Subject: File: "FEMINISTSF-LIT LOG0206A" ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 1 Jun 2002 23:16:23 -0700 Reply-To: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Sender: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia From: Sharon Sahilu Subject: Re: BDG Nomination Time Is Here Again! Comments: To: FEMINISTSF-LIT@UIC.EDU MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I'll second Dave on this. I always enjoy MZB and regret truly that there will be no more. ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 3 Jun 2002 20:06:33 EDT Reply-To: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Sender: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia From: Rachel Wild Subject: Re: BDG Nomination Time [but not a nomination] Comments: To: FEMINISTSF-LIT@uic.edu MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="part1_aa.c6b2de2.2a2d5e89_boundary" --part1_aa.c6b2de2.2a2d5e89_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I would like to have nominated Marge Piercy's _Body of Glass_ but unfortunately it is currently out of print [drat]. I think this second Sci-Fi work of Piercy's would be interesting to discuss with _Woman on the Edge of Time_ so perhaps if anyone has a fascination for the two books as counterpoints to each other e.g. in their development of eco-feminist themes, or as products of feminism in different political eras - then I'd love to conduct a tangent discussion [with clear subject headings] whilst discussing _woman on the..._ Also I 'second' Fifth Sacred Thing because as Dave says it follows on well - and could develop a few of the wider themes that have been discussed on the two lists recently ByeBye Rachel --part1_aa.c6b2de2.2a2d5e89_boundary Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I would like to have nominated Marge Piercy's _Body of Glass_ but unfortunately it is currently out of print [drat].
I think this second Sci-Fi work of Piercy's would be interesting to discuss with _Woman on the Edge of Time_ so perhaps if anyone has a fascination for the two books as counterpoints to each other e.g. in their development of eco-feminist themes, or as products of feminism in different political eras - then I'd love to conduct a tangent discussion [with clear subject headings] whilst discussing _woman on the..._

Also I 'second' Fifth Sacred Thing because as Dave says it follows on well - and could develop a few of the wider themes that have been discussed on the two lists recently

ByeBye
Rachel --part1_aa.c6b2de2.2a2d5e89_boundary-- ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 4 Jun 2002 00:13:25 -0700 Reply-To: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Sender: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia From: Dave Samuelson Subject: Re: BDG Nomination Time [but not a nomination] Comments: To: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="------------72969B33761002F9FF3EEED6" --------------72969B33761002F9FF3EEED6 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit It's in print in the US as He, She, and It. I recommend it also. Dave Samuelson Rachel Wild wrote: > I would like to have nominated Marge Piercy's _Body of Glass_ but > unfortunately it is currently out of print [drat]. > I think this second Sci-Fi work of Piercy's would be interesting to > discuss with _Woman on the Edge of Time_ so perhaps if anyone has a > fascination for the two books as counterpoints to each other e.g. in > their development of eco-feminist themes, or as products of feminism > in different political eras - then I'd love to conduct a tangent > discussion [with clear subject headings] whilst discussing _woman on > the..._ > > Also I 'second' Fifth Sacred Thing because as Dave says it follows on > well - and could develop a few of the wider themes that have been > discussed on the two lists recently > > ByeBye > Rachel --------------72969B33761002F9FF3EEED6 Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit It's in print in the US as He, She, and It.  I recommend it also.

Dave Samuelson

Rachel Wild wrote:

I would like to have nominated Marge Piercy's _Body of Glass_ but unfortunately it is currently out of print [drat].
