Women Writing Science Fiction As Men - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0756401488 ISBN 13: 9780756401481

Publisher: DAW, 2003

Synopsis

Featuring contributions from Janis Ian, Mercedes Lackey, Severna Park, and Laura Resnick, among others, an imaginative collection of stories, dealing with space-time travel, male enhancements, and nanotechnology, are written by women from the actual perspective of a man. Original.

About this title

Review

When an anthology is titled Women Writing Science Fiction as Men, readers expect either stories on the cutting edge of feminist/gender theory, or a tribute to the late James Tiptree, Jr., the female author everyone thought was male. However, the anthology meets neither expectation. It has a different mandate.

In his introduction, editor Mike Resnick states, "there is a difference in writing about a male and writing as a male." The all-female contributors were charged to write "as a male," with "each story...told in the first person of a man, and...if changing the narrator from Victor to Victoria invalidated the story we didn't want it." However, the anthology doesn't follow two-thirds of its own rules. Neither sex "change" nor biosex has had a discernable effect. The narrators tend to hold "traditionally male" jobs like astronaut, cop, soldier, engineer, superspy, and messiah, but females in these roles are hardly unusual (except messiah, a role also rare for males, and superspy, a role that doesn't exist in reality). Further, four of these sixteen original stories present Victors that cannot readily be turned into Victorias: a rapist, a James Bond parody, and two fellows fighting near-future paternity suits. Additionally, one story is narrated by a Victoria!

The contributors include some big names and hot up-and-comers, among them Kay Kenyon, Mercedes Lackey, Susan R. Matthews, Terry McGarry, Severna Park, Laura Resnick, Jennifer Roberson, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Karen E. Taylor, and singer-songwriter Janis Ian. --Cynthia Ward

About the Author

Martin H. Greenbergwas honored in 1995 by the Mystery Writers of America with the Ellery Queen Award for lifetime achievement in mystery editing. He is also the recipient of two Anthony awards. Mystery Scene magazine called him "the best mystery anthologist since Ellery Queen." He has compiled more than 1,000 anthologies andis the president of TEKNO books.He lives in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

About this edition

• Publisher: DAW
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0756401488
• ISBN 13: 9780756401481
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 320
• Editor: Resnick Mike, Greenberg Martin H.