The Short Review reviews Dangerous Space.
They’ve also posted an interview which, as my editor at Aqueduct has pointed out, does not mention the word “gender” a single time. I get the impression she thinks this is a miracle for me. But in fact it’s not all about gender, really. Sometimes it’s about sex other things.
Enjoy.
Hi, random internet stranger here (who loves your work by the way),
Scooting straight down to see what the review has to say about “Eye of the Storm” (which is a Stendhal syndrome story for me and I don’t care who knows it :), I thought it was interesting that Tania read Mars as ‘a young boy’ in that story, even though she spotted that Mars was written as ungendered in her/his other two stories… yet nonetheless felt that on balance s/he was female in “And Salome Danced”.
Based on my incredibly scientific research sample (i.e. a tiny handful of reviews of previous anthologies featuring those stories I’ve read at random times over the last few years), I can’t help feel that readers who don’t notice that Mars is ungendered have a tendency to see her/him as female in “Salome” and as male in “Storm”. I wonder why? (Not sure about “Dangerous Space”.)
I suppose the effect might be muted now that all three stories are published in the same volume… bit hard not to notice the neutral gendering three times in a row, surely?…
Anyway, congrats on the great reviews, and looking forward to reading the whole book as soon as it reaches Aussie shores (or I succumb to the great tempter that is Amazon…)
Hi Matt,
I had to go look up Stendhal syndrome, so a) I learned something and b) wow, that’s one of the coolest compliments I’ve ever had on a story, thank you very much indeed.
I think a lot about the Mars issue as well in regards to those two stories. I think that with “Salome” it’s because there is a specific instance where Lucky responds to Joe, and Mars doesn’t, and has the private thought surprise, little actor. Which could lead the reader to believe that Joe “ought” to be surprised because Mars is also a woman. It’s basically easier as a reader to assume that both are women, rather than assume that Joe assumes he can turn anyone on….
In “Storm,” well, it could be the fact that the quad is two women and a man when Mars meets them, and so folks assume the symmetry. I wrestled with that one for a while, but in the end I just thought that if there were two men in the quad, everyone would think Mars was a young woman by default, and since so many people thought Mars was a woman in “Salome,” it seemed that if I must leave a default impression, I should do so in the opposite direction.
And of course I can’t control what default assumptions readers bring to the table, that’s a fool’s game. So mostly with Mars I simply strive for some kind of internal balance in the stories. And I try hard not to give the impression of gyrating wildly in order to “hide” Mars’ gender. I work for that appearance of ease, for the story to simply unfold in such a way that gender references are unnecessary. It’s interesting that it’s not that hard, mostly.
As for “Dangerous Space,” well… I think it’s the best Mars story yet, although I have a huge love for “Storm” and am delighted when anyone else loves it… I love Mars’ huge yearning and stubbornness and questing spirit. And you’ll find all that in DS — and it seems to be a story that really works for readers in terms of just taking them there. I hope that if you get to read it, you’ll let me know what you think.
I had to look up that syndrome too. Excellent.
I did think that Joe assumes he can turn anyone on. And it seemed kinda true.
My thought about it has been that people assume a gender for Mars according to what part of the character they can identify (or not) with, and also according to stereotypical gender roles most of us pick up from society. Storm was the only story where I personally did not naturally assume which gender Mars was. I went back and forth. I think because of the fighting a lot of people would lean toward male (even tho the other two women do fight).
I think in all cases I tended to assume Mars was a woman because I am, and I could identify with some parts of Mars.
I think that’s great. I’m fine with whatever choice people make about Mars’ gender — my goal is for as many readers as possible to be able to access the character in whatever way they choose. The comfortable way, the not-so-comfortable way… some readers want a story to be a stretch, a challenge, and some want a story to be like a wave that falls over them and rolls them onto some fascinating shore. I hope Mars can be those things to people.