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skyturtles's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
This is like a feminist version of Left Hand of Darkness, with a sprinkling of Dune. It was a bit slow at times, but very enjoyable. It was like all of my favorite genres mashed together. Griffith did a wonderful job of imagining a world without men on an alien planet, and I can't wait to read more by her.
prof_chronotis's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
captaincrunchabunch's review against another edition
dark
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
gavinsteyn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
grayjay's review against another edition
5.0
Marghe is an anthropologist eager to arrive at the quarantined planet Jeep to study the inhabitants who have been cut off from Earth for several generations and mysteriously consist of only women.
A few years prior, "the Company" sent a team to colonize the planet but visitors were infected by a local virus that killed all men and 78% of women.
Marghe is received by the Commanding Officer of the remaining quarantined Company colony and sent out to study the natives and discern the mystery of their survival for generations without men.
I saw some similarities between Ammonite and The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula le Guin. Both feature an outsider arriving on a planet inhabited by a lost human offshoot with variant gender distribution. The visitor in both have agendas that are abandoned as they become more sympathetic to the cultures they are studying.
This novel definitely challenges the notions of gender roles. She successfully imagines a world inhabited soley by women and avoids dividing them all into the roles traditionally assigned to men and and women.
Griffith is brilliant at character development. Her characters have psychological depth. The reader understands them and their motives, so when the characters are transformed, you know how much it means to them.
A few years prior, "the Company" sent a team to colonize the planet but visitors were infected by a local virus that killed all men and 78% of women.
Marghe is received by the Commanding Officer of the remaining quarantined Company colony and sent out to study the natives and discern the mystery of their survival for generations without men.
I saw some similarities between Ammonite and The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula le Guin. Both feature an outsider arriving on a planet inhabited by a lost human offshoot with variant gender distribution. The visitor in both have agendas that are abandoned as they become more sympathetic to the cultures they are studying.
This novel definitely challenges the notions of gender roles. She successfully imagines a world inhabited soley by women and avoids dividing them all into the roles traditionally assigned to men and and women.
Griffith is brilliant at character development. Her characters have psychological depth. The reader understands them and their motives, so when the characters are transformed, you know how much it means to them.
seairra's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
burnet's review
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
jgirl105's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
heliopteryx's review against another edition
4.5
A great book about change and community on an all-female planet. Learning, growing, relying on, and being useful to others are major themes. If you like The Left Hand of Darkness, chances are you'll like this, and vice versa. I read the edition that has a map and character list at the front. I didn't really feel the need to go back and look at the map or list, but the name pronunciations are useful.
The only thing I didn't like with this book is that the "vaccine" is actually a prophylactic. Every time it was referred to as a vaccine, it bugged me to no end. In the grand scheme of things, a pretty minor issue so I still wholeheartedly recommend this book.
This book is about Marguerite Taishan, an anthropologist being sent to the quarantined planet Jeep for two reasons: to test the generic ruthless Company's new vaccine against a virus originating on Jeep and because all Company outposts are supposed to have an anthropologist to advise them and interface with the natives, even though when it comes down to it, Company will do whatever is profitable. The virus is 100% lethal to men, and roughly 20% lethal to women, and somehow there's a stable population of women on the planet who have been there for centuries at least, and as of yet no one from the wider galactic human society has found out how. Marghe the anthropologist sets out to learn what she can.
Separately, there are some sections from the perspective of Hannah Danner, Company commander of the outpost stuck on Jeep. I loved these sections, I wish we saw a bit more from her perspective. It was interesting to see how she made decisions when faced with so many unknowns.
The only thing I didn't like with this book is that the "vaccine" is actually a prophylactic. Every time it was referred to as a vaccine, it bugged me to no end. In the grand scheme of things, a pretty minor issue so I still wholeheartedly recommend this book.
This book is about Marguerite Taishan, an anthropologist being sent to the quarantined planet Jeep for two reasons: to test the generic ruthless Company's new vaccine against a virus originating on Jeep and because all Company outposts are supposed to have an anthropologist to advise them and interface with the natives, even though when it comes down to it, Company will do whatever is profitable. The virus is 100% lethal to men, and roughly 20% lethal to women, and somehow there's a stable population of women on the planet who have been there for centuries at least, and as of yet no one from the wider galactic human society has found out how. Marghe the anthropologist sets out to learn what she can.
Separately, there are some sections from the perspective of Hannah Danner, Company commander of the outpost stuck on Jeep. I loved these sections, I wish we saw a bit more from her perspective. It was interesting to see how she made decisions when faced with so many unknowns.