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sjstuart's review
3.0
An interesting snapshot of feminism through the lens of late 70's sci fi. To get a story in this volume (the third of a series), you needed to be a female writer (although a [a:male pen name] is okay), with a story that challenges traditional gender roles in some way, either explicitly or implicitly.
So there are stories of parthenogenic societies ([a:Joanna Russ|52310|Joanna Russ|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1423801257p2/52310.jpg]'s "When It Changed") and alien female assassins ([a:Joan D. Vinge|32279|Joan D. Vinge|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1209914639p2/32279.jpg]'s "Eyes of Amber"). But there are also stories of traditional housewives who long for something more fulfilling and either lose their mind ([a:Pamela Zoline|31004|Pamela Zoline|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s "The Heat Death of the Universe") or join the militant secessionist Amazons ([a:Kit Reed|162930|Kit Reed|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1429470444p2/162930.jpg]'s "Songs of War").
As always, the success of the collection depends more on the quality of the writing than the level of the concept. Luckily, in this case, the stories with the most to say are also among the better ones. Russ's "When It Changed" Is excellent, and I also really enjoyed Zoline's "The Heat Death of the Universe". The weak stories fail pretty spectacularly, a side effect of the risks being with the form in the New Wave era. Perhaps there was some deep point behind the incoherent rambles by [a:Josephine Saxton|188057|Josephine Saxton|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png] ("The Triumphant Head") and [a:Carol Emshwiller|54462|Carol Emshwiller|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1334335881p2/54462.jpg] ("Debut"): some high-art concept I couldn't grasp, or an illustration of how we can never truly understand an alien mind or culture... but I suspect they're just lousy.
While I know I'm not supposed to judge a book by its cover, the cover art also deserves at least a comment. I can't say that I usually pay much attention to the cover of a sci-fi paperback, but this one was so awkward-looking that I was embarrassed to be seen reading it in public. Perhaps depicting the heroine [a:Vonda N. McIntyre|23503|Vonda N. McIntyre|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1223870851p2/23503.jpg]'s "Screwtop" as a masculine-faced woman in short-shorts is an intentional challenge to traditional gender roles... but I suspect it's just lousy.
So there are stories of parthenogenic societies ([a:Joanna Russ|52310|Joanna Russ|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1423801257p2/52310.jpg]'s "When It Changed") and alien female assassins ([a:Joan D. Vinge|32279|Joan D. Vinge|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1209914639p2/32279.jpg]'s "Eyes of Amber"). But there are also stories of traditional housewives who long for something more fulfilling and either lose their mind ([a:Pamela Zoline|31004|Pamela Zoline|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s "The Heat Death of the Universe") or join the militant secessionist Amazons ([a:Kit Reed|162930|Kit Reed|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1429470444p2/162930.jpg]'s "Songs of War").
As always, the success of the collection depends more on the quality of the writing than the level of the concept. Luckily, in this case, the stories with the most to say are also among the better ones. Russ's "When It Changed" Is excellent, and I also really enjoyed Zoline's "The Heat Death of the Universe". The weak stories fail pretty spectacularly, a side effect of the risks being with the form in the New Wave era. Perhaps there was some deep point behind the incoherent rambles by [a:Josephine Saxton|188057|Josephine Saxton|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png] ("The Triumphant Head") and [a:Carol Emshwiller|54462|Carol Emshwiller|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1334335881p2/54462.jpg] ("Debut"): some high-art concept I couldn't grasp, or an illustration of how we can never truly understand an alien mind or culture... but I suspect they're just lousy.
While I know I'm not supposed to judge a book by its cover, the cover art also deserves at least a comment. I can't say that I usually pay much attention to the cover of a sci-fi paperback, but this one was so awkward-looking that I was embarrassed to be seen reading it in public. Perhaps depicting the heroine [a:Vonda N. McIntyre|23503|Vonda N. McIntyre|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1223870851p2/23503.jpg]'s "Screwtop" as a masculine-faced woman in short-shorts is an intentional challenge to traditional gender roles... but I suspect it's just lousy.
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