Status
Available
Call number
Series
Publication
New York, N.Y. : Avon, [1987], c1986.
Description
The Sharers of Shora are a nation of women on a distant moon in the far future. They are pacifists, they are highly advanced in biological sciences, and they reproduce by parthenogenesis-because there are no males. Conflict erupts when a militaristic neighboring civilization decides to develop their ocean world and sends in an army. A groundbreaking work both of feminist science fiction and of world-building hard science fiction, A Door into Ocean is the novel that made Joan Slonczewski's reputation as an important science-fiction writer.
Media reviews
A Door Into Ocean... starts so slowly that many readers may not get past the 40 leisurely pages of Part One. This would be a mistake. By the time the conflict she introduces so obliquely in Part One has moved to center stage, you not only know the antagonists intimately, you care passionately about
Show More
the outcome. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member CBrachyrhynchos
It's just my luck that I seem to be reading Slonczewski's Elysium cycle backwards. A Door into Ocean is the first, and most explicitly political of the four novels, focusing on non-violent action and culture.
Like most novels using this theme, *A Door into Ocean* focuses on the contrast between two
In contrast, the world of Valedon is militaristic, industrial, and plutocratic. Although nominally united under a single government, individual city-states engage in wars of dominance and occupation for control of resources. Behind both is the mysterious Patriarch of Torr, who has recently risen to unite far-flung colonies of the lost Primes under a religious rule that dictates the development of technology.
Much of the action comes from the efforts of the various protagonists to understand each other. Both Valans and Sharers see each other as dangerously inhuman. In an attempt to resolve this conflict, Merwin the Sharer adopts the young man, Spinel of Valedon. It's through Spinel's eyes that we see the contrast of both cultures.
The conflict leads to a war of occupation with the Valans ordered to bring the Sharers under the rule of Torr. Ultimately, this becomes more of a moral conflict than a military one. Both sides have the technological capability to engage in complete destruction of the other, a fact that leads to a MAD stalemate of competing threats that only complicates the fear. The Sharers choose to resist through increasingly desperate and suicidal acts of non-violence. While the Valan leader becomes increasingly entrenched in a pyrrhic effort to break the will of what he doesn't understand.
The conclusion is perhaps realistic in failing to offer a general solution for the problems introduced. Problems of coexistence between two radically different cultures can't be solved overnight. (In fact, they're conflicts that continue in the background through the 1,200 years of the Elysium Cycle.) Although Slonczeski's sympathies appear to be firmly with the Sharers, she avoids romanticizing them and describes their own unique flaws.
Overall I found it to be a compelling and enjoyable read. Slonczewski credibly introduces the biotechnology of the ocean world of Shora without too much technobabble. The characterization of world through its inhabitants is credible and compelling.
Like most novels using this theme, *A Door into Ocean* focuses on the contrast between two
Show More
cultures, with representative characters engaged in the process of discovery and conflict. The Sharers of Shora are a woman-only culture that have engineered their genes, environment, and culture into an ecological balance. Their language has no constructs for the subject-object distinction, lacking obvious ways to express power-over relationships like order and obey. In contrast, the world of Valedon is militaristic, industrial, and plutocratic. Although nominally united under a single government, individual city-states engage in wars of dominance and occupation for control of resources. Behind both is the mysterious Patriarch of Torr, who has recently risen to unite far-flung colonies of the lost Primes under a religious rule that dictates the development of technology.
Much of the action comes from the efforts of the various protagonists to understand each other. Both Valans and Sharers see each other as dangerously inhuman. In an attempt to resolve this conflict, Merwin the Sharer adopts the young man, Spinel of Valedon. It's through Spinel's eyes that we see the contrast of both cultures.
The conflict leads to a war of occupation with the Valans ordered to bring the Sharers under the rule of Torr. Ultimately, this becomes more of a moral conflict than a military one. Both sides have the technological capability to engage in complete destruction of the other, a fact that leads to a MAD stalemate of competing threats that only complicates the fear. The Sharers choose to resist through increasingly desperate and suicidal acts of non-violence. While the Valan leader becomes increasingly entrenched in a pyrrhic effort to break the will of what he doesn't understand.
The conclusion is perhaps realistic in failing to offer a general solution for the problems introduced. Problems of coexistence between two radically different cultures can't be solved overnight. (In fact, they're conflicts that continue in the background through the 1,200 years of the Elysium Cycle.) Although Slonczeski's sympathies appear to be firmly with the Sharers, she avoids romanticizing them and describes their own unique flaws.
