Science Fiction

The Future Is Female! 25 Classic Science Fiction Stories by Women, from Pulp Pioneers to Ursula K. Le Guin: A Library of America Special Publication

The Future Is Female! 25 Classic Science Fiction Stories by Women, from Pulp Pioneers to Ursula K. Le Guin: A Library of America Special Publication

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  • Create Date：2021-05-05 08:56:22
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Lisa Yaszek
  • ISBN：1598535803
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Summary

Space-opera heroines， gender-bending aliens， post-apocalyptic pregnancies， changeling children， interplanetary battles of the sexes， and much more: a groundbreaking new collection of classic American science fiction by women from the 1920s to the 1960s

Warning: the visionary women writers in this landmark anthology may permanently alter perceptions of American science fiction， challenging the conventional narrative that the genre was conceived mainly by and for men。 Now， two hundred years after Mary Shelley's Frankenstein， SF-expert Lisa Yaszek presents the best of the female tradition in American science fiction， in the most comprehensive collection of its kind ever published。 From Pulp Era pioneers to New Wave experimentalists， here are over two dozen brilliant writers ripe for discovery and rediscovery， including Leslie F。 Stone （"The Conquest of Gola，" 1931）， Judith Merril （"That Only a Mother，" 1948）， Leigh Brackett （"All the Colors of the Rainbow，" 1957）， Kit Reed （"The New You，" 1962）， Joanna Russ （"The Barbarian，" 1968）; Ursula K。 Le Guin （"Nine Lives，" 1969）， and James Tiptree Jr。 （"Last Flight of Dr。 Ain，" 1969）。 Imagining strange worlds and unexpected futures， looking into and beyond new technologies and scientific discoveries， in utopian fantasies and tales of cosmic horror， these women created and shaped speculative fiction as surely as their male counterparts。 Their provocative， mind-blowing stories combine to form a thrilling multidimensional voyage of literary-feminist exploration and recovery。

Contents:
Introduction / Lisa Yaszek --
The miracle of the lily / Clare Winger Harris --
The conquest of Gola / Leslie F。 Stone --
The black god's kiss / C。 L。 Moore --
Space episode / Leslie Perri --
That only a mother / Judith Merril --
In hiding / Wilmar H。 Shiras --
Contagion / Katherine Maclean --
The inhabited men / Margaret St。 Clair --
Ararat / Zenna Henderson --
All cats are gray / Andrew North --
Created he them / Alice Eleanor Jones --
Mr。 Sakrison's halt / Mildred Clingerman --
All the colors of the rainbow / Leigh brackett --
Pelt / Carol Emshwiller --
Car pool / Rosel George Brown --
For sale， reasonable / Elizabeth Mann Borgese --
Birth of a gardener / Doris Pitkin Buck --
The tunnel ahead / Alice Glaser --
The new you / Kit Reed --
Another rib / John Jay Wells & Marion Zimmer Bradley --
When I was Miss Dow / Sonya Dorman --
Baby， you were great / Kate Wilhelm --
The barbarian / Joanna Russ --
The last flight of Dr。 Ain / James Tiptree Jr --
Nine lives / Ursula K Le Guin --
Biographical notes。

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Reviews

Anna ，

A really well-curated collection without a dud in the bunch！ I loved the journey through 20s-60s SFF traced through the stories of these women。 Alice Eleanor Jones's "Created He Them" especially， is a real jaw-dropper。 A really well-curated collection without a dud in the bunch！ I loved the journey through 20s-60s SFF traced through the stories of these women。 Alice Eleanor Jones's "Created He Them" especially， is a real jaw-dropper。 。。。more

Anna Marie ，

A collection of SF short stories written by women from the pulps to the 1960's。 Some of the stories seemed kind of familiar， others I definitely remember reading。 Some of these are really good since I remember them over 50 years later and many ten thousands sories since。 A collection of SF short stories written by women from the pulps to the 1960's。 Some of the stories seemed kind of familiar， others I definitely remember reading。 Some of these are really good since I remember them over 50 years later and many ten thousands sories since。 。。。more

