rubynyu's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
haljonesy's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this collection so much. It's not easy to find collections of women's science fiction, especially from this time period, but fortunately the call was answered by Yaszek. The stories included in this book range from 1928 to 1969, and it's fascinating to see the tonal shifts in response to historical events.
jcpinckney's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
vrop's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
cappog's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
pradel's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
reasie's review against another edition
5.0
What a fantastic collection Dr. Yaszek has curated for us! I feel like I have to address the stories individually. Generally I found almost all of them, if not enjoyable in their own right, very instructive historically. I liked having the stories in chronological order, and found the notes and bios at the end of the volume useful.
"The Miracle of the Lily" by Clare Winger Harris 1928 - The 1920s were so much fun for science fiction, its adolescence, it's mad, giddy teen years. This story captures that and spans so many ideas. World-spanning cities, genetic manipulation, better living through chemistry, civilizations on Mars and Venus, even -gasp- TELEVISION.
"The Conquest of Gola" by Leslie F. Stone 1931 - Alien POV as humans (all male of course) attempt to conquer the matriarchy of Venus. Pulpy fun with a little "Oh these strange earth-men might be sexy with their hard bodies ... oops my mistake they want to kill us."
"The Black God's Kiss" by C. L. Moore - I was familiar with this story as the inspiration for cover art, but Oh. My. Elder God. The story delivers hard on the promise of the image. Pulptastic with sword fights and flashing anger eyes and magic spells. So glad I got the chance to read this gem. I felt transported to a world of lurid pastel-chalk fantasy. Lovecraft wishes he wrote like this.
"Space Episode" by Leslie Perri (1941) - Hard SF feels! Loved that. And at the time, apparently, it was quite controversial for depicting a heroic woman saving less-heroic men. Maybe this needs to always be printed next to "The Cold Equations". So glad to learn about this writer - she was active in fan zines and fandom, briefly married to Frederick Pohl, and did some editing too.
"That Only a Mother" by Judith Merril (1948) - Not my favorite, but a good example of maternal sf, and the fear of mutations caused by radiation, that would be quite the hot topic in '48
"In Hiding" by Wilmar H. Shiras (1950) - a child psychologist uncovers a super-intelligent boy who is pretending to be normal. I suspect this coming right after "Only a Mother" is not coincidental! Slow but thorough and thoughtful exploration of the kid and the psychologist.
"Contagion" by Katherine Maclean (1950) - Wow has medical knowledge changed since this story. There's something very telling in the way the disease would only affect one gender - that they thought men and women were really that different - and that germ theory meant you could clean a disease away from someone! But still, very interesting, and interesting to see the sexual politics of the characters of their time and compare them to, say "Space Episode."
"Inhabited Men" Margaret St. Clair (1951) - Felt ahead of its time, like a Delaney. Though I wanted more resolution, maybe that's me being behind my time.
"Ararat" Zenna Henderson (1952) - So touchingly done. Great voice, characterization. Literary. I was like ... "Are these all going to feel ahead of their time or am I too judgemental of the past?"
"All Cats Are Gray" by Andrew North (1953) - Another great adventure! And with a cat! I thought the beginning and end were a little rough but I like what it did and the no-nonsense bartender solving a spooky space mystery
"Created He Them" Alice Eleanor Jones (1955) - Creepy dystopian suburbia with a loveless marriage and starving for necessities. All the 1950 housewife feels.
Mr. Sakrison's Halt by Mildred Clingerman (1956) - content warning: N-word. Exquisite southern gothic where the magic is an end to segregation. Touching characters. Loved it.
"All the Colors of the Rainbow" by Leigh Brackett (1957) - content warning: N-word. Oh hey I see why this was put after "Mr. Sakrison's" too. It's the putting stories together like this that shows the editor's depth of knowledge in the subject. Wow, yeah. So it's like ... racists are racist to aliens because they are racists. Dark.
"Pelt" by Carol Emshwiller (1958) - MY STARS THIS IS BEAUTIFUL excellent dog POV. So lovely. A poem of a story.
"Car Pool" by Rosel George Brown (1959) - So much humor in this one, and the sweet tender aliens! Marries the tragedy of human brutality with the domestic woes of the future-housewife. I would have liked it to be a little clearer on the final disposition of the characters.
"For Sale, Reasonable" by Elizabeth Mann Borgese (1959) - didn't care for this one
"Birth of a Gardener" by Doris Pitkin Buck (1961)- ever had a man insist you couldn't understand something? I get the feeling Doris Pitkin Buck has. Killer ending!
"The Tunnel Ahead" by Alice Glaser (1961) - Make Room! Make Room! but with a trip to the beach. Dark and psychological.
"The New You" by Kit Reed (1962) - I just adore the romance between the Old Martha and her husband. Definitely before its time, thumbing its nose at lookism.
