Women of wonder : science fiction stories by women about women

by Pamela Sargent

Paper Book, 1974

Status

Available

Call number

813/.0876

Publication

New York : Vintage Books. [1975, c1974]

Description

These exceptional stories show that science fiction is no longer a field completely reserved for men.

User reviews

LibraryThing member RoC

Hmm, I@ve never been that keen on sf written by women. I've no idea why really. I like the occasional margaret atwood, but even then, I find it easier to identify with female heroines as written by men. I think I'll ignore the implications of that one!

Anyway, a collections of short sf, written by

women. It passes the time

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LibraryThing member brleach

This is a hard book to rate, because even though some of the stories are great, several of them are not very good or are not science fiction.

The best of the actual sci-fi stories:
- Contagion, by Katherine MacLean
- The Ship Who Sang, by Anne McCaffrey
- Baby, You Were Great, by Kate Wilhelm
- Vaster

Than Empires and More Slow, by Ursula K. LeGuin

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LibraryThing member Cheryl_in_CC_NV

I am so glad I was still a kid while these women were struggling to find their role in a society that was moving towards more egalitarianism. Those struggles sure messed up some fine minds. I will admit I didn't read all of these - I skipped the ones that seemed as if they'd have a too-high

yuck factor... unfortunately, most of the ones I read were pretty yucky, too. I wonder, though, if I would like the companion book to this, that gathers stories *preceding* the 1970s....

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LibraryThing member empress8411

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!

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