Tina ，

To science fiction connoisseurs， this short story collection might not be so surprising in terms of ideas， tropes or writers; but to a relative newcomer， like myself， the entertainment factor was fair to high。 I only recently discovered an appreciation for sci fi， so I was interested in this sampling of famous women writers in this particular genre。 I tended to like most of these stories， only really disliking the writing on one or two。 I did think some were a little ham-fisted and obvious in th To science fiction connoisseurs， this short story collection might not be so surprising in terms of ideas， tropes or writers; but to a relative newcomer， like myself， the entertainment factor was fair to high。 I only recently discovered an appreciation for sci fi， so I was interested in this sampling of famous women writers in this particular genre。 I tended to like most of these stories， only really disliking the writing on one or two。 I did think some were a little ham-fisted and obvious in their execution （but perhaps revolutionary in their time）， though for the most part I thought the stories were fine to good。 3 stars 。。。more

Marta Oliva Riera ，

Loved many of the stories included in this collection， which I was incredibly excited to stumble upon randomly at a bookshop。 Not all of them were my cup of tea but I still really enjoyed the collection as a whole。 I would really recommend this if you want to find more women authors of classic sci-fi， I didn't know most of the authors beforehand but I'll be sure to check out more of their works in the future！ Loved many of the stories included in this collection， which I was incredibly excited to stumble upon randomly at a bookshop。 Not all of them were my cup of tea but I still really enjoyed the collection as a whole。 I would really recommend this if you want to find more women authors of classic sci-fi， I didn't know most of the authors beforehand but I'll be sure to check out more of their works in the future！ 。。。more

Caitlin ，

Overall， found many stories so-so， others good， and a few I disliked。 Black God's Kiss employs a romance trope， right at the end， that made me annoyed。 Overall， found many stories so-so， others good， and a few I disliked。 Black God's Kiss employs a romance trope， right at the end， that made me annoyed。 。。。more

Marcia Chapman ，

This book is interesting in so many ways。 Wonderful stories。 A fascinating look at history。 Oh yes， women have been writing science fiction for a long time。

Jen ，

Interesting selection of stories

Ed Erwin ，

Not all stories are 5-star， but there isn't a single dud in the collection， so overall the book is 5-star。The stories are arranged chronologically。 The first few are rather "pulpy"， but they weren't pretending to be anything else。 They are still interesting， though I'm happy that more finely developed SF works are now available。I suppose the editor picked the C。L。 Moore story about Jirel of Joiry because of the female protagonist。 That Fantasy seems a bit out-of-place in an SF collection， and Mo Not all stories are 5-star， but there isn't a single dud in the collection， so overall the book is 5-star。The stories are arranged chronologically。 The first few are rather "pulpy"， but they weren't pretending to be anything else。 They are still interesting， though I'm happy that more finely developed SF works are now available。I suppose the editor picked the C。L。 Moore story about Jirel of Joiry because of the female protagonist。 That Fantasy seems a bit out-of-place in an SF collection， and Moore did write lots of SF stories。 But I'm glad to have read the story and won't quibble over it。I think I'd have liked a little introduction for each story saying why it was chosen。 In lieu of that， there is a general introduction and， in the back， mini biographies of each author。Among the stories I hadn't read before， I particularly liked "In hiding" by Wilmar H。 Shiras， "Mr。 Sakrison's Halt" by Mildred Clingerman， and "When I was Miss Dow" by Sonya Dorman。 。。。more

