Published in 1978, the Hugo and Nebula award winning Dreamsnake was lauded as a feminist reworking of the heroic quest. From the perspective of a reader in the 1990's its a solid blend of fantasy and genetic science set on Earth long after the nuclear holocaust. Snake is a young healer who travels and offers aid by using the venom of her genetically modified serpents. The rarest of them is the dreamsnake Grass who's venom offers a peaceful and painless death to those beyond help. Snake is willing to risk her life to find more dreamsnakes when she learns of an outlaw stronghold that may have some. What she finds is beyond her expectation and the answer to an old biological puzzle.

Snake is such a talented Healer that she was given both her name and one of the precious alien dreamsnakes. She travels with several snakes including Grass, Sand who's venom is an anesthetic, and Mist who produces antibiotics. The specialized serpents are the result of genetic engineering except for the dreamsnakes which aren't native to Earth. Snake encounters several people in need of various kinds of aid. Some need physical healing but others are looking for emotional support or require rescue from their situation in life. Snake feels morally and ethically obligated to help everyone she can. But there are always those who are beyond help and she knows the Healers will never trust her with another dreamsnake if she isn't simply cast out for losing Grass. After a failed attempt to get more from off world she is to discovers a man addicted to dreamsnake venom who swears his Mad Max style outlaw leader has lots of them. Snake is determined to rescue the snakes and hopes that it will save her place among the Healers.

Dreamsnake is based upon McIntyre's short story "Of Mist and Grass and Sand". The self-reliant and competent Snake stood out among the usual female representations in the genre in 1978. Additionally, McIntyre avoided the use of pronouns and instead referred to characters by job titles. At the time it was intended to depict women in positions of power and respect without gender bias. In 2021 women are more accepted in such jobs but the lack of pronouns could also represent the inclusion of transgender characters. The issue of genetic engineering, especially in the medical field, is just as relevant now as it was in 1978 if not even more controversial. As a biomedical researcher myself I was much struck by the reminder to avoid making assumptions when it comes to biology. Overall, the plot and themes of the book are not all dated. It wears its age well and is still an enjoyable sci/fi-fantasy in a well crafted world.

Both Dreamsnake and the original short story are available in eBook and audio book. The novel itself has been published more than once in paperback. Anna Fields has narrated several pages of books on Audible in all genres and the book as a 4.5 star rating on Audible. McIntyre (1948-2019) was not a prolific writer but a notable one. An interesting bit on her Wikipedia reference is that she wrote the novelizations of Star Trek 2 and 3 as well as a few other Star Trek and Star Wars novels.