Subject: Review: ALIEN SEX, edited by Ellen Datlow

From: [email-masked]
Date: 28 Apr 92 19:36:15 GMT

~title:  ALIEN SEX
Author: Ellen Datlow (ed.)

  A collection of 19 short stories, edited with a discriminating eye by
Ellen Datlow, sharing the common theme of... sex.  More specifically,
stories which shed light on human sexuality by using non-humans or just
outre relationships as a method of exploration.  I remember reading stuff
like Philip Jose Farmer's "The Jungle Rot Kid On The Nod" (in this
collection) during my teenage years and being slightly shocked, greatly
intrigued and having my horizons widened a little.  Harlan Ellison uses
similar sexual shock tactics, and John Varley's nonchalant assumption of
universal bisexuality (once sex-changing is easy and commonplace) made
me think - (a) Of course!! and (b) Oh no!!   Alien Sex walks in the
same borderzone - it shocked, provoked and stimulated me.  I wouldn't
describe any of the stories as "erotic", and some are positively repellent,
but they try and persuade you to think about male/female relationships in
different ways to the norm.
  Some of the stories are familiar friends - I think Connie Willis' "All
My Darling Daughters"  was a Nebula nominee (and if not, why not?). 
James Tiptree Jr's "And I Awoke And Found Me Here On The Cold
Hill's Side" is a true classic  - the desire for alien contact is an integral
part of many SF reader's psyches, but the price of loving a superior
being may be too high....  Edward Bryant's "Dancing Chickens" feels
Delanyesque to me, and still gives me a sad chill.  Larry Niven's "Man
Of Steel, Woman Of Kleenex", although hardly a serious exploration of
sexuality, is enormously entertaining and possibly worth buying this book
for in itself - should there still be anyone out there who hasn't read it.  
  Others are by (to me) less well-known authors - Roberta Lannes
"Saving The World At The New Moon Motel" is a wonderful flight of
fancy based on a true-life drama the author witnessed at an all-night
diner.  
  For the record, the authors are:
Leigh Kennedy, Rick Wilber, Harlan Ellison, Scott Baker, Larry Niven,
K.W. Jeter, Philip Jose Farmer, Lisa Tuttle, Bruce McAllister, Edward
Bryant, Pat Cadigan, Geoff Ryman, Connie Willis, Richard Christian
Matheson, Lewis Shiner, Roberta Lannes, James Tiptree Jr., Michaela
Roessner and Pat Murphy.  
  One caveat - Despite the presence of a couple of cyberpunk luminaries
on this list, and an interesting if somewhat pretentious foreword by
William Gibson, this is NOT a cyberpunk collection (IMHO).  Just a
good one.  Out of the 19 stories, I only disliked one.  Despite the tacky
title (wait till you see some of the ALTERNATIVE titles suggested to
the editor!), and the unappealing cover blurbs this is a wonderful book,
and deserves a tryout from anyone who enjoyed or admired e.g. "A Boy
And His Dog", "The Left Hand Of Darkness", "The Female Man",
"Dhalgren", "Dangerous Visions", Anne Rice, "The Phantom Of Kansas"
and other sexually challenging pioneers.  I loved it.

Bill Bennett

[email-masked]

P.S. For readers in the UK encouraged by my e-mail address, I'm afraid
I bought this on holiday in Toronto where it's just come out, so don't
start searching in your local bookstores just yet.

--

%A Gibson, William
%A Kennedy, Leigh
%A Wilber, Rick
%A Ellison, Harlan
%A Baker, Scott
%A Niven, Larry
%A Jeter, K.W.
%A Farmer, Philip Jose
%A Tuttle, Lisa
%A McAllister, Bruce
%A Bryant, Edward
%A Cadigan, Pat
%A Ryman, Geoff
%A Willis, Connie
%A Mathieson, Richard Christian
%A Shiner, Lewis
%A Lannes, Roberta
%A Tiptree Jr., James
%A Roessner, Michaela
%A Murphy, Pat
%B Foreword: Strange Attractors
%B Her Furry Face
%B War Bride
%B How's The Night Life On Cissalda?
%B The Jamesburg Incubus
%B Man Of Steel, Woman Of Kleenex
%B The First Time
%B The Jungle Rot Kid On The Nod
%B Husbands
%B When The Fathers Go
%B Dancing Chickens
%B Roadside Rescue
%B Omnisexual
%B All My Darling Daughters
%B Arousal
%B Scales
%B Saving The World At The New Moon Motel
%B And I Awoke And Found Me Here On The Cold Hill's Side
%B Picture Planes
%B Love And Sex Among The Invertebrates
%C New York
%D March 1992
%E Datlow, Ellen
%G ISBN 0-451-45142-2
%I ROC Science Fiction
%O US $4.99, Canada $5.99, paperback
%P 317
%T Alien Sex