ETHAN OF ATHOS BY LOIS MCMASTER BUJOLD [VORKOSIGAN SAGA] | BOOK REVIEW

[@melbaker9495]

Bujold took the name Athos from an island near Greece that is a Orthodox monastery where no women are allowed to set foot. The story was a pretty amazing effort to kind of imagine what is effectively a gay male society that evolved from a religious fundamentalist cult that thought women were the source of all evil. At one point Ethan mentions those "very holy men" who never join into partnerships. Basically she's giving a nod to the fact that some of those men born on Athos are effectively heterosexual and unable to form attractions to the same sex, turing on its head the idea that you can be straight if you try hard enough. Considering when she wrote the book it's a pretty amazing piece of science fiction, up there with LeGuins earlier works that explored gender. We also get a chance to learn more about Eli Quinn, who is such an interesting character of her own. (FYI, there is an Easter Egg in the novella Cetaganda refererencing what the main plot point is in this work.

[@SarahMaeBea]

Nice review! I thought this book was a fun little detour in the series, and agreed it shouldn't be passed up!