The Dreaming Sex: Early Tales of Scientific Imagination by Women

Edgar-winning editor Ashley (The Mammoth Book of Mind-Blowing SF) counters the impression given by certain recent phallocentric anthologies: not only are female authors currently a significant part of the science fiction and fantasy landscape, they always have been. The 14 stories, all written by women, were published between 1834 (Mary Shelley's "The Mortal Immortal") and 1928 (Clare Winger Harris's "The Miracle of the Lily"). Well-known authors like Shelley and Edith Nesbit are outnumbered by their equally talented but more obscure peers. Others are known for their activities outside writing; Roquia Sakhawat Hossein, for example, is more likely to remembered as a pioneering Indian feminist and founder of Calcutta's Islamic Women's Association than for her story "The Sultana's Dream." This worthy assortment of stories is diminished only by the unfortunate need to show yet again that women are just as creative and skilled as men. (Aug.)