Bernard ，

Given it took me 2 years to read this， I can hardly claim to accurately summarize the entire volume in one review。 But I'll give it a go！ I admit--this review is weighted toward the latter stories as some of the early stories I read 2 years ago in preparation for Prof。 Yaszek's visit to my local bookstore！Some of the stories were baffling--as in， I didn't really follow what was going on。 Some of them definitely need a second read to understand， as the payoff at the end of some would be quite use Given it took me 2 years to read this， I can hardly claim to accurately summarize the entire volume in one review。 But I'll give it a go！ I admit--this review is weighted toward the latter stories as some of the early stories I read 2 years ago in preparation for Prof。 Yaszek's visit to my local bookstore！Some of the stories were baffling--as in， I didn't really follow what was going on。 Some of them definitely need a second read to understand， as the payoff at the end of some would be quite useful in understanding the first halves。 E。g。 "The Barbarian。" This doesn't make them bad stories。 It just makes me realize how unaccustomed I am to stories from decades before my birth！Some of the stories were shocking。 I was completely surprised by the twist in "The Tunnel Ahead。" Yikes！Some of the stories were way "ahead of their time" with the caveat that some ideas America stumbled across late in the 20th century but which never really took hold， even today， *should not* have been ahead of their time。 But the stories are nevertheless a product of their age。 E。g。 "Another Rib" and "All the Colors of the Rainbow。"Some stories predicted the future。 Surely some late 20th and early 21st century movies were based on these stories。 E。g。 "The Truman Show" seems to have echoes of "Baby， You Were Great。"Kudos to Professor Yaszek for curating a fine collection。 It expanded my horizons on what "American Science Fiction" actually means， is comprised of， and began。One thing I would love to see in a future edition of this volume is Prof。 Yaszek's thoughts on each story， tacked on immediately after the stories themselves。 Her opening essay is great， but by the time I had read all the stories， I had forgotten some of her setup。 She might also enlighten some readers （such as me） on where we stumbled trying to follow the plot， as surely she has digested these many times over by now。I look forward to her recently announced volume II -- the 1970s！ Assuredly， that decade also features many amazing women writers of science fiction。 。。。more

Cheryl ，

pbs wishlist

Phil ，

An interesting collection of SciFi short stories， which， for a newbie to the genre， was perfect。 All kept my attention and caused a few nights of limited sleep。

Laura ，

Some of the stories are quite good。 Some are just meh， and some are downright offensive。 I forget what it was that made me want to read it， so I don't know whether it met my expectations， but a lot of it was just a slog。 Some of the stories are quite good。 Some are just meh， and some are downright offensive。 I forget what it was that made me want to read it， so I don't know whether it met my expectations， but a lot of it was just a slog。 。。。more

Isabelle ，

Stories vary in internesting-ness。 Some I searched up so someone else could process it for me， and some were whack as high heaven。 Only a few were properly "oh。 my。 god，" which I like from my sci-fi。 I'm planning on writing something longer later， but for now I'll leave you with this:We live in the cursed reality where "Another Rib"， a prolific 1963 short story by John Jay Wells （Juanita Coulson） and Marion Zimmer Bradley featured in The Future is Female！， a collection of classic sci-fi stories Stories vary in internesting-ness。 Some I searched up so someone else could process it for me， and some were whack as high heaven。 Only a few were properly "oh。 my。 god，" which I like from my sci-fi。 I'm planning on writing something longer later， but for now I'll leave you with this:We live in the cursed reality where "Another Rib"， a prolific 1963 short story by John Jay Wells （Juanita Coulson） and Marion Zimmer Bradley featured in The Future is Female！， a collection of classic sci-fi stories written by women， is an -- perhaps the original -- m-preg fic 。。。more

Jennifer ，

Editor Lisa Yaszek is to be commended for selecting truly classic short stories， and also for ensuring that their plots are diverse and that each has a message to deliver （a hallmark of great Sci-Fi）。 Two of my favorites are the shocking and horrific "The Tunnel Ahead" by Alice Glaser， and Leigh Brackett's "All the Colors of the Rainbow"。 Brackett has long been one of my fave science fiction writers， but I had never come across this story。 Sadly， as fitting as it was for 1957， it could have been Editor Lisa Yaszek is to be commended for selecting truly classic short stories， and also for ensuring that their plots are diverse and that each has a message to deliver （a hallmark of great Sci-Fi）。 Two of my favorites are the shocking and horrific "The Tunnel Ahead" by Alice Glaser， and Leigh Brackett's "All the Colors of the Rainbow"。 Brackett has long been one of my fave science fiction writers， but I had never come across this story。 Sadly， as fitting as it was for 1957， it could have been written today， and its anti-racist message comes across stronger than perhaps it ever has。 It should be required reading by anyone who harbors a prejudice against another human being， and by anyone who doesn't and thinks themselves safe from the consequences of racism。 。。。more

