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Reviews
Women Destroy Science Fiction!: Lightspeed Magazine Special Issue; The Stories by Christie Yant
thuja's review against another edition
5.0
This was such an awesome idea in the first place, and the end result was really fantastic. I was a little overwhelmed by how many stories, excerpts, and interviews there were. As with most story collections, there were a few that I didn't connect with as much, but overall I really enjoyed the issue.
I took my time making it through the issue, sort of savoring all the different bits, so I don't necessarily remember all of the stories. However, a few that really stood out for me were:
"Knapsack Poems" by Eleanor Arnason. There was an amazing amount of worldbuilding built into such a short story, but it didn't seem overwhelming while reading it. The poetry involved was also unique and enjoyable.
"A Burglary, Addressed By a Young Lady" by Elizabeth Porter Birdsall. It wasn't quite as deep and thought provoking as some of the other stories, but it was just fun and an interesting twist on some more mainstream steampunk sorts of stories. Plus, I always like stories where two girls meet and don't end up as rivals for some love interest.
"The Unfathomable Sisterhood of Ick" by Charlie Jane Anders. A very interesting future setting and interaction between two friends. Plus, having smart cookies would be kind of awesome on some days...
"Ro-Sham-Bot" by Effie Seiberg. Very cute and very sweet, but also thought provoking.
There were so many more good stories, but those are the ones that come to mind quickly. I'll definitely be looking up more work from most of the authors included in the issue.
The interviews and personal essays were also very interesting. They took me longer to get through, but I'm glad that they were included.
I took my time making it through the issue, sort of savoring all the different bits, so I don't necessarily remember all of the stories. However, a few that really stood out for me were:
"Knapsack Poems" by Eleanor Arnason. There was an amazing amount of worldbuilding built into such a short story, but it didn't seem overwhelming while reading it. The poetry involved was also unique and enjoyable.
"A Burglary, Addressed By a Young Lady" by Elizabeth Porter Birdsall. It wasn't quite as deep and thought provoking as some of the other stories, but it was just fun and an interesting twist on some more mainstream steampunk sorts of stories. Plus, I always like stories where two girls meet and don't end up as rivals for some love interest.
"The Unfathomable Sisterhood of Ick" by Charlie Jane Anders. A very interesting future setting and interaction between two friends. Plus, having smart cookies would be kind of awesome on some days...
"Ro-Sham-Bot" by Effie Seiberg. Very cute and very sweet, but also thought provoking.
There were so many more good stories, but those are the ones that come to mind quickly. I'll definitely be looking up more work from most of the authors included in the issue.
The interviews and personal essays were also very interesting. They took me longer to get through, but I'm glad that they were included.
catevari's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful short story that manages to be incredibly sad and incredibly joyful at the same time. One of those rare short stories that manages to be the perfect length: any longer, and the illusion wouldn't hold, but just long enough to suggest intriguing possibilities.
hstone's review against another edition
5.0
While not all the stories were my cup of tea, I love what this anthology stands for: encouraging women to continue telling their stories in the SF genre, and proving how kickass they are at it. The essays in the back were also awesome.
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