Daughters of earth : feminist science fiction in the twentieth century /

Although her claims that this is a "complete introduction to feminist science fiction" is somewhat overstated (the introduction rightly laments the omission of Joanna Russ, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Suzy McKee Charnas), Larbalestier (who is associated with the Univ. of Sydney) has assembled a volume that skillfully expands the critical discourse on feminist science fiction. The book comprises 11 chapters, each of which pairs a work of fiction (many recovered from the oblivion of being out of print) with a critical essay that uses it as a focal point. This format resolves the potential obstacle of readers' unfamiliarity with the texts and contexts discussed. Contributors include both established and less-experienced scholars, and the quality of the essays is almost uniformly high. Taken as a whole, the anthology serves as an insightful overview of the intermingled development of Western feminism and science fiction since 1927. Despite its limitations--e.g., it focuses exclusively on US and British writers--this work augments and expands on such worthy predecessors as Marleen Barr's Lost in Space: Probing Feminist Science Fiction and Beyond (CH, Mar'94, 31-3629). ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers. D. C. Maus State University of New York College at Potsdam