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Sisters of the Revolution: A Feminist Speculative Fiction Anthology
Sisters of the Revolution gathers a highly curated selection of feminist speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy, horror, and more) chosen by one of the most respected editorial teams in speculative literature today, the award-winning Ann and Jeff VanderMeer. Including stories from the 1970s to the present day, the collection seeks to expand the conversation about feminism while engaging the reader in a wealth of imaginative ideas.
From the literary heft of Angela Carter to the searing power of Octavia Butler, Sisters of the Revolution gathers daring examples of speculative fiction’s engagement with feminism. Dark, satirical stories such as Eileen Gunn’s “Stable Strategies for Middle Management” and the disturbing horror of James Tiptree Jr.’s “The Screwfly Solution” reveal the charged intensity at work in the field. Including new, emerging voices like Nnedi Okorafor and featuring international contributions from Angelica Gorodischer and many more, Sisters of the Revolution seeks to expand the ideas of both contemporary fiction and feminism to new fronts. Moving from the fantastic to the futuristic, the subtle to the surreal, these stories will provoke thoughts and emotions about feminism like no other book available today.
Contributors Angela Carter, Angelica Gorodischer, Anne Richter, Carol Emshwiller, Catherynne M. Valente, Eileen Gunn, Eleanor Arnason, Elizabeth Vonarburg, Hiromi Goto, James Tiptree Jr., Joanna Russ, Karin Tidbeck, Kelley Eskridge, Kelly Barnhill, Kit Reed, L. Timmel Duchamp, Leena Krohn, Leonora Carrington, Nalo Hopkinson, Nnedi Okorafor, Octavia Butler, Pamela Sargent, Pat Murphy, Rachel Swirsky, Rose Lemberg, Susan Palwick, Tanith Lee, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Vandana Singh.
From the literary heft of Angela Carter to the searing power of Octavia Butler, Sisters of the Revolution gathers daring examples of speculative fiction’s engagement with feminism. Dark, satirical stories such as Eileen Gunn’s “Stable Strategies for Middle Management” and the disturbing horror of James Tiptree Jr.’s “The Screwfly Solution” reveal the charged intensity at work in the field. Including new, emerging voices like Nnedi Okorafor and featuring international contributions from Angelica Gorodischer and many more, Sisters of the Revolution seeks to expand the ideas of both contemporary fiction and feminism to new fronts. Moving from the fantastic to the futuristic, the subtle to the surreal, these stories will provoke thoughts and emotions about feminism like no other book available today.
Contributors Angela Carter, Angelica Gorodischer, Anne Richter, Carol Emshwiller, Catherynne M. Valente, Eileen Gunn, Eleanor Arnason, Elizabeth Vonarburg, Hiromi Goto, James Tiptree Jr., Joanna Russ, Karin Tidbeck, Kelley Eskridge, Kelly Barnhill, Kit Reed, L. Timmel Duchamp, Leena Krohn, Leonora Carrington, Nalo Hopkinson, Nnedi Okorafor, Octavia Butler, Pamela Sargent, Pat Murphy, Rachel Swirsky, Rose Lemberg, Susan Palwick, Tanith Lee, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Vandana Singh.
353 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 3, 2015
328 people are currently reading
5560 people want to read
About the author
Ann VanderMeer
68 books260 followersAnn VanderMeer is an American publisher and editor, and the second female editor of the horror magazine Weird Tales. She is the founder of Buzzcity Press.
Her work as Fiction Editor of Weird Tales won a Hugo Award. Work from her press and related periodicals has won the British Fantasy Award, the International Rhysling Award, and appeared in several year's best anthologies. Ann was also the founder of The Silver Web magazine, a periodical devoted to experimental and avant-garde fantasy literature.
In 2009 "Weird Tales edited by Ann VanderMeer and Stephen H. Segal" won a Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine. Though some of its individual contributors have been honored with Hugos, Nebula Awards, and even one Pulitzer Prize, the magazine itself had never before even been nominated for a Hugo. It was also nominated for a World Fantasy Award in 2009.
Her work as Fiction Editor of Weird Tales won a Hugo Award. Work from her press and related periodicals has won the British Fantasy Award, the International Rhysling Award, and appeared in several year's best anthologies. Ann was also the founder of The Silver Web magazine, a periodical devoted to experimental and avant-garde fantasy literature.
In 2009 "Weird Tales edited by Ann VanderMeer and Stephen H. Segal" won a Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine. Though some of its individual contributors have been honored with Hugos, Nebula Awards, and even one Pulitzer Prize, the magazine itself had never before even been nominated for a Hugo. It was also nominated for a World Fantasy Award in 2009.
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January 13, 2020
Splendida antologia di penne al femminile ma devo (Sì! Devo!) cominciare con un appunto che ritengo fondamentale e, ancora una volta, mi riferisco alla traduzione del titolo.
Il bellissimo – e azzeccatissimo!!!- titolo originale: ”Sisters of the Revolution sotto il quale i curatori Ann & Jeff VanderMeer hanno radunato questi racconti è tradotto con un aggettivo fumoso e fuorviante.
Se anche le traduttrici in postfazione riferiscano di scrittrici molto diverse tra loro ma accomunate dall'appartenere all'ampia categoria della speculative fiction dunque “visionarie” si riferisce ad una dimensione che sta tanto nel fantastico quanto nella declinazione ucronico o distopica del fantascientifico.
Personalmente, però, trovo che sia un aggettivo che in italiano rimandi al ragionamento di un folle. Il visionario non è forse colui che vive fuori dal reale, in uno stato allucinato?
Perché la declinazione al femminile dovrebbe essere differente?
Non mi piace perché sembra sia una raccolta di narratrici esaltate…
Chiudo la parentesi perché comunque giudico importante questa antologia che sì parla della questione di genere trasferendola (con diverse sfumature) in altre dimensioni ma non perdendo di vista tematiche altrettanto fondamentali e concrete.
I racconti sono ventinove con scritture e modalità narrative, ovviamente, molto differenti.
Vorrei focalizzare alcune tematiche.
Una tra le più ampie è quella della prigione che può essere interpretata in senso concreto o metaforico.
La prigione concreta de “Le parole proibite di Margaret A.” (L. Timmel Duchamp) narra la storia di una donna incarcerata per aver espresso le proprie opinioni.
Le sue parole sono ritenute talmente pericolose che il governo ha varato un emendamento costituzionale per limitare la libertà di espressione…
Ne “Le madri di Shark Island” c’è un carcere particolare: è su un’isola inaccessibile e lì vengono rinchiuse le madri quando non servono più.
Dopo aver curato arrivano ad essere scomode, non più tollerate e,dunque, l’isolamento equivale al rifiuto:
” Madri, figlie. Che cosa sono questi schemi che determinano il nostro futuro insieme? Quando e come furono stabiliti? Quest’alienazione carica d’affetto è veramente colpa sua? È mia?”
Poi la consapevolezza che ” Il peccato imperdonabile credo sia diventare vecchie.”.
La maternità è comunque un tema ricorrente nella sua duplice azione di aggiungere e sottrarre. Perché una donna diventando madre si arricchisce ma la sua nuova definizione di identità toglie e rimuove la libertà di essere stesse.
Altro tema ricorrente è quello del corpo.
Ne “Le zie” si scatena l’elemento fantastico di corpi femminili nutriti dalle carni delle loro compagne più anziane per dilatarsi fino ai limiti massimi.
Surreale e metaforico nel suo definire i rapporti generazionali.
Altre racconti (ucronici o distopici) parlano del travestimento: ad esempio sono società in cui si scatena la follia omicida contro la donna che si trova poi costretta a vestire panni maschili per sopravvivere.
Da notare che in uno di questi racconti, intitolato “La soluzione della mosca”, è l’autrice che scrivendo con lo pseudonimo maschile di James Tiptree Jr mette in atto un sotterfugio per poter essere pubblicata…
Il tema dell’identità anche in “E Salomé danzò” (Kelley Eskridge) dove le audizioni per una rappresentazione teatrale creano scompiglio quando si presenta Joe Sand sia per la parte di Giovanni Battista sia per quella di Salomé dando un’eccezionale interpretazione di entrambi…
Nella grande varietà di stili, tra questi 29 racconti, ci sono anche fiabe come “Le cinque figlie della grammatologa” (Eleanor Arnson) che segue le tradizione della favole dove il re dona qualcosa ad ognuno dei figli che lascia il reame.
In una chiave più moderna abbiamo invece il tema del femminicidio ed una rivisitazione della favola di Barbablu (una delle favole che mi terrorizzava di più da bambina!) ne “Il trucco della bottiglia” (Nalo Hopkinson).
Vergognosamente devo ammettere che conoscevo solo due delle autrici proposte:
Angela Carter che però – ad oggi- non trovo nelle mie corde e, invece, Octavia Butler (una delle rare autrici afroamericane che hanno scritto fantascienza) che ho apprezzato ne “La parabola del seminatore”.
Dunque un’ottima antologia con un bel team di traduttrici italiane molto valide e un’ottima occasione per conoscere altre autrici interessanti.
”Ne parlavamo, quando vivevamo nel mondo, noi figlie che eravamo a nostra volta madri di bambini piccoli. Parlavamo delle nostri madri. Ne parlavamo molto. Cospiravamo – Non diventeremo così, giuravamo. Facevamo comunella con le nostre figlie – Promettete di dircelo se iniziamo a diventare così. E loro giuravano – Lo faremo, lo faremo.”
Il bellissimo – e azzeccatissimo!!!- titolo originale: ”Sisters of the Revolution sotto il quale i curatori Ann & Jeff VanderMeer hanno radunato questi racconti è tradotto con un aggettivo fumoso e fuorviante.
Se anche le traduttrici in postfazione riferiscano di scrittrici molto diverse tra loro ma accomunate dall'appartenere all'ampia categoria della speculative fiction dunque “visionarie” si riferisce ad una dimensione che sta tanto nel fantastico quanto nella declinazione ucronico o distopica del fantascientifico.
Personalmente, però, trovo che sia un aggettivo che in italiano rimandi al ragionamento di un folle. Il visionario non è forse colui che vive fuori dal reale, in uno stato allucinato?
Perché la declinazione al femminile dovrebbe essere differente?
Non mi piace perché sembra sia una raccolta di narratrici esaltate…
Chiudo la parentesi perché comunque giudico importante questa antologia che sì parla della questione di genere trasferendola (con diverse sfumature) in altre dimensioni ma non perdendo di vista tematiche altrettanto fondamentali e concrete.
