#136. HER SMOKE ROSE UP FOREVER By James Tiptree Jr

Published : 1990
Pages : 508
Overall Mark : 8/10

For a decade Alice Sheldon produced an extraordinary body of work under the pseudonym James Tiptree Jr, until her identity was exposed in 1977. This volume presents the finest of these stories and contains the Nebula Award-winning 'Love Is the Plan, The Plan Is Death'. Hugo Award-winning novella 'The Girl Who Was Plugged In', 'Houston, Houston, Do You Read?' – winner of both the Hugo and Nebula – and, of course, the story for which she is best known: 'The Woman Men Don’t See'.

JAMES TIPTREE JR (1915-1987)
One of science fiction’s most important feminist voices, Alice Sheldon wrote most of her fiction as James Tiptree, Jr – making a point about sexist assumptions and also keeping her US government employers from knowing her business. Most of her books are collections of short stories, of which Her Smoke Rose Up Forever is considered to be her best. She died tragically in 1987.

VERDICT
It's incredibly difficult to judge a short story collection, as some stories will be great and others will be weak. On the whole the bulk of this collection is enjoyable, mainly due to the fact that the standout stories for me, 'A Momentary Taste of Being' and 'Houston, Houston, Do You Read?' are also two of the longest, though the subject matter for many of the stories are incredibly similar, focussing on sexuality more often than not. The stories towards the end of the book are probably the weakest, and it's sad when a collection actually becomes less enjoyable as you progress, but by no means let me put you off reading this thoroughly fascinating collection.