Overall I found it to be a compelling and enjoyable read. Slonczewski credibly introduces the biotechnology of the ocean world of Shora without too much technobabble. The characterization of world through its inhabitants is credible and compelling.
Show Less
LibraryThing member TadAD
On one hand we have Valedon, a planet with an authoritarian, caste-conscious, patriarchal, somewhat militaristic society that is part of a galactic federation that is violently dictatorial in the name of preventing the mistakes that almost wiped out humanity centuries ago. Nearby we have Shora, a
The book has some good and, unfortunately, some not-so-good aspects to it.
I'd give her world-building skills a solid 'A': Shora feels real, from its biology (Slonczeswki is a biologist by profession) to its social structure. Without spending a lot of time in an info dump, Slonczewski makes you feel like you know what this world is like.
I'd give her ability to create characters a 'B': Spinel and Lystra, and many of the secondary characters (though not all), were more than just cardboard cutouts. There's some complexity to them and they were definitely likable and engaging. My criticism in this area would be that there simply wasn't enough exploration of the 800 lb. gorilla hanging around their emotional landscape—the inner struggles over attraction, repulsion, respect, even love across sub-species lines that are distinct enough that even basic humanity is an open question at one point to the characters (though not the reader).
The plot is an old standby, decently handled. We've encountered "aggressive, military culture vs. pacifist, eco-friendly culture" before but she doesn't do it any worse than others and certainly better than some.
Her writing was a somewhat weaker link. It's generally solid, unexceptional prose but there were four or five times where I'd come up out of the story line with the thought, "Well, that was awkwardly written."
My real complaint is that she seemed very uncertain about what thematic elements were going to drive the story. The first quarter of the book focuses heavily on setting up the tension between males and females as individuals, and between single-sex and coed societies in general. She showcases the prejudices—the designations of "unnatural" on one side and "malefreaks" on the other. The tension builds to the point where characters are uttering lines such as, "Only lesser races produce males."
And then it all disappears. Suddenly gender tension drops out of the story line entirely, to be replaced by the tension between violence and the pacifism: it's the soldiers on one side and the locals who won't fight, but won't back down either, on the other. Slonczewski's passion in this area is clear (I believe she is a Quaker in her beliefs) and she writes a fine, compelling story showcasing it.
But she left us hanging on everything she set up in the first part. There's no resolution provided in the characters' actions or thoughts, or even provided to the reader through narration or a quick aside. It's just…suddenly...not an issue. Or, perhaps more accurately, suddenly not talked about so we don't know if it's still an issue or not. I wanted to say to her, "But what conclusions do you draw about gender?"
Perhaps the biggest mystery about this book is how it gets "feminist" tags applied to it. Unless we assume that the author is so simplistic in her feminism that her message is, "women are naturally wiser than men and will, therefore, create a utopian society," it's hard to see it being justified. (And I don't think she's that simplistic—her male lead belies that argument.) Otherwise, she starts to raise questions and discussions but forgets about them in her concern with pacifism. All in all, this is a decent science fiction story of the utopian variety if you enter it expecting simply that, but it would have benefited from some rewriting at the beginning to remove the confusion of focus.
Show More
water-covered world populated by a society that lives communally by consensus and is well in tune with nature. They've also used their advanced knowledge of biology to engineer themselves into what might almost be considered a sub-species that is all-female, reproduces by parthenogenesis, is aquatically-adapted and capable of extensive mind/body control. Oh, and their world is rich in natural resources. War erupts…surprise!The book has some good and, unfortunately, some not-so-good aspects to it.
I'd give her world-building skills a solid 'A': Shora feels real, from its biology (Slonczeswki is a biologist by profession) to its social structure. Without spending a lot of time in an info dump, Slonczewski makes you feel like you know what this world is like.
I'd give her ability to create characters a 'B': Spinel and Lystra, and many of the secondary characters (though not all), were more than just cardboard cutouts. There's some complexity to them and they were definitely likable and engaging. My criticism in this area would be that there simply wasn't enough exploration of the 800 lb. gorilla hanging around their emotional landscape—the inner struggles over attraction, repulsion, respect, even love across sub-species lines that are distinct enough that even basic humanity is an open question at one point to the characters (though not the reader).