I racconti sono ventinove con scritture e modalità narrative, ovviamente, molto differenti.
Vorrei focalizzare alcune tematiche.
Una tra le più ampie è quella della prigione che può essere interpretata in senso concreto o metaforico.
La prigione concreta de “Le parole proibite di Margaret A.” (L. Timmel Duchamp) narra la storia di una donna incarcerata per aver espresso le proprie opinioni.
Le sue parole sono ritenute talmente pericolose che il governo ha varato un emendamento costituzionale per limitare la libertà di espressione…
Ne “Le madri di Shark Island” c’è un carcere particolare: è su un’isola inaccessibile e lì vengono rinchiuse le madri quando non servono più.
Dopo aver curato arrivano ad essere scomode, non più tollerate e,dunque, l’isolamento equivale al rifiuto:
” Madri, figlie. Che cosa sono questi schemi che determinano il nostro futuro insieme? Quando e come furono stabiliti? Quest’alienazione carica d’affetto è veramente colpa sua? È mia?”
Poi la consapevolezza che ” Il peccato imperdonabile credo sia diventare vecchie.”.
La maternità è comunque un tema ricorrente nella sua duplice azione di aggiungere e sottrarre. Perché una donna diventando madre si arricchisce ma la sua nuova definizione di identità toglie e rimuove la libertà di essere stesse.
Altro tema ricorrente è quello del corpo.
Ne “Le zie” si scatena l’elemento fantastico di corpi femminili nutriti dalle carni delle loro compagne più anziane per dilatarsi fino ai limiti massimi.
Surreale e metaforico nel suo definire i rapporti generazionali.
Altre racconti (ucronici o distopici) parlano del travestimento: ad esempio sono società in cui si scatena la follia omicida contro la donna che si trova poi costretta a vestire panni maschili per sopravvivere.
Da notare che in uno di questi racconti, intitolato “La soluzione della mosca”, è l’autrice che scrivendo con lo pseudonimo maschile di James Tiptree Jr mette in atto un sotterfugio per poter essere pubblicata…
Il tema dell’identità anche in “E Salomé danzò” (Kelley Eskridge) dove le audizioni per una rappresentazione teatrale creano scompiglio quando si presenta Joe Sand sia per la parte di Giovanni Battista sia per quella di Salomé dando un’eccezionale interpretazione di entrambi…
Nella grande varietà di stili, tra questi 29 racconti, ci sono anche fiabe come “Le cinque figlie della grammatologa” (Eleanor Arnson) che segue le tradizione della favole dove il re dona qualcosa ad ognuno dei figli che lascia il reame.
In una chiave più moderna abbiamo invece il tema del femminicidio ed una rivisitazione della favola di Barbablu (una delle favole che mi terrorizzava di più da bambina!) ne “Il trucco della bottiglia” (Nalo Hopkinson).
Vergognosamente devo ammettere che conoscevo solo due delle autrici proposte:
Angela Carter che però – ad oggi- non trovo nelle mie corde e, invece, Octavia Butler (una delle rare autrici afroamericane che hanno scritto fantascienza) che ho apprezzato ne “La parabola del seminatore”.
Dunque un’ottima antologia con un bel team di traduttrici italiane molto valide e un’ottima occasione per conoscere altre autrici interessanti.
”Ne parlavamo, quando vivevamo nel mondo, noi figlie che eravamo a nostra volta madri di bambini piccoli. Parlavamo delle nostri madri. Ne parlavamo molto. Cospiravamo – Non diventeremo così, giuravamo. Facevamo comunella con le nostre figlie – Promettete di dircelo se iniziamo a diventare così. E loro giuravano – Lo faremo, lo faremo.”
November 29, 2015
Authors in this collection I have read before
:
Leonora Carrington
Octavia E. Butler
Angela Carter
Pat Murphy
Joanna Russ
Tanith Lee
Ursula K. Le Guin
All the other authors :
L. Timmel Duchamp
Kit Reed
Nnedi Okorafor
Eleanor Arnason
Kelley Eskridge
Angélica Gorodischer
Nalo Hopkinson
Leena Krohn
James Tiptree Jr.
Rose Lemberg
Anne Richter
Kelly Barnhill
Hiromi Goto
Vandana Singh
Susan Palwick
Carol Emshwiller
Eileen Gunn
Karin Tidbeck
Pamela Sargent
Rachel Swirsky
Catherynne M. Valente
Elisabeth Vonarburg
Clearly I need to do more reading.
This is a pretty solid collection. The authors I were already familiar with did not disappoint, and I came across some new-to-me authors that I want to check out in more detail now (Kit Reed & Hiromi Goto to name just a couple), and reminders to read the ones I've heard of but have not read previously (James Tiptree, Jr. & Catherynne M. Valente to name a couple again).
What was lovely about this collection is that it is not entirely Anglo. There are writers from several different countries here, and while their agendas may be similar, their stories are not which made for an exciting read throughout. With any collection or anthology, there are some stories that are better than others, and this is no different. But I appreciated that each of these women were given a voice in a genre (or classification of a genre, if you want to be specific) that do not always get as much attention and that other cultures were represented here.
Some of these stories were written in the 70s, such as Joanna Russ's "When It Changed". For those of us who recently read The Female Man, "When It Changed" will be familiar because Russ wrote again about Whileaway, the utopian society in which men died out from a plague (specific only to menfolk) some 800 years ago. "When It Changed" was written about three years before The Female Man, so I think Whileaway was a society Russ felt strongly about.
Other stories were more recent, and those are a lot of the authors I had not been familiar with yet, but again I look forward to searching many of them out now.
I know I requested this collection from the library, but I no longer remember what it was that prompted me to search it out in the first place. That's my good ol' memory for you. But whatever it was, I am glad I paid attention to it and requested it right away. A collection of short stories was what I needed right now, and it felt good to be able to get through it in a few days without tasking the brain cells too much. Some of these stories are especially powerful and one that actually broke my little heart (because animal!), but it was so well-done that I can't help but keep thinking about it. And holding onto my dogs with all my strength.
Leonora Carrington
Octavia E. Butler
Angela Carter
Pat Murphy
Joanna Russ
Tanith Lee
Ursula K. Le Guin
All the other authors :
L. Timmel Duchamp
Kit Reed
Nnedi Okorafor
Eleanor Arnason
Kelley Eskridge
Angélica Gorodischer
Nalo Hopkinson
Leena Krohn
James Tiptree Jr.
Rose Lemberg
Anne Richter
Kelly Barnhill
Hiromi Goto
Vandana Singh
Susan Palwick
Carol Emshwiller
Eileen Gunn
Karin Tidbeck
Pamela Sargent
Rachel Swirsky
Catherynne M. Valente
Elisabeth Vonarburg
Clearly I need to do more reading.
This is a pretty solid collection. The authors I were already familiar with did not disappoint, and I came across some new-to-me authors that I want to check out in more detail now (Kit Reed & Hiromi Goto to name just a couple), and reminders to read the ones I've heard of but have not read previously (James Tiptree, Jr. & Catherynne M. Valente to name a couple again).
What was lovely about this collection is that it is not entirely Anglo. There are writers from several different countries here, and while their agendas may be similar, their stories are not which made for an exciting read throughout. With any collection or anthology, there are some stories that are better than others, and this is no different. But I appreciated that each of these women were given a voice in a genre (or classification of a genre, if you want to be specific) that do not always get as much attention and that other cultures were represented here.
Some of these stories were written in the 70s, such as Joanna Russ's "When It Changed". For those of us who recently read The Female Man, "When It Changed" will be familiar because Russ wrote again about Whileaway, the utopian society in which men died out from a plague (specific only to menfolk) some 800 years ago. "When It Changed" was written about three years before The Female Man, so I think Whileaway was a society Russ felt strongly about.
Other stories were more recent, and those are a lot of the authors I had not been familiar with yet, but again I look forward to searching many of them out now.
I know I requested this collection from the library, but I no longer remember what it was that prompted me to search it out in the first place. That's my good ol' memory for you. But whatever it was, I am glad I paid attention to it and requested it right away. A collection of short stories was what I needed right now, and it felt good to be able to get through it in a few days without tasking the brain cells too much. Some of these stories are especially powerful and one that actually broke my little heart (because animal!), but it was so well-done that I can't help but keep thinking about it. And holding onto my dogs with all my strength.
March 2, 2016
I love the idea behind this anthology: sci-fi/fantasy stories, written by women from many different places and times, coming together to form a multi-faceted view of feminism. It was an exciting combination of authors: old favorites, some I'd been meaning to check out, and several I'd never heard of before.
There were some compelling and thought-provoking stories in here, but overall... I found it a bit tedious. Part of the reason is that, despite the variety of settings and styles, there's a dearth of themes. I felt that I was reading the same story over and over again: the patriarchy abusing and oppressing women, with grim consequences. While I realize that this theme is an important part of feminist fiction, reading so many similar stories back-to-back lessens the impact of each one. I would have loved to see a few stories focused on, say, female friendship, or *gasp* men and women treating each other with respect.
The overall presentation and editing of the book is mixed. I liked the author mini-biographies that prefaced each story, but really disliked the one-sentence take-home messages that were tacked on to the end. I would think that any reader inclined to pick up this book would be capable of identifying such themes and messages for themselves, without having to be told that "the moral of the story is..."
With that said, there were a few stories that did stand out:
The Mothers of Shark Island, by Kit Reed. If I were to recommend just one story from this book, it would be this one. It's about how we treat and think about our mothers. It's heartbreaking and universal, written in a graceful and eerie style reminiscent of The Handmaid's Tale.
The Grammarian's Five Daughters, by Eleanor Arnason. A smart, funny fairy tale about how language shapes the world, and how even the most maligned parts of language have importance and power. Being in the style of a fairytale, the characters weren't especially well-developed, but the story is more than delightful enough to make up for that.
The Screwfly Solution, by James Tiptree, Jr (aka Alice Bradley Sheldon). I have always held that if you want inspiration for a truly mind-bending dystopian society, look no further than the lives of the plants and animals in your own back yard. This story looks at how humans interact with "unwanted" parts of the natural world... and then takes those interactions to the logical next level.
And a few of the weaker stories:
My Flannel Knickers, by Leonora Carrington. I'm not usually one to complain about lack of plot, or about world-building that leaves open questions... but this was a bit of an extreme example.
And Salome Dances, by Kelley Eskridge. This story is basically about how the narrator comes to realize that trans people exist. Not exactly "speculative fiction".
Sur, by Ursula K. Le Guin. Le Guin is one of my favorite authors, yet the editors somehow found a boring story by her. My disappointment is immense.
