From LISTSERV@listserv.uic.edu Fri Aug 25 10:36:49 2000 Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2000 12:34:13 -0500 From: "L-Soft list server at University of Illinois at Chicago (1.8d)" To: Laura Quilter Subject: File: "FEMINISTSF-LIT LOG0006C" ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2000 23:58:30 -0400 Reply-To: Amy Harlib Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Amy Harlib Subject: Necropolis: A Fantasy Adventure Book Review MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit This one has 2 really interesting female protagonists. Hope you don't mind my sharing! This review will be in the July issue of Blue Violet Journal and will eventually be posted at Rambles but this group is getting a preview! Amy -- Amy Harlib aharlib@worldnet.att.net Necropolis: A Fantasy Adventure by Xina Marie Uhl (XC Publishing, Oakland, CA, May 2000---download,diskette or CD, trade paperback---Nov. 2000, $12.95, ISBN#: 1-930805-00-4). Necropolis, a first novel, is a delightfully different fantasy adventure set in an invented world that reflects the author's scholarly interest in ancient history. Uhl's imaginary city-state of Eretria and its environs is analogous to Mesopotamia, Syria and Greece at the time of the Roman invasions---a refreshing change from the medieval European milieus that dominate most of the fantasy genre. In a highly skilled, spare, pithy and lean prose style, the author manages to depict a complex multi-cultural, pre-industrial civilization with colorful customs, institutions, markets, temples, belief systems, a long history, literature, mysterious magic users, etc. Much of this detail is conveyed in the epigrams at the beginning of each chapter, charming excerpts of poems, historical records, and fragmentary bits of cultural odds and ends---a literary technique here used with great effectiveness and sly wit. All this serves as the backdrop for an endearing quartet of protagonists and an exciting plot rich in exotic magical mayhem in the service of political intrigue, as salt-of-the-earth, working stiff types get caught up as pawns in power plays by cynical, scheming,and ruthless ruling elites. Gilas, an imprisoned Councilman who still retains while in jail, certain status and privileges, (obtained also because of his knowledge of arcane arts), contrives to get Conyr, a prison guard, drawn into a political intrigue. Because of a favor owed to Gilas, Conyr saves the life of a political prisoner named Dru and hides the injured, amnesiac man in his quarters where he is tended to by Conyr and his dearest friends: the still attractive widow Jesra, (who works as a tavern wench to survive), and her feisty teenage daughter Val. This unlikely foursome ends up fighting for all their lives when exotic agents, both mundane and magical, of Cyra, the city-state warring with Eretria, strive to capture Dru and use his sorcerous gifts as a tool, (to be discarded later), in order to awaken and attempt to exploit the supernatural powers of the dread Old Ones, ghostly but powerful spirits of the ancestors who dwell in the eponymous Necropolis. Dru and his caretakers, now his friends once they've gotten to know his pleasant personality, acquire eccentric allies in their struggle to survive: a dog, Echo, who is more than he seems and Gilas, who wants to get his governing council position back and depose the power-mad Zelos, who put him in prison for opposing his dictatorial plans. To arrive at the satisfying conclusion, the reader is treated to much excitement both adventurous and sorcerous as events force the protagonists to cope with a bang-up necromantic showdown in the subterranean lair of the Old Ones. Along the way, all the grandeur and squalor of the Eretrian culture is revealed and the characters are shown to be fully fleshed-out and sympathetic---even the antagonists and their hired assassins and wizards are given plausible motivations and vivid personalities. Necropolis distinguishes itself for its original story that makes heroes of ordinary people caught up in the conflicts of the higher stratas of their societies, (Dru's extraordinariness is only revealed gradually and he stays friends with Conyr, Jesra and Val even after regaining his health, memory and power). Regular folks who rise to the occasion but never lose their common sense and street smarts make for memorable literary creation along with the colorful background, intriguing magic and a clear ending in a book of under 300 pages. For a yarn told with this much wit, invention, suspense and economy, a sequel would be welcome---if only to spend more time with the lovable Dru, Conyr, Jesra, Val, Echo and even the ambiguous Gilas in their fascinating, vibrant world. ------------------------------------------------------ This is the FEMINISTSF-LIT listserve, intended only for discussion of feminism and Speculative Fiction. To unsubscribe from this listserve, send a message to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU and in the body of the message say: unsubscribe FEMINISTSF-LIT Contact FEMINISTSF-LIT-request@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU if there are problems. ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2000 22:01:12 +0100 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Jennifer Krauel Subject: Re: BDG: The Gilda Stories In-Reply-To: <20000609103159.5388.qmail@web3902.mail.yahoo.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed I read the Gilda stories some time ago and it's not quite fresh in my mind but I'll take a bite (heh heh): At 11:31 AM 6/9/00, Grete wrote: >1. In what ways (if any) did this book surprise you, >or take you somewhere that other vampire tales have >not? I loved the approach of turning the vampire act into something like sharing. I didn't expect that at all. And of course Gomez takes us to the world of slavery, which is hardly a staple of the vampire genre. >2. In what ways did Gilda's childhood identity as a >slave affect the decisions she made as an >adult/vampire? I thought it was remarkable how she overcame her background and lost her fear. I think that not having a safe family situation made her try to replace it, with humans when her vampire sister left. That kept her trying to relate to mortals longer than perhaps she might otherwise. >3. What was your favorite time period, and why? My favorite time period was San Francisco, since I lived there when I read it. I thought Gomez did a fabulous job of making those earlier periods come alive. It showed I think that she lived in both SF and New York. My questions for others: I thought the later parts of the book were the weakest. Has anyone read any of the follow-up stories that evidently address the more recent and future time periods? What did you think of them? Jennifer jennifer@krauel.com ------------------------------------------------------ This is the FEMINISTSF-LIT listserve, intended only for discussion of feminism and Speculative Fiction. To unsubscribe from this listserve, send a message to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU and in the body of the message say: unsubscribe FEMINISTSF-LIT Contact FEMINISTSF-LIT-request@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU if there are problems. ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2000 22:16:11 +0100 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Jennifer Krauel Subject: Humility Garden books Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Anybody read these? The author is I believe Felicity Savage, and I think these were her first books, written before she even turned 21 if I recall the back cover text. The titles are Humility Garden and Delta City. I won't put any spoilers in here. I read the first one some time ago and yesterday finished the second of the two. I enjoyed them and am wondering what anyone else thought. Remembering Gilda for our discussion made me think to compare the gods in these books with vampires like Lestat. Not exactly the vampire part. I guess Lestat is sort of a stylized version of gay male sensibilities, and I also thought several of the gods (Pati, Arity, etc.) came off in the same way. An emphasis on appearance and style over substance, for example. I imagined pounding disco music in the clubs in the salt. Please don't take offense at this, anyone -- as a card-carrying homo myself I mean this with no disrespect but rather as a sort of shorthand description. Anyone else see a parallel here? The whole ghosting profession was an interesting if gruesome idea. And I had trouble with the idea of humans having green fur. Anyone with a liberal arts education care to help me decipher symbolism in these books? ------------------------------------------------------ This is the FEMINISTSF-LIT listserve, intended only for discussion of feminism and Speculative Fiction. To unsubscribe from this listserve, send a message to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU and in the body of the message say: unsubscribe FEMINISTSF-LIT Contact FEMINISTSF-LIT-request@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU if there are problems. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2000 09:58:33 -0400 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Terri Subject: Fwd: [*FSFFU*] The Gilda Stories Book Review Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed" An excellent review of The Gilda Stories. Terri > > -- >Amy Harlib >aharlib@worldnet.att.net >The Gilda Stories: A Novel by Jewelle Gomez (Firebrand Press, Ithaca, NY, >1991, trade paperback, $12.95, ISBN #: 0-932379-94-X). >In The Gilda Stories, Jewelle Gomez presents an unusual first novel, a >distinctive 'take' on vampires from an African-American point-of-view. The >text of this episodic work is divided into 8 segments depicting the life of >the eponymous protagonist from the time she was a runaway slave rescued by >and incorporated into a vampire 'family' in Louisiana in 1850 to a troubled >but not hopeless future 200 years later when the secret is out and the >hidden society of vampires-among-us is revealed to the world. >The interval between, the story of Gilda's life, is also the story of >African-Americans in the USA---as social/political/technological changes >necessitate growth, adaptation, maturation and wisdom. Jewelle Gomez excels >in not only describing each phase of Gilda's life in vivid local, >geographical, social and economic detail as she moves from one area to >another in the course of her now immortal life, she also is exemplary in >depicting a form of benevolent vampirism. This involves the non-fatal >sharing of blood that happens alongside the sharing of dreams and >life-force to the mutual benefit of both individuals involved in the >encounter. Yet the author makes it clear, in scenes that add a chilling >excitement and drama to the narrative, this power can be abused and used to >exploit victims as well. >The Gilda Stories positive portrayal of the undead compares favorably to a >popular, more mainstream, long-running, multi-volume vampire-as-hero series >by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro about the Count St. Germaine with Gilda daring to go >beyond the relentless heterosexuality of Yarbro's character to sensitively, >tastefully and even poetically get involved in lesbian and bi-sexual blends >of vampirism and eroticism. The narrative is also distinguished by the >sensitive and positive way relationships of all kinds are portrayed between >Gilda >and those she cares for, most notably Bird, the Native American immortal who >initiated Gilda into the hidden world of the vampires in the first segment >of the story. >Jewelle Gomez deserves the highest praise for producing this book, >beautifully written in gorgeous, poetic, emotionally intense prose that >dares to be unique---a lesbian, feminist vampire novel, character-driven yet >full of exciting events and thoroughly satisfying as it enlightens about and >illuminates for the reader, the lives of people of color in the last 100 >years in America and extrapolates into the future. This reviewer doesn't >hesitate to recommend this book for adventurous readers of all persuasions >willing to try something different and really special. > >-------------------------------------------------- > ------------------------------------------------------ This is the FEMINISTSF-LIT listserve, intended only for discussion of feminism and Speculative Fiction. To unsubscribe from this listserve, send a message to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU and in the body of the message say: unsubscribe FEMINISTSF-LIT Contact FEMINISTSF-LIT-request@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU if there are problems. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2000 17:57:43 -0800 Reply-To: shander@cdsnet.net Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Sharon Anderson Subject: BDG: The Gilda Stories MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Jennifer Krauel wrote: My questions for others: I thought the later parts of the book were the weakest. Has anyone read any of the follow-up stories that evidently address the more recent and future time periods? What did you think of them? I haveen't read the follow-up stories but I definitely thought the future episodes were the weakest part of the book. There's no buildup, no preparation for them. In the past and present, people are evil, yes, but we are always confronted with individual examples of evil rather than humanity as a whole species turning evil. I thought the author's viewpoint of peaceful coexistence was refreshing -- until it turned into the same ole "us against them" thing. ---s ------------------------------------------------------ This is the FEMINISTSF-LIT listserve, intended only for discussion of feminism and Speculative Fiction. To unsubscribe from this listserve, send a message to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU and in the body of the message say: unsubscribe FEMINISTSF-LIT Contact FEMINISTSF-LIT-request@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU if there are problems.