We Who Are About To...
OCLC 3160986 | |
We Who Are About To... is a feminist science fiction novel by Joanna Russ. It first appeared in magazine form in the January 1976 and February 1976 issues of Galaxy Science Fiction and was first published in book form by Dell Publishing in July 1977.
Plot
The story takes the form of an audio diary kept by the unnamed protagonist. A group of people, with no technical skills and scant supplies, are stranded on a planet and debate how to survive. The men in the group are dedicated to colonizing and populating the planet, but the unnamed female protagonist, who does not believe that long-term survival is possible, resists being made pregnant by them. Tensions escalate into violence, until finally she is forced to kill the other survivors in order to defend herself against rape. Left alone, she becomes increasingly philosophical, recounting her personal history in political agitation and attempting to chart the days and seasons even as she begins to hallucinate from hunger and loneliness. She experiences visions, first of the people she killed, and then of people from her past. Finally, weak from hunger, she resolves to kill herself.
Reception
We Who Are About To... received poor reviews at the time of publication, and was panned by
Publication history
- January 1976, United States, Galaxy Science Fiction, Jan 1976, ed. James Baen, publ. UPD Publishing Corporation, magazine
- February 1976, United States, Galaxy Science Fiction, Feb 1976, ed. James Baen, publ. UPD Publishing Corporation, magazine
- July 1977, United States, published by ISBN 0-440-19428-8, paperback
- May 1978, United States, published by ISBN 0-440-19428-8, paperback
- November 1978, Great Britain, published by ISBN 0-417-03220-X, paperback
- December 1978, United States, published by ISBN 0-8398-2495-5, hardcover
- August 1987, Great Britain, published by ISBN 0-7043-4085-2, paperback
- March 2005, United States, published by ISBN 0-8195-6759-0, trade paperback
- February 2017, Great Britain, published by ISBN 0-2412-5374-8, paperback
- October 2023, United States, in the anthology Joanna Russ: Novels & Stories, published by ISBN 978-1-59853-753-6, hardcover
References
- ^ Robinson, Spider (February 1978), "The Reference Library", Analog Science Fiction and Science Fact: 158–160
- ^ Budrys, Algis (February 1978), "Books", The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction: 23–24
- ^ Pringle, David (1991) The Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction, Pharos Books, p. 353
- ^ Lefanu, Sarah (1988) In the Chinks of the World Machine: Feminism and Science Fiction, The Women's Press
- ^ Delany, Samuel R. (1996) Longer Views: Extended Essays , Wesleyan
External links
- We Who Are About To... title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Duchamp, L.Timmel. "Joanna Russ's We Who Are About To..." ltimmelduchamp.com. Retrieved 2 June 2014.