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johnayliff's review against another edition
5.0
I think this is the best single-author collection of sf short stories I have read. Tiptree has a masterful ability to adapt her writing style to the needs of each story, and each one is saying something; none of these stories is just another Tiptree story. There are themes that run through the volume - love, sex, and death - but they are explored in different ways each time. The stories are sometimes shocking or challenging, but more often sad and beautiful. None of them could be described as really happy; the closest she gets to a happy ending is a bittersweet one. They are sometimes exhausting to read, demanding the reader's full attention and striking deep at their emotions, but I can think of no sf story collection more rewarding.
theaurochs's review against another edition
5.0
One of the greatest collections of sci-fi short stories ever put to print. Tiptree manages to tap into something transcendental and captures something fundamental about the human experience, while at the same time providing some really innovative visions of the future. These stories are filled with exquisite sadness; the deep anguish of existence and its futility, but presented in such fantastic prose and cleverly constructed ways. They brim with the “new, just anger” that Tiptree also describes in the feminist writings of their correspondent and somewhat-contemporary Joanna Russ; Tiptree (of course in reality actually one Alice Sheldon) uses their male point of view and assumed voice to publish some scathing criticisms of the society of the late 60s, much of which is depressingly relevant today. But rarely does this feel preachy; Tiptree manages to build these ideas deftly into her stories, even in miniscule wordcounts. Some might even argue too deftly, reading without a critical eye could render some of these (relatively) straightforward adventure stories. Of course nothing is ever entirely straightforward with Tiptree; even when things are blunt and surface-level they will have been designed to be such for maximum impact. Every single element is put carefully in its place with a strong literary sensibility.
The stories run a full gamut from frantic and chilling apocalypse scenarios, to an early and influential cyberpunk story, to one of the best explorations of really ‘alien’ aliens you’re likely to find, to incredibly succinct explorations of civilizational ennui, to intricate explorations of gender and the place of gender in society. It’s heavy stuff, certainly, and a lot of it could not unfairly be described as a ‘downer’; definitely not recommended if you need a comforting pick-me-up read. But these incredibly well-constructed works will challenge your views on the universe and invariably give you something to think about. I often had to leave a day or two between short stories as I was still mulling over the content of the last one.
The mystique around Tiptree themselves of course adds to the whole experience- this mysterious writer who crops up in the late sixties publishing stories that are widely regarded as ‘manly’ or ‘masculine’ almost without equal; being called an heir to Hemingway or ‘the man to beat’ at awards ceremonies. Naturally Tiptree was in fact Alice Sheldon writing under a pseudonym, and reading all of these stories with that knowledge adds an extra layer of deliciousness to the whole thing. Sheldon’s life was quite the story in itself, and I’d highly recommend looking into it if you are at all interested.
Safe to say I absolutely love this collection. It’s dark, it’s brutal, it’s unforgiving, it’s haunting, it’s wildly imaginative and profoundly real, and it’s entirely human.
The stories run a full gamut from frantic and chilling apocalypse scenarios, to an early and influential cyberpunk story, to one of the best explorations of really ‘alien’ aliens you’re likely to find, to incredibly succinct explorations of civilizational ennui, to intricate explorations of gender and the place of gender in society. It’s heavy stuff, certainly, and a lot of it could not unfairly be described as a ‘downer’; definitely not recommended if you need a comforting pick-me-up read. But these incredibly well-constructed works will challenge your views on the universe and invariably give you something to think about. I often had to leave a day or two between short stories as I was still mulling over the content of the last one.
The mystique around Tiptree themselves of course adds to the whole experience- this mysterious writer who crops up in the late sixties publishing stories that are widely regarded as ‘manly’ or ‘masculine’ almost without equal; being called an heir to Hemingway or ‘the man to beat’ at awards ceremonies. Naturally Tiptree was in fact Alice Sheldon writing under a pseudonym, and reading all of these stories with that knowledge adds an extra layer of deliciousness to the whole thing. Sheldon’s life was quite the story in itself, and I’d highly recommend looking into it if you are at all interested.
Safe to say I absolutely love this collection. It’s dark, it’s brutal, it’s unforgiving, it’s haunting, it’s wildly imaginative and profoundly real, and it’s entirely human.
scheu's review against another edition
5.0
A truly great collection. Some of these stories will stick with me for a very long time - "With Delicate Mad Hands" especially.
reluctantheroine's review against another edition
3.0
Note: I finished this book two weeks ago, so I'm mainly going to discussion my reactions to my favourite story, The Girl Who Was Plugged In.
I like this novella for two reasons. Firstly, I feel like how it discusses the shared and separate sexism that traditionally attractive and not-traditionally attractive women experience. I think the best example of this (especially given this American election cycle) is the passing mention of how when the non-traditionally attractive woman reported her sexual assault she was laughed at. The second reason I liked this novella, is that I think it did a really strong job of predicting the current advertising climate of product placements in traditional media, and relying more on "ordinary" people on mediums like Instagram and YouTube for promoting products compared to traditional celebrity endorsements.