Marie ，

What a fantastic collection Dr。 Yaszek has curated for us！ I feel like I have to address the stories individually。 Generally I found almost all of them， if not enjoyable in their own right， very instructive historically。 I liked having the stories in chronological order， and found the notes and bios at the end of the volume useful。"The Miracle of the Lily" by Clare Winger Harris 1928 - The 1920s were so much fun for science fiction， its adolescence， it's mad， giddy teen years。 This story capture What a fantastic collection Dr。 Yaszek has curated for us！ I feel like I have to address the stories individually。 Generally I found almost all of them， if not enjoyable in their own right， very instructive historically。 I liked having the stories in chronological order， and found the notes and bios at the end of the volume useful。"The Miracle of the Lily" by Clare Winger Harris 1928 - The 1920s were so much fun for science fiction， its adolescence， it's mad， giddy teen years。 This story captures that and spans so many ideas。 World-spanning cities， genetic manipulation， better living through chemistry， civilizations on Mars and Venus， even -gasp- TELEVISION。 "The Conquest of Gola" by Leslie F。 Stone 1931 - Alien POV as humans （all male of course） attempt to conquer the matriarchy of Venus。 Pulpy fun with a little "Oh these strange earth-men might be sexy with their hard bodies 。。。 oops my mistake they want to kill us。" "The Black God's Kiss" by C。 L。 Moore - I was familiar with this story as the inspiration for cover art， but Oh。 My。 Elder God。 The story delivers hard on the promise of the image。 Pulptastic with sword fights and flashing anger eyes and magic spells。 So glad I got the chance to read this gem。 I felt transported to a world of lurid pastel-chalk fantasy。 Lovecraft wishes he wrote like this。"Space Episode" by Leslie Perri （1941） - Hard SF feels！ Loved that。 And at the time， apparently， it was quite controversial for depicting a heroic woman saving less-heroic men。 Maybe this needs to always be printed next to "The Cold Equations"。 So glad to learn about this writer - she was active in fan zines and fandom， briefly married to Frederick Pohl， and did some editing too。 "That Only a Mother" by Judith Merril （1948） - Not my favorite， but a good example of maternal sf， and the fear of mutations caused by radiation， that would be quite the hot topic in '48"In Hiding" by Wilmar H。 Shiras （1950） - a child psychologist uncovers a super-intelligent boy who is pretending to be normal。 I suspect this coming right after "Only a Mother" is not coincidental！ Slow but thorough and thoughtful exploration of the kid and the psychologist。 "Contagion" by Katherine Maclean （1950） - Wow has medical knowledge changed since this story。 There's something very telling in the way the disease would only affect one gender - that they thought men and women were really that different - and that germ theory meant you could clean a disease away from someone！ But still， very interesting， and interesting to see the sexual politics of the characters of their time and compare them to， say "Space Episode。""Inhabited Men" Margaret St。 Clair （1951） - Felt ahead of its time， like a Delaney。 Though I wanted more resolution， maybe that's me being behind my time。"Ararat" Zenna Henderson （1952） - So touchingly done。 Great voice， characterization。 Literary。 I was like 。。。 "Are these all going to feel ahead of their time or am I too judgemental of the past？" "All Cats Are Gray" by Andrew North （1953） - Another great adventure！ And with a cat！ I thought the beginning and end were a little rough but I like what it did and the no-nonsense bartender solving a spooky space mystery "Created He Them" Alice Eleanor Jones （1955） - Creepy dystopian suburbia with a loveless marriage and starving for necessities。 All the 1950 housewife feels。Mr。 Sakrison's Halt by Mildred Clingerman （1956） - content warning: N-word。 Exquisite southern gothic where the magic is an end to segregation。 Touching characters。 Loved it。 "All the Colors of the Rainbow" by Leigh Brackett （1957） - content warning: N-word。 Oh hey I see why this was put after "Mr。 Sakrison's" too。 It's the putting stories together like this that shows the editor's depth of knowledge in the subject。 Wow， yeah。 So it's like 。。。 racists are racist to aliens because they are racists。 Dark。"Pelt" by Carol Emshwiller （1958） - MY STARS THIS IS BEAUTIFUL excellent dog POV。 So lovely。 A poem of a story。"Car Pool" by Rosel George Brown （1959） - So much humor in this one， and the sweet tender aliens！ Marries the tragedy of human brutality with the domestic woes of the future-housewife。 I would have liked it to be a little clearer on the final disposition of the characters。 "For Sale， Reasonable" by Elizabeth Mann Borgese （1959） - didn't care for this one"Birth of a Gardener" by Doris Pitkin Buck （1961）- ever had a man insist you couldn't understand something？ I get the feeling Doris Pitkin Buck has。 Killer ending！"The Tunnel Ahead" by Alice Glaser （1961） - Make Room！ Make Room！ but with a trip to the beach。 Dark and psychological。 "The New You" by Kit Reed （1962） - I just adore the romance between the Old Martha and her husband。 Definitely before its time， thumbing its nose at lookism。 "Another Rib" by John Jay Wells and Marion Zimmer Bradley （1963） - content warning: Homophobia and transphobia。 Like， big time。 WOW。 It's hard to read。 Important， historically， though。 For me it was telling how much the story was unwilling even to put in writing。 There's a part where， after an alien says it can turn a man into a woman to help the last （all male） survivors of the human race， asks， "Why both of them， if you can only convert one？" and I'm like "what？" and the alien replies "Why， for their physical pleasure。" And it took me eight re-reads to realize the captain is asking "Why do they have to have sex with each other？" and not， as I had thought， that they were going to become lesbians and each have a baby。 "When I Was Miss Dow" by Sonya Dorman （1966） - a welcome refreshment after that last story - the protagonist alien tries to untangle its feelings of gender and being a human-mimic "Baby， You Were Great" by Kate Wilhelm （1967） - Content warning: rape DARK。 Hideously dark， looking unflinchingly at the misogyny of Hollywood。 I wanted a happy ending to somehow come out of it， but Kate decided to leave me devastated。"The Barbarian" by Joanna Russ （1968） - Fun to get a backstory for Alyx from "Picnic on Paradise"！ Typical Russ adventure。 The time rustic outsmarts the future man。"The Last Flight of Dr。 Ain" by James Tiptree Jr。 （1969） - not my favorite Tiptree。 The lyrical prose we've come to expect， but the story didn't surprise me in any way。 Though that could be future-bias。"Nine Lives" by Ursula K。 Le Guin （1969） - Clones and feels and love。 As an identical twin， I should hate this， but darn that Le Guin always seduces with her prose。 Liked the ending better than the beginning。 Could have used more difference in voice between Martin and Owen。 。。。more

