History Literature / Dreamsnake

* TownWithADarkSecret: Mountainside. See [[spoiler:BeautyEqualsGoodness and WhatMeasureIsANonCute for why.]] Also, they [[spoiler:[[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil rather casually sell their children into indenture]]]] (and—as [[spoiler:Larril]] can attest—don't think twice about [[spoiler:maiming any bondservant who takes exception]]).

* TownWithADarkSecret: Mountainside. See [[spoiler:BeautyEqualsGoodness and WhatMeasureIsANonCute for why.]] Also, they [[spoiler:[[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil rather casually sell their children into indenture]]]] (and—as [[spoiler:Larril]] can attest—don't think twice about [[spoiler:maiming any bondservant who takes exception)]].

* TownWithADarkSecret: Mountainside. See [[spoiler:BeautyEqualsGoodness and WhatMeasureIsANonCute for why.]] Also, they [[spoiler:[[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil rather casually sell their children into indenture]] (and, as seen with Larril, maiming any bondservant who takes exception).]]

* AerithAndBob: Most names are in the Bob category (Merideth, Gabriel, Melissa). But you've also got [[KnownOnlyByTheirNickname obviously-assumed names]] (Snake, Silver, North) and a few oddities (Arevin, Grum, Ao).

* TownWithADarkSecret: Mountainside. [[spoiler:See BeautyEqualsGoodness for why.]]

''Dreamsnake'' is a 1978 ScienceFiction novel written by Vonda N. [=McIntyre=]; winner of both the {{Hugo|Award}} and UsefulNotes/{{Nebula|Award}} Awards.

* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: Invoked by the fact that someone's violent ophiophobia is what gets Snake into trouble in the first place; she leaves titular creature Grass—who is about as dangerous as a vine snake—with a sick child who's taken a liking to him, and a family member panics and slices the tiny, docile creature in half. Reconstructed with sand vipers; not even Snake can find much that she likes about the ugly, vicious beasts.

* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: [[spoiler: Especially when committed upon an undersized and burn-scarred twelve-year-old by her [[AbusiveParents psychotic surrogate father]].]]
* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: Invoked by the fact that someone's violent ophiophobia is what gets Snake into trouble in the first place. Reconstructed with sand vipers; not even Snake can find much that she likes about the ugly, vicious beasts.

* WhatMeasureIsANonCute: Mountainside is ''made'' of this trope. Melissa's burn scars [[spoiler:-- earned in [[BadassAdorable an act of heroism]], at the age of ''eight'' -- ]]make so much of a social outcast out of her that when her foster father verbally abuses her in front of the mayor, the mayor ''argues that it's for her own good''. [[spoiler:It takes the revelation that he's been molesting her for him to be declared unfit.]]

''Dreamsnake'' is a 1978 ScienceFiction novel written by Vonda N. [=McIntyre=]; winner of both the {{Hugo|Award}} and {{Nebula Award}}s.

* EveryoneIsBi: Well, at least most characters.

* GenderNeutralWriting: Merideth's gender is [[AmbiguousGender deliberately never revealed]].

* BadassAdorable: Melissa is twelve, [[OlderThanTheyLook so tiny as to look closer to nine]], sweet, vulnerable, and [[FriendToAllLivingThings almost preternaturally good with animals]]. She's also probably the bravest character in the book. [[spoiler:Case in point: she rescued horses from a stable fire—getting badly scarred as a result—at the age of eight, and is one of [[OnlyTheChosenMayRide the two people who can ride Gabriel's ill-tempered horse]].]]

* AerithAndBob

* AbusiveParents: Just a moment before Ras is properly introduced, he's [[WouldHurtAChild slapped]] his foster daughter Melissa across the face hard enough to leave a mark. [[spoiler:That's ''tame'' compared to [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil what]] [[BreakTheCutie else]] he's done to her.]]

* AuthorAppeal: [[{{Polyamory}} Group or at least triad marriages]] and [[FantasyContraception biocontrol]].

* FantasyContraception: By way of something similar to biofeedback, no less. Everyone is taught it at a young age. [[spoiler:Gabriel learned it wrong, and [[ButWeUsedACondom fail ensued]].]]

* HappilyAdopted: Tends to be true of healers in general, as they're sterile or effectively so. [[spoiler:Snake adopts Melissa about halfway through the book.]]

* TownWithADarkSecret
* WeWillHaveEuthanasiaInTheFuture.

!! Contains examples of:

* WhatMeasureIsANonCute: Mountainside is ''made'' of this trope. Melissa's burn scars[[spoiler:—earned in [[BadassAdorable an act of heroism]], at the age of ''eight''—]]make so much of a social outcast out of her that when her foster father verbally abuses her in front of the mayor, the mayor ''argues that it's for her own good''. [[spoiler:It takes the revelation that he's been molesting her for him to be declared unfit.]]

* DeadLittleSister: Arevin has a quite literal one. [[spoiler:Jesse ends up playing such a role for Snake.]]

* WhatMeasureIsANonCute: Mountainside is ''made'' of this trope. Melissa's burn scars[[spoiler:—earned in [[BadassAdorable an act of heroism, at the age of ''eight]]''—]]make so much of a social outcast out of her that when her foster father verbally abuses her in front of the mayor, the mayor ''argues that it's for her own good''. [[spoiler:It takes the revelation that he's been molesting her for him to be declared unfit.]]

* WhatMeasureIsANonCute: Mountainside is ''made'' of this trope. Melissa's burn scars[[spoiler:—earned in an act of heroism, at the age of ''eight''—]]make so much of a social outcast out of her that when her foster father verbally abuses her in front of the mayor, the mayor ''argues that it's for her own good''. [[spoiler:It takes the revelation that he's been molesting her for him to be declared unfit.]]

* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: Invoked by the fact that someone's violent ophiophobia is what gets Snake into trouble in the first place. Reconstructed with sand vipers; not even Snake can find much that she likes about the damn things.

[[quoteright:240:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/snake_258.PNG]]
[[caption-width-right:240:Now be a good boy and take your medicine. (The feeder's photo by [[http://firefail.deviantart.com/art/Snake-with-mouth-open-121427999 FireFail.)]]]]

''Dreamsnake'' is a 1978 ScienceFiction novel written by Vonda N. [=McIntyre=].