But all in all, if you're interested in learning about female SFF authors, this is an ok place to start. Maybe dip in and out of it rather than reading it straight through, and keep in mind that the stories featured here don't necessarily represent the authors' best work.
There were some compelling and thought-provoking stories in here, but overall... I found it a bit tedious. Part of the reason is that, despite the variety of settings and styles, there's a dearth of themes. I felt that I was reading the same story over and over again: the patriarchy abusing and oppressing women, with grim consequences. While I realize that this theme is an important part of feminist fiction, reading so many similar stories back-to-back lessens the impact of each one. I would have loved to see a few stories focused on, say, female friendship, or *gasp* men and women treating each other with respect.
The overall presentation and editing of the book is mixed. I liked the author mini-biographies that prefaced each story, but really disliked the one-sentence take-home messages that were tacked on to the end. I would think that any reader inclined to pick up this book would be capable of identifying such themes and messages for themselves, without having to be told that "the moral of the story is..."
With that said, there were a few stories that did stand out:
The Mothers of Shark Island, by Kit Reed. If I were to recommend just one story from this book, it would be this one. It's about how we treat and think about our mothers. It's heartbreaking and universal, written in a graceful and eerie style reminiscent of The Handmaid's Tale.
The Grammarian's Five Daughters, by Eleanor Arnason. A smart, funny fairy tale about how language shapes the world, and how even the most maligned parts of language have importance and power. Being in the style of a fairytale, the characters weren't especially well-developed, but the story is more than delightful enough to make up for that.
The Screwfly Solution, by James Tiptree, Jr (aka Alice Bradley Sheldon). I have always held that if you want inspiration for a truly mind-bending dystopian society, look no further than the lives of the plants and animals in your own back yard. This story looks at how humans interact with "unwanted" parts of the natural world... and then takes those interactions to the logical next level.
And a few of the weaker stories:
My Flannel Knickers, by Leonora Carrington. I'm not usually one to complain about lack of plot, or about world-building that leaves open questions... but this was a bit of an extreme example.
And Salome Dances, by Kelley Eskridge. This story is basically about how the narrator comes to realize that trans people exist. Not exactly "speculative fiction".
Sur, by Ursula K. Le Guin. Le Guin is one of my favorite authors, yet the editors somehow found a boring story by her. My disappointment is immense.
But all in all, if you're interested in learning about female SFF authors, this is an ok place to start. Maybe dip in and out of it rather than reading it straight through, and keep in mind that the stories featured here don't necessarily represent the authors' best work.
February 26, 2017
First of all, I would like to award myself a medal for FINALLY making it through one of the anthologies on my VanderMeer shelf. It is one of the slimmer collections but I have been saying I will do this for several years! It took one of my reading groups declaring February the month of revolution, and I decided this was as good of a time as any to work through these stories.
There is a wide range of stories here, wide in theme and in time period, some old enough to give tastes of "old school" speculative fiction and some much more contemporary feeling. Some were already old friends like the Tiptree, and some were complete discoveries of both author and story. I appreciate that the VanderMeers do not always pick the top 20 female authors' top 20 stories of speculative fiction, and that instead there is a wide range of expected and surprise. I also definitely noticed the threads joining the stories together, and how naturally they flowed from one to the next.
My favorites:
"The Forbidden Words of Margaret A." by L. Timmel Duchamp
"The Mothers of Shark Island" by Kit Reed
"The Screwfly Solution" By James Tiptree Jr.
"The Woman Who Thought She Was a Planet" by Vandana Singh
"Stable Strategies for Middle Management" by Eileen Gunn (I laughed, out loud, several times with this one)
"Thirteen Ways of Looking at Space/Time" by Catherynne M. Valente, even with the difficult subject matter
I enjoyed reading a story by Leonora Carrington even if it didn't rank in my favorites, because I have another short story collection of hers that I'm looking forward to reading later this year. Other favorite authors that I was happy to read more of, even if those stories were also not my favorites, include Octavia Butler, Angela Carter, Nalo Hopkinson, and Ursula K. LeGuin.
There is a wide range of stories here, wide in theme and in time period, some old enough to give tastes of "old school" speculative fiction and some much more contemporary feeling. Some were already old friends like the Tiptree, and some were complete discoveries of both author and story. I appreciate that the VanderMeers do not always pick the top 20 female authors' top 20 stories of speculative fiction, and that instead there is a wide range of expected and surprise. I also definitely noticed the threads joining the stories together, and how naturally they flowed from one to the next.
My favorites:
"The Forbidden Words of Margaret A." by L. Timmel Duchamp
"The Mothers of Shark Island" by Kit Reed
"The Screwfly Solution" By James Tiptree Jr.
"The Woman Who Thought She Was a Planet" by Vandana Singh
"Stable Strategies for Middle Management" by Eileen Gunn (I laughed, out loud, several times with this one)
"Thirteen Ways of Looking at Space/Time" by Catherynne M. Valente, even with the difficult subject matter
I enjoyed reading a story by Leonora Carrington even if it didn't rank in my favorites, because I have another short story collection of hers that I'm looking forward to reading later this year. Other favorite authors that I was happy to read more of, even if those stories were also not my favorites, include Octavia Butler, Angela Carter, Nalo Hopkinson, and Ursula K. LeGuin.
December 15, 2019
This is an interesting and well curated anthology that brought me into contact with several authors I haven't read (or even heard of) before.
As with nearly all anthologies it was a combination of hit and miss, but there are much more stories that intrigued me than ones that left me with a shoulder shrug.
The stories that stood out to me were:
The Palm Tree Bandit by Nnedi Okorafor is a delightful story about the unusual beginning of a myth. I love Okorafor's prose and her down-to-earth characters.
The Grammarian's Five Daughters by Eleanor Arnason is a quite innovative kind of story, a fairy tale kind of narration about several sisters who go out and conquer the world with grammar. One of my absolute highlights in this selection and a new-to-me author whom I put high up on my must-read-more-of list.
The Screwfly Solution by James Tiptree Jr. is a very bleak view on the future, yet nonetheless fascinating to read.
The evening, and the morning, and the night by Octavia Butler is a story about her pet topic, self-determination and the loss thereof. Like all of her stories absolutely fascinating for me. She always hits my innermost.
The woman who thought she was a planet by Vandana Singh is a lovely surrealistic story. A new-to-me-author whom I fortunately already have on my TBR-list.
Thirteen ways of looking at space/time by Catherynne M. Valente is, together with Karin Tidbeck's "Aunts", the most weird story of this collection. I was fascinated by this very different kind of creation story. Valente is another new discovery that I must pursue.
Home by the Sea by Elisabeth Vonarburg ended the collection on a beautiful, poetic and hopeful note with this story about an artificial being.
As with nearly all anthologies it was a combination of hit and miss, but there are much more stories that intrigued me than ones that left me with a shoulder shrug.
The stories that stood out to me were:
The Palm Tree Bandit by Nnedi Okorafor is a delightful story about the unusual beginning of a myth. I love Okorafor's prose and her down-to-earth characters.
The Grammarian's Five Daughters by Eleanor Arnason is a quite innovative kind of story, a fairy tale kind of narration about several sisters who go out and conquer the world with grammar. One of my absolute highlights in this selection and a new-to-me author whom I put high up on my must-read-more-of list.
The Screwfly Solution by James Tiptree Jr. is a very bleak view on the future, yet nonetheless fascinating to read.
The evening, and the morning, and the night by Octavia Butler is a story about her pet topic, self-determination and the loss thereof. Like all of her stories absolutely fascinating for me. She always hits my innermost.
The woman who thought she was a planet by Vandana Singh is a lovely surrealistic story. A new-to-me-author whom I fortunately already have on my TBR-list.
Thirteen ways of looking at space/time by Catherynne M. Valente is, together with Karin Tidbeck's "Aunts", the most weird story of this collection. I was fascinated by this very different kind of creation story. Valente is another new discovery that I must pursue.
Home by the Sea by Elisabeth Vonarburg ended the collection on a beautiful, poetic and hopeful note with this story about an artificial being.
April 25, 2019
Le visionarie è un'antologia tutta al femminile che consta di ben 29 racconti che spaziano dalla distopia, allo sci-fi al weird e altro ancora.
Il titolo originale è "Sisters of the revolution" , ma direi che stavolta l'editoria italiana ha scelto, con consapevolezza, un titolo che colpisce nel segno rendendo giustizia al libro stesso.
Il visionario è, per me, chi si spoglia dell'attaccamento ad una rassicurante quotidianità e il cui sguardo va oltre.
Seppur ogni racconto sia differente dall'altro, c'è un aspetto significativo che accomuna ogni singola scrittrice della raccolta: hanno saputo ricreare magistralmente delle situazioni immaginifiche di grande impatto, istigandoci ad aprire gli occhi su scenari futuri (forse non così tanto) a dir poco allarmanti.
Valutazione per singolo racconto
Il titolo originale è "Sisters of the revolution" , ma direi che stavolta l'editoria italiana ha scelto, con consapevolezza, un titolo che colpisce nel segno rendendo giustizia al libro stesso.
Il visionario è, per me, chi si spoglia dell'attaccamento ad una rassicurante quotidianità e il cui sguardo va oltre.
Seppur ogni racconto sia differente dall'altro, c'è un aspetto significativo che accomuna ogni singola scrittrice della raccolta: hanno saputo ricreare magistralmente delle situazioni immaginifiche di grande impatto, istigandoci ad aprire gli occhi su scenari futuri (forse non così tanto) a dir poco allarmanti.
