Dreamsnake

What a delight to read a character-driven novel that sprinkles in interesting ideas about setting and technology, rather than parade the characters along the same guided tour the reader gets. McIntyre develops each scene as the result of humans acting through flawed knowledge, and uses the various encounters between Snake and the people in her world to explore the nature of trust, community and compassion. And while some of the obstacles our heroine overcomes require her to have physical courage, violence is never needed for her to grow or meet her goals. A must-read.