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A review by kathrynhoss
Heiresses of Russ 2013: The Years's Best Lesbian Speculative Fiction by Steve Berman, Tenea D. Johnson
This anthology is hit-or-miss. I felt like many of the stories enforced a message of giving-up and hopelessness. Three of them were about struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic landscape while pining after a straight girl.
I just feel like... as queer writers we need to reach higher. We need to extend the limits of the stories we tell about ourselves, try harder to avoid the myth that we lead doomed lives. Straight people are already telling that story about us. Why get bogged down in angst when we can create a better future, or past, or alternate universe? And I don't know about y'all, but I read speculative fiction to escape, to find a tiny flame of hope that I can bring back into my own world. I read speculative fiction for FUN.
What I did like, and why I think this collection is ultimately worth reading:
One True Love by Malinda Lo. Simple, vaguely-medieval heroic-romance story.
Elm by Jamie Killen. There are already SO many girl-meets-supernatural-girl stories out there, but this one was fucked up and interesting.
Harrowing Emily by Megan Arkenberg. Depressing as hell, but the images stuck with me. It's ultimately about letting go, or maybe hanging on... not about giving up.
The Witch Sea by Sarah Diemer. This story is the reason I originally got into the Diemers' work. It's fantastical, it has romance, and it has a plot. I know that's setting the bar low, but that's all I want from a story billed "lesbian speculative fiction."
Nightfall in the Scent Garden by Claire Humphrey. This one is about pining after a straight girl probably, but it has a C.S. Lewis sense of wonder/danger to it?
Chang'e Dashes from the Moon by Benjanun Sriduangkaew. Beautiful queer retelling of a Chinese myth. I loved it and definitely need to check out more of this author's work!
So Heiresses of Russ 2013 gets a solid 3 stars from me-- I wouldn't NOT read it. But quality varies.
I just feel like... as queer writers we need to reach higher. We need to extend the limits of the stories we tell about ourselves, try harder to avoid the myth that we lead doomed lives. Straight people are already telling that story about us. Why get bogged down in angst when we can create a better future, or past, or alternate universe? And I don't know about y'all, but I read speculative fiction to escape, to find a tiny flame of hope that I can bring back into my own world. I read speculative fiction for FUN.
What I did like, and why I think this collection is ultimately worth reading:
One True Love by Malinda Lo. Simple, vaguely-medieval heroic-romance story.
Elm by Jamie Killen. There are already SO many girl-meets-supernatural-girl stories out there, but this one was fucked up and interesting.
Harrowing Emily by Megan Arkenberg. Depressing as hell, but the images stuck with me. It's ultimately about letting go, or maybe hanging on... not about giving up.
The Witch Sea by Sarah Diemer. This story is the reason I originally got into the Diemers' work. It's fantastical, it has romance, and it has a plot. I know that's setting the bar low, but that's all I want from a story billed "lesbian speculative fiction."
Nightfall in the Scent Garden by Claire Humphrey. This one is about pining after a straight girl probably, but it has a C.S. Lewis sense of wonder/danger to it?
Chang'e Dashes from the Moon by Benjanun Sriduangkaew. Beautiful queer retelling of a Chinese myth. I loved it and definitely need to check out more of this author's work!
So Heiresses of Russ 2013 gets a solid 3 stars from me-- I wouldn't NOT read it. But quality varies.