the end and can't shake the feeling that the author left some important questions unanswered. This story is definitely ripe for a sequel, but McIntyre doesn't look to be very interested. Pity.
Rating:
Summary: A compelling heroine in an atmospheric story
Review: First, I will have to admit that I have not liked other Vonda McIntyre books I've read - the only reason I picked this one up was because it won the Hugo AND the Nebula, so it seemed like I should read it. After a bit of a rocky start (VM seems too rushed in trying to set up the initial crisis that you haven't developed any empathy for the heroine yet), you get engrossed in the story of a healer in a post-apocolyptic world that uses snakes as a type of hypodermic needle. When suitably drugged, her rattlesnake and cobra produce antitoxins and medicines instead of venom. The titular dreamsnake is an alien species of snake whose venom produces an analgesic/anesthetic effect, which the healers use instead of traditional drugs for the very ill. When the heroine's dreamsnake is killed by a superstitious tribesman, she blames herself and sets off on a quest to atone for the loss (i.e., finding more dreamsnakes). As mentioned, the initial crisis, the death of the dreamsnake, occurs before you know (or care) much about the world and the heroine. Perhaps it was written this way on purpose, but it doesn't work. It isn't really until half-way through the book that you start to get into the story, but the wait is worth it. By that point, you're drawn into the world and begin to understand it. The same can be said of the healer, you've finally got to know her and like her. The other characters are not as well written, and you care little for them. This is not a major drawback, because most of the other characters are of minor importance, existing primarily to further the plot. The story itself is engrossing, and contains a number of loose ends where sequels could be possible, but oddly, McIntyre has not written one. These "jagged edges" seem realistic to real life, if a little frustrating. Overall, it's a good book, and enjoyable to read. You'll have to trust me on that, because after the first 30 pages, you'll be thinking otherwise, but stick with it and you'll be rewarded.
Rating:
Summary: Unforgettable
Review: For lovers of feminist utopian fiction, 'Dreamsnake' is compulsory, as well as compelling, reading. McIntyre's vision of a world of disparate and fragmented cultures is bleak, yet eerily familiar. We know these people, they are us, and we feel for their anxieties and triumphs. Despite the apparent normality of a heterosexual romance as subplot, her politics of sexuality are exemplary. A person's fertility is their own responsibility and to be irresponsible sexually is to be an outcast. Women and men share their roles and responsibilities, in work and the care of children, because this is human work and should be done by all. We follow the compelling journey of our hero, Snake, as she seeks to regain what she had snatched from her in ignorance, her job as healer and with it, her self-respect. In the course of her quest she finds answers to matters far beyond her original search, as well as a love unlooked-for but cherished.
Rating:
Summary: Simply the Best
Review: I don't think I'm an unusually exacting reader. My wants are few and simple: a plot, a handful of realistic characters, prose that, if not up to the standards of Dickens, is at least superior to what I produced in my junior high creative writing assignments. Sadly, and surprisingly for a novel held in such high repute, "Dreamsnake" lacked all of these qualities. So as not to spoil what little entertainment the reader might wring from this dry husk of a book, I won't provide many plot details to support my assertions. It would be difficult to do so since after reading ~2/3 of the book I was hard pressed to identify a plot. The main character, Snake the healer, wanders across a post-apocalyptic earth populated by such cardboard cutouts as Grum, the ancient, wise matriarch (if you've seen Stephen King's "The Stand", think Mother Abigail), and Ras, the bullying and deceitful child-rapist. A few themes appear and resurface occasionally during her interactions with these "characters", but the action serves primarily as a vehicle for the author's sophomoric Utopian philosophy. The prose possesses the awkward, stilted rhythm of a failed Hemingway imitation and fails to evoke the "sense of wonder" present in the best SF. I was puzzled when I learned that this novel won both the Hugo and Nebula awards. I found it far inferior to other multiple award winners such as "Doomsday Book" by Connie Willis and "The Forever War" by Joe Haldeman. Perhaps 1979 was a barren year for the SF genre.
Rating: 
Summary: Not one of the better Hugo or Nebula winners
Review: I don't think I'm an unusually exacting reader. My wants are few and simple: a plot, a handful of realistic characters, prose that, if not up to the standards of Dickens, is at least superior to what I produced in my junior high creative writing assignments. Sadly, and surprisingly for a novel held in such high repute, "Dreamsnake" lacked all of these qualities. So as not to spoil what little entertainment the reader might wring from this dry husk of a book, I won't provide many plot details to support my assertions. It would be difficult to do so since after reading ~2/3 of the book I was hard pressed to identify a plot. The main character, Snake the healer, wanders across a post-apocalyptic earth populated by such cardboard cutouts as Grum, the ancient, wise matriarch (if you've seen Stephen King's "The Stand", think Mother Abigail), and Ras, the bullying and deceitful child-rapist. A few themes appear and resurface occasionally during her interactions with these "characters", but the action serves primarily as a vehicle for the author's sophomoric Utopian philosophy. The prose possesses the awkward, stilted rhythm of a failed Hemingway imitation and fails to evoke the "sense of wonder" present in the best SF. I was puzzled when I learned that this novel won both the Hugo and Nebula awards. I found it far inferior to other multiple award winners such as "Doomsday Book" by Connie Willis and "The Forever War" by Joe Haldeman. Perhaps 1979 was a barren year for the SF genre.
Rating:
Summary: One of my top ten.
Review: I found this Nebula award-winning book when it was first published in 1978 and have read it nearly once a year since. The protagonist, Snake, is a profoundly caring healer with a mission for knowledge that will help post-apocolypse earth. I've found the characters intriguing for years and the ideas simmer in my mind much of the time. I love this book and care about these people. Snake's empathy for those on her lonely path and her courage in making necessary, hard choices make her a compelling hero. Thank you, Vonda N. McIntyre, wherever you are, for this beautiful story
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