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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
This paperback inspired me to spend most of Sunday in bed, curled up and warm. A good story about love and luck at least momentarily overcoming the obstacles of slavery and abuse. Space travel, information as commodity, xenology, gender issues, a beautiful world with an ugly back door. Not a bad Sunday afternoon treat. (February 03, 2004)
For me, the best parts were some discussions of what happens when an outsider uses analytical techniques on a society accustomed to doing the analyses rather than being analyzed and the effects of observation itself (even unbiased) on society. I also enjoyed the descriptions of a society based on commerce of information. In these parts especially I think this book really touches on the heart of science fiction. Probably re-read.
The Gammadians are an offshoot of the human race who have created a planet full of humans who are neuter until adolescence, when they become either male, female, or remain neuter. The neuters are asexual and are called 'blands', forming an underclass who takes care of all the menial tasks due to their lower intelligence. They're not even classified as 'human'.
I really liked this world and learning more about the main character. It explores gender, slavery, and what happens when cultures come into contact with each other.
I believe this is out of print, which is a shame. Fortunately we have the internet to help us find OOP books.
I really liked this world and learning more about the main character. It explores gender, slavery, and what happens when cultures come into contact with each other.
I believe this is out of print, which is a shame. Fortunately we have the internet to help us find OOP books.
I stumbled across this book while looking for a more recent release by the author, and I’m so glad that I walked away with this book instead. Parts of the story were almost too intense to me (it needs a major sexual assault trigger warning), but the worldbuilding and commentary on power/class/gender were wonderful.
Tedla is a major standout character for me; a person with no gender or sex, Tedla is part of the class of ‘blands’ on the planet Gammadis, and relegated to serving the men and women on the planet. The book alternates point of view with that is Val, a ‘xenologist’ from the planet Capella Two. Tedla’s story was almost too painful to read at times, but I was compelled to go through even the worst bits by Tedla’s voice: it (Tedla—this is the pronoun used in the book) has such an impressive, sometimes contradictory, balance between intellect and emotion; it is both intelligent while also vulnerable and raw, sometimes unsure, but overall quite captivating. Tedla is probably one of the most complex characters I’ve read recently; it has so many layers, some which contradict each other, and it shows such engaging (and sometimes rather subtle) character growth from the start of the ‘current’ story on Capella Two to the end.
I also liked Val, but I found her less remarkable and scene-stealing than Tedla. I did appreciate Val fo making the choices that I, the reader, wanted her to make, and I enjoy her friendship with Tedla and want to see even more. Capellan society seems much more like our own, and therefore some of its customs much less alien-like, yet its own structures and ways of thinking also really challenged my worldview. (I will say, having characters named “Valerie” and “Joan” and so on in a far off future world with pseudo-futuristic names for other things was incredibly jarring at first.)
I wish I had more to say about this book. I feel like despite the gender aspect, it perhaps says a little less about gender specifically, and more about class (or perhaps ‘caste’). That said, I appreciate the way it did challenge me to engage with my view of gender—it is incredibly difficult to try to let go of gendered assumptions even when characters are explicitly agender/asexual.
I was mostly satisfied by this book; I knew it was mostly about Tedla’s story, and because of that, I’m okay that the ending didn’t involve the toppling of entire social structures. That said, I find myself wanting to know so much more.
Tedla is a major standout character for me; a person with no gender or sex, Tedla is part of the class of ‘blands’ on the planet Gammadis, and relegated to serving the men and women on the planet. The book alternates point of view with that is Val, a ‘xenologist’ from the planet Capella Two. Tedla’s story was almost too painful to read at times, but I was compelled to go through even the worst bits by Tedla’s voice: it (Tedla—this is the pronoun used in the book) has such an impressive, sometimes contradictory, balance between intellect and emotion; it is both intelligent while also vulnerable and raw, sometimes unsure, but overall quite captivating. Tedla is probably one of the most complex characters I’ve read recently; it has so many layers, some which contradict each other, and it shows such engaging (and sometimes rather subtle) character growth from the start of the ‘current’ story on Capella Two to the end.
I also liked Val, but I found her less remarkable and scene-stealing than Tedla. I did appreciate Val fo making the choices that I, the reader, wanted her to make, and I enjoy her friendship with Tedla and want to see even more. Capellan society seems much more like our own, and therefore some of its customs much less alien-like, yet its own structures and ways of thinking also really challenged my worldview. (I will say, having characters named “Valerie” and “Joan” and so on in a far off future world with pseudo-futuristic names for other things was incredibly jarring at first.)
I wish I had more to say about this book. I feel like despite the gender aspect, it perhaps says a little less about gender specifically, and more about class (or perhaps ‘caste’). That said, I appreciate the way it did challenge me to engage with my view of gender—it is incredibly difficult to try to let go of gendered assumptions even when characters are explicitly agender/asexual.
I was mostly satisfied by this book; I knew it was mostly about Tedla’s story, and because of that, I’m okay that the ending didn’t involve the toppling of entire social structures. That said, I find myself wanting to know so much more.
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I want to come back to this, because it seems like its really good, but I don't have the time to take it in and enjoy it like I want to right now, so I'm DNFing it for now.