Valutazione per singolo racconto
· Le parole proibite di Margaret (A. L. Timmel Duchamp) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
· Le mie mutandine di flanella (Leonora Carrington) ⭐️⭐️
· Le madri di Shark Island (Kit Reed) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
· La bandita delle palme (Nnedi Okorafor) ⭐️⭐️ ½
· Le cinque figlie della grammatologa (Eleanor Arnason) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
· E Salomè danzò (Kelley Eskridge) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
· La sposa perfetta (Angelica Gorodischer) ⭐️⭐️
· Il trucco della bottiglia (Nalo Hopkinson) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
· Le lacrime della madre (Leena Krohn) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
· La soluzione della mosca (James Tiptree Jr.) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
· Le sette perdite di Na Re (Rose Lemberg)⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
· La sera, il giorno e la notte (Octavia E. Butler)⭐️⭐️⭐️
· Il sonno delle piante (Anne Richter) ⭐️⭐️ ½
· Gli uomini che vivono negli alberi (Kelly Barnhill)⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
· Racconti dal seno (Hiromi Goto)⭐️⭐️⭐️ ½
· L'ascia omicida di Fall River (Angela Carter) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
· L'amore e il sesso tra gli invertebrati (Pat Murphy)⭐️⭐️⭐️½
· Quando cambiò (Joanna Russ) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
· La donna che si credeva un pianeta (Vandana Singh)⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
· Jestella (Susan Palwick)⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
· I ragazzi (Carol Emshwiller)⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
· Strategie stabili per manager di fascia media (Eileen Gunn) ⭐️⭐️
· La regina mangia la torre (Tanith Lee) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
· Zie (Karin Tidbeck)⭐️⭐️⭐️
· Sur (Ursula K. Le Guin) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
· Paure (Pamela Sargent) ⭐️⭐️⭐️ ½
· Deviazioni nel cammino verso il nulla (Rachel Swirsky)⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
· Tredici modi di concepire lo spazio-tempo (Catherine M. Valente) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
· Casa sul mare (Elisabeth Vonarburg) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
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February 25, 2018Un gioiello imperdibile che, a dispetto della mole, ho divorato in pochi giorni.
La veste grafica è già di per sé un piccolo capolavoro. La doppia copertina, la scelta dei colori e del font la dicono lunga sulla scelta di qualità di questa antologia tutta al femminile.
Non un scelta di genere ma soprattutto un contributo a una realtà letteraria in costante divenire. Le autrici che compaiono in questa antologia sono scrittrici che hanno contribuito a dare vita a uno spazio creativo che ha invogliato molte scrittrici ad occuparsi di sci fi ma non solo. Perché in questo volume che consta di 29 racconti, sono contenuti diversi generi, dal distopico all'horror, dal racconto tribale al fantasy.
Come in un coro gospel, le voci delle autrici dialogano fra loro dando vita ad un concerto vivace e coinvolgente.
Dalla Le Guin alla Carter, dalla Carrington alla Gorodischer, il lettore può abbracciare tematiche, stili e trame le più diverse ma perfettamente armonizzate fra loro.
Due racconti mi hanno rimandato a due recenti romanzi: Exit west e La vegetariana. E sebbene io non sia ferrata in materia di distopia, sono rimasta folgorata da Le Madri di Shark Island. Forse perché il tema mi tocca molto da vicino e per la prima volta ho letto di maternità non come lamentatio fine a se stessa.
Credo che un lavoro di questo genere, oggi in Italia, sia non solo fondamentale ma utile per schiodarci un po' dalla narrativa consueta su cui ci siamo un po' tutti adagiati. Sperimentare voci nuove, leggere storie diverse può smuovere un poco le acque dell'editoria nazionale, che a parte il lavoro di qualche casa editrice indipendente, tende verso una certa omogeneità vendibile e sicura.
Questa antologia è forse un azzardo ma merita. Merita molto.
È un viaggio variegato, a tratti destabilizzante, ma che consiglio di affrontare.
Dai ghiacci polari, all'Africa tribale, dagli Usa al Sudamerica un filo rosso lega tutto...la penna impugnata dalla mano di donne che sanno davvero il fatto loro in fatto di scrittura.
La veste grafica è già di per sé un piccolo capolavoro. La doppia copertina, la scelta dei colori e del font la dicono lunga sulla scelta di qualità di questa antologia tutta al femminile.
Non un scelta di genere ma soprattutto un contributo a una realtà letteraria in costante divenire. Le autrici che compaiono in questa antologia sono scrittrici che hanno contribuito a dare vita a uno spazio creativo che ha invogliato molte scrittrici ad occuparsi di sci fi ma non solo. Perché in questo volume che consta di 29 racconti, sono contenuti diversi generi, dal distopico all'horror, dal racconto tribale al fantasy.
Come in un coro gospel, le voci delle autrici dialogano fra loro dando vita ad un concerto vivace e coinvolgente.
Dalla Le Guin alla Carter, dalla Carrington alla Gorodischer, il lettore può abbracciare tematiche, stili e trame le più diverse ma perfettamente armonizzate fra loro.
Due racconti mi hanno rimandato a due recenti romanzi: Exit west e La vegetariana. E sebbene io non sia ferrata in materia di distopia, sono rimasta folgorata da Le Madri di Shark Island. Forse perché il tema mi tocca molto da vicino e per la prima volta ho letto di maternità non come lamentatio fine a se stessa.
Credo che un lavoro di questo genere, oggi in Italia, sia non solo fondamentale ma utile per schiodarci un po' dalla narrativa consueta su cui ci siamo un po' tutti adagiati. Sperimentare voci nuove, leggere storie diverse può smuovere un poco le acque dell'editoria nazionale, che a parte il lavoro di qualche casa editrice indipendente, tende verso una certa omogeneità vendibile e sicura.
Questa antologia è forse un azzardo ma merita. Merita molto.
È un viaggio variegato, a tratti destabilizzante, ma che consiglio di affrontare.
Dai ghiacci polari, all'Africa tribale, dagli Usa al Sudamerica un filo rosso lega tutto...la penna impugnata dalla mano di donne che sanno davvero il fatto loro in fatto di scrittura.
March 19, 2016
Dünyanın farklı yerlerinde, farklı yıllarda, farklı kadınlarca kaleme alınmış tam 28 öykü. O yıllara, o topraklara ve bir de bugüne dönüp baktığımızda görüyoruz ki bir halt becerememişiz. Hala ayrımcıyız, hala kadın olmanın erkekten aşağı kalmak demek olmadığını anlatmak zorundayız.
Kitaptaki bazı öyküler kah distopik, kah güldürücü. Her türden hikaye mevcut bu antolojide. Ama dış bakış yaptığımızda, tüm o eğlenceli havasına rağmen, insanlar olarak hiçbir konuda gelişemediğimizi görüyoruz. İnsanlığımızda bir ilerleme yok. Bu kitap da işte bunu anlatıyor.
Kitaptaki bazı öyküler kah distopik, kah güldürücü. Her türden hikaye mevcut bu antolojide. Ama dış bakış yaptığımızda, tüm o eğlenceli havasına rağmen, insanlar olarak hiçbir konuda gelişemediğimizi görüyoruz. İnsanlığımızda bir ilerleme yok. Bu kitap da işte bunu anlatıyor.
May 22, 2015
An exemplary collection of feminist speculative fiction, with a nice combination of contemporary and classic authors. Although, as with all anthologies, some stories appeal more than others, there wasn't a story here that I felt didn't belong. (Disclaimer: I was a Kickstarter backer for this project, which really just means I paid for my copy quite a bit in advance.)
Stories that especially stood out for me:
"The Forbidden Words of Margaret A." by L. Timmel Duchamp
Speculative *legal* fiction about a woman, seemingly ordinary, but the power of whose words are so intense the Constitution has been amended to stop her.
"The Screwfly Solution" by James Tiptree Jr.
Best last line ever.
"Gestella" by Susan Palwick
What if a werewolf fell in love with a human? How would that actually work?
"When It Changed" by Joanna Russ
A classic that I should have known already; powerful.
"The Evening and the Morning and the Night" by Octavia Butler
A horrifying new disease, human-created, and the issues of stigma and treatment -- which sounds maybe dull, but is incredibly not so.
"The Grammarian's Five Daughters" by Eleanor Arnason
A fairy tale to make an English professor smile. A lot.
In addition to these writers, there's Ursula LeGuin, Angela Carter, Nalo Hopkinson, Nnedi Okorafor, Carol Emshwiller, Eileen Gunn, Karin Tidbeck and many others. If you're interested in speculative fiction from a feminist view point, this is a must-have.
Stories that especially stood out for me:
"The Forbidden Words of Margaret A." by L. Timmel Duchamp
Speculative *legal* fiction about a woman, seemingly ordinary, but the power of whose words are so intense the Constitution has been amended to stop her.
"The Screwfly Solution" by James Tiptree Jr.
Best last line ever.
"Gestella" by Susan Palwick
What if a werewolf fell in love with a human? How would that actually work?
"When It Changed" by Joanna Russ
A classic that I should have known already; powerful.
"The Evening and the Morning and the Night" by Octavia Butler
A horrifying new disease, human-created, and the issues of stigma and treatment -- which sounds maybe dull, but is incredibly not so.
"The Grammarian's Five Daughters" by Eleanor Arnason
A fairy tale to make an English professor smile. A lot.
In addition to these writers, there's Ursula LeGuin, Angela Carter, Nalo Hopkinson, Nnedi Okorafor, Carol Emshwiller, Eileen Gunn, Karin Tidbeck and many others. If you're interested in speculative fiction from a feminist view point, this is a must-have.
February 26, 2017
This is a really excellent and diverse collection of sci-fi and fantasy stories with a feminist slant. A lot of the stories (as might be expected) are dystopian, but not all. There is a good mix of well known and lesser known authors, and there are many stories in translation too. As with any anthology, I enjoyed some stories a lot more than others, but the overall quality was very high and I would recommend this anthology to anyone who enjoys speculative fiction.
February 21, 2018
¿No se pueden poner más de 5 estrellas?
No es que todos los relatos me hayan gustado igual, pero absolutamente todos merecen estar en la antología, se nota que están elegidos con mimo. Aunque predominan las norteamericanas, hay bastante variedad en cuanto al origen de las autoras, lo cual también es de agradecer, ya que se presentan puntos de vista más diversos.
Desde la maternidad o la lactancia hasta la vuelta al hogar o la guerra, los temas son muy diversos, pero todos se centran en contar historias de mujeres, historias emocionantes y, en muchos casos, distintas de lo que estamos acostumbradas a leer. Hay relatos que me han hecho llorar y otros que me han sacado una sonrisa, ninguno me ha dejado indiferente.
He conocido muchas autoras nuevas y leído a algunas conocidas y no puedo recomendar este libro lo suficiente. Espero que alguna editorial se anime a traducirlo para que llegue a más gente.
Por si a alguien le interesa, estos son los que más huella me han dejado, por diferentes motivos son:
“Northern Chess” by Tanith Lee.
“Gestella” by Susan Palwick.
“Tales From the Breast” by Hiromi Goto.
“The Screwfly Solution” by James Tiptree, Jr.
“The Palm Tree Bandit” by Nnedi Okorafor.
No es que todos los relatos me hayan gustado igual, pero absolutamente todos merecen estar en la antología, se nota que están elegidos con mimo. Aunque predominan las norteamericanas, hay bastante variedad en cuanto al origen de las autoras, lo cual también es de agradecer, ya que se presentan puntos de vista más diversos.
