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Isis #1
Return to Isis
A futuristic lesbian tale of high adventure, mystery and love, in which Whit, a bold warrior from an Amazon nation, rescues Amelia from a dismal world where females are either breeders or drones.
173 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1992
5 people are currently reading
242 people want to read
About the author
Jean Stewart
10 books16 followersLibrarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Jean Stewart was born and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia. She loves books, music, movies, dogs, and people who laugh. She was a teacher and a coach for a while, but now she writes. She lives near Seattle with her partner, Susie, two badly behaved dogs, and a reclusive Maine Coon cat named Emily Dickinson.
Jean Stewart was born and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia. She loves books, music, movies, dogs, and people who laugh. She was a teacher and a coach for a while, but now she writes. She lives near Seattle with her partner, Susie, two badly behaved dogs, and a reclusive Maine Coon cat named Emily Dickinson.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
November 24, 2008
Oh Jean. You break my heart with your obviously hand-drawn map of the new world of the old USA. Your story of our downfall, led by the AIDS-Herpes crisis, the world taken over by women-hating men, and saved from annihilation by women-loving women is just so adorable.
Where are you now, Jean? Your fiction wouldn't stand a chance if you tried to publish it in today's climate, which makes me glad you wrote it when you did. I may not look to your books for literary inspiration, but they have kept me warm, many a cold, girlfriendless night.
I wish you well, Jean. Thank you for all the work you and our lesbian foremothers did to make our world far different than the one you lived in. A world where I don't feel like I need to request the free lesbian mail order catalog from Rising Tide Press. (By the way - read the Rising Tide Press manifesto in the back - it's a priceless relic of the 90's lesbian movement.) Thank you for writing the Isis books.
Where are you now, Jean? Your fiction wouldn't stand a chance if you tried to publish it in today's climate, which makes me glad you wrote it when you did. I may not look to your books for literary inspiration, but they have kept me warm, many a cold, girlfriendless night.
I wish you well, Jean. Thank you for all the work you and our lesbian foremothers did to make our world far different than the one you lived in. A world where I don't feel like I need to request the free lesbian mail order catalog from Rising Tide Press. (By the way - read the Rising Tide Press manifesto in the back - it's a priceless relic of the 90's lesbian movement.) Thank you for writing the Isis books.
April 30, 2013
An interesting book with relatable characters. I liked the concpt of a mutated AIDS virus with lesbians as the saviors and survivors of it's scourge, as well as the founders of a genderless and empowering society.
It was delightful to read a book with a lesbian heroine. I enjoyed the unabashed descriptions of lesbian attraction - emotional and physical. I look forward to reading the rest of this series :).
It was delightful to read a book with a lesbian heroine. I enjoyed the unabashed descriptions of lesbian attraction - emotional and physical. I look forward to reading the rest of this series :).
November 3, 2015
A futuristic sci-fi story about a post apocalyptic America torn in two. One side ruled by sexist, elitist (really every -ist you can think of) men, the other by intelligent, communal, lesbians (aka my ideal civilization). It's an action packed love story centered around two women; one woman finding herself, the other, guiding her way.
February 9, 2022
This is not a good novel, but I guess it could be considered a lesbian classic. Daughters of a Coral Dawn is a better classic fantasy/lesbian book and has much more insight and humor. I'm always glad when the lesbians get to have their own idyllic Amazonia.
If you like this kind of world-building, Jane Fletcher is an author you should check out. She doesn't get much love but her novels are solid. Rangers at Roadsend is my personal favorite.
If you like this kind of world-building, Jane Fletcher is an author you should check out. She doesn't get much love but her novels are solid. Rangers at Roadsend is my personal favorite.
September 18, 2016
The best I could say for this book (and the others in the series) is that I can get a good chuckle out of the deplorable writing. I am really quite amazed that these were published at all, as the writing is reminiscent of poor fan fiction sites, but in the interests of nothing more than lesbian solidarity and a good laugh, you should buy them.
January 28, 2008
Oh. My. God. These books are sooooooo amazing in their terribleness. It was recommended to me for hilarity and did not disappoint. Not sure how folks get through more than one though.
February 13, 2019
Great Lesbian sci-fi
September 12, 2025
1. Spelling is excellent, as is the grammar.
2. The plot has potential.
The problems:
1. The writer needs to practice showing and not telling. Except during periods of dialogue, the entire plot is told. The author shows nothing. The characters walk over mountains, through a city where no building is more than two stories tall. One character is drawn to the stall because the vendor is selling food, but that is all the reader learns. What are the smells? What type of food does she see? She asks no questions if she sees something exotic. Thus, this is how the entire story is "told." As a reader, you have no visceral knowledge about the world the characters inhabit.
2. The author needs to practice writing in the active voice. The passive voice is that, it is passive, it is active. Example: The ball was thrown to her/him/Mary/etc. (Who threw the ball? How is performing the action?) The fix: John/Susie/he/she/they threw the ball to her/him/Mary/etc. Now the reader knows who threw the ball. The action is active, and it draws the reader into the story.
3. The beta readers and publishers need to learn these rules and teach them to the author.
Return to Isis has excellent potential and the ability to drive beyond the lesbian sci/fi market. Learning these skills requires dedication to craft, practice, and yes, hard work. As I read this novel, I would 1). ask the basic questions readers and English teachers would ask, and then rewrite the sentences and paragraphs in my head. The book, though it is short, took too long to read and reduced my enjoyment of the plot, which I said would have been enjoyable.
2. The plot has potential.
The problems:
1. The writer needs to practice showing and not telling. Except during periods of dialogue, the entire plot is told. The author shows nothing. The characters walk over mountains, through a city where no building is more than two stories tall. One character is drawn to the stall because the vendor is selling food, but that is all the reader learns. What are the smells? What type of food does she see? She asks no questions if she sees something exotic. Thus, this is how the entire story is "told." As a reader, you have no visceral knowledge about the world the characters inhabit.
