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Speaking Dreams
In a retrograde future, where the known galaxy is divided between slavers, a deteriorating empire, and legendary aliens, a young woman with the gift of prescience, Costa, is taken from her homeworld and sold into service. Unknown to her captors, or to the woman who reluctantly buys her, Mira LoDire, a diplomat,Costa possesses information that will forever change the balance of galactic power.
As the unavoidable confrontation between the three unevenly matched factions unfolds, so, too, does the love of the women for each other. The two of them are thrown into the midst of foretold events, their destinies woven together by a common enemy, their ultimate freedom dependent on trust and fate.
As the unavoidable confrontation between the three unevenly matched factions unfolds, so, too, does the love of the women for each other. The two of them are thrown into the midst of foretold events, their destinies woven together by a common enemy, their ultimate freedom dependent on trust and fate.
258 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 1992
110 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 26, 2020
I’ve had this lesbian sci fi book on my shelf for many years and recently decided to reread it for the third time. Just like the first two times, I had to read it all in one sitting. Still moving after all these years and the second half really picks up in the plot and action department after the author spends the first half laying down the relationships between cousins, sisters, and the two main protagonists who become lovers. For a work written in 1992, it was ahead of its time.
There’s particular relevance this reading given what has happened with the BLM protests in 2020 as this book deals with human slavery. Costa is white and the slave and Mira is black as the reluctant owner. In this galaxy, every human comes up on a List around college age for a few years and if captured during that time can be taken as a slave by Faraqui slave traders.
IMO it’s no accident that the author chose this combination. Costa’s line is bred like prized stock on planet Jahar for her features—blonde, slim, fit. The gene pool is strictly manipulated such that her relatives could be twins of different ages. Either you stay on this plant and breed with the mate you are assigned or you get collared where the drugs from the collar keep you looking the same for the next 20 years at which time you “Fail” and die an agonizing death. The collared slaves are usually transported off world to be sold where slavery is the norm and accepted.
Given her diplomatic job to negotiate with the slave traders, Mira is under orders to get a slave (to show proper cultural respect during this mission) which she does under protest. We get to see what Costa suffers through in terms of abuse prior to meeting Mira (nothing too graphic, PG-13 with the worst atrocities implied or through subtext). Costa is also unusual in that she has the gift of prescience which adds another layer of suspense and impending doom.
It’s Mira’s perspective though that I paid much more attention to this time around. And although she hid during her time on the List and avoided a slave life, we see that Mira’s privilege hasn’t exactly left her totally innocent either. At one point Costa isn’t doing what Mira wants and she could order Costa to do it, but ends up snapping at her. Later in the book, Mira gets hit in the face and she’s shocked because she’s never been hit before. The power dynamic of the slaves versus those who are free is so systemic that neither can really escape their roles 100%. The story does have a happy ending but the questions that are posed through out about whether we can really escape system oppressions (both sides) will keep the reader busy after reading the last word.
There’s particular relevance this reading given what has happened with the BLM protests in 2020 as this book deals with human slavery. Costa is white and the slave and Mira is black as the reluctant owner. In this galaxy, every human comes up on a List around college age for a few years and if captured during that time can be taken as a slave by Faraqui slave traders.
IMO it’s no accident that the author chose this combination. Costa’s line is bred like prized stock on planet Jahar for her features—blonde, slim, fit. The gene pool is strictly manipulated such that her relatives could be twins of different ages. Either you stay on this plant and breed with the mate you are assigned or you get collared where the drugs from the collar keep you looking the same for the next 20 years at which time you “Fail” and die an agonizing death. The collared slaves are usually transported off world to be sold where slavery is the norm and accepted.
Given her diplomatic job to negotiate with the slave traders, Mira is under orders to get a slave (to show proper cultural respect during this mission) which she does under protest. We get to see what Costa suffers through in terms of abuse prior to meeting Mira (nothing too graphic, PG-13 with the worst atrocities implied or through subtext). Costa is also unusual in that she has the gift of prescience which adds another layer of suspense and impending doom.
It’s Mira’s perspective though that I paid much more attention to this time around. And although she hid during her time on the List and avoided a slave life, we see that Mira’s privilege hasn’t exactly left her totally innocent either. At one point Costa isn’t doing what Mira wants and she could order Costa to do it, but ends up snapping at her. Later in the book, Mira gets hit in the face and she’s shocked because she’s never been hit before. The power dynamic of the slaves versus those who are free is so systemic that neither can really escape their roles 100%. The story does have a happy ending but the questions that are posed through out about whether we can really escape system oppressions (both sides) will keep the reader busy after reading the last word.
July 1, 2009
Strange little scifi book, not as weird as "The Annunciate." I enjoy weird little books so this was a go for me.
February 27, 2016
One of the better gay psychic space slavery books I've read!
did-not-finish-or-start
July 14, 2021DNS 7/14/2021
June 5, 2020
Maybe I’m becoming a softy, but I really liked this lesbian space opera about a galactic empire, evil slavers, and vicious aliens. I thought it was well-written even though the pacing was uneven. The plot was surprisingly exciting. I was especially gripped by the whole concept of a slaver race keeping planets of humans as breeding grounds for their slavery industry. It was horrifying and emotionally pretty gut-wrenching. This book was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Sci Fi/Fantasy in 1993.
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Come visit my blog for the full review…
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March 10, 2013
entertaining but uneven. solid characterizations make the book worth finishing, but the seriously problematic "science" of this "science" fiction novel was at several points almost enough to make me drop the book. you have instantaneous, zero-lag galaxy-wide communication, and you're still using bubble wrap for packaging, and hypodermic needles for medications? why do i not think so? cribbing ideas from three or four other sf writers for versimilutude would have been seriously preferable. also, if you are going to have a war in your book, and the course of that war directly affects your characters, who theoretically have some impact over its direction, then it would be helpful if you included even the smallest bit of strategy. like, at all. but i liked the two protagonists well, and the situation on the slave-girl's low-tech homeworld is entirely engaging. the book is basically rather average in execution, but original in concept, and the characters hold it together.
August 8, 2016
3 3/4 Stars. Emotionally gripping but uneven. Park creates fascinating, complex characters and descriptions that are neither overwhelming nor sparse, but her story suffers from an incomplete approach to explaining the world she created. Several times while reading, I found myself too distracted by trying to figure out aspects of her world which were not well explained to completely engage in the actual story. I also struggled with her treatment of Costa's dreams and Mira's past. It felt a little wasteful to spend so much time mentioning and engaging with these aspects of the characters yet not do more to consider why Costa could tell the future or to explain Despite these shortcomings, I found that I enjoyed this novel much more than I expected and am looking forward to reading the sequel.
April 29, 2013
I just reread this bit of queer feminist sf. Park deals with slavery, biotechnology, and colonization, and manages to
have offhandedly queer protagonists. Some of the sex scenes can get a bit Naiad erotic, but if you skim those bits it's interesting.
have offhandedly queer protagonists. Some of the sex scenes can get a bit Naiad erotic, but if you skim those bits it's interesting.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews