Comments on: Brightness Falls from the Air, James Tiptree Jr.

By: Gin Jenny

Gin Jenny — Fri, 29 Nov 2013 01:08:03 +0000

In reply to litlove. Oh! I wonder if it is the same one I just got through with! The Julie Phillips book?

By: litlove

litlove — Wed, 27 Nov 2013 21:18:20 +0000

I have a biography of James Tiptree, and whilst her writing is probably not quite my thing, I cannot wait to read about her life, which was extraordinary by all accounts. So I’m glad you love her writing. It’s good to know that someone like you admires her (I can put her writing to one side as a known quantity!).

By: jenclair

jenclair — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 14:33:43 +0000

I’ve never read Tiptree and had NO IDEA that he was a she. A sci-fi icon, and I was oblivious.

By: NWK (@MumsyNancy)

NWK (@MumsyNancy) — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 13:21:22 +0000

In reply to Gin Jenny. I...know how to stencil. I took a class, believe it or not. But it's easier with a repeating pattern..I've never done words.

By: Charlie

Charlie — Mon, 11 Nov 2013 18:47:36 +0000

Wacky as a description is one thing. What you’ve said about the story however is yes, really wacky. And also very intriguing. Interesting that it was ‘James’, rather than initials.

By: Gin Jenny

Gin Jenny — Mon, 11 Nov 2013 15:31:14 +0000

In reply to Alice. Yes! A lady! Called Alice, actually. Alice Sheldon. Back in the day, everyone would be all like, Oh man, James Tiptree Jr writes awesome lady characters and that is proof that sci-fi is not gender-biased and also James Tiptree Jr is the manliest manly man ever to man around in sci-fi. But then they felt foolish later because it turned out James Tiptree Jr was a lady all along.

By: Alice

Alice — Mon, 11 Nov 2013 15:23:59 +0000

Aww! New author excitement. That is the best. But WAIT. James Tiptree Jr is a lady?

By: Jeanne

Jeanne — Mon, 11 Nov 2013 15:13:25 +0000

In reply to Gin Jenny. Ah, I love that in 18th-century satires. You'll get partway through and the author will put in a little dig about something you should have known, if you'd read the fourteen different prologues and dedications.

By: Gin Jenny

Gin Jenny — Mon, 11 Nov 2013 15:08:12 +0000

In reply to Jeanne. Ah, well, I don't like being surprised. I am happy as a clam to not be surprised. I suppose the reason I like a small knife-twist at the end is that it jogs at authorial and reader complacency. The author suddenly makes you pay attention to something that you weren't paying attention to before, and emphasizes the intentionality of how she was writing the story. I like that. It washes back over the rest of the story in a pleasing manner.

By: Gin Jenny

Gin Jenny — Mon, 11 Nov 2013 15:04:48 +0000

In reply to NWK (@MumsyNancy). I KNEW you would like that quote. I want to have it stenciled on the wall in the spare bedroom/study of my future apartment. Also, I will investigate some more James Tiptree Jr and let you know what stories of hers are best. I will keep you posted.