Reviews

Houston, Houston, Do You Read?, by Bob Eggleton, James Tiptree Jr.

utopologist's review against another edition

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4.0

There's a lot in here that has not aged well. The discourse around gender has changed a lot, but I was still able to really appreciate what Tiptree/Sheldon was trying to accomplish here. There's a bit too much biological determinism for my liking, but the question of whether the concepts of "men" and "male" are redeemable is a compelling one. My takeaway as a cisgender man reading this is that there is hope, but not for us. Masculinity is a prison and in this story, Tiptree/Sheldon rejects the idea that it can be rehabilitated. I've thought as much for a while; so it goes.

As to the structure of the book, it took me a little bit to grasp what was happening regarding flashbacks and viewpoint shifts. Also, there's a lengthy sexual assault scene that made me hugely uncomfortable, but when I finished the novella I realized that its presence is integral to Tiptree/Sheldon's themes.

mimirtells's review against another edition

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4.0

Puanım 4/5 (%76/100)

Her ne kadar başları biraz sıkıcı olsa da son kısımlar muazzamdı. Daha önce Uzaktan Kumandalı Kız'ı okumuştum ve genel olarak hoşuma gitmişti. Bu kadar kitap bana göre daha eğlenceli ve yazarın anlatmak istediklerini daha güzel bir şekilde anlatabildiği bir kitap gibi geldi. Kadın yazarların (özellikle bilim-kurgu ve fantastik) dikkate alınmadığı bir dönemde erkek ismi ile yazan Alice B. Sheldon en az Ursula Le Guin kadar başarılı bir yazar. Feminizm ve bilim-kurguyu çok güzel harmanlamış ve ortaya bu kitap çıkmış.

Kitap uzayda mahsur kalan 3 erkek astronotun gizemli bir sinyali takip edip ekibi tamamen kadınlardan oluşan bir uzay gemisi ile karşılaşmasını anlatıyor. Zaman yolculuğu, ütopya ve cinsiyet temalarının ağır olduğu bir kitap. Kitabın sonlarına doğru erkek ve kadın astronotların arasında geçen diyaloglar harikaydı. 3 erkek karakterin her birisinin farklı bir tipi temsil etmesi güzeldi ve benim kitapta en sevdiğim karakter de hikayeyi anlatan Dr. Lorimer oldu. Sheldon çok detay vermemiş olsa da bu yarattığı ütopya oldukça ilgi çekiciydi. Kitabı herkese tavsiye ediyorum FAKAT sonlardaki bazı kısımlar oldukça küfürlü ve açık seçik. Bunlardan rahatsız oluyorsanız pek ilginiz çekmeyebilir. Onun dışında gayet hoş ve tek oturuşta bitirebilecek bir kitap.

amybouwer's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-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

5.0

aico's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

mergen's review against another edition

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slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

artist_lace's review against another edition

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4.0

A great recommendation from a friend and a quick read!

eemms's review against another edition

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5.0

Lulled me into a false sense of security and then hit me with decades of potent feminist rage over the terrible existence of men. Definitely a story of its time and its author, but I loved it.

rebeccagrnwd's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

fitzbff's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A bit of a rough start but this is ultimately a really good and profound story. There is a bit of gender essentialism going on, but for the time that's to be expected. It gives a unique and interesting take on masculinity, and the twist slowly being revealed was genius.

assur191's review

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dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0