Rainbow Man

I've read the great triad of dystopia novels--"1984," "Brave New World," and "We." Let me assure you, none of them are as believable or disturbing as this seemingly pastoral tale with dark undercurrents. Particular credit must go to the author for focusing on believable characterization--it's very easy to understand what each character is thinking that drives their increasingly appalling actions. I only took a star off because of the soapboxing, but you can skip it without detracting much from the story.

I highly recommend this book! It is so interesting to read and M.J. Engh shows her great knowledge of science fiction in writing this novel. READ IT!

This book was unusually good for me. I am used to adventures where the characters go off beating each other up as well as the bad guy, but this book was different. It was more about discovery of other cultures.The main character in "Rainbow Man" is a woman who has left her starship to live on the planet Bimran? . She is a woman who is defined as a male because she has had an operation done to make her unable to reproduce. This and other strange things about her new surroundings are the main conflict in the story. read it!

There is something irresistibly compelling about this novel which defies specific definition. Piquant, poignant, with depth. I'm one of those people who seldom picks up the same book twice, and yet somehow I found myself reading this same novel for the third time, just recently. Let me try to tell you why. Liss, a floating visitor of planets aboard giant starships of the future, finally decides to settle down upon a harmless-looking planet. She is immediately and somewhat cryptically nicknamed "The Rainbow Man", and rainbow man it is; the book is a sparkling yet poetically spare exploration of intriguing psychological issues. There is philosophical conversation, there are enigmatic characters, there is an interesting construction of a world both parallel to and separate from our own. Identity, morals, theology, open-mindedness, time, relationship and connection, and most of all freedom of choice - it's all here, and in a science fiction context which, as a genre, is enriched by this tale. I felt a strong connection with the independent main character, and a delight in the ethereal yet simple style of the piece which leaves much to the imagination but leads you there, and leaves sparkle behind when you've finished. An interesting read and highly recommended if you've got some time on your hands and a curious mind. Reminds me of Michael Swanwick's books "Vacuum Flowers" and "Stations of the Tide" - also wondrous worlds.