Keith ，

I’m not a huge sci fi fan but I enjoy a good story well told。 While not exactly espousing feminist ideas， these are certainly entertaining and， at times， provocative stories。I’m reading the stories in reverse order。 Here are my thoughts as I completed them: *** WARNING: THERE MAY BE SOME SPOILERS ***Nine Lives – A very good story about the concept of self and the collective。 It also touches on the dangers of a lack of diversity among the clones。 Can they solve difficult problems if they all appr I’m not a huge sci fi fan but I enjoy a good story well told。 While not exactly espousing feminist ideas， these are certainly entertaining and， at times， provocative stories。I’m reading the stories in reverse order。 Here are my thoughts as I completed them: *** WARNING: THERE MAY BE SOME SPOILERS ***Nine Lives – A very good story about the concept of self and the collective。 It also touches on the dangers of a lack of diversity among the clones。 Can they solve difficult problems if they all approach them with an identical mind？The Last Flight of Dr。 Ain – An interesting love story， if you will。 And eerily timely。 （I read it in July 2020 during the pandemic。） It reminds me of a punk song I always wanted to write， “Save the World， Kill the People。”The Barbarian – An action story featuring a woman taking on a magician/god。 A bit choppy and hard to follow。 Baby， You Were Great – A new technology allows TV to transmit emotions。 An interesting tease of an idea。 When I Was Miss Dow – An alien life form takes on a human shape and experiences human life。 Another Rib – A rather daring （for 1963） story about homosexuality and trans-gender individuals。 The New You – A somewhat humorous/ironic story about a woman getting the body of her dreams， but losing everything else to her old flabby self。 The Tunnel Ahead – A dystopian future where population control is done in a rather strange and inefficient manner。 The creepy tone， though， is what makes the story。 。。。more

