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kdahlo's review against another edition
4.0
Biggest flaw of this book is that it is ordered by publication date, and the early/older stories were less engaging than the later ones. The first three stories (spanning 1928-1934) were a bit stilted and too long for the concept they contained. It was interesting to see how the year and the theme related to each other (for example, a rush of stories about the effects of mutation/radiation comes exactly when you would expect). I feel like the choice to order by date gives the book an academic feel, I think it would have been more fun to have modern authors write intros/outros for some of the stories, or to order them around themes.
I do feel like this book has strong value as a reference, in that you could open it up and pull out a brilliant story. Most of the stories were interesting and a few really 'wow'ed me. My favorites were "Baby, You Were Great"(1967), "Another Rib"(1963), "The New You"(1962), "The Tunnel Ahead"(1961), "Car Pool"(1959) and "That Only a Mother" (1948). I found everything pre-40s a bit of a slog, and I felt like the stories picked up and were more exciting once the anthology hit the 60s. The book also ends with a great LeGuin story that I had read before in a different short story collection, "Nine Lives" (1969). My longest pause in this book was while stuck in "The Black God's Kiss"(1934), which I did not enjoy too much and kept putting down after a couple pages. If you also find yourself stuck, maybe push through or just jump ahead and come back. The biographical notes section at the end is really interesting, though definitely academic.
I do feel like this book has strong value as a reference, in that you could open it up and pull out a brilliant story. Most of the stories were interesting and a few really 'wow'ed me. My favorites were "Baby, You Were Great"(1967), "Another Rib"(1963), "The New You"(1962), "The Tunnel Ahead"(1961), "Car Pool"(1959) and "That Only a Mother" (1948). I found everything pre-40s a bit of a slog, and I felt like the stories picked up and were more exciting once the anthology hit the 60s. The book also ends with a great LeGuin story that I had read before in a different short story collection, "Nine Lives" (1969). My longest pause in this book was while stuck in "The Black God's Kiss"(1934), which I did not enjoy too much and kept putting down after a couple pages. If you also find yourself stuck, maybe push through or just jump ahead and come back. The biographical notes section at the end is really interesting, though definitely academic.
matos's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
moth_dance's review
4.0
Outstanding selection of classic SF from some outstanding women, most of whom I'm glad to finally know their names AND life stories, thanks to the really amazing Bib Notes included at the end! I would've liked different volumes of this book so they could have included more from each sub-genre of SF; fair warning, this book is mostly space adventurers, dystopian suburbs, and alien stories.
Also, go ahead and splurge on the hardcover cause not only is the dust jacket with Jean Shrimpton super cool, but the actual cover is a STUNNING silver with this glittery sheen and lux paper quality. Bravo to the publishing house.
Also, go ahead and splurge on the hardcover cause not only is the dust jacket with Jean Shrimpton super cool, but the actual cover is a STUNNING silver with this glittery sheen and lux paper quality. Bravo to the publishing house.
caterina_1212's review
Didn't check first to see if any of the work was contemporary, stories range from 1928-1969.
kathykat's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
light_turtle's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
ladyj317's review against another edition
5.0
been working on this one for a while, and it is long overdue at the library, but i'm glad i finished! my favorites: the miracle of the lily (about bugs, which i think about often), baby you were great, the barbarian. others that i had to jog my memory on but i also like: that only a mother, in hiding, contagion, ararat, all the colors of the rainbow, the tunnel ahead.
story_hparg's review
There is a lot of "men vs women" mentality and internalized misogyny. It varies by author, obviously, but reading this book was making me roll my eyes too much.
kevinmccarrick's review
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0