About the Author

Vonda N. McIntyre (1948-2019), a highly acclaimed writer of science fiction and fantasy, was born in Kentucky. In her early life she lived in the Netherlands and Poland before settling in Seattle. As well as writing, she worked as a biologist in the field of genetics. She won her first Nebula Award for the novelette that became part of Dreamsnake; the novel itself won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards. In addition she wrote a number of Star Trek and Star Wars novels and novelisations (she was responsible for giving Sulu his first name!) as well as several volumes of stories. Her historical fantasy The Moon and the Sun, set in the court of King Louis XIV of France, was made into the film The King's Daughter, starring Fan Bingbing and Pierce Brosnan as the Sun King. The Vonda N. McIntyre Memorial Scholarship has been established to enable women writers and writers of colour to attend the Clarion West Writers Workshop.

Reviews

An accomplished, compelling work - challengingdestiny.comThis is a book like a mountain stream - fast, clean, clear, exciting, beautiful - Ursula K. Le GuinA splendid tale, combining the sensitivity and attention to mood of the new generation of SF writers with a gripping and well-worked-out adventure - Publishers WeeklyIt's a haunting, rich, and tender novel that explores the human side of science fiction in a manner that's all too uncommon. The world it creates is vivid and fascinating, and Snake is a marvellously well realized character - Roger Zelazny