“A Door Into Ocean” by Joan Slonczewski: Let’s read and discuss!

Welcome back readers, it’s the fiction round and we’re sticking with our microbiology theme: “A Door Into Ocean” by Joan Slonczewski is our pick this time! An ecofeminist sci-fi classic from the late 80s, often compared to the works of Ursula K. LeGuin.

Slonczewski is not only a novelist, but also a scientist and professor of biology in the US. She weaves her scientific expertise into the stories, so this one is “science-fiction” in the truest sense of the words.

Summary from GoodReads:
> A ground-breaking work both of feminist sci-fi and world-building, it concerns the Sharers of Shora, a nation of women on a distant moon in the far future who are pacifists, highly advanced in biological sciences, and who reproduce by parthenogenesis (there are no males) and tells of the conflicts that erupt when a neighboring civilization decides to develop their ocean world, and send in an army.

The book’s Wikipedia page adds:
> The novel's themes include ecofeminism and nonviolent revolution, as well as Slonczewski’s own knowledge in the field of biology.

Interestingly, Joan Slonczewski has published a study guide on her website, providing background on the book’s core topics and revealing many of her real-world influences. It may contains spoilers, so it’s probably best to take a look after reading the novel.

Curious to join us? Then order a copy at your local book shop or online:

• The book on Bookshop
• The book on Amazon
• Search for used copies on Abebooks

E-book versions, even without DRM, are also available. Unfortunately, it seems the novel has not been translated into many languages, so you might need to pick up the English version.

Our meeting is scheduled for June 3, 2025 and we usually discuss in English for 1.5-2 hours. You definitely don’t need a literature degree to participate! It’s important to us to listen to each other, to treat everyone with respect and to create a safe setting.

The discussion takes place virtually in Zoom and the meeting link will be added to this event on the day it happens. Just check back here half an hour before the meetup starts!

It doesn’t matter if you have actually finished the book – everyone is welcome, as long as you have read at least a few pages and bring your impression.