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From: res@ihuxn.UUCP (Rich Strebendt)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: C.J.Cherryh, Tanith Lee, and other assorted female SF authors...
Message-ID: <973@ihuxn.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 24-Feb-85 18:48:23 EST
Article-I.D.: ihuxn.973
Posted: Sun Feb 24 18:48:23 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 27-Feb-85 20:41:39 EST
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In response to: 
| How many people out there have read and liked any/all of Cherryh's stuff
| or Tanith Lee's works?  ... A friend of mine however won't read any
| of that stuff on first principles.  To paraphrase him, "after all, how many
| really good female SF authors do you know?"  I personally think that the
| number is certainly substantial.  I guess a lot of female SF writers though
| are still suffering from prejudices such as this and find that they must hide
| behind names which are patently male or gender non-specific.  Cases in point
| are C.J.Cherryh and Andre Norton.

Your friend has his head firmly ensconced in his ass.  If you wish, feel free
to convey this insightful comment to him.

I have been reading Science Fiction for many years, and I have found that I
have thoroughly enjoyed work by the following authors (among others)
	C. J. Cherryh (one of my all-time favorites)
	Marion Zimmer Bradley (The series on the People is great)
	Ursula K. LeGuin (Dispossessed is a masterpiece)
	Anne McCaffrey (Great Dragon Rider Series)
	Andre Norton (Some books are aimed at juveniles, but still first rate)

A hallmark of the female SF author seems to me to be a great sensitivity to the
reactions and development of the characters.  Hence, since I enjoy getting to
know a character as a story progresses, I greatly enjoy the work of the authors
named above.  That is NOT to say that male authors are incapable of the same
sensitivity.  I find Robert Silverberg's recent work quite well done in this
regard, for one.

Yes, for a long time some really good SF writers who happened to be of the
female gender had to hide that fact to get published.  I think that this
situation has begun to turn around -- I have begun to see garbagey SF on the
paperback shelves bearing the names of female authors!!

Perhaps another interminable discussion is in order, to whit:

	WHAT IS SOME OF THE WORSE SF YOU HAVE READ RECENTLY
	  A) BY A MALE AUTHOR
	  B) BY A FEMALE AUTHOR
	  C) BY NONE OF THE ABOVE

For (A) above, I nominate the Illearth Wars series (Chronicles of Thomas
Covenant).  I struggled through 2.5 of the volumes before I gave up and burned
them (they even smelled bad on the fire!).  For a close second to this I will
nominate Harlin Ellison (vulgarity for the sake of sensationalism and $$$).

I have to consider a while before I make any nominations for (B) or (C) above,
as I am normally not a book critic.

					Rich Strebendt
					...!ihnp4!ihuxn!res