2. The author needs to practice writing in the active voice. The passive voice is that, it is passive, it is active. Example: The ball was thrown to her/him/Mary/etc. (Who threw the ball? How is performing the action?) The fix: John/Susie/he/she/they threw the ball to her/him/Mary/etc. Now the reader knows who threw the ball. The action is active, and it draws the reader into the story.
3. The beta readers and publishers need to learn these rules and teach them to the author.
Return to Isis has excellent potential and the ability to drive beyond the lesbian sci/fi market. Learning these skills requires dedication to craft, practice, and yes, hard work. As I read this novel, I would 1). ask the basic questions readers and English teachers would ask, and then rewrite the sentences and paragraphs in my head. The book, though it is short, took too long to read and reduced my enjoyment of the plot, which I said would have been enjoyable.
June 22, 2017
The characters in the story are not fully developed. It was not a horrible read, but it felt like all of the action was packed in the last half of the book.
We are offered information about the reality in which the story takes place throughout, although not as soon as it could be.
There are too many individuals within the novel contributing to the chaos so we lose focus on the main characters. Not to mention that we are occasionally left floundering to fill in blanks about the nature/laws of the land.
All in all, the subject matter of the novel has great potential. But, it was not well developed enough. There is so much going on that none of it is explored or explained enough. The grammar is well done even if the plot is lacking.
I won't say that it was horrible because it was a light hearted read with coherent writing.
We are offered information about the reality in which the story takes place throughout, although not as soon as it could be.
There are too many individuals within the novel contributing to the chaos so we lose focus on the main characters. Not to mention that we are occasionally left floundering to fill in blanks about the nature/laws of the land.
All in all, the subject matter of the novel has great potential. But, it was not well developed enough. There is so much going on that none of it is explored or explained enough. The grammar is well done even if the plot is lacking.
I won't say that it was horrible because it was a light hearted read with coherent writing.
May 2, 2020
As far as lesbian apocalyptic utopian sci fi novels go, this one is probably considered a classic. Not because of the quality of the writing, which was mediocre, but because it exists and made an impact. It must have sold well when it first came out in 1992 because there are five novels all together in this series and then was reprinted in 2010. But comparing it to other sci fi in general, my reaction is meh. It’s not bad, but it’s not too good. It plays on what are now common tropes of women-hating men and a women’s utopia disrupted by someone who acts like the kind of men they escaped from. Reading it thirty years after it was originally published, I had to put on my way-back hat to appreciate what I could. Surprisingly, or maybe not, this book was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Sci Fi/Fantasy in 1993.
Come visit my blog for the full review…
https://itstartedwiththehugos.blogspo...
Come visit my blog for the full review…
https://itstartedwiththehugos.blogspo...
September 14, 2025
I picked this book out of a pile of 90’s lesbian genre fiction that was up for grabs at a sapphic camping festival in western Massachusetts. It was exactly what I expected. Nothing but love for the women who paved the way for us and their bravery.
December 24, 2024
Cute, lesbian-centered, woman-centered, (soft) sci-fi book ... then it throws in magic. Sure, why not?!! Not sure if I want to read the sequels.
January 12, 2025
Good concept, but characters were very 2-dimensional and the plot was not consistent. Given when it was written, tho', very nice.
October 1, 2019
A classically bad lesbian feminist sci novel. I guess she meant well.
August 24, 2009
It is the year 2093, and Whit, a bold woman warrior from an Amazon nation, rescues Amelia from a dismal world where females are either breeders or drones.
During their arduous journey back to the shining all-women's world of Artemis, they are unexpectedly drawn to each other. This engaging first book in the
series has it all, romance, mystery and adventure.
This book is so much more than the description above would have one believe. I'm beginning to figure out how riddled the world is in patriarchal dogma, and this world describes what could happen if people don't either start embracing the Earth which supports us all or getting in touch with their feminine sides— don't run away, guys, really.
I can't wait to read more in the series to see how the characters progress.
During their arduous journey back to the shining all-women's world of Artemis, they are unexpectedly drawn to each other. This engaging first book in the
series has it all, romance, mystery and adventure.
This book is so much more than the description above would have one believe. I'm beginning to figure out how riddled the world is in patriarchal dogma, and this world describes what could happen if people don't either start embracing the Earth which supports us all or getting in touch with their feminine sides— don't run away, guys, really.
I can't wait to read more in the series to see how the characters progress.
Currently reading
January 29, 2008Jacks Cody just lent me this book. It's the first in a series of utopic sci-fi lesbian separatist novels leading to Artemis. Apparently some folks are working on soundtracks for the books, and eventually want to make it into a movie. This is causing me to cream my already filthy panties.
March 11, 2008
I loved this book and I don't usually read fantasy novels. It starts off slow but gets more exciting as you keep reading. Now I'm waiting impatiently for the next 2 books of the series to get sent back to my housemate.
June 27, 2011
I was so excited when I found this book among the LGBT stacks at Half-Price. It is the perfect addition to my slowly growing collection of sci-fi or utopian novels of women-only worlds. This one is basically sci-fi + lesbian drama = Awesome. I am definitely going to look up the sequel
September 14, 2023
Love the ISIS tales by Jean Stewart. So ahead of its time.
Independent, fearless, heroines, not afraid to love and to fight.
Wish she would write more of them!!!
Independent, fearless, heroines, not afraid to love and to fight.
Wish she would write more of them!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 13, 2008
omg. lesbian sci fi. dare i say more?
June 19, 2012
Good fantasy series.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews