Sandra McDonald

I may be being too harsh on this book. It is a competent enough retelling of military SF tropes, although that perhaps tries to do a bit too much at once, because by the end things felt quite tangled. Of course, by the end I was increasingly irritated.

I was originally annoyed by the problematic handling of the rape accusation. Then I noticed the appropriation of aboriginal culture: unlike the bizarrely phrased description of a minor character as coming “from authentic Aboriginal show more ancestry", it felt vague and uninformed and somehow wrong. So I checked online to confirm my suspicion that the author had no Aboriginal ancestry herself – and found not only that, but she appears to have no association even with Australia. Knowing this, the whole book felt more and more of a cheat. And then the appropriation just kept getting worse and worse.

To top it off, we then get the theme that if someone abuses you then says he's sorry you should totally trust him and be friends again. This not only with Myell, but also with Dyatt. (Or perhaps I misunderstood that subplot. Perhaps it was just amplification of the “just because a woman seems to be raped/abused doesn't mean you shouldn't keep trusting her boyfriend unconditionally" theme.)

So, story wise, it was engaging enough, but if you want any ethics in your characters you will find this highly frustrating. show less

McDonald, Sandra. The Outback Stars. Tor, 2007. Outback Stars 1.
Sandra McDonald’s The Outback Stars begins as a standard space opera that takes a hard turn into indigenous Australian mythology, with indifferent results. The initial setup is familiar. Ensign Jodenny Scott won a medal for saving lives when her starship exploded. Her next billet is on an unhappy ship of the same design as the one that blew up, a recipe for traumatic flashbacks. She is put in charge of the Underway Stores show more office, whose crewmembers are unhappy and corrupt. She meets Terry Myell, an enlisted man who has been falsely accused of rape. He is in trouble because someone has stolen one of the repair robots he was working on. So far, there is nothing to break the expected pattern of a C. S. Forester-style space opera. But then, the plot takes a mystical turn involving out-of-body travel. The mysticism doesn’t work for me. Think Dune without its careful world-building. 3 stars. show less

The premise: ganked from the back cover: A writer of whimsy and passion, Sandra McDonald has collected her most evocative short fiction to offer readers in Diana Comet and Other Improbable Stories. A beautiful adventuress from the ancient city of New Dalli sets off to reclaim her missing lover. What secrets does she hide beneath her silk skirts? A gay cowboy flees the Great War in search of true love and the elusive undead poet Whit Waltman, but at what cost? A talking statue sends an abused show more boy spinning through a great metropolis, dodging pirates and search for a home. On these quests, you will meet macho firefighters, tiny fairies, collapsible musicians, lady devils and vengeful sea witches. These are stories to stir the heart and imagination.

My Rating

Must Have: How can you say no to a collection that explores gender issues, sexuality issues, racism, and so much more? McDonald's book is a cross between Catherynne M. Valente's themes and Charles de Lint's world-building, which stories that really linger long after you're finished. While some are serious, some are whimsical, and all are unifying not just by themes, but by setting and characters. The stand-outs for me were "Diana Comet and the Lovesick Cowboy," "The Goddess and Lieutenant Teague" (really loved this one), "The Fireman's Fairy" (this is will make you sad), and "Kingdom Coming." I also loved the fake historical vibe to this collection, a kind of alternate history that isn't obviously alternate history, but rather a riff on our own. All in all, it's a great collection, and I'm thankful I got my hands on it. I really think this deserves to at LEAST make the Tiptree shortlist, because if it doesn't, I can't imagine what would.

Review style: I have few notes and a ton of sticky tabs all over this book. I want to talk about the unifying element to each of these stories, some of the themes the book touches on, as well as single out which stories were really powerful for me. No spoilers (save for a teeny-tiny one that's clearly marked), so if you're interested in the full review at my LJ, just click the link below. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome. :)

REVIEW: Sandra McDonald's DIANA COMET AND OTHER IMPROBABLE STORIES

Happy Reading! show less

This space opera mixes colonization of the stars with Australian folklore. Lietenant Jodenny Scott has survived what looks like sabotage from a rebel group and finds herself taking any opportunity to get off planet and away from desk duty. However, she finds herself on a very troubled ship and in charge of a department filled with misfits and incompetents.

Sergeant Terry Myell is one of the people in her department. He was falsely accused of rape and carries that reputation. He is also being show more bullied by Chief Chiba who is the leader of a gang and one od the ringleaders of most of the trouble-making on the ship.

As Jodenny tries to conquer the fears that are a remainder of the loss of so many of her friends and crewmates, she is also trying to get things back in shape in her department which is the centerpiece of shipboard smuggling. She is also falling in love with Myell who returns her feelings. But falling in love across ranks in their service is very much discouraged.

I enjoyed the worldbuilding in this one once I had read enough to understand what was going on. The story tells about a new way of space travel stumbled onto by an Australian ship on their way to Mars which allows most to escape Earth which has suffered some sort of environmental catastrophe. The mysterious creators of this faster-than-light network also terraformed a number of planets and left various monuments on all of them.

After Jodenny and Myell accidentally discover that the monuments provide another way of interstellar travel - one definitely not designed for humans, they find they have involved themselves in even more mystery and intrigue. Myell's visions of an ancient Aboriginal spirit guide gives him needed information to use this new network and has him doubting his sanity.

The story was very engaging and fast-paced. I liked both Jodenny and Myell and loved their relationship. This is the first book in a trilogy but, thankfully, doesn't have a cliffhanger ending. But there are questions still to be answered. show less