Summary

Earlier this week saw the end of SF Mistresswork’s first full calendar year. After a small hiatus towards the end of 2011, the website settled into a routine for 2012. I posted two reviews a week from January through to September, but then had to drop to one review a week. Unless I get a sudden huge influx of suitable reviews, I’m afraid I’ll have to maintain that schedule. So the good news is I plan to keep SF Mistressworks going for as long as, well, as long as there are books to review for it. Running this site has changed my reading habits and introduced me to a huge number of twentieth century science fiction authors completely new to me, and I hope it has done the same for others.

For the record, in 2012 SF Mistressworks posted reviews of 72 books, 6 reviews of books previously reviewed by other hands on the site, and a review of one book that has now been reviewed three times on SF Mistressworks (fittingly, it is The Female Man by Joanna Russ). Not all of the reviews were original to SF Mistressworks, but that has never been a requirement.

Those 72 books were by 44 writers. One was an anthology. The most-reviewed author was Sheri S Tepper, with 7 books, closely followed by Andre Norton and Joanna Russ with 5 each, and then Ursula K Le Guin with 4. Writers that were new to me personally included Jayge Carr, Rena Vale, Jo Clayton, Marta Randall, Amy Thomson, Maxine MacArthur, Tess Williams and Phyllis Gotlieb. There were also a number in the anthology New Eves, and I hope to track down novels by them.

I’d like to thanks everyone who provided reviews during 2012: Joachim Boaz, Admiral Ironbombs, Larry Nolen, Martin Lewis, Adam Roberts, Martin Wisse, Cheryl Morgan, SueCCCP, Grace Troxel, Requires Hate, Nic Clarke, Aliette de Bodard and Carl Vincent. I hope you’ll all continue to contribute.

Finally, SF Mistressworks would like to wish everyone a prosperous and happy 2013. Don’t forget, reviews are always needed. And feel free to spread the word about SF Mistressworks. There are still thousands of books to review before we can call this website complete…

One year older

SF Mistressworks has now been up and running for just over a year. The first review was posted here on 3 June 2011 – it was Maureen F McHugh’s China Mountain Zhang. In the twelve months since then, SF Mistressworks has posted reviews by 24 reviewers of 96 books by 67 authors. It was also shortlisted for the BSFA Award for non-fiction (but lost out to the SF Encyclopedia). That’s a year to be proud of.

When I started SF Mistressworks, I had no idea how long it would run. I had no intention of doing it for a short while to prove a point, and then packing it in. I still plan to keep it going as long as there are eligible books to review. For the past six months, I’ve been posting two reviews a week, and I’d like to keep to that schedule. I have about a month’s worth in hand, but I need more. I always need more. If I can’t get them, I may have to drop to one review a week. I’d sooner not, of course. Reviews don’t have to be new or original to SF Mistressworks. I’m quite happy to reprint old reviews of suitable books, and link back to the original review. I’ve even posted some of my old reviews from Vector, the critical journal of the British Science Fiction Association. (And if anyone who reviews/reviewed for that magazine would like to pass on any reviews they did for eligible books…)

I’d like to thank all those who have contributed reviews – Cheryl Morgan, Joachim Boaz, Admiral Ironbombs, Martin Wisse, Niall Harrison, Kev Mcveigh, Martin Lewis, Jenni Scott, Richard Palmer, Shannon Turlington, Adam Roberts, Blue Tyson, Cara Murphy, Larry Nolen, Aishwarya Subramanian, Ian J Simpson, Kathryn Allen, Michaela Staton, Paul Charles Smith, Paul Graham Raven, Sam Kelly, Sandy M, Shaun Duke, SueCCCP – and I hope they’ll continue to contribute.

For those who would like to contribute but have only read books published this century there’s Daughters of Prometheus, a sister site of SF Mistressworks. It’s a shame nothing came of the Fantasy Masterworks site, but Daughters of Prometheus is definitely alive and kicking. If you can’t contribute here, by all means contribute there.

Finally, it’s been a good year for SF Mistressworks. Here’s hoping the next twelve months will be just as good (we’re still eligible for that award, you know…).

Three months on

In lieu of a review today – because I’m only halfway through the book I was planning to write about today – here instead is a quarterly update.

SF Mistressworks has been going for three months now, and during that time posted sixty-six reviews (some were multi-parters) of fifty-six books by forty-three authors. The most reviewed writer is, unsurprisingly, Ursula K Le Guin with five; but Joanna Russ comes a close second with four. Gwyneth Jones had one review split across three posts, but counting that as one she also matches Russ with reviews.

There has been a wide spread of books covered. The earliest was Thea von Harbou’s Metropolis from 1926, and the latest Gwyneth Jones’ Bold as Love from 2001. Which does stretch the definition of “twentieth century” a little, but never mind. SF Mistressworks has chiefly reviewed novels, but also several collections, and one anthology, the excellent Women of Wonder: The Contemporary Years edited by Pamela Sargent.