"Another Rib" by John Jay Wells and Marion Zimmer Bradley (1963) - content warning: Homophobia and transphobia. Like, big time. WOW. It's hard to read. Important, historically, though. For me it was telling how much the story was unwilling even to put in writing. There's a part where, after an alien says it can turn a man into a woman to help the last (all male) survivors of the human race, asks, "Why both of them, if you can only convert one?" and I'm like "what?" and the alien replies "Why, for their physical pleasure." And it took me eight re-reads to realize the captain is asking "Why do they have to have sex with each other?" and not, as I had thought, that they were going to become lesbians and each have a baby.
"When I Was Miss Dow" by Sonya Dorman (1966) - a welcome refreshment after that last story - the protagonist alien tries to untangle its feelings of gender and being a human-mimic
"Baby, You Were Great" by Kate Wilhelm (1967) - Content warning: rape DARK. Hideously dark, looking unflinchingly at the misogyny of Hollywood. I wanted a happy ending to somehow come out of it, but Kate decided to leave me devastated.
"The Barbarian" by Joanna Russ (1968) - Fun to get a backstory for Alyx from "Picnic on Paradise"! Typical Russ adventure. The time rustic outsmarts the future man.
"The Last Flight of Dr. Ain" by James Tiptree Jr. (1969) - not my favorite Tiptree. The lyrical prose we've come to expect, but the story didn't surprise me in any way. Though that could be future-bias.
"Nine Lives" by Ursula K. Le Guin (1969) - Clones and feels and love. As an identical twin, I should hate this, but darn that Le Guin always seduces with her prose. Liked the ending better than the beginning. Could have used more difference in voice between Martin and Owen.
"The Miracle of the Lily" by Clare Winger Harris 1928 - The 1920s were so much fun for science fiction, its adolescence, it's mad, giddy teen years. This story captures that and spans so many ideas. World-spanning cities, genetic manipulation, better living through chemistry, civilizations on Mars and Venus, even -gasp- TELEVISION.
"The Conquest of Gola" by Leslie F. Stone 1931 - Alien POV as humans (all male of course) attempt to conquer the matriarchy of Venus. Pulpy fun with a little "Oh these strange earth-men might be sexy with their hard bodies ... oops my mistake they want to kill us."
"The Black God's Kiss" by C. L. Moore - I was familiar with this story as the inspiration for cover art, but Oh. My. Elder God. The story delivers hard on the promise of the image. Pulptastic with sword fights and flashing anger eyes and magic spells. So glad I got the chance to read this gem. I felt transported to a world of lurid pastel-chalk fantasy. Lovecraft wishes he wrote like this.
"Space Episode" by Leslie Perri (1941) - Hard SF feels! Loved that. And at the time, apparently, it was quite controversial for depicting a heroic woman saving less-heroic men. Maybe this needs to always be printed next to "The Cold Equations". So glad to learn about this writer - she was active in fan zines and fandom, briefly married to Frederick Pohl, and did some editing too.
"That Only a Mother" by Judith Merril (1948) - Not my favorite, but a good example of maternal sf, and the fear of mutations caused by radiation, that would be quite the hot topic in '48
"In Hiding" by Wilmar H. Shiras (1950) - a child psychologist uncovers a super-intelligent boy who is pretending to be normal. I suspect this coming right after "Only a Mother" is not coincidental! Slow but thorough and thoughtful exploration of the kid and the psychologist.
"Contagion" by Katherine Maclean (1950) - Wow has medical knowledge changed since this story. There's something very telling in the way the disease would only affect one gender - that they thought men and women were really that different - and that germ theory meant you could clean a disease away from someone! But still, very interesting, and interesting to see the sexual politics of the characters of their time and compare them to, say "Space Episode."
"Inhabited Men" Margaret St. Clair (1951) - Felt ahead of its time, like a Delaney. Though I wanted more resolution, maybe that's me being behind my time.
"Ararat" Zenna Henderson (1952) - So touchingly done. Great voice, characterization. Literary. I was like ... "Are these all going to feel ahead of their time or am I too judgemental of the past?"
"All Cats Are Gray" by Andrew North (1953) - Another great adventure! And with a cat! I thought the beginning and end were a little rough but I like what it did and the no-nonsense bartender solving a spooky space mystery
"Created He Them" Alice Eleanor Jones (1955) - Creepy dystopian suburbia with a loveless marriage and starving for necessities. All the 1950 housewife feels.
Mr. Sakrison's Halt by Mildred Clingerman (1956) - content warning: N-word. Exquisite southern gothic where the magic is an end to segregation. Touching characters. Loved it.
"All the Colors of the Rainbow" by Leigh Brackett (1957) - content warning: N-word. Oh hey I see why this was put after "Mr. Sakrison's" too. It's the putting stories together like this that shows the editor's depth of knowledge in the subject. Wow, yeah. So it's like ... racists are racist to aliens because they are racists. Dark.