I think this second Sci-Fi work of Piercy's would be interesting to discuss with _Woman on the Edge of Time_ so perhaps if anyone has a fascination for the two books as counterpoints to each other e.g. in their development of eco-feminist themes, or as products of feminism in different political eras - then I'd love to conduct a tangent discussion [with clear subject headings] whilst discussing _woman on the..._

Also I 'second' Fifth Sacred Thing because as Dave says it follows on well - and could develop a few of the wider themes that have been discussed on the two lists recently

ByeBye
Rachel

--------------72969B33761002F9FF3EEED6-- ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 4 Jun 2002 08:30:03 -0400 Reply-To: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Sender: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia From: Jessie Stickgold-Sarah Subject: Re: Marge Piercy's _Body of Glass_/_He, She and It_ Comments: To: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia In-Reply-To: Your message of "Tue, 04 Jun 2002 00:05:56 CDT." <200206040506.BAA03773@alum.mit.edu> [I'm on digest, so I hope this isn't a duplicate.] _Body of Glass_ was published in the US as _He, She and It_, which is available in mass market paperback and thus totally eligible for nominating. Go for it! Jessie ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 4 Jun 2002 12:08:42 EDT Reply-To: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Sender: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia From: Rachel Wild Subject: Re: BDG nomination He, She and It Comments: To: FEMINISTSF-LIT@uic.edu MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="part1_44.20d2912a.2a2e400a_boundary" --part1_44.20d2912a.2a2e400a_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Thanks for the information Dave and Jessie. So, i'd like to nominate Marge Piercy's _Body of Glass_ [UK] / He, She, It=20 [US] it's available at amazon.com for $6.99 ISBN 0-449-22060-5 I checked, and this edition is also available in the UK from Amazon.co.uk fo= r=20 =A34.32 with a 2 week delivery time. _Body of Glass_ is the story of the creation of a cyborg who can love for th= e=20 purpose of defending the Jewish freetown of Tikva - a small enclave of=20 freedom in a eco-barren corporate ruled future. It is a radical/socialist=20 feminist take on Cyberpunk and a moral treastie on what freedom could mean t= o=20 those that [in many different ways] are owned by others. as I will soon demonstrate [smile] I am a besotted believer in the utopian=20 society Piercy portrays in _woman on ..._ and waited many years for her to=20 write another Sci-Fi book. I think _Body of Glass_ is insightful in it's own= =20 right and is in some ways a deeper exploration of eco-feminist themes but I=20 also think of these 2 books together. Apart from this I got a great deal out of Piercy's treatment of the themes o= f=20 AI consciousness, cyberworlds, violence/non-violence, resistance, transgloba= l=20 corporate power etc. Finally... if we do _fifth Sacred thing_ it would add to the discussion=20 about magic as fact not fantasy [as the second narrative in the book is abou= t=20 the creation of a golem by Kabalistic methods]. Oh, I lost the post listing what info I need to give for a nomination... so=20 please point out anything missing. ByeBye Rachel --part1_44.20d2912a.2a2e400a_boundary Content-Type: text/html; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Thanks for the informatio= n Dave and Jessie.
So, i'd like to nominate Marge Piercy's _Body of Glass_ [UK] / He, She,=20= It [US]
it's available at amazon.com for $6.99
ISBN 0-449-22060-5
I checked, and this edition is also available in the UK from Amazon.co.u= k for =A34.32 with a 2 week delivery time.

_Body of Glass_ is the story of the creation of a cyborg who can love fo= r the purpose of defending the Jewish freetown of Tikva - a small enclave of= freedom in a eco-barren corporate ruled future. It is a radical/socialist f= eminist take on Cyberpunk and a moral treastie on what freedom could mean to= those that [in many different ways] are owned by others.

as I will soon demonstrate [smile] I am a besotted believer in the utopi= an society Piercy portrays in _woman on ..._ and waited many years for her t= o write another Sci-Fi book. I think _Body of Glass_ is insightful in it's o= wn right and is in some ways a deeper exploration of eco-feminist themes but= I also think of these 2  books together.
Apart from this I got a great deal out of Piercy's treatment of the them= es of AI consciousness, cyberworlds, violence/non-violence, resistance, tran= sglobal corporate power etc.
Finally... if we do _fifth Sacred thing_  it would add to the discu= ssion about magic as fact not fantasy [as the second narrative in the book i= s about the creation of a golem by Kabalistic methods].

Oh, I lost the post listing what info I need to give for a nomination...= so please point out anything missing.
