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beelzebubbie's review against another edition
3.0
“Mammoths” itself was a fine novella - an interesting account of an ever-so-slightly alternate history in which the last of the mammoths didn’t die out til the early 20th century, and then were later revived in part due to the efforts of an elder Native American woman scientist. I don’t mind the author’s matter of fact, dry style — and the story grappled with questions of assimilation, loss of culture, and the nexus of magic/“scientific achievement” in an effective way. But I just wasn’t especially compelled by the characters/focus of the story — especially not after reading the accompanying essay & interview with the author. First off, I don’t think the author is actually Native American (?), and an argument can totally be made about fiction authors’ ability to write cultures that are not their own — but maybe in this case that’s part of what made the novella fall a little flat for me. Especially considering it’s a story all in quotes, a young girl listening to her grandmother tell her own grandmother’s - as well as her’s - life stories. The essay Writing Science Fiction in World War III fell so short for me. Its basic premise was to affirm that we are in a place of global instability and can dream up new worlds — pointing to progressive government actions in South American countries as indicators of awesome new changes to come, and grappling weakly with questions of whether or not any governments are actually capable of having “credibility.” Maybe i didn’t like it so much because I felt like I could have been reading my own ineffectual, floundering, lukewarm writing.
prcizmadia's review against another edition
3.0
If I had any complaint, it's that I wanted more! I really liked the conceit, and how the book started, but it kind of whimpered to the conclusion and I had higher expectations. The drop off between where the narrative ended, and the later time period where the book began, really would have been an awesome piece of world-building had it been included. Otherwise, this is a world that dramatically resembles ours... plus mammoths.
However, the story-within-a-story was pretty great, and I liked the focus on the Native American oral tradition as a storytelling measure. So all in all, a good work, I just wish I had more to chew on.
However, the story-within-a-story was pretty great, and I liked the focus on the Native American oral tradition as a storytelling measure. So all in all, a good work, I just wish I had more to chew on.
multipletrees's review
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
eowyn's review against another edition
4.0
This was an enjoyable novella and an interesting speech and interview with the author. A Woman of the Iron People remains one of my favorite SF novels in the Le Guin style and I wish Eleanor Arnason had written more or it was easier to find.
j00j's review against another edition
4.0
There isn't a lot of SF with Native Americans out there, and in my inexpert opinion, this is a well-written story. Arnason explores issues of culture and identity and family through the story of several generations of a Lakota family's connection to mammoths and bringing them back from extinction.
The interview with Arnason is also an interesting read; I like the way PM Press put this series together.
The interview with Arnason is also an interesting read; I like the way PM Press put this series together.
eowyn's review
4.0
This was an enjoyable novella and an interesting speech and interview with the author. A Woman of the Iron People remains one of my favorite SF novels in the Le Guin style and I wish Eleanor Arnason had written more or it was easier to find.
skjam's review
3.0
On an alternate Earth, the mammoth lived into historical times, abiding with the bison and the Native Americans. But then Lewis and Clark saw their first mammoth, and reported on it to President Jefferson and the teeming masses of the East. This is the story of the disappearance of the mammoths, and how they reappeared.
This chapbook from PM Press is part of their “Outspoken Authors” series, mixing stories with essays and interviews of writers who have opinions. In this case, it’s Eleanor Arnason (1942-present), who is well known in the Minnesota science fiction community and also read elsewhere.
The title story is a long one, with a framing device of a girl visiting her grandmother on the Standing Rock reservation in the near future of this alternate history. The grandmother tells the tale of the mammoths, and how the women of her family became entwined with the fate of these creatures.
There’s a bit of world-building of “the present day” but it’s largely in the background, and there’s a fairly large jump from “and that’s how the first mammoth in decades was born” to “and now there are mammoths again, if you want to see them, go over to the casino.”
The story is told very much in the style of oral tradition, with the elder imparting family history (and perhaps some wisdom) to a child. It’s clear that Grandmother Liz is remembering events through her own lens, but she tries to be fair to those long dead. The tale meanders a bit, and might be boring for those only reading for the exciting mammoth bits.
There’s some period racism, never depicted as a good thing.
Also in this volume is “Writing SF During WWIII”, an essay adapted from Ms. Arnason’s guest of honor speech at Wiscon in 2004. It talks about the current time of instability, ecological crisis and liberation movements, and how science fiction can respond to these issues and help guide the future.
This is followed by an interview Eleanor Arnason gave to Terry Bisson in 2010, talking about her life story (“…I was raised by time travelers in a house of the future.”), her writing, activism, and politics. The last highlighted for me just how much has changed in the last eight years in the political world, and how much has not changed at all.
There’s a bibliography of the author’s work, and a short autobiography written in third person.
Recommended to fans of Eleanor Arnason, and those interested in a window into the life and thought processes of authors. Those just interested in fiction might want to wait until “Mammoths” is collected elsewhere.
This chapbook from PM Press is part of their “Outspoken Authors” series, mixing stories with essays and interviews of writers who have opinions. In this case, it’s Eleanor Arnason (1942-present), who is well known in the Minnesota science fiction community and also read elsewhere.
The title story is a long one, with a framing device of a girl visiting her grandmother on the Standing Rock reservation in the near future of this alternate history. The grandmother tells the tale of the mammoths, and how the women of her family became entwined with the fate of these creatures.
There’s a bit of world-building of “the present day” but it’s largely in the background, and there’s a fairly large jump from “and that’s how the first mammoth in decades was born” to “and now there are mammoths again, if you want to see them, go over to the casino.”
The story is told very much in the style of oral tradition, with the elder imparting family history (and perhaps some wisdom) to a child. It’s clear that Grandmother Liz is remembering events through her own lens, but she tries to be fair to those long dead. The tale meanders a bit, and might be boring for those only reading for the exciting mammoth bits.
There’s some period racism, never depicted as a good thing.
Also in this volume is “Writing SF During WWIII”, an essay adapted from Ms. Arnason’s guest of honor speech at Wiscon in 2004. It talks about the current time of instability, ecological crisis and liberation movements, and how science fiction can respond to these issues and help guide the future.
This is followed by an interview Eleanor Arnason gave to Terry Bisson in 2010, talking about her life story (“…I was raised by time travelers in a house of the future.”), her writing, activism, and politics. The last highlighted for me just how much has changed in the last eight years in the political world, and how much has not changed at all.
There’s a bibliography of the author’s work, and a short autobiography written in third person.
Recommended to fans of Eleanor Arnason, and those interested in a window into the life and thought processes of authors. Those just interested in fiction might want to wait until “Mammoths” is collected elsewhere.
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