Sleeping with Monsters: Readings and Reactions in Science Fiction and Fantasy  | $19 (paperback) | |
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2018 Hugo Award finalist, Related Work category
2018 Locus Award finalist, Non-Fiction category
Anyone familiar with Liz Bourke's work knows she isn't shy about
sharing her opinion. In columns and reviews for science fiction and
fantasy website Tor.com and elsewhere, she's taken a critical eye to
fantasy and SF, from books to movies, television to videogames, old to
new. This volume presents a selection of the best of her
articles. Bourke's subjects range from the nature of epic fantasy—
is it a naturally conservative sort of literature?—to the effect of
Mass Effect's decision to allow players to play as a female hero, and
from discussions of little-known writers to some of the most popular
works in the field. A provocative, immensely readable collection of
essays about the science fiction and fantasy field, from the
perspective of a feminist and a historian, Sleeping With Monsters is
an entertaining addition to any reader's shelves.
"A majority of the pieces in this collection come from Sleeps With
Monsters, and ultimately, its purpose is more similar to Sleeps With
Monsters than not: to be a little loud and angry. To celebrate the
work of women in the science fiction and fantasy (SFF) field. To offer
a snapshot, a limited glimpse, of what I think is best, most fun, most
interesting."—from the author's Foreword
"[Bourke] consistently raises questions about the sort of content in
books that for a long time was invisible to many reviewers or
considered not worth examining. Uncovering the complex morass of
sexism, racism, classism, ableism, religious bigotry, and homo- and
transphobia that often underlies many of our received assumptions
about narrative is right in her wheelhouse. ...[She] talks to us as if
we're in conversation. What a pleasure it is to read pithy reviews of
often-overlooked work I already admire, as well as to discover books I
need to read."—from the Introduction by Kate Elliott
Reviews This strong collection is culled from Bourke's similarly titled
Tor.com blog as well as other online sources, and features eight
original selections. Bourke's critiques of fantasy and science
fiction—most running fewer than 1,000 words—demonstrate both her
critical acumen and her appreciation of the genre. Nearly all of the
works she discusses are by present-day female writers, and though she
purports to bring "an explicitly feminist perspective" to her reviews,
she mostly applies the classic critical yardsticks of plot, character
development, and authorial voice. Bourke has read widely, especially
among multi-book sagas, and her familiarity with so many modern
writers' oeuvres gives gravity to her appraisals of the limitations of
a literary canon for science fiction and fantasy. She observes that
depictions of queer womanhood in contemporary fantasy and science
fiction are often disappointingly "titillating or tragic." Her
critical standards are high—she doesn't flinch at pointing out
weaknesses in favorite books by popular writers—but not inflexible, as
is implicit in her observation that "an interesting failure can prove
far more entertaining than a novel that's technically successful but
has no heart." This collection is sure to provoke debate among genre
fans, and also to drive them to the books under Bourke's
scrutiny.
—Publishers Weekly, June 2017
ISBN: 978-1-61976-123-0 (13 digit)
Publication Date: Jul 2017
paperback 264 pages
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