Synopsis: Gathered by Pamela Sargent, this is a fine collection of short stories written by early female science fiction authors.Review: Collect with by a deft mind, this collection contains short stories written by women about women. Each stories explores a different intersection of science and the feminine. Sargent's introduction gives an overview of women in science fiction, starting with Mary Shelley and Frankenstein (arguably the first science fiction novel) and moving into the current (for her) rising female authors. Many of those authors are featured here. She spoke about women in the stories, how in the original pulp fiction, why women are shallow damsels or vixens, and how more female authors gives rise to a new heroine, women with brains and purpose. The introduction alone is worth aquiring the book for.
The stories are listed below: The best was the McCraffrey, with the MacLean and the Bradley close behind. Wilhelm's story hit close to home, and something I think our society is only a few science discoveries away from. Yarabro's story told of a horrify future and left me wanting more of the story. The worst, by far, was the Emshwiller. It wasn't even science fiction, as far as I could tell.
The Child Dreams by Sonya Dorman
That Only a Mother by Judith Merril
Contagion by Katherine MacLean
The Wind People by Marion Zimmer Bradley
The Ship Who Sang by Anne McCaffrey
When I Was Miss Dow by Sonya Dorman
The Food Farm by Kit Reed
Baby, You Were Great by Kate Wilhelm
Sex and/or Mr. Morrison by Carol Emshwiller
Vaster Than Empires and More Slow by Ursula K. Le Guin
False Dawn by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
Nobody's Home by Joanna Russ
Of Mist, and Grass, and Sand by Vonda N. McIntyre
Over all, this collection contains a vast array of thought-provoking stories about gender, motherhood, science, and our future. I highly recommend!
Bookmarks: 4.5 of 5
Awards: None (Although many of the stories have won awards)
ISBN: 0-394-71041-x
Year Published: 1974
Date Finished: 2-10-2018
Pages: 285
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