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shari_billops's review against another edition
Bending the Landscape: Original Gay and Lesbian Writing: Science Fiction by Nicola Griffith (1999)
ericawrites's review against another edition
2.0
A real mixed bag and most of them not great. It is interesting to read queer stories after good HIV meds were available and before marriage equality, or perhaps evoking of my late teens. Visions of the future were also extremely different pre-9/11.
The best stories were:
"Time (g-slur)" by Ellen Klages - the downside is the title, the rest is intriguing and looks at time travel in the way only a marginalized person would.
"Silent Passion" by Kathleen O'Malley - which was my favorite as it's a romance, found family trope, and an exploration of disability (specifically deafness) as an advantage in diplomacy and study of different alien species on other worlds.
"Dance at the Edge" by L. Timmel Duchamp - perhaps one of the few metaphor manifestations of queerness that actually works, plus an actual f/f couple.
"On Vacation" by Ralph A. Sperry - what happens when a workaholic alien is dragged to P-town by his husband.
The anthology very much focuses on only G & L stories. There was one gender story, about an AI becoming a real girl that felt trans, but I don't think it was intended.
A big downside was that straight authors also contributed, which feels very 1999. Sometimes, it felt extremely awkwardly obvious that a story was written by a straight person. Especially if homophobia came up and felt like a fun house mirror reflection of homophobia.
There were a few tacky homophobia focused stories and one where an enslaver falls in love with the man he's enslaved. Gross.
I probably would've enjoyed this more if I'd read it when I bought it years ago. I've had it on my shelf since at least 2003.
The best stories were:
"Time (g-slur)" by Ellen Klages - the downside is the title, the rest is intriguing and looks at time travel in the way only a marginalized person would.
"Silent Passion" by Kathleen O'Malley - which was my favorite as it's a romance, found family trope, and an exploration of disability (specifically deafness) as an advantage in diplomacy and study of different alien species on other worlds.
"Dance at the Edge" by L. Timmel Duchamp - perhaps one of the few metaphor manifestations of queerness that actually works, plus an actual f/f couple.
"On Vacation" by Ralph A. Sperry - what happens when a workaholic alien is dragged to P-town by his husband.
The anthology very much focuses on only G & L stories. There was one gender story, about an AI becoming a real girl that felt trans, but I don't think it was intended.
A big downside was that straight authors also contributed, which feels very 1999. Sometimes, it felt extremely awkwardly obvious that a story was written by a straight person. Especially if homophobia came up and felt like a fun house mirror reflection of homophobia.
There were a few tacky homophobia focused stories and one where an enslaver falls in love with the man he's enslaved. Gross.
I probably would've enjoyed this more if I'd read it when I bought it years ago. I've had it on my shelf since at least 2003.
buildhergender's review
5.0
GAY ALIEN SEX
Now that I got your attention, I will say that the book has gay, has aliens and there is sex but it isn't a Gay Alien Sex book.
It is more about relationships and I loved the book.
None of the sex is explicit.
The story of the two gay couples raising a baby was wonderful.
I do feel not all of them were Gay/Lesbian as one of them featuring Kangaroo like animals the only Lesbianism is an implied crush.
Now that I got your attention, I will say that the book has gay, has aliens and there is sex but it isn't a Gay Alien Sex book.
It is more about relationships and I loved the book.
None of the sex is explicit.
The story of the two gay couples raising a baby was wonderful.
I do feel not all of them were Gay/Lesbian as one of them featuring Kangaroo like animals the only Lesbianism is an implied crush.
apostrophen's review against another edition
4.0
I can't possibly say something about every tale in this collection, but I will say it was phenomenal in general. A few really blew me away, however, like:
Klage's "Time Gypsy" was one of the best of the lot - a time-displaced physicist sent back in time to the very oppressive 50's on a very specific mission, but finds love might mess up the plans - not to mention her only ticket back home to a more accepting time. Wonderfully written - this one really kept my interest and made me sad to see it end...
O'Malley's "Silent Passion" was heartbreaking, wonderful, and very very touching - about a man and his deaf lover, who live on a world where the aliens present make such noise as would destroy the sense of hearing of anyone actually listening to it. Being torn between family, love, truth and lies of omission is just the start of this fabulous tale, and the alien extrapolation and metaphors are just astounding. The gentleness of the love in this story made me all teary-eyed. I believe this was my favourite of the bunch.
Bamberg's "Love's Last Farewell," was dystopia at its finest - a scene from a world where genengineering makes Gay illegal, and "repairable," and told from the voice of the last gay man still alive. Really touching.
But seriously - all are fantastic.
Klage's "Time Gypsy" was one of the best of the lot - a time-displaced physicist sent back in time to the very oppressive 50's on a very specific mission, but finds love might mess up the plans - not to mention her only ticket back home to a more accepting time. Wonderfully written - this one really kept my interest and made me sad to see it end...
O'Malley's "Silent Passion" was heartbreaking, wonderful, and very very touching - about a man and his deaf lover, who live on a world where the aliens present make such noise as would destroy the sense of hearing of anyone actually listening to it. Being torn between family, love, truth and lies of omission is just the start of this fabulous tale, and the alien extrapolation and metaphors are just astounding. The gentleness of the love in this story made me all teary-eyed. I believe this was my favourite of the bunch.
Bamberg's "Love's Last Farewell," was dystopia at its finest - a scene from a world where genengineering makes Gay illegal, and "repairable," and told from the voice of the last gay man still alive. Really touching.
But seriously - all are fantastic.
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