Desde la maternidad o la lactancia hasta la vuelta al hogar o la guerra, los temas son muy diversos, pero todos se centran en contar historias de mujeres, historias emocionantes y, en muchos casos, distintas de lo que estamos acostumbradas a leer. Hay relatos que me han hecho llorar y otros que me han sacado una sonrisa, ninguno me ha dejado indiferente.
He conocido muchas autoras nuevas y leído a algunas conocidas y no puedo recomendar este libro lo suficiente. Espero que alguna editorial se anime a traducirlo para que llegue a más gente.
Por si a alguien le interesa, estos son los que más huella me han dejado, por diferentes motivos son:
“Northern Chess” by Tanith Lee.
“Gestella” by Susan Palwick.
“Tales From the Breast” by Hiromi Goto.
“The Screwfly Solution” by James Tiptree, Jr.
“The Palm Tree Bandit” by Nnedi Okorafor.
January 6, 2017
This book is something of a challenge for me. I picked it up because it has the word “feminist” on the cover, and is an anthology (something that I find significantly easier to read during the school year because I can review in parts.) I would like to make it clear that I will not understand some of the works included in this anthology, and I hope you will not judge me for this. I will rate each piece on my enjoyment of it, but in this book more than any other, my opinions might be very wrong. I do not intend to offend by my words, but regard this book as a learning experience for me, and one I will try my best to take advantage of.
Some of the pieces in this collection were really important and well done and spectacular and I will remember them for a long time. In some other pieces, I was significantly less pleased and there were a good amount right in the middle. Overall, I’m very glad that I read this collection and recommend it to anyone interested in getting into the genre.
(The below discussions will not mention any major spoilers for the stories but may contain some minor ones. Proceed with caution.)
"The Forbidden Words of Margaret A.” by L. Timmel Duchamp. 3.5/5
I feel like this work really went over my head. I mean, I liked it, but I felt like there was a lot right there beneath the surface that I truly wasn’t picking up on. That being said, the premise is incredible (I am just overcome with the desire to know what Margaret A. said; I cannot fully express how much I just want to know) and the writing is wonderful and totally fits the mood of the piece. The quality of the censorship, in even denying her a last name (a quality I find particularly interesting given the author’s decision to represent her first name as just an initial, just as Margaret A.’s last name becomes just an initial…) is a) terrifying but also b) so incredibly intriguing. I must know more about this government and this woman and she is such a sad, enigmatic person. This story left me wanting more, but also kind of embarrassed that I don’t feel like I read it like I should’ve.
“My Flannel Knickers” by Leonora Carrington. 1.5/5
So I just literally have no idea what happened (basically a theme for this book, if you were wondering.) I mean, it’s definitely very pretty, but I felt the whole time feeling like I was playing catch up towards something I would never truly understand. For me, this wasn’t that great (despite the really kind of wonderful start?) Also, I loved how it came full circle and even I, playing some intense catch up, could begin to make some connections and glimpses.
“The Mothers of Shark Island” by Kit Reed. 4/5
So I really liked this one. Of course, I didn’t understand a lot and was kind of out of it at times, but also I really liked it. Now, though I haven’t ever been a mother, I’m a little sad about the nature of motherhood in this piece (which is basically just like a thankless terrible job.) Still, it’s very gripping and, even, pretty at times.
“The Palm Tree Bandit” by Nnedi Okorafor. 2.5/5
First story I could actually understand the majority of! Sweet and cute and all that, but didn’t really resonate with me or contribute to my understanding of this collection. Enjoyed it, but nothing all that special for me.
“The Grammarian’s Five Daughters” by Eleanor Arnason. 4.5/5
Really loved this one! I mean, a) it’s about grammar and the power of words and b) it’s told like a fairytale and I just adore fairytales. In some ways (like the selling of words) it reminds me a lot of Dos Palabras by Isabel Allende. Any story that appreciates story and words has great value in my book.
“And Salome Danced” by Kelley Eskridge. 2.5/5
I’m marginally conflicted about this one. Like, I definitely didn’t dislike it by any means, but also it really didn’t stand out to me at all. I found it remarkable only in that it mentions the theater and I really like the theater and it provides a little bit of insight into the casting process etc. but I didn’t love it.
“The Perfect Married Woman” by Angélica Gorodischer. 2/5
I don’t remember this one even after reading through it… Interesting mentions of the murders and stuff, but overall didn’t particularly stick with me or anything.
“The Glass Bottle Trick” by Nalo Hopkinson. 5/5
Terrifying and I love it. First of all, I tend to just really like retellings of Bluebeard because I think that they offer these really interesting insights into relationships (especially ones that can very easily escalate into abusive relationships.) Every little detail added by the author was really interesting and special: the race aspect, his anger over things like the air conditioning, and the glass bottle… all of it was truly exceptional.
“Their Mother’s Tears: The Fourth Letter” by Leena Krohn. 2/5
Of the two most explicitly about mothers, the Mothers of Shark Island stuck with me a lot more. Mostly, I didn’t get it. It went over my head (as I said, I’m not quite smart enough to appreciate all of these yet. I aspire to get there and have my opinions change.)
“The Screwfly Solution” by James Tiptree Jr. 5/5
This story… is so incredible. Gripping and remarkable and terrifying and… One of my favorites, if not my very favorite, of the entire anthology. The fear and the idea of this disease that just… takes over a person and how Alan tried to desperately to fight against it… I loved the letters and how the entire world was really freaking out about this thing… it felt realer than some of others (despite being dated.) It really created a world in an admirable way for such a short little story. It also truly packed a punch. And, kind of like “The Glass Bottle Trick” I loved the titular element of the Screwfly Solution. Amazing. Love.
“Seven Losses of na Re” by Rose Lemberg. 4/5
Beautifully written and well put together with powerful images and wonderful ideas. Also, this story was grounded in history and reality in a different way from many others from this collection and I appreciated that layer.
“The Evening and the Morning and the Night” by Octavia E. Butler. 5/5
Huge huge fan. This is another story that I really liked and have remembered (which, to some degree, is kind of how I know which of these I really liked. If I’ve forgotten it, it probably didn’t have that huge of an impact on me.) The relationship between the narrator and her boyfriend is really intriguing and complex, the whole premise is SOOOO intriguing to me and I kind of want to check out all of the books that Ms. Butler mentioned at the very end of the story. Loved it.
“The Sleep of Plants” by Anne Richter. 1.5/5
Just not it for me. Skimmed it and kind of forgot what was happening while I was reading.
“The Men Who Live in Trees” by Kelly Barnhill. 3.5/5
A very intriguing story. I liked the style, with excerpts from the journal kind of interspersed throughout, and just the general narrative voice. The idea of becoming part of a new family (and getting past the mother-in-law) was discussed in a way I don’t think that it was in any of the other stories in here. Also, I just liked the premise again (and that can kind of go pretty far for me.)
"Tales from the Breast” by Hiromi Goto. 4/5
I hope that this is not what everyone’s experience breast feeding is like, but I did really enjoy this and found it to be incredibly poignant. Gorgeously written and illuminating some interesting relationship dynamics… painful and well put together. Very good!
“The Fall River Axe Murders” by Angela Carter. 2.5/5
Very interesting premise but the actual action and composition of the story didn’t appeal to me quite as much. I was also unfamiliar with the history that this short story was based on, so that might have also decreased my enjoyment a little bit. I wish that we also witnessed more of the actual murder and aftermath and not just the buildup…
“Love and Sex Among the Invertebrates” by Pat Murphy. 3/5
Interesting and cool with a little bit of pain kind of sprinkled on top. Not sure I entirely agree with or understand the overall message of the story, but still enjoyed the reading experience!
“When It Changed” by Joanna Russ. 3.5/5
Super super interesting take on the idea of splitting up the binary genders and then reintroducing the two together. l liked the family aspect of this story but the rest of it wasn’t as powerful for me. Also, I do kind of get a little uncomfortable with the idea of men as a pure and unadulterated evil… I don’t know.
“The Woman Who Thought She Was a Planet” by Vandana Singh. 2/5
These “women as _______” didn’t really work for me, unfortunately. A little bit too much meaning for me to really latch on and appreciate what they had to offer. I’m sure that they’re amazing for some, just not for me!
“Gestella” by Susan Palwick. 5/5
This was beautiful and devastating. The controlling nature of the relationship and just basically every element of the story kind of broke my heart but I still adored it. How she was tamed… just limited in every single way and not allowed any agency in her own life. I loved this. I think this is my actual favorite. Spectacular.
“Boys” by Carol Emshwiller. 2.5/5
Fine, interesting world, but overall didn’t really strike me in any particular ways.
“Stable Strategies for Middle Management” by Eileen Gunn. 4/5
Super cool idea, well executed, unique in this anthology of very unique stories, and at least the general idea has remained with me and is at the top of my head when I sat down to write this. So, this is to say, that I liked it and it worked well but wasn’t necessarily the best, in my opinion.
“Northern Chess” by Tanith Lee. 2.5/5
I very much liked the very end of this story and the “moral” or kind of ending message type thing, but the rest of it really wasn’t my cup of tea (I mean, it was fine, but just really didn’t stick out to me and I kind of rushed my way through because I just wanted it to be over.) That being said, I was very pleasantly surprised by the ending.
“Aunts” by Karin Tidback. 2/5
So I don’t know exactly what happened here… I definitely meshed a lot better with the ones that were less… out there? This was definitely cool and interesting, but I didn’t get a lot out of it or enjoy it all that much…
“Sur” by Ursula K. Le Guin. 2.5/5
Definitely not as enamored with this one as I really wanted to be (as I know that Ms. Le Guin is definitely one of the most influential writers of the genre.) I liked the relationships between them all, but like… the adventure type and like wilderness… I don’t know, it just really wasn’t for me.
“Fears” by Pamela Sargent. 3/5
Kind of difficult to read, but still a good story, in my opinion. Again, very interesting premise, though.
“Detours on the Way to Nothing” by Rachel Swirsky. 5/5
REALLY liked this story about people projecting their desires onto others (especially women, in this case) and not letting those people have their own identities apart from how others construct them. Anyway, I really appreciated a lot about this story, even when it was kind of heartbreaking and difficult to read.
“Thirteen Ways of Looking at Space/Time” by Catherynne M. Valente. 3/5
I mean, to be fair, I didn’t understand a lot of the science-y parts… they just kind of went over my head so I basically skimmed those parts. I liked the idea of putting together these creation myths with science stuff, but really the part which was most impactful for me were the parts where she wrote about the “science fiction writer” which was a lot more like what I was looking for.