Though the number of reviews posted per week has dropped to two a week, I have every intention of keeping this blog going. Unfortunately, to do that I need people to send me reviews. I’m very grateful for the ones I’ve received so far, but I still need more. I don’t want to be providing them all myself. So, volunteers needed, please.

Finally, I had always expected that SF Mistressworks would prove an excellent introduction to writers whose works might appeal to me, and that it would spur me – and, hopefully, others – to read more books by women sf writers. But in fact I’ve been surprised by the number of books I’ve put on my wants list as a result of reviews on this site. Several of the stories in Women of Wonder, for example, persuaded me to look for novel-length works by the authors. So SF Mistressworks is not just about the books that are reviewed here, it’s also about the ones that aren’t.

Yet.

Monthly progress

SF Mistressworks has now been up and running for two months. It has published fifty-five reviews of forty-nine books by thirty-nine women sf writers. Reviews are now posted on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

The most popular reviews so far have been:

1. Frankenstein, Mary Shelley (Adam Roberts)
2. The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood (Paul Charles Smith)
3. China Mountain Zhang, Maureen F McHugh (Cheryl Morgan)
4. Grass, Sheri S Tepper (Cara Murphy)
5. The Dispossessed, Ursula K Le Guin (Paul Graham Raven)

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the following for contributing reviews to the site:  Cheryl Morgan, Joachim Boaz, Martin Wisse, Kev Mcveigh, Richard Palmer, Shannon Turlington, Cara Murphy, Jenni Scott, Niall Harrison, Adam Roberts, Aishwarya Subramanian, Ian J Simpson, Kathryn Allen, Larry Nolen, Michaela Staton, Paul Charles Smith, Paul Graham Raven, Sam Kelly and Sandy M. More reviews are always needed, of course, so feel free to volunteer.

A progress report

To date, SF Mistressworks has posted 46 reviews of 41 books by 34 women sf writers. Throughout June, and into the first week of July, six reviews were posted each week. From next week, however, only three per week will be going up – on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. More reviews are still needed, however – and will always be needed. Please don’t wait to be asked, just volunteer.

Also, are there any specific novels or writers that people would like to see reviewed here? Bear in mind that the books must have been published during, or before, the twentieth century (which, of course, includes 2001). If there are, please leave a comment.

Finally, many thanks to all those who have provided reviews so far. Keep up the good work. It is very much appreciated.

First there was the meme

Back in March, I put together a list of 91 science fiction works by women writers and presented it as a meme. This was a result of a conversation on several blogs and Twitter. And, as memes do, it spread. This was good. However, the list had a couple of mistakes on it – a couple of books were fantasy not sf; and one author proved to be male.

In the past few days, the conversation about women sf writers has reached a wider audience. Last Monday, Damien G Walter asked Guardian readers to name their favourite science fiction novels, and from this generated a list of 500 titles (which tellingly labelled them “the best science fiction novels”). But the very small number of books by female writers on the Guardian’s list prompted both Cheryl Morgan and Nicola Griffith to rightly point out how shockingly imbalanced the situation was. The Guardian added to the debate with another article on the topic of women writing sf – the comments of which sadly prove exactly how bad it really is.

When I put together the list mentioned above, it was with the help of several people. Knowing I was not especially well-read in the area, I’d also hoped the list would evolve as some of my choices were debated and replaced with better books. And the list did indeed go on to generate two comprehensive lists of women genre writers – one here by oursin and one here by Kev McVeigh. But it seems the nature of the meme-lists is that they stay constant as they spread. And the items on the list soon get forgotten…

Hence this: the SF Mistressworks Project. I am hoping this blog will comprise reviews of sf books by women writers, reviewed by divers hands (yes, volunteers needed!), sf books which are as good as, if not better, than those by male writers which appear in Gollancz’s SF Masterworks series. This site, it is hoped, will be a resource dedicated to books by women sf writers.

For the record, here’s the original meme, in order of year of original publication.