"Pelt" by Carol Emshwiller (1958) - MY STARS THIS IS BEAUTIFUL excellent dog POV. So lovely. A poem of a story.
"Car Pool" by Rosel George Brown (1959) - So much humor in this one, and the sweet tender aliens! Marries the tragedy of human brutality with the domestic woes of the future-housewife. I would have liked it to be a little clearer on the final disposition of the characters.
"For Sale, Reasonable" by Elizabeth Mann Borgese (1959) - didn't care for this one
"Birth of a Gardener" by Doris Pitkin Buck (1961)- ever had a man insist you couldn't understand something? I get the feeling Doris Pitkin Buck has. Killer ending!
"The Tunnel Ahead" by Alice Glaser (1961) - Make Room! Make Room! but with a trip to the beach. Dark and psychological.
"The New You" by Kit Reed (1962) - I just adore the romance between the Old Martha and her husband. Definitely before its time, thumbing its nose at lookism.
"Another Rib" by John Jay Wells and Marion Zimmer Bradley (1963) - content warning: Homophobia and transphobia. Like, big time. WOW. It's hard to read. Important, historically, though. For me it was telling how much the story was unwilling even to put in writing. There's a part where, after an alien says it can turn a man into a woman to help the last (all male) survivors of the human race, asks, "Why both of them, if you can only convert one?" and I'm like "what?" and the alien replies "Why, for their physical pleasure." And it took me eight re-reads to realize the captain is asking "Why do they have to have sex with each other?" and not, as I had thought, that they were going to become lesbians and each have a baby.
"When I Was Miss Dow" by Sonya Dorman (1966) - a welcome refreshment after that last story - the protagonist alien tries to untangle its feelings of gender and being a human-mimic
"Baby, You Were Great" by Kate Wilhelm (1967) - Content warning: rape DARK. Hideously dark, looking unflinchingly at the misogyny of Hollywood. I wanted a happy ending to somehow come out of it, but Kate decided to leave me devastated.
"The Barbarian" by Joanna Russ (1968) - Fun to get a backstory for Alyx from "Picnic on Paradise"! Typical Russ adventure. The time rustic outsmarts the future man.
"The Last Flight of Dr. Ain" by James Tiptree Jr. (1969) - not my favorite Tiptree. The lyrical prose we've come to expect, but the story didn't surprise me in any way. Though that could be future-bias.
"Nine Lives" by Ursula K. Le Guin (1969) - Clones and feels and love. As an identical twin, I should hate this, but darn that Le Guin always seduces with her prose. Liked the ending better than the beginning. Could have used more difference in voice between Martin and Owen.
david_agranoff's review
5.0
This is yet another case of a project I read/reviewed after hearing it featured on Geek's Guide to the Galaxy. First and foremost the editor Lisa Yaszek being a scholar of Science Fiction had me interested in having her as a guest on Dickheads to talk about the history of the genre. Second I knew I wanted to read this book.
The concept is simple starting with Claire Winger Harris and a story called 'The Miracle of the Lilly' and ending with A Ursala K Leguin Story Called 'Nine Lives'. That takes the reader through the evolution of the pulp era from 1928 to 1969. In the subtext of this anthology is the journey the women writing in the genre took from the great depression to the year humans landed on the moon. You might expect some Flash Gordan like space opera with lots of laser guns but I was struck by the high concept of many of the ideas stretching back so long ago.
CL Moore's 'The Black Kiss' read a bit like a high fantasy story to me, and Joanna Russ's 'The Barbarian' that was I believe a tribute to the former author's work. That style is fine, but it was the more groundbreaking and ahead of their time stories that really sold me. My favorite stories were the opening story 'The Miracle of The Lilly' and 'Contagion' by Katherine Maclean. I enjoyed the majority of the 25 stories but those two were the ones that had the biggest impact of me. I had never heard of those women, and I am ashamed to stay as a student of the genre I had only read previous works by six of the twenty-five featured authors. The book has done its job as I currently reading CL Moore's novel Doomsday Morning.
Let's start where the book did with 'The Miracle of the Lilly' which has the most vast scope of any of the stories which and what makes this striking since it is the oldest. This story that goes into a future where humans have wiped out insects, an act with horrifying unintended consequences is pretty much Cli-fi 90 years before the subgenre was invented. I am sure the science is wildly out of date but epic nature of the idea is pure speculative gee-whiz in the best ways.
'Contagion' by Katherine Maclean has a little bit of an Alien or Prometheus feel despite being from 1950, I really enjoyed this trip to another world that played with the idea of going to another planet. This story felt pulpy and wise beyond it's time which is a trick many of the stories pulled off but this one just worked for me.
