_Dragon’s Island_ Jack Williamson
Feb. 12th, 2023 02:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
walkitoutI bought _Dragon’s Island_ on kindle, back in 2021.
https://walkitout.dreamwidth.org/1907573.html
I had read Jasmine Silvera’s _Binding Shadows_ and there was a great book conversation that included a mention of this Williamson novel that I’d never even heard of before. And it was available as an e-book, soooo…
Also, I note that _Binding Shadows_ has a sequel that came out about a year ago that I haven’t bought, much less read. Mmmmm.
Anyway.
_Dragon’s Island_ is bonkers. There’s a bunch of stuff in there about creating a Better Human, and a bunch of stuff about racial prejudice. For all that Williamson refers to a grown-ass woman persistently as a “girl”, Nan Sanderson is presented as relentlessly capable, and there are numerous other women characters in the book who are similarly presented as intelligent and capable.
Our hero is a geneticist trying to figure out how to direct mutations in a useful way. He’s trying to track down the old friend of his deceased father, who may or may not have figured out a way to do exactly that. There’s also a pervasive bunch of ESP / paranormal ability going on in this book — the hero’s mum had some kind of ability, and another woman was a parapsychologist.
Oh, and I haven’t mentioned the whole cure for cancer thing, have I? Or the tree growing a space ship, or . . .
It is a _bonkers_ book. I’m glad I read it, altho I will note that I generally say that about Jack Williamson books. I can’t recommend it — it is dated and problematic, and still. I did enjoy it.
https://walkitout.dreamwidth.org/1907573.html
I had read Jasmine Silvera’s _Binding Shadows_ and there was a great book conversation that included a mention of this Williamson novel that I’d never even heard of before. And it was available as an e-book, soooo…
Also, I note that _Binding Shadows_ has a sequel that came out about a year ago that I haven’t bought, much less read. Mmmmm.
Anyway.
_Dragon’s Island_ is bonkers. There’s a bunch of stuff in there about creating a Better Human, and a bunch of stuff about racial prejudice. For all that Williamson refers to a grown-ass woman persistently as a “girl”, Nan Sanderson is presented as relentlessly capable, and there are numerous other women characters in the book who are similarly presented as intelligent and capable.
Our hero is a geneticist trying to figure out how to direct mutations in a useful way. He’s trying to track down the old friend of his deceased father, who may or may not have figured out a way to do exactly that. There’s also a pervasive bunch of ESP / paranormal ability going on in this book — the hero’s mum had some kind of ability, and another woman was a parapsychologist.
Oh, and I haven’t mentioned the whole cure for cancer thing, have I? Or the tree growing a space ship, or . . .
It is a _bonkers_ book. I’m glad I read it, altho I will note that I generally say that about Jack Williamson books. I can’t recommend it — it is dated and problematic, and still. I did enjoy it.