ByeBye
Rachel --part1_44.20d2912a.2a2e400a_boundary-- ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 4 Jun 2002 10:11:15 -0500 Reply-To: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Sender: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia From: marcelle olivier Subject: unsubscribe Comments: To: feministsf-lit@uic.edu Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit MIME-Version: 1.0 -- _______________________________________________ Sign-up for your own FREE Personalized E-mail at Mail.com http://www.mail.com/?sr=signup ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 Jun 2002 08:55:35 -0700 Reply-To: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Sender: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia From: Allyson Subject: Re: unsubscribe Comments: To: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia In-Reply-To: <20020604151115.16481.qmail@mail.com> Mime-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit I apologize for sending this to the whole list, but I've lost many files due to a crash, and don't have the one that tells me how to unsubscribe from the list. Can someone please help? Thanks so much & hope to re-join in a less harried future! --Allyson ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 Jun 2002 23:09:36 -0400 Reply-To: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Sender: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia From: "Janice E. Dawley" Subject: BDG Nomination Countdown Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Dear Discussers -- There are only 13 hours remaining until the end of the nomination period. So far we have only three nominations, and there are four months in the discussion round. I will be sending a couple of nominations in a further message, but if we want to have more choices, we need to nominate some more books... I'm just sayin' -- send your nominations now! -- Janice, for the BDG Volunteers ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 Jun 2002 13:26:09 +1000 Reply-To: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Sender: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia From: Lyle Subject: Re: BDG Nomination Countdown Comments: To: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia In-Reply-To: <5.1.0.14.2.20020606230221.00aba010@impop.bellatlantic.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v482) Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi List, It has been a long time between posts, and it may have already been discussed, but i'd like to nominate Connie Willis "To Say Nothing of the Dog" Apologies if this one has already been done. Cheers, Lyle ++++++++++++++++++ Lyle Burness Default Geek / Customer Service Medical Society Bookshop Blackburn Building D06 Sydney University 2006 On Friday, June 7, 2002, at 01:09 PM, Janice E. Dawley wrote: > Dear Discussers -- > > There are only 13 hours remaining until the end of the nomination > period. > So far we have only three nominations, and there are four months in the > discussion round. I will be sending a couple of nominations in a further > message, but if we want to have more choices, we need to nominate some > more > books... > > I'm just sayin' -- send your nominations now! > > -- Janice, for the BDG Volunteers > > L ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 Jun 2002 23:47:10 -0400 Reply-To: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Sender: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia From: "Janice E. Dawley" Subject: Re: BDG Nomination Countdown Comments: To: FEMINISTSF-LIT@UIC.EDU In-Reply-To: <4F454028-79C6-11D6-8B4E-000393A26B42@med.usyd.edu.au> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed At 01:26 PM 6/7/02 +1000, Lyle wrote: >It has been a long time between posts, and it may have already been >discussed, but i'd like to nominate > >Connie Willis "To Say Nothing of the Dog" > >Apologies if this one has already been done. No need to apologize, but it has, actually. -- Janice ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 Jun 2002 00:29:28 -0500 Reply-To: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Sender: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia From: "Janice E. Dawley" Subject: BDG Nominations I'm renominating a couple of books from the last round, because I'd really like to have an excuse to read them: THE ANNUNCIATE, by Severna Park. Eos, 2001, ISBN 0380805022, $6.99 >From the Tiptree Award web site (it was on the 2000 shortlist): "A fresh and interesting feminist take on the Garden of Eden myth, with new treatments of the familiar symbols of apple, gate, and garden." Book description from Amazon.com: In a dark new age, technologically advanced humans have crossed vast stretches of space-yet have remained brutally, imperfectly human. In the star system ThreeSys, three members of the elite human "Meshed" caste have used their great gifts for evil purposes -- enslaving the lower orders in the