Kaileigh ，

Biggest flaw of this book is that it is ordered by publication date， and the early/older stories were less engaging than the later ones。 The first three stories （spanning 1928-1934） were a bit stilted and too long for the concept they contained。 It was interesting to see how the year and the theme related to each other （for example， a rush of stories about the effects of mutation/radiation comes exactly when you would expect）。 I feel like the choice to order by date gives the book an academic fe Biggest flaw of this book is that it is ordered by publication date， and the early/older stories were less engaging than the later ones。 The first three stories （spanning 1928-1934） were a bit stilted and too long for the concept they contained。 It was interesting to see how the year and the theme related to each other （for example， a rush of stories about the effects of mutation/radiation comes exactly when you would expect）。 I feel like the choice to order by date gives the book an academic feel， I think it would have been more fun to have modern authors write intros/outros for some of the stories， or to order them around themes。 I do feel like this book has strong value as a reference， in that you could open it up and pull out a brilliant story。 Most of the stories were interesting and a few really 'wow'ed me。 My favorites were "Baby， You Were Great"（1967）， "Another Rib"（1963）， "The New You"（1962）， "The Tunnel Ahead"（1961）， "Car Pool"（1959） and "That Only a Mother" （1948）。 I found everything pre-40s a bit of a slog， and I felt like the stories picked up and were more exciting once the anthology hit the 60s。 The book also ends with a great LeGuin story that I had read before in a different short story collection， "Nine Lives" （1969）。 My longest pause in this book was while stuck in "The Black God's Kiss"（1934）， which I did not enjoy too much and kept putting down after a couple pages。 If you also find yourself stuck， maybe push through or just jump ahead and come back。 The biographical notes section at the end is really interesting， though definitely academic。 。。。more

E。 ，

Whew， older SF is weird， y'all。 Whew， older SF is weird， y'all。 。。。more

Betsy ，

It is strange to give an anthology a five star rating。 Was each and every story a gem？ Not exactly， but it was a close one。 As a coherent group it is remarkable。 The writing quality was stellar， and the arrangement by time helped show the fascinations， fixations， and fears across the last century。 There was one that I would not have included， the Black God’s Kiss by CL Moore， because it was a fantasy of the heroine with a sword type， but this was an uncommonly good collection。 Read these stories It is strange to give an anthology a five star rating。 Was each and every story a gem？ Not exactly， but it was a close one。 As a coherent group it is remarkable。 The writing quality was stellar， and the arrangement by time helped show the fascinations， fixations， and fears across the last century。 There was one that I would not have included， the Black God’s Kiss by CL Moore， because it was a fantasy of the heroine with a sword type， but this was an uncommonly good collection。 Read these stories of radiation， race， and resettlement， written by the most skillful of hands。 。。。more

Marie ，

Kind of tricky to rate anthologies。。。Definitely some boring ones in here， but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would。

VexenReplica ，

This was read for /r/fantasy's book bingo！ As an fyi， many of these stories have CW for suicide， racism， rape， and/or gore。Many， many good stories in this one。 My highlights include:- The Invasion of Gola- Ararat- All the Colors of the Rainbow- Car Pool- Nine LivesIn general， I think I preferred the older stuff to the newer stuff， but overall the quality of stories were very good。 I also want to read all of Zenna Henderson's backlog now。 This was read for /r/fantasy's book bingo！ As an fyi， many of these stories have CW for suicide， racism， rape， and/or gore。Many， many good stories in this one。 My highlights include:- The Invasion of Gola- Ararat- All the Colors of the Rainbow- Car Pool- Nine LivesIn general， I think I preferred the older stuff to the newer stuff， but overall the quality of stories were very good。 I also want to read all of Zenna Henderson's backlog now。 。。。more

Jason Bergman ，

An excellent collection of sci-fi stories by women。 Like any collection of stories， they're not all great， but other than one or two duds， they range from very good to excellent。 And while I was familiar with several of these authors， there were many I'd never read or even heard of before， which I appreciated。 I also liked the biographical information about each author， with such illuminating details as the fact that James Triptree Jr。 adopted that pseudonym so it wouldn't be tied to her work fo An excellent collection of sci-fi stories by women。 Like any collection of stories， they're not all great， but other than one or two duds， they range from very good to excellent。 And while I was familiar with several of these authors， there were many I'd never read or even heard of before， which I appreciated。 I also liked the biographical information about each author， with such illuminating details as the fact that James Triptree Jr。 adopted that pseudonym so it wouldn't be tied to her work for the CIA （！）。 If you appreciate sci-fi from the golden and silver ages， then this is a must-read。 Highly recommended。 。。。more

