Book
New Eves: Science Fiction About the Extraordinary Women of Today and Tomorrow
by Janrae Frank, Jean Stine, Forrest J. Ackerman
📖 Overview
New Eves is a science fiction anthology published in 1994 that collects stories featuring female protagonists. The stories span multiple decades of science fiction writing, from the 1940s through the early 1990s.
The collection brings together works by both female and male authors, including notable writers like Andre Norton, Marion Zimmer Bradley, and James Tiptree Jr. The narratives explore various science fiction settings and scenarios, from deep space exploration to near-future Earth societies.
The stories represent different approaches to writing women characters in science fiction during a transformative period in the genre's history. The anthology traces the evolution of female representation in science fiction, reflecting changing social perspectives and literary trends across half a century of publishing.
This collection offers insights into how science fiction has addressed gender roles, power dynamics, and social structures through its portrayals of women characters. The anthology serves as both a literary time capsule and a commentary on the development of feminist themes in speculative fiction.
👀 Reviews
Readers describe this as a solid anthology of women-focused sci-fi stories from both well-known and lesser-known authors, though it receives limited attention and reviews online.
Readers appreciate:
- Mix of vintage and newer stories spanning multiple decades
- Focus on female protagonists and perspectives
- Inclusion of hard-to-find stories from early female sci-fi writers
- Editorial commentary providing historical context
Common criticisms:
- Some dated content and attitudes reflecting the stories' original publication eras
- Uneven quality across the collection
- Limited availability/hard to find copies
Ratings:
Goodreads: 3.71/5 (17 ratings)
- "Good historical overview of women in sci-fi" - Goodreads reviewer
- "Some gems but also some forgettable entries" - Goodreads reviewer
Amazon: Out of print, no current ratings
LibraryThing: 3.5/5 (4 ratings)
Note: This book has relatively few online reviews to draw from compared to other sci-fi anthologies.
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Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman Three male explorers discover an isolated civilization of women who have evolved to reproduce without men, forcing them to confront their assumptions about gender and society.
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🤔 Interesting facts
🔖 Published in 1994, this anthology was one of the first major collections to specifically showcase female protagonists in science fiction written by women authors
🚀 The book includes stories spanning from the 1940s through the early 1990s, demonstrating the evolution of how women were portrayed in science fiction over five decades
📚 Co-editor Forrest J Ackerman was a legendary figure in science fiction who coined the term "sci-fi" and amassed one of the world's largest collections of genre memorabilia
✍️ Many of the stories selected challenge traditional gender roles and explore themes that were revolutionary for their time, including reproductive rights and workplace equality
🏆 The anthology features works by multiple Nebula and Hugo Award-winning authors, including Ursula K. Le Guin, James Tiptree Jr. (Alice Sheldon), and Kate Wilhelm