The plot is an old standby, decently handled. We've encountered "aggressive, military culture vs. pacifist, eco-friendly culture" before but she doesn't do it any worse than others and certainly better than some.
Her writing was a somewhat weaker link. It's generally solid, unexceptional prose but there were four or five times where I'd come up out of the story line with the thought, "Well, that was awkwardly written."
My real complaint is that she seemed very uncertain about what thematic elements were going to drive the story. The first quarter of the book focuses heavily on setting up the tension between males and females as individuals, and between single-sex and coed societies in general. She showcases the prejudices—the designations of "unnatural" on one side and "malefreaks" on the other. The tension builds to the point where characters are uttering lines such as, "Only lesser races produce males."
And then it all disappears. Suddenly gender tension drops out of the story line entirely, to be replaced by the tension between violence and the pacifism: it's the soldiers on one side and the locals who won't fight, but won't back down either, on the other. Slonczewski's passion in this area is clear (I believe she is a Quaker in her beliefs) and she writes a fine, compelling story showcasing it.
But she left us hanging on everything she set up in the first part. There's no resolution provided in the characters' actions or thoughts, or even provided to the reader through narration or a quick aside. It's just…suddenly...not an issue. Or, perhaps more accurately, suddenly not talked about so we don't know if it's still an issue or not. I wanted to say to her, "But what conclusions do you draw about gender?"
Perhaps the biggest mystery about this book is how it gets "feminist" tags applied to it. Unless we assume that the author is so simplistic in her feminism that her message is, "women are naturally wiser than men and will, therefore, create a utopian society," it's hard to see it being justified. (And I don't think she's that simplistic—her male lead belies that argument.) Otherwise, she starts to raise questions and discussions but forgets about them in her concern with pacifism. All in all, this is a decent science fiction story of the utopian variety if you enter it expecting simply that, but it would have benefited from some rewriting at the beginning to remove the confusion of focus.
Show Less
LibraryThing member picardyrose
Should appeal to readers into world creation. She was partly inspired by the Vietnam War.
LibraryThing member montsamu
In a word: amazing. Landor’s narration is beautiful and lyrical, with well-detailed characterizations across the cultures and classes presented in Slonczewski’s award-winning novel of feminism, pacifism, and anarchism in a far-future of multiple visions of post-humanity. It immediately vaults
Show More
into my all-time favorites list, though perhaps a half-step behind The Dispossessed and Parable of the Sower. Show Less
LibraryThing member Hegemellman
While slow to start, I was really impressed with how much I cared about what was happening by the second "part" of the book and I cared right up until the very last paragraph.
LibraryThing member Murphy-Jacobs
Another one I should revisit one of these days. I can't remember much about this book except being very bored and wondering why I was reading it. I suspect I was the wrong age and mindset to understand what was going on.
LibraryThing member comixminx
Good old The Women's Press sf list. Nary a title on its small but perfectly formed list is a misfire. Re-read this book for the first time in quite a while: could hardly put it down. Love the world-building and the social construction, as good as classic le Guin.
LibraryThing member alwright1
I loved the world-building in this one. I can be impatient, especially with audio book readers when things build slowly, but the nature of the humans of Shora helped me take time with the plot, even when the action was so decentralized. It took me a long time to listen to this, but I enjoyed the
Show More
science in the science fiction, and many of the characters quite a lot. Show Less
LibraryThing member wealhtheowwylfing
Shora is a world without land. The humans who colonized it chose to reshape themselves, instead of terraforming the planet. Sharers, as the descendents of the colonists call themselves, strive to live in balance with each other and their world. Although they have incredibly advanced biological
I've seen other reviews that decry this book as gender-essentialist lesbian separatism, and I have to disagree. The Sharers are all female, and they are, as a group, very wise. But the book doesn't seem to present being wise as the natural extention of being an all-female society. The original colonists created a society that prizes consensus and pacifism, and those are the priorities they passed on to their descendents. There are many Sharers who are not wise in the least, who are hot-headed, blood-thirsty, or narrow-minded. The Valedon soldiers are male and female, and their chief torturer is a woman. And it's not like men are left out of the book--a male Valedon first learns from a wise (male) seer, then becomes a Sharer. We spend a large portion of the book inside his head, and much of the latter half inside another man's.
