For all of his talent and novel-writing experience, Gene Wolfe still struggles to write female characters. In 2015, this flaw is so distracting that it drowns the interesting things 'A Borrowed Man' has to say about important issues like slavery, population control, disability, pornography and resource depletion. Like his narrator, Gene Wolfe is sadly a writer living outside of his own time.
Read More »‘Ancillary Mercy’ brings the Imperial Radch trilogy to a successful end
Taken as a whole, the Imperial Radch Trilogy is a refreshing new take on the space opera genre, and Leckie’s vision of a gender-less future illustrates sci-fi's ability to shape worlds free of the inequities of ours. 'Ancillary Mercy' offers surprises up to the very end and successfully concludes this epic saga.
Read More »‘Material’ is so busy preaching it forgets to tell a story
'Material' tries very hard to be a work of intellectual and political importance. In the process, it forgets to be a good story and comes off as pretentious.
Read More »Power corrupts absolutely in N.K. Jemisin’s epic ‘The Inheritance Trilogy’
N.K. Jemisin loves to shatter the stereotypes of fantasy literature and the theme that runs through 'The Inheritance Trilogy' is the abuse of power. Those with power are regularly corrupted by it, and the real heroes in these tales are the few who can restrain themselves or even relinquish their power.
Read More »Why feminists & non-feminists can both ignore the ‘Mad Max’ controversy
Although the fighting over the feminism in 'Mad Max: Fury Road' has predictably begun, here's why both feminists & non-feminists alike can sit this one out.
Read More »Canadian superhero ahead of her time returns in ‘Nelvana of the Northern Lights’
Nelvana was both a uniquely Canadian superhero as well as being ahead of her time. Now a new generation of readers can appreciate this cultural heritage.
Read More »Jo Walton’s ‘The Just City’ is worth traveling to
Jo Walton’s latest novel, 'The Just City,' contains time travel, robots and Greek gods, yet its realistic characters—even the divinities—dominate the narrative with their personal struggles to achieve their “best selves.” This is Jo Walton’s strength—no matter how outlandish the setting, her characters always read as real people I want to get to know.
Read More »‘My Real Children’ is a heartwarming, heart-wrenching exploration of feminism and politics
Jo Walton’s My Real Children is difficult to classify. Although it can be read as an alternate history (actually two alternative histories—more on that in a moment), the novel really belongs on the shelf beside the work of “literary” writers like Jonathan Franzen or Alice Munro. The book both warms and wrenches the heart as it explores feminism and gay rights, as well as war and peace. The lives of Pat and Tricia tell us much about the world in which we live and what it means to be part of a family.
Read More »Female game developer talks about being threatened with rape
Vice Magazine recently did an interview with Zoe Quinn, designer of Depression Quest, outlining what happens during the process of getting a game green lighted on Steam. Some of the things she talks about are pretty shocking like getting phone calls of rape threats and being "raided" by male gamers (i.e. attacked en masse) on Twitter.
Read More »How Disney Princesses Influence Our Young Girls
A recent trip to Disneyworld with my three-year-old daughter hammered home what a major influence the Disney princesses are on her. With so many princesses, all very popular, I found myself wondering, like many parents, what values these movies were instilling in my daughter.
Read More »Pop Culture Critic Talks About Evolution of Female Heroes
In an interview with Spark magazine, Jennifer K. Stuller talks about Wonder Woman, Katniss Everdeen, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the role of superheroines in society.
Read More »Evil Dead – Review
I'll give the remake of 'Evil Dead' this much: it sure was pretty, visually. However, this incarnation lacks female strength and focuses instead on how vulnerable and weak women are.
Read More »Invoking the Original ‘Evil Dead’
In anticipation of the upcoming remake of the original Evil Dead, it seemed only fitting that I write one of my feminist, analytical essays of the original version by Sam Raimi.
Read More »Oz: The Great and Powerful – Review
A step forward from 2010’s Alice in Wonderland, Oz: The Great and Powerful is able to mix beautiful cinematography with a well-constructed story and well-developed characters. Where Alice failed, Oz comes on strong and is an example of what Disney should continue to do if the company decides to continually remake the classic …
Read More »Grrrl Power: Why Female Superheroes Matter
Within superhero mythology there exists room for women to exhibit just as much power as men and be celebrated as well. Whether it’s Buffy from Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Raven from Teen Titans, female superheroes are able to hold their own against powerful male (and female) super villains that threaten the world they vow to protect.
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