The Snow Queen by Joan D. Vinge

Hello, Stranger.

Let's talk about Joan D. Vinge's The Snow Queen.

The Short of It

Plot: The backwater planet of Tiamat has been under the control of the Snow Queen for 150 years. Summer is coming.

Page Count: 448

Award: 1981 Hugo

Worth a read: Yes
Primary Driver: (Plot, World, or Character)
Bechdel Test: Pass
Technobabble: Minimal.
Review: A delightful mix of fantasy tropes with science fiction twists. Tiamat itself feels solidly fantasy; the ageless Snow Queen, The Lady who gives some people visions and helps them, the separate regimes of Summer and Winter. Yet it is but one planet - and the rest are technologically developed. It's a remarkable balance that works surprisingly well. Side characters are great; distinct justifications, backstories, history together. Protagonists are... fine. The driving motivation being, once again, cousins in love... not great. They're also quite passive, which gets tiresome. 

The Medium of It

Spoiler Free!

Their two mothers, who were sisters, had gone to Carbuncle to the last Festival, and returned to Neith carrying, as her mother had told her, “the living memory of a magic night.” She and Sparks had been born on the same day; his mother had died in childbirth. Their grandmother had raised them both while Moon’s mother was at sea with the fishing fleet. They had grown up together like twins...

This is our introduction to the two main characters, Moon and Sparks. Yes, those are their names. No, it doesn't feel less silly the further you go. But the fact that this is how we learn about our characters makes it extremely uncomfortable that their romance is the driving force for both. Vinge seems to think that this is sufficient to justify facing some absurd obstacles. 

It's odd that this is the choice she's made for her protagonists; perhaps it is so to give it a bit more of that True Love feeling of a fairy tale. The other characters have a depth that the protagonists lack. Some of them are quite remarkable; they have a weighty first impression, then we learn a bit from them about who they are the way they are, and then we learn further the hopes and fears and dreams that are hidden behind that. They're full on onions (or ogres) in regards to layering. Even those who come off as shallow from the start tend to have a whole lot going on behind the scenes. 

The broad world of The Snow Queen is great. It is here that the blending of SF and Fantasy tropes works best. Those characters "In the Know" approach things from a science angle; those who are less privileged have a totally different view on how the world works. Some of the detail work/how the world actually functions is a bit... hazy... but it's still engaging.

To create a cast of deeper characters and successfully show us both the SF and Fantasy sides of the world, the protagonists are extremely passive. They need to be shunted from one point to another so that we can see it all; bounced between groups of people to give us a broad sampling. One very clever move: one of the details here is that only one police squad is allowed from the Offworlders. It's an excellent justification for people continually running into the same few police officers; instead of it being a coincidence, it's just a fact of how the world functions. Smart!

Pacing is inconsistent. For the most part it moves decently, but those parts where characters are shown to be listless tend to leave the reader feeling so as well. The final act also goes on for far too long; there are a number of reveals that are telegraphed from truly the start of the book, and they are treated as major reveals. Don't get me wrong, I love me a good Chekhov's Gun, but you don't need to put a neon sign over it that says, "Will Shoot in Act III, Please Cover Your Ears." It feels a bit condescending. 

All in all, worth a read. It's a cool world and an artful blend of genres.

If you'd like to pop it in the ol' book to brain pipeline, consider using the link below! I'll get a few cents at no extra cost to you.

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The Long of It

Spoilers Ahead!

In a book with so many cool characters, it's a shame that the protagonists are so uninteresting. My favorites:

- Fate, the blind mask maker with far too many secrets

- Ngenet, the endearing smuggler who wants to make the world a better place

- Persiponë, underworld magnate and supplier of information

- Pollux, the robot who developed a personality

- Herne, the terrifying former lover of the Snow Queen

There are plenty more - pretty much all the smugglers are great. You actually believe that they believe in the morality of what they're doing. The mix of good and bad police officers is compelling; even the good ones resent the unfair promotion of their commander, and are thus hesitant to follow her orders. People have a lot going on!

As I see it, the single best scene in this book is the fight between Herne and Sparks. They fight it out on a narrow beam over a canyon. Herne has a box - technology - to control the wind. Sparks has a flute and can do the same. It's a perfect encapsulation of the clashing mythology and technology elements throughout the book. And it is somehow totally believable on both sides. All about it.

I don't know how to feel about the Sybil Network. Certain people, called Sybils, get an artificial virus that links them to a broader data network left behind by a previous empire. It's an interesting concept but tends to function as a matter of convenience; for a system that is spelled out with a scientific-ish explanation it has some rather flexible boundaries.

Every seen with Fate is great; she shines throughout. 

Alright, Stranger. Don't murder animals to try to attain immortality.

And don't forget to read a book!