Souls

by Joanna Russ

Set in 12th-century Germany, Radulphus tells the story of Radegunde, abbess of the abbey where he spent his childhood, and of what she did when the Norsemen came — and how he discovered her true nature.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Novella, Speculative Fiction, Feminism

84 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Joanna Russ (February 22, 1937 – April 29, 2011) was an American writer, academic and feminist. She is the author of a number of works of science fiction, fantasy and feminist literary criticism such as How to Suppress Women's Writing, as well as a contemporary novel, On Strike Against God, and one children's book, Kittatinny. She is best known for The Female Man, a novel combining utopian fiction and satire. [Wikipedia]

Reviews

[Denis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deep and nuanced commentary on gender relations, violence, religion, and social roles. I enjoyed the writing, which flowed in long sentences and paragraphs, and didn't overly mind the exposition in the dialogue. Interesting plot twist, in that 90% was a Viking-period tale, even if the story lost steam at the very end.

[Tommy Bildström · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jag har letat i hela biblioteket efter något mysko att läsa. Jag vill bli förvånad och läsa något annorlunda och Själens ensamhet (Souls heter den på originalspråk) av Joanna Russ är just det.

Berättelsen utspelar sig i ett kloster i norra Europa på 800-talet, där abbedissan Radegunde leder sitt folk mot ett hotande vikingaanfall. Det som börjar som en historisk berättelse förvandlas gradvis till något helt oväntat när Radegundes sanna natur avslöjas.

Den är bara så underbart annorlunda att man önskar att fler berättelser skulle kunna få vara så här.
Karaktärsbyggande, skarpa, roliga och filosofiska dialoger. Slutet vrider om perspektivet på hela berättelsen och man lämnar den med en känsla av lagom lätt förvirring.

Typisk "Tommy bok" alltså en bok som personligen tilltalar mig otroligt mycket men som både är lite svår att sälja in och dessutom peka tydligt på varför.

Men jag är ingen professionell litteraturkritiker men:
"I don’t know much about art, but I know what I like."

[Putter Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first Joanna Russ read and I was impressed with the seamless invitation into this world. This novella deal a lot with the themes of human brutality vs. faith and the conversation amongst the two with a dash of scifi/fantastical elements. Beautiful yet accessible prose in a focused form. I appreciate when authors handle the concept of compassion and the moral struggle of CHOOSING to love ALL the time.
It’s quick, to the point, and gets the job done, and some!

[Ronald Spitzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not your typical Viking raid! This story has held up well, unlike the last book I read before this one. It has interesting characters, a mystery situation and a sense of being historical. This one still deserves to be a Hugo Award winner.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I read a Tor Double paperback copy bound with Houston, Houston, Do You Read? by James Tiptree, Jr., but Goodreads won't let both authors show up if you search by author so I'm listing them separately.)

Very weird story, but the concept was interesting.

[Raúl Fernández Pérez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful novella: very well-written, themed and insightful. It is mostly a feminist critique of dogmatism (religious doctrine, classism) with a surprise ending and fantasy vibes all around.

[Abe Something · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very strong protagonist.

[Margot · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️/5

[Adam Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unsurprisingly great work from Russ. Has an incredible amount to say for something that takes less than 2 hours to read.

[tindra · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 ⭐️ Weird men på ett bra sätt, är lite förvirrad

[Daniel T · Rating 4 out of 5]

she was an alien right? liked it better when she was just a crafty ass woman

[Booksofdoom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Huvudpersonen är verkligen minnesvärd, men berättelsen är också typiskt Joanna Russ i det att språket är lite styltigt och osammanhängande och att berättelsen plötsligt kan dra iväg åt ett helt annat håll.

Jag tyckte om den här historien, och jag skulle nog gärna läsa mer, om jag hittar.