addictive dreams of a powerful narcotic. Now hunted by those seeking bloody retribution, Corey, Annmarie, and Eve-along with Eve's lower caste lover, Naverdi -- must flee to Paradise, the first world in ThreeSys to know the curse of human habitation. But something is waiting for them on the now abandoned planet -- a sinister being that can turn their own powers against them, an entity that has broken down all barriers between virtual and real; a creature that has chosen Naverdi to bear its offspring into the world. THE BLACK CHALICE, by Marie Jakober. Ace, 2002, ISBN 0441008968, $15.00 For this one, I'm cadging Laura Quilter's notes from last time: "Jakober has been writing sf and non-sf for a while; she's a Canadian feminist author who has done some interesting stuff. THE BLACK CHALICE is reminiscent of THE MISTS OF AVALON, in that it takes a mythography (Germanic) and puts a feminist spin on it. Some of the themes -- Christianity, sexual repression -- are the same. I think it would be well worth talking about. The characters are really well done; the sense of place is nice; the plot flows well. It's a good story, and she has some things to say." Book description from Amazon.com: The year is 1134. In an isolated German monastery, an aging monk begins the history of a war thirty-one years before. But a strange encounter with the Otherworld enchants his quill, and he can no longer write the cautionary Christian tale his superiors expect. He must write what he truly remembers. "A novel grand in narrative, grand in ideas and, especially, grand in ambition." (Edmonton Journal) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 Jun 2002 13:22:52 +0200 Reply-To: divadiane9@compuserve.de Sender: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia From: Diane Severson Subject: Nominations Comments: To: Friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Hi, I hope this is not too late, and I don't have the information as to whether this is still in print or not: James Tiptree, Jr., The Girl Who was Plugged In I have it in an old Tor Double edition from 1989 (together with Vonda McIntyre's Screwtop). Can I impose on a list volunteer to check up whether it is indeed in print? It is a short novel - only about 50 pages long but maybe interesting for the list to discuss. Also, Maureen F. McHugh Mission Child Avon Science Fiction Price ? ISBN: 0-380-79122-6 The blurb from the back cover: A stunning and provocative spiritual odyssey reminiscent of the best work of Margaret Atwood and Ursula K. Le Guin, Mission Child is a powerfeul fable, a stirring adventure, and a profoundly moving portrait of a lost woman in search of an identity as she walks the narrow fault line dividing female and male, child and adult, dark reality and illuminated dream. >From the inside front cover page: Young Janna has lived her fourteen years on the icy northern plains of a world that has forgotten its history. Now the arrival of alien off- worlders--identical in appearance to her own kind but far different in thought and culture--has violently upset the fragile balance of a developing civilzation. The Earthers' advanced technology and cruel indifference to local life have brought despair and destruction to Janna's home, robbing her of family, husban, child...self. But with the cataclysmic end of everything she has ever known comes the opportunity--unsought and unwanted--for rebirth. Diane ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 Jun 2002 16:10:42 +0200 Reply-To: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Sender: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia From: Petra Mayerhofer Organization: http://freemail.web.de/ Subject: BDG Nomination Comments: To: feministsf-lit@uic.edu MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hopefully this is still within the 13 hours mentioned. There have been a c= ouple of books on my TBR pile for some time that I would like to read fina= lly: 1. The Books of Great Alta by Jane Yolen Paperback: 448 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.15 x 8.28 x 5.52=20 Publisher: St. Martin's Press; ISBN: 031286258X; (April 1997)=20 List Price: $16.95 This book contains Sister Light, Sister Dark (1988) and the sequel The Whi= te Jenna (1989).=20 Jessica Salmonson has mentioned it in an essay on amazons (http://www.viol= etbooks.com/amazon.html) as a positive example in which the Amazon/swordsw= oman is =5Fnot=5F presented as an anomaly in her society.