My only qualm with this story is that it’s narrator is written to sound like Mary Jane Watson written by Stan Lee in 1960s’ The Amazing Spider-man. This is not necessarily a negative for me personally, but I can see how other readers might find it alienating.
I like this novella for two reasons. Firstly, I feel like how it discusses the shared and separate sexism that traditionally attractive and not-traditionally attractive women experience. I think the best example of this (especially given this American election cycle) is the passing mention of how when the non-traditionally attractive woman reported her sexual assault she was laughed at. The second reason I liked this novella, is that I think it did a really strong job of predicting the current advertising climate of product placements in traditional media, and relying more on "ordinary" people on mediums like Instagram and YouTube for promoting products compared to traditional celebrity endorsements.
My only qualm with this story is that it’s narrator is written to sound like Mary Jane Watson written by Stan Lee in 1960s’ The Amazing Spider-man. This is not necessarily a negative for me personally, but I can see how other readers might find it alienating.
maenad_wordsmith's review against another edition
5.0
My favorite piece in this collection remains "With Delicate Mad Hands," a story I read and wrote about several years ago.
I also discovered the amazing "The Girl Who Was Plugged In" and was fascinated by "A Momentary Taste of Being." I couldn't stop thinking about these stories after reading them; they were wonderful brain food. Other great stories include "Houston, Houston, Do You Read" and "Slow Music." It was brilliant to end the collection with "And So On, and So On."
There were a few shorter pieces that were occasionally beautiful while more incoherent. Overall, her work is powerful and compelling--worth reading and re-reading.
I also discovered the amazing "The Girl Who Was Plugged In" and was fascinated by "A Momentary Taste of Being." I couldn't stop thinking about these stories after reading them; they were wonderful brain food. Other great stories include "Houston, Houston, Do You Read" and "Slow Music." It was brilliant to end the collection with "And So On, and So On."
There were a few shorter pieces that were occasionally beautiful while more incoherent. Overall, her work is powerful and compelling--worth reading and re-reading.
adru's review against another edition
5.0
Nagu ikka kogumike puhul, on osa parem ja osa tavalisem, aga äge, kuidas iga lugu algas kohe mytaki suurema sissejuhatuseta nõudlikult pihta, nii et ma mõtlesin: "No mis jama see on?" Aga siis elasin sisse ja no osa oli ikka erakordne, eriti tema naistejutud ("The women men don't see", "The screwfly solution", "The girl who was plugged in" jm), mis panid kõik häirekellad lööma ja tekitasid sellise tunde nagu Liam Neesoni "The Grey", kui ma filmi lõppedes avastasin, et olin voodi peal kägaras stardiasendis, valmis põgenema või vastu kaklema, ainult et nendes lugudes ei ole kiskjaks hundid, vaid, nojah, mehed. Ma lugesin neid jutte tasapisi paari kuu jooksul ja samasse aega sattusid ka "Handmaid's tale" ja sari "Top of the lake" ja veel midagi ja kõik see kokku tekitas peaaegu et väikese paanika. Igaks juhuks peaks õppima korralikult kaklema, aga ka strateegiat, taktikat.
marcepax's review against another edition
4.0
La Tiptree no sabe de finales felices. Pero sus ideas suelen ser tan hermosas y bien ejecutadas, que no hay caso, uno se sigue exponiendo a la inevitable tragedia del final. Como la vida, supongo.
kb_208's review against another edition
4.0
This is an interesting collection of short stories (and some novellas, if you ask me). Some of her stories I found very interesting and thought provoking, like "Houston, Houston Can you read me?" and "The Girl Who Plugged In". Some of her other stories are very poetically written, which is interesting, but not really my cup of tea. I didn't always know what was going on until the end, and even then I wasn't always sure. Overall it is a solid collection of cool stories from one of the classic sci-fi greats.
breenmachine's review against another edition
4.0
Favorites short stories: "Screwfly Solution", "The Women Men Don't See", "Houston, Houston, Do You Read?", and "With Delicate Mad Hands".
Very alternative stories, each very different from the other. Some of them I would read and not think that much of at first, but then later find myself thinking about them all day. "The Women Men Don't See" was one of those - and now I have thought about it so much it is now my favorite.
I wanted a little more twists in some of the plots, but overall I enjoyed the randomness of the stories.
Very alternative stories, each very different from the other. Some of them I would read and not think that much of at first, but then later find myself thinking about them all day. "The Women Men Don't See" was one of those - and now I have thought about it so much it is now my favorite.
I wanted a little more twists in some of the plots, but overall I enjoyed the randomness of the stories.
alexjed123's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25