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James Tiptree Jr. (1915–1987)

Author of Her Smoke Rose Up Forever

117+ Works 6,146 Members 129 Reviews 51 Favorited

About the Author

James Tiptree, Jr., was the pseudonym that Alice Bradley Sheldon began to use for her writing in 1967. Born in Chicago, she grew up in Africa and India, worked for the CIA, and earned a Ph.D. in psychology. In 1987, when Tiptree and her husband became gravely ill, she killed him and herself
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Works by James Tiptree Jr.

Her Smoke Rose Up Forever (1990) 1,241 copies
Up the Walls of the World (1978) 621 copies
Warm Worlds and Otherwise (1975) 423 copies
The Starry Rift (1986) 405 copies
Star Songs of an Old Primate (1978) 281 copies
Crown of Stars (1970) 241 copies
Out of the Everywhere (1981) 195 copies
Meet Me at Infinity (2000) 170 copies
Tales of the Quintana Roo (1986) 95 copies
Slow Music [novella] (1980) 12 copies
We Who Stole the Dream (1978) 10 copies
Painwise [short fiction] (1972) 8 copies
Beyond the Dead Reef (1982) 8 copies
And So On And So On (1971) 7 copies
Liebe ist der Plan (2015) 7 copies
On The Last Afternoon (1972) 6 copies
Yanqui Doodle (2015) 6 copies
With Delicate Mad Hands (1981) 5 copies
Yanqui Doodle [novelette] (1987) 4 copies
Fault 3 copies
Amberjack 3 copies
Morality Meat (1985) 2 copies
All This and Heaven Too (1985) 2 copies
Help 2 copies
Exposure 2 copies
Beaver Tears 1 copy
Angel Fix 1 copy

