When Snake’s cultural misunderstanding causes a tragic death however, Snake’s status as a healer seems in doubt. Her chief tools are her three genetically modified serpents, the white cobra, Mist, the rattler, Sand, and most precious of all, Grass, her dreamsnake, an alien serpent whose venom causes good dreams, kills pain and eases passing. During the final year of her qualification, Snake must travel alone through the deserts and mountains of a world which has endured nuclear apocalypse and alien visitation, healing any who are ill without fear or favour. Vonda N McIntyre’s 1973 short story, the evocatively titled Of Mist and Grass and Sand, was truly beautiful, tragic and compelling, so, when I needed a break from high tension fantasy and wanted something a bit more poetic, I decided to read the novel based on that short story, a story which since it features a rather unique take on the medical profession, seems quite appropriate for the times we’re living in.
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