More Women of Wonder (1976)

· Introduction · Pamela Sargent · in
· Jirel Meets Magic [Jirel of Joiry] · C. L. Moore · nv Weird Tales Jul ’35
· The Lake of the Gone Forever · Leigh Brackett · nv Thrilling Wonder Stories Oct ’49
· The Second Inquisition [Alyx] · Joanna Russ · nv Orbit 6, ed. Damon Knight, G.P. Putnam’s, 1970
· The Power of Time · Josephine Saxton · nv New Dimensions I, ed. Robert Silverberg, Doubleday, 1971
· The Funeral · Kate Wilhelm · nv Again, Dangerous Visions, ed. Harlan Ellison, Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1972
· Tin Soldier · Joan D. Vinge · na Orbit 14, ed. Damon Knight, Harper & Row, 1974
· The Day Before the Revolution · Ursula K. Le Guin · ss Galaxy Aug ’74
· Further Reading · Misc. · bi
· About the Authors · Misc. · bg
· About the Editor · Misc. · bg
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I like some of the stories in this anthology and don't particularly care for some others. However, "Tin Soldier" by Joan D. Vinge is possibly my favorite science fiction short story ever, so this book gets high marks from me. ( )

A collection of "Science Fiction Novelettes by Women About Women" this anthology starts off with a lengthy (53 page) introduction by the editor, Pamela Sargent, discussing the history of women writers in SF. Published in the 1970s this essay, comprising 1/6th of the book, is now fairly dated but may provide a good reading list for those interested in tracking down the works of early women writers "breaking in" to the genre.

The collection starts off with a novelette, Jirel Meets Magic by C.L. Moore, that I would not consider science-fiction but fantasy. Five of the remaining six novelettes I would consider decent but not not exceptional. The Funeral by Kate Wilhelm, would likely be enjoyed by fans of The Handmaid's Tale as it has a rather similar dystopian theme. For fans of stories of socio-political revolution The Day Before the Revolution, by Ursula K. Le Guin, will have appeal (I believe I have read this before so has likely been published in other collections).

My favorite from this collection was Tin Soldier by Joan D. Vinge. This is the first I have read of her work, although I have been meaning to seek it out, and on the basis of this story I will be looking for more. Without giving too much away: a well-written bitter-sweet little love story with an integral SF theme (as opposed to just the SF window-dressing that turns me off of so many SF "romances"). ( )

This book contains only seven stories, yet two of them are among my all-time favourites.

- "Tin Soldier," by Joan D. Vinge, tells of a star-travelling poet and her left-behind love.

- "The Second Inquisition," by Joanna Russ, is from the same universe as the Alyx stories (Picnic on Paradise), but a couple of generations later. A teenage girl gradually realizes that their summer boarder, "from the circus," is much stranger than that.

The others include both strong characters and bold concepts:
- "Jirel Meets Magic" is an early adventure piece by C. L. Moore.
- "The Lake of the Gone Forever," by Leigh Brackett, is about the results of greed on an alien planet.
- "The Funeral," by Kate Wilhelm, gives a glimpse of a frightening dystopia through the eyes of a young girl.
- "The Power of Time," by Josephine Saxton, is a story of a strange future and of obsession.
- "The Day Before the Revolution," by Ursula K. Le Guin, is a retrospective from the point of view of someone who has lived through, and helped to create, social upheavals in search of a just society.

At the end there are short biographies of the authors and a list of other books to read. ( )