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A review by stephenmeansme
More Women of Wonder: Science Fiction Novelettes by Women About Women by Joanna Russ, Kate Wilhelm, Pamela Sargent, Ursula K. Le Guin, Leigh Brackett, C.L. Moore, Josephine Saxton, Joan D. Vinge
4.0
This is a little gem of a collection, sadly relegated to the cheap used-paperback bin. I'm on an active quest for the women of sf's past, not only because it turns out many of them were kickass writers but also to demolish for myself the weird myth in the contemporary sf&f discourse that somehow sf was all straight white men until, I dunno the Nineties? (Conveniently when the discourse writers were children, hm.)
So here we have novelettes by C. L. Moore, Leigh Brackett, Joanna Russ, Kate Wilhelm, and Joan D. Vinge - all of whom I knew - and also Josephine Saxton, whom I didn't. Plus a really good introductory essay by editor Pamela Sargent on women, women authors, and science fiction. There's a "Further Reading" section in the back, too, which is very nice.
Unfortunately, I don't know that the Moore and Brackett stories, which open the collection, are very good representatives of their work. Somewhat tellingly nether show up in their authors' BEST OF collections, so I would recommend that anyone go read those.
I had read Joanna Russ's story "The Second Inquisition" before - it's pretty good, a bit weird. The allegorical message didn't quite click for me, but YMMV.
Josephine Saxton was a new read, and "The Power of Time" was fine, but nothing in particular stood out.
Then we really start ramping up. I gave Kate Wilhelm's SOMERSET DREAMS AND OTHER STORIES collection 3 stars, it was solid but not as sfnal as I wanted. Well, "The Funeral" is basically a novella distillation of THE HANDMAID'S TALE but with actual feelings. Very well done.
Joan D. Vinge's "Tin Soldier" reminded me in some respects of Cordwainer Smith's "Scanners Live in Vain!" but gender-flipped. It's a love story with sfnal twists, and a play on a Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale to boot.
Finally, we have Ursula K. Le Guin, with a prequel story to THE DISPOSSESSED, extending that book's piercing look at political movements and systems. It's vaguely grotesque and sympathetic at the same time. It's really really good.
So four okay stories, three really good stories, and really good ancillary material. 3.5 stars, rounded up. There's lots of value here; only go read the Best Of collections I noted, too!
So here we have novelettes by C. L. Moore, Leigh Brackett, Joanna Russ, Kate Wilhelm, and Joan D. Vinge - all of whom I knew - and also Josephine Saxton, whom I didn't. Plus a really good introductory essay by editor Pamela Sargent on women, women authors, and science fiction. There's a "Further Reading" section in the back, too, which is very nice.
Unfortunately, I don't know that the Moore and Brackett stories, which open the collection, are very good representatives of their work. Somewhat tellingly nether show up in their authors' BEST OF collections, so I would recommend that anyone go read those.
I had read Joanna Russ's story "The Second Inquisition" before - it's pretty good, a bit weird. The allegorical message didn't quite click for me, but YMMV.
Josephine Saxton was a new read, and "The Power of Time" was fine, but nothing in particular stood out.
Then we really start ramping up. I gave Kate Wilhelm's SOMERSET DREAMS AND OTHER STORIES collection 3 stars, it was solid but not as sfnal as I wanted. Well, "The Funeral" is basically a novella distillation of THE HANDMAID'S TALE but with actual feelings. Very well done.
Joan D. Vinge's "Tin Soldier" reminded me in some respects of Cordwainer Smith's "Scanners Live in Vain!" but gender-flipped. It's a love story with sfnal twists, and a play on a Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale to boot.
Finally, we have Ursula K. Le Guin, with a prequel story to THE DISPOSSESSED, extending that book's piercing look at political movements and systems. It's vaguely grotesque and sympathetic at the same time. It's really really good.
So four okay stories, three really good stories, and really good ancillary material. 3.5 stars, rounded up. There's lots of value here; only go read the Best Of collections I noted, too!