Ring of Swords

Ring of Swords was the first book I read by Eleanor Arnason because at the time (1995) it had just been published, but in this interview she says it's the book readers who are coming to her for the first time should start out with.

Arnason is usually described as a feminist writer, though I--who typically have little patience for feminist theory--would say she transcends that sort of label. Science fiction at its best can throw a new light on our own world, and that's exactly what Arnason uses the genre to do, creating alien cultures that allow us to examine the role of gender and sexuality in our own society in a way we never would otherwise.

Ring of Swords tells the story of Anna Perez, a biologist who is somewhat reluctantly drafted show more into the peace negotiations between humanity and an alien race named the Hwarhath, with whom we have been on the brink of war since first contact some decades ago. The Hwarhath negotiators are exclusively male warriors; Hwarhath society is completely gender segregated, with little to no contact between males and females.

Consequently the Hwarhath have developed an entirely homosexual society. They view humanity, with their practices of gender integration and heterosexuality, as disgustingly perverted. As the novel progresses, we learn that, while humanity's contact with the Hwarhath comes through the spacefaring males, real power lies with the females who remain on the homeworld; the gender segregation originally arose as a way to protect the females from masculine violence. And while talks continue between the two races' respective negotiators, on the Hwarhath homeworld the females are conducting a debate of their own: whether the practice of a disgusting sexual abomination like heterosexuality means humans in fact have no souls, and therefore should be subject simply to extermination as animals rather than negotiating over peace or war.

A brilliant read with some profound insights into the relationship between power and gender roles. Ring of Swords holds up a mirror to our own society and lets us examine aspects of it in the way that only science fiction can. show less

Humanity encounters a highly sex-segregated alien race (men prepare for and make war; women run everything else and control reproduction, which is mechanical; heterosexuality is the greatest perversion). At a peace conference, a traitor human, the lover of the alien leader, meets a scientist researching whether a third species is intelligent, and she takes a dangerous risk to keep the traitor from suffering at the hands of human military intelligence. The story kept me engaged, and the alien way of life had the feeling of a feminist thought experiment by way of Robert Sawyer’s Hominids; not sure what I think about the tormented heterosexual who sublimated all his self-hating desire into producing the generation’s greatest plays, but show more it sure was different. show less

Fascinating novel centering on a human biologist who is part of the team carrying out negotiations between Earthlings and an alien culture: the Hwarhath. Their culture is very different from outs: males and females live almost entirely separate lives, and romantic love (for the males at least) is entirely homosexual. And they find our pattern of allowing the sexes to mingle barbaric and disgusting. The plot thickens with the introduction of the translator Nicholas Sanders, and the emergence of some of the Hwarhath as character in their own right. The examination of gender roles is marvellously developed: Aranson follows her own arguments to their logical ends. Like another reviewed, I think that this book transcends categories like show more "feminist" or "gay". It is an extraordinarily imaginative examination of how another group of sentient beings might function, and of how they might interact with our own kind. And in the process, Arnason has created a gripping plot, characters who come alive, and a novel in which one can lose oneself. show less

Surprised this book is not more well known.

It's a smart and thoughtful book about morals, ethics, rules of engagement in war, sexuality and how we as a society deal with violence. Rounded characters, good dialogue and an unpredictable story makes this a page-turner. It is hampered somewhat by a surprisingly passive protagonist, but that could possibly have been done on purpose to illustrate thought vs action.

I got this book from my mom to read. This is the supposedly the first book in the Hwarhath series, but I didn’t find any other books in this series aside from a collection of short stories set in the same world. This book moved very slowly but was intriguing and engaging all the same. I was surprised at how engaged I was in this story despite the fact that it was a very slow read for me.

The book goes back and forth between Anna (a human researcher) and Nicholas (a human who has lived with the Hwarhath for many years).

Anna is on another planet studying alien life that she is determined to prove intelligent when she ends up involved in the negotiations between the Hwarhath and the humans. Things don’t go well and Anna ends up back on show more Earth...only to have the Hwarhath request her presence at a new series of negotiations many years later.

This book moves very slowly and deliberately. However the looming question of whether or not the humans will be able to obtain peace with the Hwarhath really propels the story forward.

This book is very intriguing because it spends a lot of time looking at the question of how a culture’s social norms can affect interacting with other races and cultures. In Hwarath society any intimate relations between a man and woman are seen as disgusting and unclean. The Hwarhath really struggle with the fact that humanity allows “violent” males to live with and interact with both the children and women in human society. Additionally, the question is raised again and again about the definition of an “intelligent lifeform” versus an “animal”.

Adding to the above intrigue is the fact that a human named Nicholas has been living with the Hwarhath for a number of years. Figuring out how Nicholas has done this is interesting and trying to learn his background and what drives him is intriguing as well.

My biggest complaint about this book is that it was slow. I struggled a bit to read this and had to read it very slowly; still I found myself intrigued enough that I never gave up and stopped reading it.

Overall this was a decent science fiction book about humans trying to make peace with another alien race. I would recommend if sci-fi themed novels about what it means to be an intelligent lifeform are intriguing to you. This is a very thought-provoking book if a bit slow. show less

There were moments when I was utterly in love with this book--with the concept, the characters, and the story itself--but there were other points when I have to admit I just couldn't get engaged. I think what it comes down to is that, although Arnason's writing and story are impressive, I desperately wanted more depth to the characters and a bit more intricacy to the story. It all sometimes felt a little too simple, the characters a little too flat, for me to feel like I could sink into the story and feel it. In the end, I'm glad to have read it, but I'm not sure whether or not I'll read more of Aranason's work, as it really left me wanting more by the end (but not in a good way).

Humans encounter an alien society where males and females live entirely separate lives, dealing with each other only for pro-creation and necessary political decisions. The culture is fascinating. Needless to say homosexuality is the norm in this culture. There is an interesting human male and alien male relationship at the center of the book. There are also a lot of really good insights into power and gender roles.