=20 Amazon review (Buichiro@aol.com from Swannanoa, NC) Jane Yolen has created a world and a story reminiscent of some old celtic = myth. In fact you may wonder as you read whether or not there exists somew= here a legend much like this one sometime in our own world's past. The sto= ry centers around a central character named White Jenna who is raised by a= community of women warriors similar to the Amazons. White Jenna is prophe= cied of and will reunite the (Sisters) with the world. She will bring chan= ge that some Sisters embrace and some resist to the bitter end. White Jenn= a is rescued as a baby in the forest and raised by a Light and Dark Sister= . If you want to know what a light and dark sister are you'll have to read= the book. Jane Yolen explains that concept much better than I can. The fi= rst part of the book is about the early life of White Jenna and her friend= s growing up in the community of sisters. The book really takes off after = all this when Jenna and her friends have to go out on their missions. This= is similar to young american indians going out into the wild and proving = their manhood, having visions, and getting their spirit names. Alot of the= happenings in this book parallel legends and myths from many sources. Onc= e Jenna sets out on her mission things start to happen and the pace of the= story really takes off and seldom slows until the end. Oh but don't worry= about the ending. The ending is very satisfying and unlike many books, ap= propriate. This book has romance, fight scenes, adventure, war, fantasy, m= yth, quests, and all the elements one looks for in a really great fantasy.= I was enchanted and spellbound as I sacrificed sleep to find out what hap= pens next. Jane Yolen writes mostly children's books and you get a sense o= f that by the way this book reads but don't let that fool you into thinkin= g it was written for children only. This book is definitely for kids of al= l ages. Enjoy!=20 Green Man Review by Marian McHugh at http://www.folk-tales.com/alta.html, = quote: "In quite a number of ways, this book reminds me of Ursula Le Guin's Alway= s Coming Home. Both books are more than stories. They are anthropological = studies of matriarchal civilisations created by the authors, the major dif= ference between the two being that The Books of Great Alta is the study of= a past civilisation, while Always Coming Home is that of a civilisation i= n the future.=20 The Books of Great Alta not only provides the reader with the story, but, = in parallel, we are also introduced to the myth, legend, history, songs, b= allad, and parables of the civilisation. Yolen has ensured that these writ= ings have been distorted over time, so that what has been retold is differ= ent from the story that we are reading. [...] We are also shown what happens to history when a matriarchal society becom= es patriarchal. The stories are all about the women and how they helped th= e men overthrow the tyrant and put the rightful king on the throne. Howeve= r, the histories, etc., show that it was only the men who were the victors= . This represents that through time stories and histories change, and what= we read is usually a corruption of the original and tainted with personal= opinion. " 2.=20 War for the Oaks by Emma Bull Paperback: 320 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.92 x 8.25 x 5.55=20 Publisher: Tor Books; ISBN: 0765300346; (July 2001)=20 List Price: $13.95 Rambles Review by Laurie Thayer at http://rambles.net/bull=5Foaks.html Eddi McCandry is positive that her life can get no worse. She has just bro= ken up with her boyfriend and lost her source of income (playing in his ba= nd), all in one evening. And then she finds out that the Seelie Court and = the Unseelie Court of Faerie are going to go to war. Because they are immo= rtal, they cannot kill one another unless a mortal is present at their bat= tlefield -- and the Seelie Court has just drafted Eddi.=20 They have also provided her with a guardian, a phouka, who is sometimes a = dark-skinned man who loves coffee and sometimes a black dog. It is his dut= y to keep Eddi alive until the time of the battle, for the Unseelie Court = will attempt to make sure that she is unable to attend the festivities.=20 Realizing that she won't be able to find a job with the phouka in tow, Edd= i and her confidante Carla decide to form their own band. And when they fi= nd the two guitarists they lack, their new band is amazing, even magical.=20 >From then on, for Eddi and her human friends, the world is slightly off ki= lter. They know there is magic, only a half step away from where they are = standing, and the forces of Light and Darkness are going to do battle for = the city of Minneapolis.=20 Despite the grand epic sweep of the battle between Seelie and Unseelie Cou= rts, it is the characters that drive this novel, and chief among them are = Eddi and the phouka. Eddi's transformation from lead singer in a failing b= and to champion of the Seelie Court is fascinating to watch. The bickering= between her and the phouka is often funny, especially his insistence on c= alling her little pet names such as "my primrose." The phouka, who remains= simply "the phouka" throughout the novel, is just as well-fleshed as Eddi= , with his lilting speech, his love of coffee and his ironic observances a= bout Eddi's life.