I really enjoyed reading the Sharers' struggles. They're incredibly inspirational, and I loved their society (even though I'd hate to live on their world). They refuse to do anything that might harm the Valedons (prefering civil disobedience), but the Valedons only value strength. It's fascinating conflict, but the resolution felt like a cop-out:the Valedons accidentally become convinced that the Sharers have created a time-bomb plague, that could wipe out the Valedons if ever the Sharers are wiped out themselves, and so they decide to leave the Sharers in peace. That aside, the societies Slonczewski create are engrossingly unique, and the conflict between them made me very tense and anxious.
Show More
science, they try to change as little as possible about the natural ecology of Shora, even though it means losing friends and loved ones to vast monsters that roam the ocean. Their highest goal is to strengthen the ecological and social web that ties each creature to another. But they share their solar system with Valedon, a feudal, warlike world. And Valedon wants to expand its hold. Can the pacifists of Shora find a way to understand, and be understood by, their invaders?I've seen other reviews that decry this book as gender-essentialist lesbian separatism, and I have to disagree. The Sharers are all female, and they are, as a group, very wise. But the book doesn't seem to present being wise as the natural extention of being an all-female society. The original colonists created a society that prizes consensus and pacifism, and those are the priorities they passed on to their descendents. There are many Sharers who are not wise in the least, who are hot-headed, blood-thirsty, or narrow-minded. The Valedon soldiers are male and female, and their chief torturer is a woman. And it's not like men are left out of the book--a male Valedon first learns from a wise (male) seer, then becomes a Sharer. We spend a large portion of the book inside his head, and much of the latter half inside another man's.
I really enjoyed reading the Sharers' struggles. They're incredibly inspirational, and I loved their society (even though I'd hate to live on their world). They refuse to do anything that might harm the Valedons (prefering civil disobedience), but the Valedons only value strength. It's fascinating conflict, but the resolution felt like a cop-out:
Show Less
LibraryThing member Pferdina
I enjoyed this book tremendously. The concept was delightful and unique, and the science was incorporated well so that it was important to the plot and believable. An ocean planet populated by women leads to many interesting ideas. The conflict with the neighboring planet also believable. The only
Show More
jarring aspect to this story, for me, was the Spinel character, who seemed rougher than the others. Some of his statements just didn't feel right to me. Show Less
LibraryThing member xiaomarlo
What a world Slonczewski has built! Intricate and profound, with cool ideas about biotechnology and how a completely non-violent culture would work. The only problems I found were with 1) the main antagonist - too flat and cartoonish, and 2) the length - this is a very long book.
LibraryThing member ChrisRiesbeck
Solid but annoying. The cover blurb reference to Dune is not unreasonable. This is sort of a water world version, with a culture clash between outsiders and those who have adapted to oceanic environment. Though much is made of the author's scientific background, surprisingly few info-dumps occur
The annoying part is the heavy handed natives good, warrior patriarchy bad. I kept waiting for some nuance or depth to appear in the handling of the two sides, but it never came.
Recommended but it wasn't a breakout book for me.
Show More
explaining the ecosystems. The annoying part is the heavy handed natives good, warrior patriarchy bad. I kept waiting for some nuance or depth to appear in the handling of the two sides, but it never came.
Recommended but it wasn't a breakout book for me.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ScoLgo
I was fairly blown away by the world-building and detailed societies Slonczewski came up with in this book. Having
never read her before, A Door Into Ocean was a pleasant surprise. This is top-notch anthropological SF with the
characters driving the plot forward. If you like Le Guin's Hainish
Snow Queen books, or Russell's Rakhat duology, (The Sparrow/Children of God), then this book should be right up
your street. I'll be looking to add the other volumes in this loosely connected series to my library soon.
never read her before, A Door Into Ocean was a pleasant surprise. This is top-notch anthropological SF with the
characters driving the plot forward. If you like Le Guin's Hainish
Show More
books, (especially The Dispossessed), Vinge's Snow Queen books, or Russell's Rakhat duology, (The Sparrow/Children of God), then this book should be right up
your street. I'll be looking to add the other volumes in this loosely connected series to my library soon.
Show Less
Subjects
Awards
John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (Winner — 1987)
Prometheus Award (Nominee — Novel — 1987)
Language
Original publication date
1986
Physical description
530 p.; 18 inches
ISBN
0380701502 / 9780380701506