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In this collection of short stories, poems, and a novella, Sylvia V. Linsteadt explores the roots of patriarchal conquest in ancient Europe, and the possibility of something wholly different in both the deep past and the deep future. These are tales of women's power, of a strength rooted in the dark of the moon and the nourishing soil. Within these pages, three girls call down dragons at the end of the world; Rhea Silvia, mother of Rome, tells the story of her life and her love for the river Tiber; a priestess of Delphi defies Apollo the day he comes to conquer the Python; a woman named Magdalena is accused of witchcraft in a small German town; a mountain lion leaps between ages; a group of women spin nettle fiber beyond the end of the world; and a maiden, mother and crone call forth the snakes that live in the Earth to try to overthrow a colonial empire.… (more)
User reviews
This is the third time I've read a book about apocalypse authored by a woman from California (the other two being Starhawk's "The Fifth Sacred Thing" and Octavia Butler's "Parable of the Sower"). Having spent some time in California myself, I can see why such a context portends an apocalyptic tone. Still, it is remarkable and noteworthy.
As I hint at above (and as the title suggests), the stories in this book are weighty, full of blood and rape and pillage. This is balanced with the aliveness of the more-than-human world and the power of old magic. The first half of the book is a series of short stories, and the second half is a novella.
As Linsteadt notes in the introduction, this is a book written for women, but if you are a man or non-binary, there are still things in it from which you might learn.
Find yourself a little space for gardening before you start. You'll need it by the time you're