Even the Queen
| "Even the Queen" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by Connie Willis | |
| Genre(s) | science fiction |
| Publication | |
| Published in | Asimov's Science Fiction |
| Publisher | Davis Publications |
| Media type | Print (Magazine) |
| Publication date | April 1992 |
"Even the Queen" is a science fiction short story by Connie Willis, exploring the long-term cultural effects of scientific control of menstruation. It was originally published in 1992 in Asimov's Science Fiction, and appears in Willis' short-story collection Impossible Things (1994) and The Best of Connie Willis (2013), as well as in the audio-book Even the Queen and Other Short Stories (1996).
Synopsis
[edit]Three generations of women discuss the decision of one of their daughters to join the "Cyclists", a group of traditionalist women who have chosen to menstruate even though scientific breakthroughs (in particular, a substance called "ammenerol") have made this unnecessary. The title refers to the fact that "even the Queen" (of the United Kingdom) menstruated.
Reception
[edit]"Even the Queen" won the 1993 Hugo Award for Best Short Story.[1] It also won the 1993 Nebula Award for Best Short Story.[2] Nalo Hopkinson called it "hilarious and contrary".[3] Laura Quilter, conversely, felt that it was "more of a diatribe against" feminism, with its humor being largely "its rather mean-spirited depiction of various strains of feminism";[4] Quilter subsequently specified that although the story "had some truthfulness & consequently some honest humor", she found it to be "hugely over-rated".[5]
The Village Voice considers it "light-hearted" and "a comedy of identity politics and mother-daughter relations",[6] while Billboard, reviewing the audiobook, describes it as a "sly jab at both feminists and anti-feminists."[7]
References
[edit]- ^ 1993 Hugo Awards, at TheHugoAwards.org; retrieved May 17, 2017
- ^ "sfadb: Nebula Awards 1993". www.sfadb.com. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
- ^ A Woman's Liberation: A Choice of Futures by and About Women, reviewed by Nalo Hopkinson, in Science Fiction Weekly; issue 234; retrieved January 13, 2019 via archive.org
- ^ Reviews: Connie Willis, by Laura Quilter, at Feminist SF; published August 11, 2001; retrieved via archive.org
- ^ Reviews: Connie Willis, by Laura Quilter, at Feminist SF; published February 18, 2003; retrieved via archive.org
- ^ Connie Willis Invades Wartime Britain, by Julie Phillips, at the Village Voice; published October 10, 2010; retrieved May 17, 2017
- ^ AUDIO BOOKS, edited by Trudi Miller Rosenblum, in Billboard (via Google Books); published December 12, 1996; retrieved May 17, 2017
External links
[edit]- Even the Queen title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database