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Thursday, December 3, 2009

"The tangled web of speculative fiction," seen through the eyes of Gwyneth Jones


The first review I've seen of Gwyneth Jones's Imagination/Space: Essays and Talks on Fiction, Feminism, Technology, and Politics is Ernest Lilley's, in SF Revu's December issue.

He begins his review with this:
Not only is Gwyneth Jones a brilliant author, she's a fabulous essayist, and though the cover blurb of Imagination Space says that this is a must read for anyone that cares about feminism, science fiction, or both, it misses the mark. This is a must read if you care about, both, either, genre literature in any form, the exploration of self through literature, or a host of other topics. In fact, it's just plain worth a look.

I've always enjoyed Gwyneth Jone's writing, but Imagination Space introduces me to the author as a literary critic and essayist, and I'm pleased to make the acquaintance. The essays in this collection are clear and lucid, insightful as all get out, and totally accessible. Probably more so than this paragraph.

Gwyneth looks at lots of topics that have been murky to me, and suddenly they become clear.

And he concludes his review thus:
As a non-academic, I often bounce off critical works scratching my head. Gwyneth Jones' mastery of her subjects and engaging writing pulls me in time and again, leaving me struck by how much more comprehensible the tangled web of speculative fiction is when seen through her eyes.

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