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A review by jayshay
And Chaos Died by Joanna Russ
3.0
Really wavers between three and four stars. Some really problematic stuff. For example a main character who seems to be 'cured' of his homosexuality, one moment he's not into women and then bam he leaves that behind and the novel never goes back to it - one of those assumptions that probably had a lot of strength at the time and now is abhorrent, laid next to real criticism of the 70s society Russ was writing in. She didn't stay with this view, her own ideas changed as society in general changed - but the value of books is to give snap shots of the time, good and ill. (There is an approving quote from Samuel Delaney on the back - so I wonder if my simple gut reaction is just that simple, but whatever.)
The writing is wonderful and I got lost plenty of times. It's the book that if I loved more I could promise I would re-read and get a lot more out of. How did we get back to earth? I'm right in thinking the book just re-starts after the first section - at least from the perspective of the men landing on the planet. Russ does not hold the readers hand and I respect her for that. It is a book that rewards thinking about. However, NOT the place to start with Russ!
The writing is wonderful and I got lost plenty of times. It's the book that if I loved more I could promise I would re-read and get a lot more out of. How did we get back to earth? I'm right in thinking the book just re-starts after the first section - at least from the perspective of the men landing on the planet. Russ does not hold the readers hand and I respect her for that. It is a book that rewards thinking about. However, NOT the place to start with Russ!