Posted by Nicky Drayden on Oct 3, 2014 in
Writer's Life Strange Horizons, February 2014
http://www.strangehorizons.com/2014/20140210/Lysistrata-f.shtml
Author Website: http://www.toryhoke.com/
Short Women in Space, Review #3
Okay, Tory Hoke. Who are you and how did you get into my brain? Seriously, this piece was practically written for me. The aliens are amazing. The writing is charmingly snarky. The depth of the message is spot on. Okay, let’s back up for a minute before I hyperventilate.
Kay has just arrived on the Martian colony of New Plymouth, broke but not completely broken, trying to forget her crappy life back on Earth. She’s looking for a fresh start, but rent’s overdue, and she’s about to be homeless. Then salvation comes in the form of an ad for a strip joint:
Club Combustion seeks dancers. Vertebrates only.
It’s a respectable gig, especially compared to the alternatives, so Kay auditions and gets the job, based on her nice waist, natural teeth, and her “cold but not stuck-up” attitude. In any case, Kay ends up inadvertently performing a sex-act on a pushy, shark-finned, patron and when she denies him for a second time, the whole of the colony suffers the repercussions.
This is a great story about personal boundaries–not just setting them, which sometimes can be a feat in and of itself–but also sticking to them, fortifying them as necessary when others try to tear them down. It speaks directly to women, but can be broadened to a human lesson in general.
It could be said that in this story, Kay lacks agency, and is more reactionary than solving problems for herself. But the act of saying “no,” while it happened early on in the story, it continues to echo as she stands (or sometimes cowers) behind her words. This is the driving force of the plot. The story’s message is heavy, but it’s depth does not burden the sheer entertainment value in any way. I think this is what impresses me the most. Give it a read, and watch for more great things from this author.
REAL Women in Space
Anousheh Ansari
First female space tourist
First Iranian in space
Soyuz TMA-9/8 (Sep. 18, 2006)
Creative Commons
Tags: Aliens, Martian Colony, Nicky's Pick, Short Story, Short Women in Space, Strange Horizons
Posted by Nicky Drayden on Sep 28, 2014 in
Writer's Life (Queue dramatic echo)
October is Short Women in Space month here at Diary of a Short Woman, and I will be reviewing 31 short stories written by women involving space–one every day for the entirety of the month. I hope to highlight authors of the female persuasion writing awesome SF, as well as, perhaps touching on issues that we may face as we explore deeper into the universe.
So this idea came to me after perusing the Mars One website. At first, I was ecstatic to find out that I met the minimum height requirements (by like a centimeter) to sign up to my one-way trip to Mars, but then I started thinking…while I do not consider myself a person of tall stature by any means, why would they set the height requirement at 5 foot 2? Certainly someone 5-feet even, or even 4 foot 8 is just as capable as I am, right? Why have a height restriction at all, especially one that excludes such a large population (of primarily women) from stepping upon another planet? Would it be that much of an inconvenience to ask another crew member to get my phaser down from the top shelf every time that I had to go blast aliens?
And speaking of aliens, it doesn’t hurt that my pet project Women and Aliens month is just around the corner at The Drabblecast, and I’ll be reading a ton of stories in this general vein anyway, so I thought this would be a good way to share all of the gems I come across in this adventuresome process. Interested in joining me? Whether you’re a tall woman, short man, sentient marsupial, or anything and everything in between, there’s a seat for you on my spaceward journey. So strap in and prepare for launch, in five…
Four…
Three…
Two…
One…
Posted by Nicky Drayden on Mar 29, 2014 in
Writer's Life 
I’ve got a new ebook out. Some stories are dark, some are light-hearted, but they’re definitely all TWISTED! And delightfully so!
Maintenance workers tend to a living ship with mental issues, a tentacled alien competes in her first triathlon on Earth, a man goes to the ends of the Earth and beyond for the perfect anniversary present, and a horny translator hopes to put the “contact” in an impending first contact.
Check it out at:
www.amazon.com/Delightfully-Twisted-Tales-Worst-Worlds-ebook/dp/B00JBEX4WW
And thanks to Lewis Minor for the great Avant Garde Artwork I based the cover on:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31284576@N06/