Associated Works

Again, Dangerous Visions (1972) — Contributor — 983 copies
The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories (2011) — Contributor — 815 copies
The Science Fiction Century (1997) — Contributor — 529 copies
The Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories (1992) — Contributor — 446 copies
The Big Book of Science Fiction (2016) — Contributor — 411 copies
The Ascent of Wonder: The Evolution of Hard SF (1994) — Contributor — 392 copies
Masterpieces of Fantasy and Wonder (1989) — Contributor — 328 copies
The Hugo Winners: Volume Three (1971-1975) (1977) — Author — 265 copies
The 1977 Annual World's Best SF (1977) — Contributor — 256 copies
Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Treasury (1988) — Contributor — 247 copies
The Mammoth Book of Apocalyptic SF (2010) — Contributor — 238 copies
The 1988 Annual World's Best SF (1988) — Contributor — 235 copies
The 1973 Annual World's Best SF (1973) — Contributor — 229 copies
The Year's Best Science Fiction: Third Annual Collection (1986) — Contributor — 225 copies
The Hugo Winners: Volume Four (1976-1979) (1985) — Contributor — 218 copies
The 1982 Annual World's Best SF (1982) — Contributor — 211 copies
Modern Classics of Science Fiction (1991) — Contributor — 201 copies
The 1978 Annual World's Best SF (1977) — Contributor, some editions — 199 copies
The Arbor House Treasury of Modern Science Fiction (1980) — Contributor — 196 copies
The Oxford Book of Fantasy Stories (1994) — Contributor — 190 copies
The Penguin Book of Modern Fantasy by Women (1995) — Contributor — 164 copies
World's Best Science Fiction: 1970 (1970) — Contributor — 160 copies
Great Tales of Science Fiction (1985) — Contributor — 159 copies
Interfaces (1980) — Contributor — 155 copies
The Ultimate Cyberpunk (2002) — Contributor — 151 copies
A Science Fiction Omnibus (1973) — Contributor — 148 copies
Nebula Award Stories 9 (1974) — Contributor — 147 copies
Nova 2 (1972) — Contributor — 145 copies
Microcosmic Tales (1944) — Contributor — 143 copies
The Best Time Travel Stories of All Time (2002) — Contributor — 134 copies
The Best Science Fiction of the Year #6 (1977) — Contributor — 134 copies
The Wesleyan Anthology of Science Fiction (2010) — Contributor — 133 copies
Stellar #4: Science-Fiction Stories (1978) — Contributor — 132 copies
The Year's Best Science Fiction: First Annual Collection (1984) — Contributor — 131 copies
Universe 10 (1980) — Contributor — 130 copies
The Best of the Nebulas (1989) — Contributor — 129 copies
Cautionary Tales (1978) — Introduction, some editions — 122 copies
The Best Science Fiction of the Year #3 (1974) — Contributor — 121 copies
The Hugo Winners: Volume Three, Book 2 (1973-1975) (1977) — Contributor — 119 copies
Final Stage: The Ultimate Science Fiction Anthology (1974) — Contributor — 113 copies
Galaxy, Thirty Years of Innovative Science Fiction (1980) — Contributor — 112 copies
New Dimensions 3 (1973) — Contributor — 111 copies
The Best Science Fiction of the Year #10 (1981) — Contributor — 110 copies
The Best Science Fiction of the Year #2 (1973) — Contributor — 110 copies
The Best Science Fiction of the Year #7 (1978) — Contributor — 108 copies
The 1979 Annual World's Best SF (1979) — Contributor — 105 copies
Nebula Winners Thirteen (1980) — Contributor — 104 copies
Space Odysseys (1974) 98 copies
The Good Old Stuff (1998) — Contributor — 97 copies
A Treasury of American Horror Stories (1985) — Contributor — 94 copies
The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: 22nd Series (1977) — Contributor — 90 copies
Visions of Wonder (1996) — Contributor — 89 copies
Nebula Winners: 12 (1978) — Contributor — 87 copies
SF: Authors' Choice 4 (1974) — Contributor — 84 copies
Bangs and Whimpers: Stories about the End of the World (1999) — Contributor — 83 copies
CYBERSEX (1996) — Contributor — 77 copies
The Best Science Fiction of the Year #15 (1986) — Contributor — 76 copies
Women of Futures Past: Classic Stories (2016) — Contributor — 75 copies
New Dimensions 2 (1972) — Author — 74 copies
The Spear of Mars (1980) — Contributor — 70 copies
Armageddons (1999) — Contributor — 70 copies
Future power: A science fiction anthology (1976) — Contributor — 68 copies
The Furthest Horizon: SF Adventures to the Far Future (2000) — Contributor — 67 copies
Nebula Awards Showcase 2012 (2012) — Contributor — 66 copies
A Century of Fantasy, 1980-1989 (1996) — Author — 64 copies
100 Astounding Little Alien Stories (1996) — Contributor — 59 copies
Dinosaurs! (1990) — Contributor — 59 copies
Stellar #7: Science-Fiction Stories (1981) — Contributor — 59 copies
Aliens among Us (2000) — Contributor — 58 copies
The Vintage Book of American Women Writers (2011) — Contributor — 56 copies
Best Science Fiction for 1972 (1972) — Contributor — 55 copies
Aliens! (1980) — Contributor — 54 copies
Letters to Tiptree (2015) — Contributor — 54 copies
Explorers: SF Adventures to Far Horizons (2000) — Contributor — 54 copies
Timegates (1997) — Contributor — 53 copies
Aurora: Beyond Equality (1976) — Contributor; Contributor — 51 copies
Isaac Asimov's Wonders of the World (1982) — Contributor — 50 copies
The Year's Best Fantasy Stories: 10 (1984) — Contributor — 49 copies
Protostars (1971) — Contributor — 45 copies
Amazing Stories: 60 Years of the Best Science Fiction (1985) — Contributor — 44 copies
Alpha 6 (1976) — Contributor — 44 copies
Reload: Rethinking Women + Cyberculture (2002) — Contributor — 43 copies
The Arbor House Treasury of Science Fiction Masterpieces (1983) — Contributor — 43 copies
Galileo's Children: Tales Of Science VS. Superstition (2005) — Contributor — 42 copies
Fantasy Annual V (1982) — Contributor — 42 copies
The Best Of New Dimensions (1979) — Author — 39 copies
The Alien Condition (1973) — Contributor — 38 copies
The Folio Science Fiction Anthology (2016) — Contributor — 38 copies
Under South American Skies (1993) — Contributor — 35 copies
Women of Vision : Essays by Women Writing Science Fiction (1988) — Contributor, some editions — 33 copies
Generation: An Anthology of Speculative Fiction (1972) — Contributor — 32 copies
Tales in Time (1997) — Contributor — 31 copies
Sense of Wonder: A Century of Science Fiction (2011) — Contributor — 30 copies
Invaders! (1993) — Contributor; Contributor — 29 copies
Great Tales of Madness and the Macabre (1990) — Contributor — 25 copies
New Dimensions 6 (1976) — Contributor — 24 copies
The Big Book of Cyberpunk (2023) — Contributor — 20 copies
Another World: Adventures in Otherness (1977) — Contributor — 20 copies
Exploring the Horizons (2000) — Contributor — 20 copies
The Other Woman: Stories of Two Women and a Man (1993) — Contributor — 18 copies
The New Awareness: Religion Through Science Fiction (1975) — Contributor — 16 copies
Conjunctions: 67, Other Aliens (2016) — Contributor — 14 copies
Future Media (2011) — Contributor — 14 copies
Universe 17 (1987) — Contributor — 12 copies
Univers 1985 (1985) — Contributor — 10 copies
Galaxy Science Fiction 1971 March, Vol. 31, No. 4 (1971) — Contributor — 8 copies
The Infinite Web (1977) — Contributor — 8 copies
Ikarus 2002 (2002) — Contributor — 8 copies
Ikarus 2001. Best of Science Fiction. (2001) — Contributor — 7 copies
Heyne Jahresband Science Fiction 1989. (1989) — Contributor — 7 copies
Science Fiction — Contributor — 6 copies
Alice in Jungleland (2002) — Illustrator — 6 copies
Amazing Stories Vol. 46, No. 4 [November 1972] (1972) — Contributor — 5 copies
Worlds of Fantasy, Vol. 1 No. 3, Winter 1970 (1971) — Contributor — 4 copies
I Premi Hugo 1976-1983 — Contributor — 3 copies
Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 86 • July 2017 (2017) — Contributor — 3 copies
Die Sterne sind weiblich (1993) — Contributor — 2 copies
En anden ensomhed (1978) — Author, some editions — 2 copies
S-Fマガジン 1986年 10月号 — Contributor — 1 copy
S-Fマガジン 1986年 12月号 — Contributor — 1 copy
S-Fマガジン 1986年 06月号 — Contributor — 1 copy
S-Fマガジン 1987年 09月号 — Contributor — 1 copy

