312 pages

English language

Published Oct. 14, 1994

ISBN:
978-0-553-29659-4
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5 stars (1 review)

In a world devastated by nuclear holocaust, Snake is a healer. One of an elite band dedicated to caring for sick humanity, she goes wherever her skills are needed.

With her she takes the three deadly reptiles through which her cures are accomplished: a cobra, a rattlesnake, and the dreamsnake, a creature whose hallucinogenic venom brings not healing but an easeful death for the terminally ill.

Rare and valuable is this dreamsnake. When Grass is wantonly slain, Snake must journey across perilous landscapes to find another to take its place...

9 editions

Snake is a lover, not a fighter, but she'll still fight

5 stars

I rarely read or watch anything more than once, so books that I read more than once for the pleasure automatically get perfect ratings from me. This is one of those books. The main character is a healer; her quest involves finding ways to help her and her fellow healers help people more effectively. There is some plenty of action in her confronting the dangerous elements of a world devastated by nuclear war and apparently held in thrall by distant alien rulers. There are plenty of elements I wish had been fleshed out more, like who ARE those aliens? But those unresolved questions didn't overshadow the enjoyment I got from watching Snake grow in confidence and use both her strength and her intelligence to escape dicey situations. Highly recommend, especially to those who enjoyed, for example, "The Light From Uncommon Stars" by Ryka Aoki or the Monk and Robot series …