A few others that stood out to me were Leigh Brackett's 'All the Colors of the Rainbow' that was written about racism in 1957. The saddest part is the message is still valid today. That is impressive and depressing at the same time. I also enjoyed Kate Wilham send-up of Hollywood and pre-VR technology in 'Baby You Were great.' The closers by James Tiptree Jr. (Alice Sheldon) and Ursula K Leguin showcase by they are gold standards in the genre.
As much as I loved the stories, the highlight for sure was the introduction by Yaszek and the biographical notes at the back. As a fan of the genre and a writer myself, I was interested in their stories. I found myself saying to myself I need a book of that history. I was glad to find out that Yaszek has written that book Galatic Suburbia. I will read that one as soon as I can. the biographical notes provided such valuable insights in the writers. On a personal note discovering a pulp-era writer, CL Moore was from my home state of Indiana and published her first stories in the student paper of my hometown university made me so interested in her story.
Anyone interested in the classic pulp era and the history of women in it should read this book. The way it follows the progression of the genre gives it an interesting edge. This book is more than just another anthology, it is an important historical document that happens to have more than 20 stand-out works of bold science fiction. It should be taught in MFA programs but sadly I think it will be overlooked just like the contribution of the many women in the genre.
The good news is we have this book and can read it, review it and promote it to others. The Future is Female is a must-read for serious fans of the genre.
Check out my Dickheads podcast interview with Lisa Yaszek about this book:
https://soundcloud.com/dickheadspodcast/interview-11-lisa-yaszek-the-future-is-female
The concept is simple starting with Claire Winger Harris and a story called 'The Miracle of the Lilly' and ending with A Ursala K Leguin Story Called 'Nine Lives'. That takes the reader through the evolution of the pulp era from 1928 to 1969. In the subtext of this anthology is the journey the women writing in the genre took from the great depression to the year humans landed on the moon. You might expect some Flash Gordan like space opera with lots of laser guns but I was struck by the high concept of many of the ideas stretching back so long ago.
CL Moore's 'The Black Kiss' read a bit like a high fantasy story to me, and Joanna Russ's 'The Barbarian' that was I believe a tribute to the former author's work. That style is fine, but it was the more groundbreaking and ahead of their time stories that really sold me. My favorite stories were the opening story 'The Miracle of The Lilly' and 'Contagion' by Katherine Maclean. I enjoyed the majority of the 25 stories but those two were the ones that had the biggest impact of me. I had never heard of those women, and I am ashamed to stay as a student of the genre I had only read previous works by six of the twenty-five featured authors. The book has done its job as I currently reading CL Moore's novel Doomsday Morning.
Let's start where the book did with 'The Miracle of the Lilly' which has the most vast scope of any of the stories which and what makes this striking since it is the oldest. This story that goes into a future where humans have wiped out insects, an act with horrifying unintended consequences is pretty much Cli-fi 90 years before the subgenre was invented. I am sure the science is wildly out of date but epic nature of the idea is pure speculative gee-whiz in the best ways.
'Contagion' by Katherine Maclean has a little bit of an Alien or Prometheus feel despite being from 1950, I really enjoyed this trip to another world that played with the idea of going to another planet. This story felt pulpy and wise beyond it's time which is a trick many of the stories pulled off but this one just worked for me.
A few others that stood out to me were Leigh Brackett's 'All the Colors of the Rainbow' that was written about racism in 1957. The saddest part is the message is still valid today. That is impressive and depressing at the same time. I also enjoyed Kate Wilham send-up of Hollywood and pre-VR technology in 'Baby You Were great.' The closers by James Tiptree Jr. (Alice Sheldon) and Ursula K Leguin showcase by they are gold standards in the genre.
As much as I loved the stories, the highlight for sure was the introduction by Yaszek and the biographical notes at the back. As a fan of the genre and a writer myself, I was interested in their stories. I found myself saying to myself I need a book of that history. I was glad to find out that Yaszek has written that book Galatic Suburbia. I will read that one as soon as I can. the biographical notes provided such valuable insights in the writers. On a personal note discovering a pulp-era writer, CL Moore was from my home state of Indiana and published her first stories in the student paper of my hometown university made me so interested in her story.
Anyone interested in the classic pulp era and the history of women in it should read this book. The way it follows the progression of the genre gives it an interesting edge. This book is more than just another anthology, it is an important historical document that happens to have more than 20 stand-out works of bold science fiction. It should be taught in MFA programs but sadly I think it will be overlooked just like the contribution of the many women in the genre.
The good news is we have this book and can read it, review it and promote it to others. The Future is Female is a must-read for serious fans of the genre.
Check out my Dickheads podcast interview with Lisa Yaszek about this book:
https://soundcloud.com/dickheadspodcast/interview-11-lisa-yaszek-the-future-is-female
juliaglez's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
Ararat e Incógnito, de mis favoritos.
paola_barragan's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
3.5