=20 War for the Oaks is urban fantasy at its best. Not only does Bull bring he= r human characters and the city of Minneapolis to life, but she makes the = members of the Seelie and Unseelie Courts seem equally real. Then again, w= ho is to say that they are not=3F Find a copy of this book. You won't be dis= appointed. =20 Green Man Review by Michael M. Jones at http://www.folk-tales.com/war=5Ffor=5F=the=5Foaks.html, quote: "No review of War For The Oaks would be complete without a closer look at = Emma's other talent: writing beautiful lyrics. As any fan of the Flash Gir= ls or Cats Laughing can tell you, her songs are simply gorgeous. Their pre= sence in the book is subtly appropriate, and blends in seamlessly. Whether= it's the evocative "Wear My Face" which Eddi sings in the beginning, as a= parting shot to her soon to be ex-boyfriend, Stuart, or the rousing anthe= m, "For It All" which captures the magic of Eddi and the Fey as a band, th= e songs are an essential part of the magic of this book. Another song, "Th= ose Who Look Up" isn't so named in the book, but comes at the very end, as= part of a musical climax that metaphorically brings the house down, deliv= ering a rousing conclusion. " 3. A book nominated in the past by somebody else that interests me: Starfish by Peter Watts Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.02 x 6.81 x 4= .24=20 Publisher: Tor Books; ISBN: 0812575857; (February 2000)=20 List Price: $6.99 >From Kirkus Reviews Near/medium-future deep-sea endeavor, from a Toronto-resident newcomer. To= tap the energy of ocean-floor hydrothermal vents, the powerful Grid Autho= rity sets up a power station in the Juan de Fuca Rift west of Seattle. Hum= ans, physically modified to be able to live and work underwater without th= e restrictions of diving equipment, will maintain the facility. Of these v= olunteers (sex criminals, psychopaths, wife-beaters, and child molesters: = their alternative is brainwashing), some cant adapt to the crushing, claus= trophobic environment. Others brim with suppressed violence. Gerry Fischer= takes to eating the local wildlife and never returns to the station. Leni= e Clarke suspects that all the members of the group have been deliberately= mentally damaged so they won't want to leave. But the Rifters develop a t= elepathic awareness of each other's thoughts and feelings. On the surface,= meanwhile, smart gelsjelly-like intelligent neural networksrun most of th= e equipment and are slated to replace the Rifters, who refuse to return to= the surface. The Grid Authority learns that the Rifters, and all deep-wat= er life-forms, harbor an archaic non-DNA microorganism, ehemoth, that woul= d destroy all DNA-based life if it reached land. At the same time, Lenie d= iscovers on the ocean floor a nuclear bomb operated by a smart gel; it wil= l trigger a devastating earthquake should ehemoth escape. Problem is, nobo= dy at the Grid Authority understands how the smart gels evaluate informati= on. What if the gels prefer ehemoth to orthodox life-forms=3F Plenty of firs= t-novel flawspoor organization, drifting points of view, an inconsistently= applied, tough-to-read present-tense narrativebut fizzing with ideas, and= glued together with dark psychological tensions: an exciting debut. --=20 Science Fiction Weekly Review by A. M. Dellamonica http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue123/books.html#sf Lenie Clarke has been turned--by crude scientific processes--into an amphi= bian. One of her lungs has been removed, replaced with a device that filte= rs oxygen out of salt water. And her DNA has been tweaked so that her body= produces the enzymes of a deepwater fish. With her diveskin on and white = corneal caps over her eyes, she is barely recognizable as human. =20 Thus adapted, Lenie can swim in the deep waters of the Juan de Fuca Strait= , performing maintenance on a power plant that steals the abundant geother= mal energy of the seabed. But no amount of scientific tinkering can adapt = a rifter's mind to the pressures of deep-sea living, with its constant thr= eat of sudden death. The Juan de Fuca Strait is particularly dangerous, be= cause along with the usual hazards--water pressure, industrial accidents a= nd earthquakes--the sea life has grown to gigantic proportions. Fish that = are less than a centimeter long elsewhere in the ocean grow as large as Le= nie herself near the Fuca Strait, and the behemoths survive by devouring e= verything that moves. As Lenie and her work partner prepare the power station, it becomes clear = that they are experimental test subjects. The company that hired them is w= illing to risk their sanity to answer a critical question: what sort of pe= rson can best deal with the dangers and loneliness of life on the rift=3F Le= nie, with a long history of abuse and an intense dislike of human contact,= would seem to be the perfect candidate for a crack-up. In fact, she is ju= st what the company is looking for. Crushing reality=20 Starfish is a first novel by Canadian writer Peter Watts, and