1 *Frankenstein, Mary Shelley (1818) – review
2 Herland, Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1915)
3 Orlando, Virginia Woolf (1928)
4 Lest Ye Die, Cicely Hamilton (1928)
5 Swastika Night, Katherine Burdekin (1937)
6 Wrong Side of the Moon, Francis Leslie Ashton (1951) – actually a male writer
7 The Sword of Rhiannon, Leigh Brackett (1953) – review
8 Pilgrimage: The Book of the People, Zenna Henderson (1961) – review
9 Memoirs of a Spacewoman, Naomi Mitchison (1962) – review
10 Witch World, Andre Norton (1963)
11 Sunburst, Phyllis Gotlieb (1964)
12 Jirel of Joiry, CL Moore (1969) – I’m reliably informed this is fantasy
13 Heroes and Villains, Angela Carter (1969)
14 Ten Thousand Light Years From Home, James Tiptree Jr (1973)
15 *The Dispossessed, Ursula K Le Guin (1974) – review
16 Walk to the End of the World, Suzy McKee Charnas (1974) – review
17 *The Female Man, Joanna Russ (1975) – review, review, review
18 Missing Man, Katherine MacLean (1975) – review
19 *Arslan, MJ Engh (1976) – review
20 *Floating Worlds, Cecelia Holland (1976)
21 *Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang, Kate Wilhelm (1976) – review, review
22 Islands, Marta Randall (1976) – review
23 Dreamsnake, Vonda N McIntyre (1978)
24 False Dawn, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (1978)
25 Shikasta [Canopus in Argos: Archives], Doris Lessing (1979)
26 Kindred, Octavia Butler (1979) – review
27 Benefits, Zoe Fairbairns (1979)
28 The Snow Queen, Joan D Vinge (1980) – review
29 The Silent City, Élisabeth Vonarburg (1981) – review
30 The Silver Metal Lover, Tanith Lee (1981)
31 The Many-Coloured Land [Saga of the Exiles], Julian May (1981)
32 Darkchild [Daughters of the Sunstone], Sydney J van Scyoc (1982)
33 The Crystal Singer, Anne McCaffrey (1982)
34 Native Tongue, Suzette Haden Elgin (1984) – review
35 The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood (1985) – review
36 Jerusalem Fire, RM Meluch (1985) – review
37 Children of Anthi, Jay D Blakeney (1985)
38 The Dream Years, Lisa Goldstein (1985)
39 Despatches from the Frontiers of the Female Mind, Sarah Lefanu & Jen Green (1985)
40 Queen of the States, Josephine Saxton (1986)
41 The Wave and the Flame [Lear's Daughters], Marjorie Bradley Kellogg (1986)
42 The Journal of Nicholas the American, Leigh Kennedy (1986) – review
43 A Door into Ocean, Joan Slonczewski (1986)
44 Angel at Apogee, SN Lewitt (1987) – review
45 In Conquest Born, CS Friedman (1987)
46 Pennterra, Judith Moffett (1987) – review
47 Kairos, Gwyneth Jones (1988) – review, review
48 Cyteen , CJ Cherryh (1988)
49 Unquenchable Fire, Rachel Pollack (1988)
50 The City, Not Long After, Pat Murphy (1988) – review1, review2
51 The Steerswoman [Steerswoman series], Rosemary Kirstein (1989) – review
52 The Third Eagle, RA MacAvoy (1989) – review
53 *Grass, Sheri S Tepper (1989) – review, review
54 Heritage of Flight, Susan Shwartz (1989)
55 Falcon, Emma Bull (1989)
56 The Archivist, Gill Alderman (1989)
57 Winterlong [Winterlong trilogy], Elizabeth Hand (1990) – review, review
58 A Gift Upon the Shore, MK Wren (1990) – review
59 Red Spider, White Web, Misha (1990) – review
60 Polar City Blues, Katharine Kerr (1990)
61 Body of Glass (AKA He, She and It), Marge Piercy (1991)
62 Sarah Canary, Karen Joy Fowler (1991)
63 Beggars in Spain [Sleepless trilogy], Nancy Kress (1991)
64 A Woman of the Iron People, Eleanor Arnason (1991)
65 Hermetech, Storm Constantine (1991) – review
66 China Mountain Zhang, Maureen F McHugh (1992) – review, review
67 Fools, Pat Cadigan (1992)
68 Correspondence, Sue Thomas (1992) – review
69 Lost Futures, Lisa Tuttle (1992)
70 Doomsday Book, Connie Willis (1992) – review
71 Ammonite, Nicola Griffith (1993) – review
72 The Holder of the World, Bharati Mukherjee (1993)
73 Queen City Jazz, Kathleen Ann Goonan (1994) – review
74 Happy Policeman, Patricia Anthony (1994)
75 Shadow Man, Melissa Scott (1995) – review
76 Legacies, Alison Sinclair (1995)
77 Primary Inversion [Skolian Saga], Catherine Asaro (1995) – review
78 Alien Influences, Kristine Kathryn Rusch (1995)
79 The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russell (1996) – review, review
80 Memory [Vorkosigan series], Lois McMaster Bujold (1996)
81 Remnant Population, Elizabeth Moon (1996)
82 Looking for the Mahdi, N Lee Wood (1996) – review
83 An Exchange of Hostages [Jurisdiction series], Susan R Matthews (1997) – review
84 Fool’s War, Sarah Zettel (1997)
85 Black Wine, Candas Jane Dorsey (1997) – review
86 Halfway Human, Carolyn Ives Gilman (1998) – review
87 Vast, Linda Nagata (1998)
88 Hand of Prophecy, Severna Park (1998)
89 Brown Girl in the Ring, Nalo Hopkinson (1998)
90 Dreaming in Smoke, Tricia Sullivan (1999) – review
91 Ash: A Secret History, Mary Gentle (2000)

Books with asterisks are in the Gollancz SF Masterworks series.

Just because a book is on the list does not necessarily mean a review of it will at some point appear on this blog; just because a book is not on this list does not mean a review of it will not appear on this blog at some point.

EDIT: I will keep the list updated with links to reviews of the books on this site.