Kian Lavi ，

‪There’s an apt warning that this anthology will permanently alter your perception of American science fiction。 I’m inclined to agree。 ‬‪So many fascinating takes on everything from transhumanism to nuclear apocalypse to magic to the psychological terror that is isolation in space。 ‬‪The stories， such a lush take on scifi — ones filled with more personality， introspection， and psychology than most authors I’ve read。 ‬

Whiteraven191 ，

When I take the average of the ratings I gave the individual stories I end up with a final rating of 3。49。 There were plenty of really good stories， like The Tunnel Ahead and For Sale， Reasonable but there were also plenty of terrible ones， like Another Rib and The Last Conquest of Gola。

Rose ，

I did get through this， but it destroyed my enthusiasm for reading for a few months。 About half the stories ended with a bang。 They all had a strong sense to them， but I never quite connected with much contained therein。。。 A few of the authors had a real sense of humanity。 The history of sci-fi made it worthwhile。

Elaine ，

I liked all the stories and the companion website with the timeline and biographies that put all the stories into context。

Mark ，

Worthwhile and informative。

Leah Rachel von Essen ，

From Mary Shelley writing about monsters and men to the 1970s sub-genre of ‘feminist sci fi，’ women have been fundamental creators and readers of speculative fiction for the entire lifespan of the genre。 And yet the myth of male dominance continues to pervade the conventional narrative of the genre’s birth and rise。 In this incredible collection， The Future is Female！ 26 Classic Science Fiction Stories by Women， from Pulp Pioneers to Ursula K。 Le Guin， Lisa Yaszek has spanned a large gap in many From Mary Shelley writing about monsters and men to the 1970s sub-genre of ‘feminist sci fi，’ women have been fundamental creators and readers of speculative fiction for the entire lifespan of the genre。 And yet the myth of male dominance continues to pervade the conventional narrative of the genre’s birth and rise。 In this incredible collection， The Future is Female！ 26 Classic Science Fiction Stories by Women， from Pulp Pioneers to Ursula K。 Le Guin， Lisa Yaszek has spanned a large gap in many readers’ knowledge of the genre， bringing together 25 stories spanning from the 1920s to 1960s written by women authors you may not know， but should know。Some of my favorite stories picture future， terrifying worlds: “The Miracle of the Lily” （1928） by Claire Winger Harris， addressing food shortage and the failure or evolution of ecosystems that would come with climate change; “The Tunnel Ahead” （1961） by Alice Glaser is a banally chilling story about an over-populated world that evokes Jackson’s “The Lottery”; “Baby， You Were Great” （1967） by Kate Wilhelm is one of the most horrifying stories I’ve read， a haunting tale about media consumption， reality television， voyeurism， and violence in media。“In Hiding” （1948） by Wilmar H。 Shiras was a formative influence for the X-Men universe; “The Black God’s Kiss” （1934） by C。L。 Moore is a dark， eldritch fantastic horror revenge tale; “Mr。 Skrison’s Halt” （1956） has a tease of a portal fantasy; “The Barbarian” （1968） by Joanna Russ and “Nine Lives” （1969） by Ursula K。 Le Guin were， unsurprisingly， incredible tales。Lisa Yaszek’s introduction is a short yet superb introduction， summing up well the eras of science fiction， the contributions of women， and the history of women in the science fiction genre。 This book is a must-read for any lover of speculative or science fiction， especially those who want to read early stories by women authors in the genre。（Note: I omitted the story jointly written by Marion Zimmer Bradley from my read of this book and from my review due to her recorded history of child abuse。） 。。。more

Mary ，

Strong and varied collection。

Gustavo Vidal ，

great！

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Future Is Female! 25 Classic Science Fiction Stories by Women, from Pulp Pioneers to Ursula K. Le Guin: A Library of America Special Publication

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Future Is Female! 25 Classic Science Fiction Stories by Women, from Pulp Pioneers to Ursula K. Le Guin: A Library of America Special Publication&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

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