I started out really excited reading this. I liked the writing style, the idea was really awesome, and I immediately liked the main character. I was interested in the society of Gammadis the whole time I was reading about it, and I really felt for the blands' struggles, and lack of personhood/rights. Some of the scenes are very brutal and hard to read, but there's an honesty in that. Overall, the story was intriguing, and I kept reading, I kept wanting to read. However, then the book began to wind down. The ending of the book dropped my rating from five stars to three. NONE of the major conflicts introduced in the book are ever solved. Tedla is left basically in the same state its been it its whole life, hidden and secret and reliant on humans, bound to fall into old patterns, with no one offering it any help for all the trauma its suffered - both as a child, and as an adult. Nothing about the Gammadian society is really ever mentioned after Tedla's escape from the planet. It leaves the reader questioning what the fate of the blands on Gammadis is, if there's even any progression towards the rights of the neuters. It leaves the reader questioning what will actually happen to Tedla, since locking it in a hotel room forever seems really stupid and unrealistic. There are also huge holes in the story, to me (such as the fact that twelve years of Tedla's life are compressed into like two pages). Also, the light-year math doesn't make sense consistently in the book, and that drove me a little bonkers. I feel like the book ignored its own rules on that in a couple instances just for convenience's sake and that really stood out. So overall, the book is really a good read and the characters are mostly very intriguing and enjoyable (even in their badness, in some cases), but it's just a huge let down in the end. For that reason I probably wouldn't recommend it to others without caution. People who like satisfying endings should definitely steer clear of this one.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I couldn't put this down! I was so compelled by the world that Gilman has created in this novel. I raced through my first reading in just a few days so that I could learn the answers to all the questions that came up in the reading and find out how the stories intersect. I've now read it multiple times (more slowly) and I've found it even more interesting and thought-provoking than the first read.
There are so many themes that are touched on in this book. Some are brief, some are more fleshed out. This book may appeal to you if you're interested in themes of gender, sexuality, asexuality, class oppression, the ethics and practices of anthropology (or xenology as they call it in sci-fi), or culture clash between alien planets. Not to mention the many other provocative topics that will probably leave you thinking about this book for a long time.
In terms of structure, the book alternates between narrators, switching from third-person to two different first-person backstories. I personally like this style - where the plots intertwine and meet in the middle of the timeline. Tedla's backstory is very compelling, and contains a lot of beautiful and interesting world building. The backstories also have another interesting component: the author does a really nice job of introducing the idea that one or both of the narrators may be unreliable. Something that I found wonderful and frustrating about this book is that some ambiguities like that one are never resolved and the reader is left to speculate about what the truth might be. Like I said, I've been thinking about this book so much even after reading it twice.
Some other reviewers may have noted this, but there is some disturbing, graphic material in the book. It's pretty short and isn't referred to explicitly after the scene ends, but it's something to be aware of. Don't let it stop you from reading the book though; it's not a vital scene so you could definitely skip it if you wanted to.
All in all, I recommend this book highly! I'm actually surprised that it isn't more popular, but I hope people will continue to discover it and enjoy it. I think it would make an excellent book club selection, because there is definitely a lot to talk about when you're done.
Also, if you enjoyed this book I recommend checking out Gilman's most recent novel [b:Dark Orbit|23168784|Dark Orbit|Carolyn Ives Gilman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1418148820s/23168784.jpg|42713935]. You'll find some familiar characters referred to, and one that even makes a cameo appearance.
There are so many themes that are touched on in this book. Some are brief, some are more fleshed out. This book may appeal to you if you're interested in themes of gender, sexuality, asexuality, class oppression, the ethics and practices of anthropology (or xenology as they call it in sci-fi), or culture clash between alien planets. Not to mention the many other provocative topics that will probably leave you thinking about this book for a long time.
In terms of structure, the book alternates between narrators, switching from third-person to two different first-person backstories. I personally like this style - where the plots intertwine and meet in the middle of the timeline. Tedla's backstory is very compelling, and contains a lot of beautiful and interesting world building. The backstories also have another interesting component: the author does a really nice job of introducing the idea that one or both of the narrators may be unreliable. Something that I found wonderful and frustrating about this book is that some ambiguities like that one are never resolved and the reader is left to speculate about what the truth might be. Like I said, I've been thinking about this book so much even after reading it twice.
Some other reviewers may have noted this, but there is some disturbing, graphic material in the book. It's pretty short and isn't referred to explicitly after the scene ends, but it's something to be aware of. Don't let it stop you from reading the book though; it's not a vital scene so you could definitely skip it if you wanted to.
All in all, I recommend this book highly! I'm actually surprised that it isn't more popular, but I hope people will continue to discover it and enjoy it. I think it would make an excellent book club selection, because there is definitely a lot to talk about when you're done.
Also, if you enjoyed this book I recommend checking out Gilman's most recent novel [b:Dark Orbit|23168784|Dark Orbit|Carolyn Ives Gilman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1418148820s/23168784.jpg|42713935]. You'll find some familiar characters referred to, and one that even makes a cameo appearance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Xenophobia
Moderate: Suicide, Violence, Suicide attempt
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use
4.5 stars. Awesome story with a great lesson to be learned.