Book Review: The Future is Queer
The Future is Queer by Richard LaBonte and Lawrence Schimel (ed.)
Transgender Reviews/Science Fiction, Lesbian Book Reviews/Science Fiction,
Gay Book Reviews/Science Fiction, Gay Book Reviews/Anthology
TITLE: The Future is Queer AUTHOR: Richard LaBonte and Lawrence Schimel (ed.)
ISBN: 1-55152-209-8 PUBLISHER: Arsenal Pulp Press
In a world increasingly complicated by questionable technologies and factional politics, what does the future hold for gays, lesbians and transgenders? The gay marriage controversy, scientific "breakthroughs," and well-organized campaigns by the Religious Right seem to ensure that we are still far from achieving any kind of pansexual utopia some forty years after the advent of gay liberation. But in this anthology, provocative stories and comics posit a queer future of limitless possibilities.
The Future is Queer asks probing questions that relate as much to our past and present as they do to the future; of gays and lesbians, it asks, who are we, what do we want, and what should we be afraid of?
I enjoyed most of the stories in this collection. My favorite was "My Long Ago Sophia" by Diana Churchill. It was nice to read about an older character, instead of the usual young people in most GLBT literature. The other stories I found to be very gripping tales were "The Chosen Few" by Caro Soles, "Instinct" by Joy Parks, and "the darkest evening of the year" by Candas Jane Dorsey.
In "Obscure Relations" by L. Timmel Duchamp, I had a hard time distinguishing between the characters and their clones, but then again, I'm not into hard core science fiction. Other than that, I found the story to be compelling and enjoyable.
The one disappointment of mine was the comic by Neil Gaiman and Bryan Talbot. I didn't feel that it really added anything to the collection. I think another story or two would have been a better choice.
Even though I wish there were more stories than eight in the collection for the price, I recommend this collection to GLBT readers and science fiction readers.
Review by Ellen Tevault
Reprinted from Rainbow Reviews
Transgender Reviews/Science Fiction, Lesbian Book Reviews/Science Fiction,
Gay Book Reviews/Science Fiction, Gay Book Reviews/Anthology
TITLE: The Future is Queer AUTHOR: Richard LaBonte and Lawrence Schimel (ed.)
ISBN: 1-55152-209-8 PUBLISHER: Arsenal Pulp Press
In a world increasingly complicated by questionable technologies and factional politics, what does the future hold for gays, lesbians and transgenders? The gay marriage controversy, scientific "breakthroughs," and well-organized campaigns by the Religious Right seem to ensure that we are still far from achieving any kind of pansexual utopia some forty years after the advent of gay liberation. But in this anthology, provocative stories and comics posit a queer future of limitless possibilities.
The Future is Queer asks probing questions that relate as much to our past and present as they do to the future; of gays and lesbians, it asks, who are we, what do we want, and what should we be afraid of?
I enjoyed most of the stories in this collection. My favorite was "My Long Ago Sophia" by Diana Churchill. It was nice to read about an older character, instead of the usual young people in most GLBT literature. The other stories I found to be very gripping tales were "The Chosen Few" by Caro Soles, "Instinct" by Joy Parks, and "the darkest evening of the year" by Candas Jane Dorsey.
In "Obscure Relations" by L. Timmel Duchamp, I had a hard time distinguishing between the characters and their clones, but then again, I'm not into hard core science fiction. Other than that, I found the story to be compelling and enjoyable.
The one disappointment of mine was the comic by Neil Gaiman and Bryan Talbot. I didn't feel that it really added anything to the collection. I think another story or two would have been a better choice.
Even though I wish there were more stories than eight in the collection for the price, I recommend this collection to GLBT readers and science fiction readers.
Review by Ellen Tevault
Reprinted from Rainbow Reviews
posted by Erotically Ellen at 10:27 PM
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