A review by sjstuart
Not of Woman Born by James D. Macdonald, Kara Dalkey, Janni Lee Simner, Michael Armstrong, Sage Walker, Patricia A. McKillip, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Susan Palwick, Robert Silverberg, Jack McDevitt, Richard Parks, William F. Wu, Debra Doyle, Constance Ash, Walter Jon Williams
3.0
Fourteen stories, set in fourteen different futures where we're no longer sexually reproducing. (There's still sex; it's just that the reproduction happens in other ways.) Clones and genetic engineering are most common. Other, more interesting variations involve androids, life in software, and an implausible but entertaining scenario that requires a ménage à trois involving three different genders.
Interestingly, nearly all of the stories are fairly introspective. The tension in the stories comes not from plot or action so much as internal conflicts: biology-driven human minds struggling with a world where some of those biological drives are obsolete. This is done much more effectively in some contributions than others.
Most of the stories are distinctly mediocre, but a few are quite good. "Hunting Mother" by [a:Sage Walker|858185|Sage Walker|/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66-251a730d696018971ef4a443cdeaae05.jpg] and "Of Bitches Born" by Michael Armstrong were emotionally powerful and convincingly written. "Judith's Flowers" by [a:Susan Palwick|78024|Susan Palwick|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1304979373p2/78024.jpg] is more about developed vs. developing world differences than biology, but is nicely constructed and beautifully written. And [a:Walter Jon Williams|48960|Walter Jon Williams|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1275489992p2/48960.jpg]' "Daddy's World" is a fantastically spooky story about growing up in VR, and a well-deserved Nebula winner.
Interestingly, nearly all of the stories are fairly introspective. The tension in the stories comes not from plot or action so much as internal conflicts: biology-driven human minds struggling with a world where some of those biological drives are obsolete. This is done much more effectively in some contributions than others.
Most of the stories are distinctly mediocre, but a few are quite good. "Hunting Mother" by [a:Sage Walker|858185|Sage Walker|/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66-251a730d696018971ef4a443cdeaae05.jpg] and "Of Bitches Born" by Michael Armstrong were emotionally powerful and convincingly written. "Judith's Flowers" by [a:Susan Palwick|78024|Susan Palwick|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1304979373p2/78024.jpg] is more about developed vs. developing world differences than biology, but is nicely constructed and beautifully written. And [a:Walter Jon Williams|48960|Walter Jon Williams|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1275489992p2/48960.jpg]' "Daddy's World" is a fantastically spooky story about growing up in VR, and a well-deserved Nebula winner.