Tagged

20th century (54) aliens (58) anthology (2,953) collection (296) cyberpunk (44) done (70) ebook (121) essays (58) fantasy (640) feminism (167) feminist science fiction (73) fiction (2,210) gender (87) hardcover (188) Harlan Ellison (54) HC (45) horror (168) Kindle (54) magazine (45) mmpb (59) non-fiction (53) novel (58) owned (43) paperback (160) read (142) science fiction (5,358) Science Fiction/Fantasy (129) sf (1,682) SF Anthology (52) sff (326) short fiction (171) short stories (2,218) speculative fiction (209) stories (215) time travel (52) Tiptree (49) to-read (1,206) unread (286) women (53) year's best (59)

Common Knowledge

Legal name
Sheldon, Alice Bradley
Other names
Sheldon, Raccoona
Sheldon, Alice Hastings Bradley
Sheldon, Alice
Birthdate
1915-08-24
Date of death
1987-05-19
Gender
female
Nationality
USA
Birthplace
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Place of death
McLean, Virginia, USA
Cause of death
suicide
Places of residence
Chicago, Illinois, USA
McLean, Virginia, USA
Education
George Washington University (PhD|Experimental Psychology|1967)
American University (BA)
Occupations
science fiction writer
novelist
short story writer
psychologist
army officer
psychologist (show all 8)
art critic
graphic artist
Relationships
Bradley, Mary Hastings (mother)
Davey, William (first husband)
Organizations
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
U.S. Army Air Forces
Central Intelligence Agency
Awards and honors
Solstice Award (2011)
SF Hall of Fame (2012)
Agent
Virigina Kidd Agency
Short biography
Alice Bradley Sheldon, better known as James Tiptree, Jr., was born in Chicago, Illinois. At age six, she was taken by her parents on safari in Africa. Her mother, author Mary Hastings Bradley, wrote several books about their travels, including Alice in Jungleland (1927), a children's book that featured photos of her daughter. In 1934, Alice eloped with William Davey, a Princeton student she had met only five days earlier. The couple divorced in 1941 and Alice returned to Chicago, where she got a job as art critic of the Chicago Sun. During World War II, she joined the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps and worked at the Pentagon in photo intelligence. At the end of the war, she was transferred to a different unit, where she married her commanding officer, Colonel Huntington Sheldon. In 1952, they both joined the CIA, where she again worked in photointelligence and studied political changes in Africa. Alice left the CIA in 1955 and resumed her education, earning a B.A. from American University in Washington, D.C., in 1959 and then a Ph.D. in experimental psychology at George Washington University. While completing her dissertation, she wrote several science fiction stories, which she published under the pseudonym James Tiptree, Jr., in order to separate them from her academic career. She became one of the most-respected writers in the sci-fi field, winning the Hugo Award for her novella The Girl Who was Plugged In (1973). During the period 1970 to 1977, she wrote prolifically and at great speed. Her stories were collected in several volumes, including Ten Thousand Light-Years from Home (1973), Warm Worlds and Otherwise (1975), Star Songs of an Old Primate (1978), Out of the Everywhere, and Other Extraordinary Visions (981), and Her Smoke Rose Up Forever: The Great Years of James Tiptree, Jr. (1990). She also wrote several sci-fi stories as Raccoona Sheldon, and some non-sci fi under other names. Her true identity came to light in 1977. She killed herself and her second husband in 1987. She received a posthumous Solstice Award and was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2012.

