Sisters of the Revolution

Sisters of the Revolution: A Feminist Speculative Fiction Anthology edited by Ann and Jeff Vandermeer, 341 pages

In this excellent anthology, the Vandermeers collect short stories in a variety of speculative genres (including horror, sci fi, fantasy, and even a couple twists on folktales), written by women, and published over the past 40 or so years. While that's what this anthology is on the surface, the collection of stories is much much more. All of the stories focus on women either shaping or being shaped by the world around them, from the opening story ("The Forbidden Words of Margaret A.", about a woman whose words are so inflammatory that Congress passed an amendment to the First Amendment, limiting just her speech) through to the final tale, "Home by the Sea," about an organic automaton going to confront her "mother."

While the subtitle may scare off a few readers (it certainly elicited a groan from my husband when I took it home, at least until I explained it to him), this is not a collection of bra-burning, man-hating stories. Rather, I found it an excellent introduction to female authors writing stuff I'm interested in reading. I particularly enjoyed James Tiptree, Jr.'s classic "The Screwfly Solution," Susan Palwick's "Gestella," and Ursula K. Le Guin's "Sur." I'll admit that I'd never read anything by any of the authors collected here; however, for many of these women, this won't be my last encounter with their work. A great collection.