it's a pleas= ing combination of hard SF and solid storytelling. A marine biologist, Wat= ts knows the Pacific seacoast well, and he brings readers right into the e= erie world of the Beebe power station, with its giant fish and psychotic s= taff. His characters are trapped in many ways--by the tons of water above = them, by their psychological limitations, and by the arbitrary and menacin= g actions of the company that created them. This creates a dark and intens= ely claustrophobic atmosphere, which is very nearly the novel's true prota= gonist. Among the rifters, Lenie's character is the most sympathetic, hardly a sur= prise considering that her peers are child molesters and failed suicides. = Her development from an utterly passive victim into the de facto leader of= the rifters is well handled and intriguing. Another treat in Starfish is = the lack of narrative trustworthiness--as the rifters become paranoid abou= t the company's plans for them, readers are left wondering if this is a ju= stified reaction or merely a new manifestation of the group's psychosis. Watts runs into trouble, though, when he brings the surface world into pla= y. Integrating the deeply self-focused milieu of the rifters with a melodr= amatic save-the-world storyline, he bleeds off much of the novel's power w= hen he provides a break from the crushing day-to-day reality of the seabed= . He also weakens the book's hold on readers by revealing the nefarious pl= ans of the company. By the time attention returns to the rifters, it is to= o late. There is considerably less impact in watching them play out the en= dgame once the seabed's mystery has been clarified. Despite these flaws, Starfish is a worthwhile choice for readers intereste= d in oceanography or who enjoy science-oriented SF. More than anything, Starfish is like the Alien films, but without any trul= y likable characters. Petra =5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F= 5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F= 5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F= 5F=5F==5F=5F=5F=5F FreeMail in der Premiumversion! Mit mehr Speicher, mehr Leistung, mehr=20 Erlebnis und mehr Pr=E4mie. Jetzt unter http://club.web.de/=3Fmc=3D021105 ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 Jun 2002 12:56:00 -0400 Reply-To: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Sender: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia From: "Janice E. Dawley" Subject: BDG Voting Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable It's Friday, and it's past noon Eastern Standard Time, so the nomination=20 period is now closed. Thanks for the 11th hour nominations, folks! A couple of notes on the latest nominations: "The Girl Who Was Plugged In" was not eligible since it is not currently in= =20 print. *War for the Oaks* was not eligible because we discussed it in December=20 2001 (the archive is available at=20 http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Comet/1304/archives/bdg_warfortheoaks.txt ). Now it's time to vote. We have one week to send our ballots to Terri=20 Wakefield at terrierg@maine.rr.com (do NOT send votes to the list). When voting, please choose FOUR books from the list of nominations, RANKED= =20 IN ORDER OF PREFERENCE, so that close contenders may be more easily=20 distinguished from one another. We have a total of eight valid nominations this round. They are: Jakober, Marie: THE BLACK CHALICE. Ace; ISBN: 0441008968, $15.00 (=A9 2000). McHugh, Maureen: MISSION CHILD. Eos; ISBN: 0380791226, $6.99 (=A9 1998). Park, Severna: THE ANNUNCIATE. Eos; ISBN: 0380805022, $6.99 (=A9 1999). Piercy, Marge: HE, SHE AND IT. Crest; ISBN: 0449220605, $6.99 (=A9 1991). Starhawk: THE FIFTH SACRED THING. Bantam; ISBN: 0553373803, $15.95 (=A9 1993). Tepper, Sheri S: THE FRESCO. Eos; ISBN: 038081658X, $7.50 (=A9 2000). Watts, Peter: STARFISH. Tor; ISBN: 0812575857, $6.99 (=A9 1999). Yolen, Jane: THE BOOKS OF GREAT ALTA. Orb; ISBN: 031286258X, $16.95 (=A9 1988 & 1989). Nomination notes are available at http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Comet/1304/bdg_nom_0205.htm Let's vote! -- Janice, for the BDG Volunteers ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 Jun 2002 13:06:48 -0400 Reply-To: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Sender: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia From: Dave Belden Subject: Re: BDG Voting Comments: To: friendly STRICTLY ON TOPIC discussion of Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia In-Reply-To: <5.1.0.14.2.20020607124158.00ac6c40@impop.bellatlantic.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit I vote for: Starhawk: THE FIFTH SACRED THING. Bantam; ISBN: 0553373803, $15.95 (© 1993). Jakober, Marie: THE BLACK CHALICE. Ace; ISBN: 0441008968, $15.00 (© 2000). Park, Severna: THE ANNUNCIATE. Eos; ISBN: 0380805022, $6.99 (© 1999). Piercy, Marge: HE, SHE AND IT. Crest; ISBN: 0449220605, $6.99 (© 1991). Dave Belden