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redheadedfemmeThis thread, over at Twisty's, starts off with an incendiary provocation ("Heinlein is a fucking sexist knob") that evolves into a fascinating discussion of feminist sci/fi and fantasy. If I may, I'd like to add my two cents.
The Rising of the Moon, Flynn Connolly--I am ashamed of myself; I own this book and had forgotten all about it. Personally, I think this book is better than The Handmaid's Tale, which I barely managed to get through. It's a horrifying look at the lives women would lead under an Irish Catholic theocracy, as this excerpt shows.
"Oh, Maureen, no," came the soft reply. "You're not pregnant again?"
There was no answer; perhaps Maureen nodded.
"Christ! You've got eleven now! And the doctor said--"
"The doctor!" Maureen's voice dripped bitterness and disgust. "You know what his great medical advice was? To have Declan sleep in another room!" She lowered her voice even further, but Nuala heard it clearly. "He said my only choice was to refuse my husband. As if I could do that, even if I wanted to. You can't keep secrets from the devils in brown. If Father McRory heard that I wasn't sleeping with Declan, he'd send one of those blasted God Patrols round to threaten us. Excommunication, unemployment--Declan would never stand for either."
"But you've had three miscarriages already," her worried friend whispered. "What if--"
"Lucky for me the doctor testified on my behalf. If I have another, they might charge me with murder. What if they don't believe the doctor the next time?"
"You could go to Scotland--"
"If I had an abortion in Scotland, I could never come back. They'd know; they'd find out. And we can't all thirteen of us emigrate. There's no money." The woman's sigh was so wretched, so full of despair that Nuala winced. "God willing," Maureen went on, "I'll have this baby and no miscarriage. I don't know how we'll feed another one, but we will. And that's all there is to be done about it...Another baby. And Seamie still in nappies."
This book proves the truth of the saying: One man's (or woman's) terrorist is another's freedom fighter. Sadly, it's out of print, and there's no sequel as far as I know.
Gossamer Axe, Gael Baudino--This book is somewhat dated, as it was written during the 80's when heavy metal was in vogue. Now, I know who the author is talking about, but how many other readers will remember who Yngwie Malmsteen and Quiet Riot were?
Nevertheless, it's a terrific story, mixing the sidhe, the blues, and rock n' roll.
Daughter of the Lion and Sword-Born, Jennifer Roberson--Fantasy novels tackling fairly explicit feminist themes, especially the latter, featuring a hero who stopped, listened to his lover, and grew up. The former is not quite as worthy because it is marred by a horrible final line I was shocked the editor let remain.
Moon Called and Blood Bound, Patricia Briggs--Two new favorites, featuring a shapechanger mechanic heroine, werewolves, vampires, et cetera. No Anita Blake multifucking, at least so far. Although I find it interesting that most werewolves are portrayed as over-the-top dominating macho jerkwads. I suppose that has something to do with actual wolf behavior, but it gets tiresome. Also, the cover was more than a little sexist--what mechanic unzips his/her coverall to show off tattoos?--but I know the author has little control over that.
(Sorry, no Tiptree in my list, although "The Screwfly Solution" is one of the scariest stories I have ever read.)
See, there are feminist authors and feminist-themed sf/fantasy books to be found. You just gotta look for 'em.
The Rising of the Moon, Flynn Connolly--I am ashamed of myself; I own this book and had forgotten all about it. Personally, I think this book is better than The Handmaid's Tale, which I barely managed to get through. It's a horrifying look at the lives women would lead under an Irish Catholic theocracy, as this excerpt shows.
"Oh, Maureen, no," came the soft reply. "You're not pregnant again?"
There was no answer; perhaps Maureen nodded.
"Christ! You've got eleven now! And the doctor said--"
"The doctor!" Maureen's voice dripped bitterness and disgust. "You know what his great medical advice was? To have Declan sleep in another room!" She lowered her voice even further, but Nuala heard it clearly. "He said my only choice was to refuse my husband. As if I could do that, even if I wanted to. You can't keep secrets from the devils in brown. If Father McRory heard that I wasn't sleeping with Declan, he'd send one of those blasted God Patrols round to threaten us. Excommunication, unemployment--Declan would never stand for either."
"But you've had three miscarriages already," her worried friend whispered. "What if--"
"Lucky for me the doctor testified on my behalf. If I have another, they might charge me with murder. What if they don't believe the doctor the next time?"
"You could go to Scotland--"
"If I had an abortion in Scotland, I could never come back. They'd know; they'd find out. And we can't all thirteen of us emigrate. There's no money." The woman's sigh was so wretched, so full of despair that Nuala winced. "God willing," Maureen went on, "I'll have this baby and no miscarriage. I don't know how we'll feed another one, but we will. And that's all there is to be done about it...Another baby. And Seamie still in nappies."
This book proves the truth of the saying: One man's (or woman's) terrorist is another's freedom fighter. Sadly, it's out of print, and there's no sequel as far as I know.
Gossamer Axe, Gael Baudino--This book is somewhat dated, as it was written during the 80's when heavy metal was in vogue. Now, I know who the author is talking about, but how many other readers will remember who Yngwie Malmsteen and Quiet Riot were?
Nevertheless, it's a terrific story, mixing the sidhe, the blues, and rock n' roll.
Daughter of the Lion and Sword-Born, Jennifer Roberson--Fantasy novels tackling fairly explicit feminist themes, especially the latter, featuring a hero who stopped, listened to his lover, and grew up. The former is not quite as worthy because it is marred by a horrible final line I was shocked the editor let remain.
Moon Called and Blood Bound, Patricia Briggs--Two new favorites, featuring a shapechanger mechanic heroine, werewolves, vampires, et cetera. No Anita Blake multifucking, at least so far. Although I find it interesting that most werewolves are portrayed as over-the-top dominating macho jerkwads. I suppose that has something to do with actual wolf behavior, but it gets tiresome. Also, the cover was more than a little sexist--what mechanic unzips his/her coverall to show off tattoos?--but I know the author has little control over that.
(Sorry, no Tiptree in my list, although "The Screwfly Solution" is one of the scariest stories I have ever read.)
See, there are feminist authors and feminist-themed sf/fantasy books to be found. You just gotta look for 'em.
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