Thank you to NetGalley/Bloomsbury USA for a copy of Women! In! Peril! in exchange for an honest review.
Summary
In this … collection, we meet a sex bot trying to outlast her return policy, a skeptical lesbian grappling with her wife’s mysterious pregnancy and a post-Earth colonist struggling to maintain her faith in humanity as she travels to “Planet B.”
Whether they exist in the grounded realism of a college dance studio or the speculative world of Deep Space, these women push against social norms and family expectations to reclaim their power, understand their mistakes and find a better future.
Some Are Better Than Others
Jessie Ren Marshall’s Women! In! Peril! has a great title and a great cover. I’m also so impressed that the same author wrote all 12 stories. That shows a lot of breadth. Marshall has a way with language that is raw and real (I’m not surprised she’s a playwright).
Unfortunately, only a few of the stories in this collection stood out to me. I loved the book’s first story, which centers on a sex robot and her desire to please, which is, in fact, her only desire in life. The story is chilling and rich with humanity.
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Another standout is about a woman who may as well be called a “womban,” on a ship with other “womben” on their way to help populate “Planet B.” It’s of the moment but still far enough away that “enuf” is the acceptable spelling.
The third story I liked was about a dancer who’s great but not excellent. Then, she gets into an accident and loses her memory of the event.
I am trying to figure out what I didn’t like about the other stories other than they bored me somewhat. But what about them bored me? Every story in this collection features women (in peril). Perhaps the other stories are more mundane. Maybe I need something high-action.
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I’m certain that there will always be some stories that one person likes more than another, but I can’t help but shake the idea that the ones I liked were, in fact, better than the others. Short stories are challenging to write. They are much less forgiving than novels. And they require more of the author and reader than flash fiction.
Should You Read It?
I do think that Women! In! Peril! is worth reading for the three stories I mentioned. But you’ll probably want to check it out from the library instead of forking over nearly $20.00 on it.
Women! In! Peril! comes out on April 2, 2024.
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