Members

Reviews

She's a bit savage and dark, but this book really delivered. I had only read one of these stories before, in an old anthology, but it had stuck with me--so it was nice to return to the accomplished style and craft of the woman behind the pseudonym.
 
Flagged
grahzny | 37 other reviews | Jul 17, 2023 |
The Only Neat Thing to Do: 5
Good Night, Sweethearts: 4
Collision: 3
 
Flagged
bibliopolitan | 9 other reviews | Jun 24, 2023 |
This trilogy of Tiptree short stories is held together by a framework that sets them as "historical" documents from the time when the human race was exploring their galaxy. Two of them touch briefly on how reproductive patterns of nonterrestrial races might differ from (and cause confusion or conflict with) human expectations. One deals with the curious social effects arising from the "coldsleep" that allowed humans to survive decades-long journeys in pre-FTL spacecraft. All are imbued with Tiptree's vividly-imagined future worlds.

Perhaps the best example of Tiptree's ability to go beyond space-opera here is the middle story, 'Goodnight, Sweethearts'. The basic plot is pretty straight-up adventure, wherein the loner protagonist (who runs a sort of roadside-assistance service, but in space) realizes the private liner he has just assisted has now blundered into the arms of the regional bad guys, and he's compelled, for various reasons, to attempt a rescue. His motivation is less altruistic than romantic -- one of the passengers is a woman with whom he has a romantic past.

Now, this sounds pretty much by-the-numbers, but Tiptree is also developing a strong undercurrent here of how futuristic technologies might impact everything from treatment for PTSD to what happens to personal relationships when lifespans can be extended into centuries by the suspended animation required for decades-long journeys through space. Ultimately, these factors lead the protagonist smack into a devastating moral choice -- but not necessarily the one readers might expect.
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Flagged
LyndaInOregon | 9 other reviews | Apr 12, 2023 |
I enjoyed this short set of interconnected novellas set in the same universe as the Tiptree/Sheldon novel, Brightness Falls From the Air. The framing device here felt a bit clunky but the stories themselves are of the fun, pulpy variety. They are more about the characters and the situations in which they find themselves rather than about hard sci-fi, so readers will likely have a better time if they don't go into this expecting to find science and space travel ideas that conform to actual physics.

The first story, The Only Neat Thing To Do, starts off with a very 'James H. Schmitz' type of feel to it with a plucky young heroine zipping off to adventure in her new spaceship, (without her parent's permission). But the story takes a very non-Schmitz-like darker turn that leads to a rather poignant ending. Story #2, Good Night, Sweet Hearts is the weakest of the three, but still not bad. Time-dilation, clones, and space pirates! The third tale, Collision, is also the longest and centers around an exploratory mission across The Rift that stumbles upon a new alien species. Half the tale, similar to Asimov's The Gods Themselves, is told from the alien's perspective, which lends an extra dimension to what is, in the end, a fairly standard alien contact story. That said, the characterization is good and the aliens are nicely realized.

Overall, this is a decent entry in Tiptree's catalog. It is not her best work but is still worth checking out if you are already a fan.
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½
 
Flagged
ScoLgo | 9 other reviews | Mar 31, 2023 |

Lists

Awards

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Associated Authors

Michael Bishop Contributor
Robert Silverberg Introduction
Harry Harrison Introduction
René Mahlow Translator
Walter Brumm Translator
Dave Archer Cover artist
Graham Sleight Introduction
Michael Swanwick Introduction
John Clute Introduction
Andrew Smith Cover artist
John Picacio Cover artist
Bruce Jensen Cover artist
Les Edwards Cover artist
Don Brautigam Cover artist
George Underwood Cover artist
Bella Wohl Übersetzer
Jaime Martijn Translator
Mike Grothaus Translator
Norio Itō Translator
Gertrud Baruch Translator
Chris Foss Cover artist
Gino D'Achille Cover artist
Patrick Woodroffe Cover artist
Stephen Hickman Cover artist
Karel Thole Cover artist
Don R. Smith Cover artist
Michael Herring Cover artist
Darrell K. Sweet Cover artist
Ursula K. Le Guin Introduction
Peter Gudynas Cover artist
Rick Sternbach Cover artist
Maren Cover artist
Brian Waugh Cover artist
Glennray Tutor Illustrator
Frank Böhmert Translator
Freddie Baer Cover artist
Peter Robert Translator

Statistics

Works
117
Also by
163
Members
6,146
Popularity
#4,003
Rating
3.9
Reviews
129
ISBNs
111
Languages
12
Favorited
51

Charts & Graphs