Tag: James Tiptree Jr.

Lirios: A Tale of the Quintana Roo

by Derelict Space Sheep on February 12, 2025 in 42 Word Retrospectives • 0 Comments

Lirios: A Tale of the Quintana Roo

by James Tiptree, Jr.

Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine (September 28, 1981), pp. 140-167.

Dreamy fantasy novelette set in a post(mid?)-apocalyptic imagining of the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. Tiptree Jr’s languorous, lyrical style and the story within a story make for pleasant enough reading, though the ocean tale is actually quite slight when stripped of cultural exoticism.

Her Smoke Rose Up Forever

by Derelict Space Sheep on March 14, 2023 in 42 Word Retrospectives • 0 Comments

Her Smoke Rose Up Forever

by James Tiptree, Jr (Arkham House, 1990)

SF Masterworks Edition (Gollancz, 2014)

A 500-page collection of dark, dreamy, dense, often dismal short stories. Tiptree (aka Alice Sheldon) wrote challenging SF that juxtaposed male POVs with uncensored, damning depictions of how men treat women. Plenty of big ideas. Highly regarded though not always pleasant reading.