Status Updates From The Adventures of Alyx

WOW! This was good!

Almost done!

So the visitor is clearly Alyx's descendant, but what's she doing here?

Finished "Picnic on Paradise." The best story thus far, but also an entirely morose one. The ending was quite sad/

Now reading "The Second Inquisition." This one feels a bit meta. A little gene Wolfe-esque.

God, the journey on Paradise has been rough.

I think Alyx is having a break from reality because of those pills.
Damn. This has been the grimmest story yet.

Alyx finally fucking snapped! I wonder if "Picnic on Paradise" generated any controversy when it was first published in 1968, because Russ was one of those early feminist SFF writers who did not hold back. Alyx gets bloody!

Now someone else is dead.
There seems to be unreliable narration going on in these stories, or they're told out of order. Information about Alyx's past presented in the current story contradicts that in the previous ones. Apparently, she's had 3 kids, one is dead, but she only mentioned a daughter.

Either Russ is being intentionally misleading or she forgot. Doubtful, given how closely written the stories were.

The relationships Alyx has with the other characters here is strange; even the dialogue between is strange. To be fair, I think that's just Russ' style.

Alyx did not choose the bear. She killed it instead. 1 like=1 prayer

Oh, hey. Somebody finally died.

"Picnic on Paradise" is oddly reminiscent of We Who Are About To... in some ways,

Alyx has fucking had it with the rest of her colorful party members.

Alyx has fucking had it with the rest of her colorful party members.

Alyx kneed a guy in the stomach and now he's infatuated with her.
Bro, me too.

Finished "The Barbarian." Huh. Alyx was still wit her husband in this one, and she actually loved him. Did this take places before the previous story? Or did she remarry? Strange Russ would do that.

Started "Picnic on Paradise," which is the longest story in this collection. So far it seems interesting.

Now reading "The Barbarian"

Alyx is employed by a mysterious man with a mysterious object.

Finished the story with the long title. Yup, it was Alyx's backstory, buttressing Russ' feminism quite well! The story of a woman who overcomes a controlling husband and becomes a confident warrior that's just as strong as and teases men.

It's amazing that Russ made this story enjoyable back in 1967 when most writers today tackling the same trope flummox it. I will go into more details with my review when I'm done.

I *think* this story is Alyx's backstory.

"Bluestocking" was a fun story; don't understand the title though. Alyx apparently has a daughter and she appears to have made a reference to Fafhrd from Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser series--apparently Alyx appears in some of Leiber's stories too. This was a funny, swashbuckling story.

Starting "I Thought She Was Afeard Till She Stroked My Beard"

Started "Bluestocking." A really great and funny opening! So far, this is a fresh breath of air compared to the other stuff I've read by Joanna Russ. "We Who Are About To..." was a proactive but depressing experience and The Female Man waded into TERF territory.

So far, this story is fun!