“Home by the Sea” by Elisabeth Vonarburg. 2.5/5
I didn’t… get anything out this, really. Like, I’m looking back at it now, and obviously it was the last one that I read so it should be fresh in my mind… but I’m not really remembering lots. Average, not bad, but not exceptional or one of the ones from this that will really stick with me for a while.
A very interesting collection: 88%
Some of the pieces in this collection were really important and well done and spectacular and I will remember them for a long time. In some other pieces, I was significantly less pleased and there were a good amount right in the middle. Overall, I’m very glad that I read this collection and recommend it to anyone interested in getting into the genre.
(The below discussions will not mention any major spoilers for the stories but may contain some minor ones. Proceed with caution.)
"The Forbidden Words of Margaret A.” by L. Timmel Duchamp. 3.5/5
I feel like this work really went over my head. I mean, I liked it, but I felt like there was a lot right there beneath the surface that I truly wasn’t picking up on. That being said, the premise is incredible (I am just overcome with the desire to know what Margaret A. said; I cannot fully express how much I just want to know) and the writing is wonderful and totally fits the mood of the piece. The quality of the censorship, in even denying her a last name (a quality I find particularly interesting given the author’s decision to represent her first name as just an initial, just as Margaret A.’s last name becomes just an initial…) is a) terrifying but also b) so incredibly intriguing. I must know more about this government and this woman and she is such a sad, enigmatic person. This story left me wanting more, but also kind of embarrassed that I don’t feel like I read it like I should’ve.
“My Flannel Knickers” by Leonora Carrington. 1.5/5
So I just literally have no idea what happened (basically a theme for this book, if you were wondering.) I mean, it’s definitely very pretty, but I felt the whole time feeling like I was playing catch up towards something I would never truly understand. For me, this wasn’t that great (despite the really kind of wonderful start?) Also, I loved how it came full circle and even I, playing some intense catch up, could begin to make some connections and glimpses.
“The Mothers of Shark Island” by Kit Reed. 4/5
So I really liked this one. Of course, I didn’t understand a lot and was kind of out of it at times, but also I really liked it. Now, though I haven’t ever been a mother, I’m a little sad about the nature of motherhood in this piece (which is basically just like a thankless terrible job.) Still, it’s very gripping and, even, pretty at times.
“The Palm Tree Bandit” by Nnedi Okorafor. 2.5/5
First story I could actually understand the majority of! Sweet and cute and all that, but didn’t really resonate with me or contribute to my understanding of this collection. Enjoyed it, but nothing all that special for me.
“The Grammarian’s Five Daughters” by Eleanor Arnason. 4.5/5
Really loved this one! I mean, a) it’s about grammar and the power of words and b) it’s told like a fairytale and I just adore fairytales. In some ways (like the selling of words) it reminds me a lot of Dos Palabras by Isabel Allende. Any story that appreciates story and words has great value in my book.
“And Salome Danced” by Kelley Eskridge. 2.5/5
I’m marginally conflicted about this one. Like, I definitely didn’t dislike it by any means, but also it really didn’t stand out to me at all. I found it remarkable only in that it mentions the theater and I really like the theater and it provides a little bit of insight into the casting process etc. but I didn’t love it.
“The Perfect Married Woman” by Angélica Gorodischer. 2/5
I don’t remember this one even after reading through it… Interesting mentions of the murders and stuff, but overall didn’t particularly stick with me or anything.
“The Glass Bottle Trick” by Nalo Hopkinson. 5/5
Terrifying and I love it. First of all, I tend to just really like retellings of Bluebeard because I think that they offer these really interesting insights into relationships (especially ones that can very easily escalate into abusive relationships.) Every little detail added by the author was really interesting and special: the race aspect, his anger over things like the air conditioning, and the glass bottle… all of it was truly exceptional.
“Their Mother’s Tears: The Fourth Letter” by Leena Krohn. 2/5
Of the two most explicitly about mothers, the Mothers of Shark Island stuck with me a lot more. Mostly, I didn’t get it. It went over my head (as I said, I’m not quite smart enough to appreciate all of these yet. I aspire to get there and have my opinions change.)
“The Screwfly Solution” by James Tiptree Jr. 5/5
This story… is so incredible. Gripping and remarkable and terrifying and… One of my favorites, if not my very favorite, of the entire anthology. The fear and the idea of this disease that just… takes over a person and how Alan tried to desperately to fight against it… I loved the letters and how the entire world was really freaking out about this thing… it felt realer than some of others (despite being dated.) It really created a world in an admirable way for such a short little story. It also truly packed a punch. And, kind of like “The Glass Bottle Trick” I loved the titular element of the Screwfly Solution. Amazing. Love.
“Seven Losses of na Re” by Rose Lemberg. 4/5
Beautifully written and well put together with powerful images and wonderful ideas. Also, this story was grounded in history and reality in a different way from many others from this collection and I appreciated that layer.
“The Evening and the Morning and the Night” by Octavia E. Butler. 5/5
Huge huge fan. This is another story that I really liked and have remembered (which, to some degree, is kind of how I know which of these I really liked. If I’ve forgotten it, it probably didn’t have that huge of an impact on me.) The relationship between the narrator and her boyfriend is really intriguing and complex, the whole premise is SOOOO intriguing to me and I kind of want to check out all of the books that Ms. Butler mentioned at the very end of the story. Loved it.
“The Sleep of Plants” by Anne Richter. 1.5/5
Just not it for me. Skimmed it and kind of forgot what was happening while I was reading.
“The Men Who Live in Trees” by Kelly Barnhill. 3.5/5
A very intriguing story. I liked the style, with excerpts from the journal kind of interspersed throughout, and just the general narrative voice. The idea of becoming part of a new family (and getting past the mother-in-law) was discussed in a way I don’t think that it was in any of the other stories in here. Also, I just liked the premise again (and that can kind of go pretty far for me.)
"Tales from the Breast” by Hiromi Goto. 4/5
I hope that this is not what everyone’s experience breast feeding is like, but I did really enjoy this and found it to be incredibly poignant. Gorgeously written and illuminating some interesting relationship dynamics… painful and well put together. Very good!
“The Fall River Axe Murders” by Angela Carter. 2.5/5
Very interesting premise but the actual action and composition of the story didn’t appeal to me quite as much. I was also unfamiliar with the history that this short story was based on, so that might have also decreased my enjoyment a little bit. I wish that we also witnessed more of the actual murder and aftermath and not just the buildup…
“Love and Sex Among the Invertebrates” by Pat Murphy. 3/5
Interesting and cool with a little bit of pain kind of sprinkled on top. Not sure I entirely agree with or understand the overall message of the story, but still enjoyed the reading experience!
“When It Changed” by Joanna Russ. 3.5/5
Super super interesting take on the idea of splitting up the binary genders and then reintroducing the two together. l liked the family aspect of this story but the rest of it wasn’t as powerful for me. Also, I do kind of get a little uncomfortable with the idea of men as a pure and unadulterated evil… I don’t know.
“The Woman Who Thought She Was a Planet” by Vandana Singh. 2/5
These “women as _______” didn’t really work for me, unfortunately. A little bit too much meaning for me to really latch on and appreciate what they had to offer. I’m sure that they’re amazing for some, just not for me!
“Gestella” by Susan Palwick. 5/5
This was beautiful and devastating. The controlling nature of the relationship and just basically every element of the story kind of broke my heart but I still adored it. How she was tamed… just limited in every single way and not allowed any agency in her own life. I loved this. I think this is my actual favorite. Spectacular.
“Boys” by Carol Emshwiller. 2.5/5
Fine, interesting world, but overall didn’t really strike me in any particular ways.
“Stable Strategies for Middle Management” by Eileen Gunn. 4/5
Super cool idea, well executed, unique in this anthology of very unique stories, and at least the general idea has remained with me and is at the top of my head when I sat down to write this. So, this is to say, that I liked it and it worked well but wasn’t necessarily the best, in my opinion.
“Northern Chess” by Tanith Lee. 2.5/5
I very much liked the very end of this story and the “moral” or kind of ending message type thing, but the rest of it really wasn’t my cup of tea (I mean, it was fine, but just really didn’t stick out to me and I kind of rushed my way through because I just wanted it to be over.) That being said, I was very pleasantly surprised by the ending.
“Aunts” by Karin Tidback. 2/5
So I don’t know exactly what happened here… I definitely meshed a lot better with the ones that were less… out there? This was definitely cool and interesting, but I didn’t get a lot out of it or enjoy it all that much…
“Sur” by Ursula K. Le Guin. 2.5/5
Definitely not as enamored with this one as I really wanted to be (as I know that Ms. Le Guin is definitely one of the most influential writers of the genre.) I liked the relationships between them all, but like… the adventure type and like wilderness… I don’t know, it just really wasn’t for me.
“Fears” by Pamela Sargent. 3/5
Kind of difficult to read, but still a good story, in my opinion. Again, very interesting premise, though.
“Detours on the Way to Nothing” by Rachel Swirsky. 5/5
REALLY liked this story about people projecting their desires onto others (especially women, in this case) and not letting those people have their own identities apart from how others construct them. Anyway, I really appreciated a lot about this story, even when it was kind of heartbreaking and difficult to read.
“Thirteen Ways of Looking at Space/Time” by Catherynne M. Valente. 3/5
I mean, to be fair, I didn’t understand a lot of the science-y parts… they just kind of went over my head so I basically skimmed those parts. I liked the idea of putting together these creation myths with science stuff, but really the part which was most impactful for me were the parts where she wrote about the “science fiction writer” which was a lot more like what I was looking for.
“Home by the Sea” by Elisabeth Vonarburg. 2.5/5
I didn’t… get anything out this, really. Like, I’m looking back at it now, and obviously it was the last one that I read so it should be fresh in my mind… but I’m not really remembering lots. Average, not bad, but not exceptional or one of the ones from this that will really stick with me for a while.
A very interesting collection: 88%
May 26, 2017
Favorites:
"My Flannel Knickers" by Leonora Carrington (which actually made me physically dizzy, which was a new one on me)
"The Grammarian's Five Daughters" by Eleanor Arnason (really loved this one! Will be reading more Arnason soon)
"The Forbidden Words of Margaret A" by L. Timmel Duchamp
"The Fall River Axe Murders" by Angela Carter (which prompted me to spend the next 5 hours researching Lizzie Borden)
and
"Boys" by Carol Emshwiller
Plus of course the James Tiptree Jr and Octavia Butler stories, but those I had read before.
"My Flannel Knickers" by Leonora Carrington (which actually made me physically dizzy, which was a new one on me)
"The Grammarian's Five Daughters" by Eleanor Arnason (really loved this one! Will be reading more Arnason soon)
"The Forbidden Words of Margaret A" by L. Timmel Duchamp
"The Fall River Axe Murders" by Angela Carter (which prompted me to spend the next 5 hours researching Lizzie Borden)
and
"Boys" by Carol Emshwiller
Plus of course the James Tiptree Jr and Octavia Butler stories, but those I had read before.
January 16, 2018
Sadly overall, the impression I am left with is that I simply do not like anthologies all that much. Some standout stories. Some ok stories and some very weak ones. Still, I am more convinced than ever that I just have to get my behind in gear and finally read Octavia Butler.
September 26, 2022
Come spesso accade, in questa raccolta troviamo degli ottimi racconti, tanti nella media e alcuni allegramente evitabili.
Si trova un po' meno un vero filo conduttore, malgrado il tentativo nella postfazione da parte delle curatrici italiane di dare un senso alla selezione operata dai VanderMeer: in certi racconti si trova bene il femminismo, la condizione della donna o comunque un certo punto di vista. In altri la cosa appare quasi forzata e innaturale, invece.
Mi limito a segnalare la bontà dei cinque racconti che veramente mi hanno colpito:
-La soluzione della mosca, di James Tiptree Jr
-La sera, la mattina e la notte, di Octavia Butler
-Quando cambiò, di Joanna Russ
-Jestella, di Susan Palwick
-Casa sul mare, di Elisabeth Vonarburg
Si trova un po' meno un vero filo conduttore, malgrado il tentativo nella postfazione da parte delle curatrici italiane di dare un senso alla selezione operata dai VanderMeer: in certi racconti si trova bene il femminismo, la condizione della donna o comunque un certo punto di vista. In altri la cosa appare quasi forzata e innaturale, invece.
Mi limito a segnalare la bontà dei cinque racconti che veramente mi hanno colpito:
-La soluzione della mosca, di James Tiptree Jr
-La sera, la mattina e la notte, di Octavia Butler
-Quando cambiò, di Joanna Russ
-Jestella, di Susan Palwick
-Casa sul mare, di Elisabeth Vonarburg
March 14, 2019
★★★ - Ci ho messo una vita a concluderne la lettura, un po' perché avevo già familiarità con gran parte delle autrici presentate, un po' perché conosco già il metodo di selezione dei VanderMeer. In cui, a mio parere, risiedono tutti i limiti di questa raccolta.
L'idea di focalizzarsi dagli anni '80 ad oggi per intercettare la corrente più politica e femminista della SFF al femminile è ottima. Un po' meno il fatto che la quasi totalità delle autrici presentate facciano riferimento al mondo anglofono e statunitense in particolare.
Come ogni antologia così ricca, la qualità risulta un po' altalenante e, data la varietà di filoni e stili, è probabile che vi imbattiate in alcuni racconti che non vi piaceranno.
Rimane una coraggiosissima scelta editoriale di Nero edizioni, che tra l'altro ne ha affidato traduzione e adattamento a un pugno di ottime traduttrici, alcune estimatrici del genere. Peccato che nel libro compaiano parecchi (parecchi) refusi. [...]
L'idea di focalizzarsi dagli anni '80 ad oggi per intercettare la corrente più politica e femminista della SFF al femminile è ottima. Un po' meno il fatto che la quasi totalità delle autrici presentate facciano riferimento al mondo anglofono e statunitense in particolare.
Come ogni antologia così ricca, la qualità risulta un po' altalenante e, data la varietà di filoni e stili, è probabile che vi imbattiate in alcuni racconti che non vi piaceranno.
Rimane una coraggiosissima scelta editoriale di Nero edizioni, che tra l'altro ne ha affidato traduzione e adattamento a un pugno di ottime traduttrici, alcune estimatrici del genere. Peccato che nel libro compaiano parecchi (parecchi) refusi. [...]
February 28, 2017
A good collection of science fiction and fantasy short stories from a wide range of authors. I enjoyed a number of the stories, all of which had a feminist slant. Some stories were scary commentaries on gender relations, while one in particular gave me a few chuckles (the one about the grammarian). I liked the editors' picks.
November 28, 2015
There's not a bad story in this collection (though there is one that I totally did not understand - the surrealist story My Flannel Knickers by Lenora Carrington). Here are a few of my favorites:
- The Forbidden Words of Margaret A. by L. Timmel Duchamp; 1980
A woman's ideas are so radical and powerful, the government makes it illegal for her to speak.
- The Glass Bottle Trick by Nalo Hopkinson; 2000
A woman learns to see her husband in a new light after she accidentally breaks the bottles he keeps to contain the spirits of his dead wives.
- The Screwfly Solution by James Tiptree, Jr.; 1977
As scientists bioengineer pests to eradicate themselves, humanity itself starts to come under the spell of a terrifying cult of violence against women. Probably my favorite story in the collection. Amazingly, the first Tiptree I've read (I know, a terrible gap in my education that I will soon rectify.)
- The Evening and the Morning and the Night by Octavia E. Butler; 1987
Young people born with a devastating disease that causes delusions they are trapped in their own skin try to make their way in a world that fears them and misunderstands their illness.
- Tales from the Breast by Hiromi Goto; 1995
A horror story about breast feeding you really shouldn't read if that's something you ever plan to do, but that might provide some relief if you have breast fed and felt unsupported in the endeavor and its difficulties. Lord, this story haunts me.
- When It Changed by Joanna Russ; 1972
A space colony is cut off from Earth, and after the men die off the women adapt and thrive in a mono-gendered society for hundreds of years until one day Earthling men return. This vies with the Tiptree for my favorite story in the collection. Reminds me of Ammonite by Nicola Griffith, though the publication of this story preceded that novel by 30 years.
- Gestella by Susan Palwick; 2001
A female werewolf tries to make her relationship with a human professor work as she ages at seven times his rate. Another haunting story.
- Thirteen Ways of Looking at Space/Time by Catherynne M. Valente; 2010
Remixing the world's creation myths with origin stories, scientific and personal. Valente's stunning talent on display here.
- Home by the Sea by Elisabeth Vonarburg; 1985
A woman journeys to confront her mother after coming to terms with discovering she's an artificial life form. Pretty close to my idea of a perfect sci-fi short story.
- The Forbidden Words of Margaret A. by L. Timmel Duchamp; 1980
A woman's ideas are so radical and powerful, the government makes it illegal for her to speak.
- The Glass Bottle Trick by Nalo Hopkinson; 2000
A woman learns to see her husband in a new light after she accidentally breaks the bottles he keeps to contain the spirits of his dead wives.
- The Screwfly Solution by James Tiptree, Jr.; 1977
As scientists bioengineer pests to eradicate themselves, humanity itself starts to come under the spell of a terrifying cult of violence against women. Probably my favorite story in the collection. Amazingly, the first Tiptree I've read (I know, a terrible gap in my education that I will soon rectify.)
- The Evening and the Morning and the Night by Octavia E. Butler; 1987
Young people born with a devastating disease that causes delusions they are trapped in their own skin try to make their way in a world that fears them and misunderstands their illness.
- Tales from the Breast by Hiromi Goto; 1995
A horror story about breast feeding you really shouldn't read if that's something you ever plan to do, but that might provide some relief if you have breast fed and felt unsupported in the endeavor and its difficulties. Lord, this story haunts me.
- When It Changed by Joanna Russ; 1972
A space colony is cut off from Earth, and after the men die off the women adapt and thrive in a mono-gendered society for hundreds of years until one day Earthling men return. This vies with the Tiptree for my favorite story in the collection. Reminds me of Ammonite by Nicola Griffith, though the publication of this story preceded that novel by 30 years.
- Gestella by Susan Palwick; 2001
A female werewolf tries to make her relationship with a human professor work as she ages at seven times his rate. Another haunting story.
- Thirteen Ways of Looking at Space/Time by Catherynne M. Valente; 2010
Remixing the world's creation myths with origin stories, scientific and personal. Valente's stunning talent on display here.
- Home by the Sea by Elisabeth Vonarburg; 1985
A woman journeys to confront her mother after coming to terms with discovering she's an artificial life form. Pretty close to my idea of a perfect sci-fi short story.
May 23, 2019
Era da tanto che non leggevo un'antologia di racconti che mi piacesse così tanto, molte delle storie che ho letto mi sono piaciute così tanto da desiderare di vederle espanse in un romanzo. Magari è stato anche fatto, devo ancora controllare. Un altro pregio di questa raccolta è che ti può far scoprire tante autrici prima sconosciute qui in Italia e, ci tengo a sottolinearlo, spesso non si tratta di esordienti ma di scrittrici con anche trent'anni di carriera alle spalle, nonché premi Nebula, Hugo e Locus award. La verità è che in certe cerchie vi è ancora vivo e forte lo stereotipo che le donne non sappiano scrivere di fantasy, o fantascienza, o speculative fiction e se provano a cimentarsi con questi generi, "rovinano sempre tutto mettendoci dentro una storia d'amore". Su questo ultimo punto vorrei dire la mia: è vero che per scrivere di sword&sorcery o di sci-fi non è necessario aggiungerci della romance, non è necessario neanche metterci i draghi o il teletrasporto se è per questo. E' chi scrive a decidere cosa mettere nel suo mondo, è SUO, è completamente basato sulle fantasie e le regole che vuole applicare ad esse. C'è una cosa però che ho notato accumunare quasi tutti i personaggi di queste opere di fantasia ed è il fatto che essi provano sentimenti basati su quelli degli umani in carne ed ossa. Non importa che essi siano umani, elfi o klingon, quelli che provano sono sentimenti umani. E si dà il caso che a noi umani, sia maschi che femmine o altro, nel corso della nostra vita possa capitare di innamorarci, di provare amore/desiderio per altre persone. Quindi perché i personaggi basati su di noi non potrebbero fare altrettanto? E' obbligatorio? No. E' necessario? No. E' proibito? No. E' una scelta di chi crea, di chi scrive, come per i draghi, il teletrasporto, la magia elementale e i motori a velocità superiore a quella della luce. Ma nessuna scelta dovrebbe essere disprezzata a priori, senza nemmeno aver letto le prime pagine. Ecco perché consiglio questa antologia a tutti, perché sono tutti racconti di buono o alto livello e perché ce n'è di tutti i generi, per tutti i gusti.
January 4, 2024
Il fatto che io abbia impiegato più di due mesi a terminare questa raccolta la dice lunga. Mi sono messa alla prova, soprattutto in considerazione della curiosità di leggere delle grandi autrici di fantastico e di fantascienza, molte delle quali non conoscevo. L'idea alla base di questa raccolta è intrigante, ma alla mia difficoltà di trattenere le suggestioni dei racconti si è aggiunta una resa ondivaga dei racconti scelti dai curatori. Alcuni mi hanno colpita, due mi sono rimasti dentro, la maggior parte sono scorsi via come acqua sulla pietra. Nel complesso il giudizio non va oltre le tre stelline. E mi dispiace.
+++ ho riletto questa raccolta ed è come se quella della prima recensione non fossi io: Una raccolta di visioni weird declinate attraverso la lente dell'essere donne in mondi in cui esserlo è pericoloso, straniante, devastante, difficile, impossibile. DOVETE LEGGERE QUESTI RACCONTI+++
+++ ho riletto questa raccolta ed è come se quella della prima recensione non fossi io: Una raccolta di visioni weird declinate attraverso la lente dell'essere donne in mondi in cui esserlo è pericoloso, straniante, devastante, difficile, impossibile. DOVETE LEGGERE QUESTI RACCONTI+++
March 19, 2016
There were maybe 5 stories that made reading this worthwhile (Octavia Butler's "The Evening and the Morning and the Night," L Timmel Duchamp's "The Forbidden Words of Margaret A," Pat Murphy's Love and Sex Among the Invertebrates," Eileen Gunn's "Stable Strategies for Middle Management," and Catherynne M Valente's "Thirteen Ways of Looking at Space/Time") but for the most part I ended up infuriated and offended that an anthology published in 2015 could include stories that demean and fetishize trans/nonbinary identity quite as much as a few of the ones in this collection (I'm looking at you, Kelley Eskridge).
July 28, 2015
An exemplary anthology. There is not a single weak or even mediocre story here and many of the works included rank among the finest tales in the canon. This is an absolutely essential read for anyone who loves speculative fiction.
(Parenthetically, I am thrilled my little participation in the Kickstarter that helped bring about this volume contributed to something so fine. My money has rarely been so well spent!)
(Parenthetically, I am thrilled my little participation in the Kickstarter that helped bring about this volume contributed to something so fine. My money has rarely been so well spent!)
May 10, 2018
Una splendida antologia. Ovviamente non tutti i racconti sono allo stesso livello, ma questo è inevitabile. Però come visione d'insieme sulle scritture fantasy e fantascientifiche di autrici donne, è sicuramente valida, e soprattutto apprezzo lo sforzo dei due antologisti, americani, di includere autrici di altri paesi (cosa che non accade spesso). E noto con piacere che comunque i nomi che ci DEVONO essere ci sono...
February 6, 2016
Refreshing!
Favourites:
- Nalo Hopkinson's take on Bluebeard
- James Tiptree Jr's The Screwfly Solution
- Vandava Singh, the Woman Who thought She Was a Planet
- Susan Palwick's werewolf story
Favourites:
- Nalo Hopkinson's take on Bluebeard
- James Tiptree Jr's The Screwfly Solution
- Vandava Singh, the Woman Who thought She Was a Planet
- Susan Palwick's werewolf story
July 2, 2020
Gli occhi e la bocca delle streghe.
April 16, 2018
Sisters of the Revolution, edited by Ann and Jeff Vandermeer, is a reprint anthology that brings together work from some of the most important feminist voices in science fiction. This is not hyperbole. Among the works collected in this PM Press publication are Joanna Russ’s When It Changed, James Tiptree Jr’s The Screwfly Solution, Octavia Butler’s The Evening and the Morning and the Night, and Ursula Le Guin’s Sur, as well as several other stories I’ve read and loved before from authors Eleanor Arnason, Vandana Singh, Nalo Hopkinson and Elisabeth Vonarburg. There were also a fair number of stories new to me, by authors both familiar and new. It’s an outstanding collection of writing by remarkable women.
In their introduction, Ann Vandemeer and Jeff Vandemeer write of this anthology as part of an ongoing conversation around feminist speculative fiction, neither a defining nor a definitive work. “We think of this anthology—the research, the thought behind it, and the actual publication—as a journey of discovery not complete within these pages. Every reader, we hope, will find some writer or story with which they were not previously familiar—and feel deeply some lack that needs to be remedied in the future, by some other anthology.”
As such, it is both deeply enjoyable in its right, and an encouragement to seek out further examples of the feminist vision in speculative fiction.
The stories contained in this collection examine many aspects of women’s lives and struggles. Woman as mother, woman as daughter, woman as leader, woman as revolutionary, woman as healer, woman as explorer, woman as hero. Women who defy the expectations of their society, women who choose to escape, women who try to do the right thing, women who rebel, women who kill, women alone, women betrayed, women who survive. I recommend it highly.
August 11, 2019
Una excelente antología de ciencia ficción feminista. El espíritu que anima todos los relatos comparte una rebeldía, una mirada inteligente y crítica sobre lo que significa ser mujer en una sociedad patriarcal, que se declina en propuestas variadas muy diferentes entre sí. Entre las que más me han gustado están los relatos de Hiromi Goto, Angela Carter, Vandana Singh, Susan Palwic y Nalo Hopkinson.
January 6, 2021
Beautiful
This one sat on my digital shelf far too long. What a treat to begin the year with. Definitely recommend.
This one sat on my digital shelf far too long. What a treat to begin the year with. Definitely recommend.
October 4, 2015
There's a nice trend on Kickstarter and other crowdfunding sites, of crowdfunding anthologies based around specific themes that might not find a home in traditional publishing. This book is a good example. I participated in its Kickstarter, and I'm proud that my money helped this book find a home in the world.
It's a very professional effort, as would be expected from the editing team of Jeff and Ann VanderMeer. Unfortunately, all the stories are from years past and cannot be considered for this year's awards, although the anthology itself could be nominated for, say, the Locus Awards. It would make a worthy nominee, as far as I'm concerned.
Some of my favorites:
"The Forbidden Words of Margaret A.," L. Timmell Duchamp--Margaret A. is so feared by the US government that the Constitution is amended to silence her, and she is held in a one-person concentration camp with no contact with the outside world, save for a monthly visit from a journalist. We never find out exactly what she says, and that's not the point. (It is mentioned, though, that Margaret A. is a black woman, which is rather telling, even more so now than when the story was written.) The story is not really about Margaret A., but rather the journalist who speaks with her, and who discovers she cannot live with the status quo any longer.
"The Grammarian's Five Daughters," Eleanor Arnason--a delightful, beautifully written fantasy about the power of words (quite literally the parts of speech: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and prepositions) and the women who wield them.
"The Screwfly Solution," James Tiptree, Jr (aka Alice Sheldon)--a classic of the genre, just as disturbing now as it was nearly forty years ago.
"The Evening and the Morning and the Night," Octavia E. Butler--I've read a lot of Butler's stuff, but somehow I missed this story. It's tremendous.
"Tales from the Breast," Hiromi Goto--the premise of this story sounds absurd, but man, the ending bites.
"Northern Chess," Tanith Lee--a lush fantasy story that hinges on a similar reveal to Eowyn's "I am no man!" from The Return of the King.
But my favorite of the bunch, as dark and depressing as it is, is Susan Palwick's "Gestella," which asks a simple question: what happens when a female werewolf, with canine aging patterns, falls in love with a human? For modern sensibilities, the beginning is a bit squicky, but the story is a powerful treatise on how women are often used and discarded as they age. And the ending is just...oh my God.
There were a couple of stories I liked less, but the general quality is quite high. You won't go wrong with this collection.
It's a very professional effort, as would be expected from the editing team of Jeff and Ann VanderMeer. Unfortunately, all the stories are from years past and cannot be considered for this year's awards, although the anthology itself could be nominated for, say, the Locus Awards. It would make a worthy nominee, as far as I'm concerned.
Some of my favorites:
"The Forbidden Words of Margaret A.," L. Timmell Duchamp--Margaret A. is so feared by the US government that the Constitution is amended to silence her, and she is held in a one-person concentration camp with no contact with the outside world, save for a monthly visit from a journalist. We never find out exactly what she says, and that's not the point. (It is mentioned, though, that Margaret A. is a black woman, which is rather telling, even more so now than when the story was written.) The story is not really about Margaret A., but rather the journalist who speaks with her, and who discovers she cannot live with the status quo any longer.
"The Grammarian's Five Daughters," Eleanor Arnason--a delightful, beautifully written fantasy about the power of words (quite literally the parts of speech: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and prepositions) and the women who wield them.
"The Screwfly Solution," James Tiptree, Jr (aka Alice Sheldon)--a classic of the genre, just as disturbing now as it was nearly forty years ago.
"The Evening and the Morning and the Night," Octavia E. Butler--I've read a lot of Butler's stuff, but somehow I missed this story. It's tremendous.
"Tales from the Breast," Hiromi Goto--the premise of this story sounds absurd, but man, the ending bites.
"Northern Chess," Tanith Lee--a lush fantasy story that hinges on a similar reveal to Eowyn's "I am no man!" from The Return of the King.
But my favorite of the bunch, as dark and depressing as it is, is Susan Palwick's "Gestella," which asks a simple question: what happens when a female werewolf, with canine aging patterns, falls in love with a human? For modern sensibilities, the beginning is a bit squicky, but the story is a powerful treatise on how women are often used and discarded as they age. And the ending is just...oh my God.
There were a couple of stories I liked less, but the general quality is quite high. You won't go wrong with this collection.
June 22, 2016
Anne and Jeff Vandermeer are superb anthologists and Jeff's a pretty good writer too. This book isn't as "revolutionary" as the title implies and it's only sometimes "feminist." But it is the best collection of modern speculative fiction by women about women I know of, ranging all over the world in good translations and containing some true classics of this genre. Among the latter are James Tiptree, Jr.'s The Screwfly Solution, Olivia Butler's The Evening and the Morning and the Night, L. Timmel Duchamp's The Forbidden Words of Margaret A., Joanna Russ' When It changed and Ursula Le Guin's Sur. Other superb stories I didn't know are Carol Emshwiller's Boys, Susan Palwick's Gestella, Pamela Sargent's Fears, Deborah Vonaburg's Home By the Sea, Hiromi Goto's hilarious Tales From the Breast,Eleanor Arnason's mythic The Grammarian's Five Daughters, Kelly Barnhill's The Men Who Live in Trees and Nnedi Okorafor's The Palm Tree Bandit. I never "got" Angela Carter and so her The Fall River Murders falls flat for me and Tanith Lee has done better than Northern Chess included here. Otherwise the hit just keep coming. .
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