Featuring the following stories: ''Sea of Cortez'' by Sandra McDonald / ''Eye of the Storm'' by Kelley Eskridge / ''Fisherman'' by Nalo Hopkinson / ''Pirate Solutions'' by Katie Sparrow / ''A Wild and a Wicked Youth'' by Ellen Kushner / ''Prosperine When it Sizzles'' by Tansy Roberts / ''The Faery Cony-Catcher'' by Delia Sherman / ''Palimpsest'' by Catherynne M. Valente / ''Another Coming'' by Sonya Taaffe / ''Bleaker Collegiate Presents an All-Female Production of Waiting for Godot'' by Claire Humphrey / ''The Ghost Party'' by Richard Larson / ''Bonehouse'' by Keffy R. M. Kehrli / ''Sex with Ghosts'' by Sarah Kanning / ''Spoiling Veena'' by Keyan Bowes / ''Self-Reflection'' by Tobi Hill-Meyer / ''The Metamorphosis Bud'' by Liu Wen Zhuang / ''Schrodinger's Pussy'' by Terra LeMay
Beyond Binary
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Book Description
Speculative fiction is the literature of questions, of challenges and imagination, and what better to question than the ways in which gender and sexuality have been rigidly defined, partitioned off, put in little boxes? These seventeen stories explore the ways in which identity can go beyond binary from space colonies to small college towns, from angels to androids, and from a magical past to other worlds entirely, the authors in this collection have brought to life wonderful tales starring people who proudly define (and redefine) their own genders, sexualities, identities, and so much else in between.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
''Mandelo's introduction explains, 'Non-binary identities and expressions are often marginalized; our voices are silenced, our identities are effaced, and our stories go untold.' Defying that trend of oppression, the narrative voices of these 17 stories are loud and strong. ''Fisherman'' by Nalo Hopkinson, a deeply intimate story about a 'mannish woman' visiting a brothel, questions notions of socially acceptable relationships. Sandra McDonald's poignant ''Sea of Cortez'' explores covert sexuality on board a navy ship during WWII. ''Schrodinger's Pussy'' by Terra LeMay is a love letter of sorts that illuminates what it means to be human, regardless of gender or sexual preference. These and other stellar stories from Catherynne M. Valente, Ellen Kushner, Delia Sherman, and Tansy Rayner Roberts will inspire writers, delight and satisfy readers who are already familiar with fluid gender identities, and leave newly enlightened readers determined to make the world more welcoming.'' --Publishers Weekly, starred review
''Seventeen stories of genderqueer and sexually fluid people living, laughing, lusting and lying their way through the world. Seventeen points of light burning like beacons above the plain of 'normal.' Seventeen tales written mostly in the twenty-first century about the future, the past that never was, and alternate universes that might never be (or always have been). Seventeen authors working on the bow wave of their own writing, riding a surge of inspiration.
''Seventeen stories of genderqueer and sexually fluid people living, laughing, lusting and lying their way through the world. Seventeen points of light burning like beacons above the plain of 'normal.' Seventeen tales written mostly in the twenty-first century about the future, the past that never was, and alternate universes that might never be (or always have been). Seventeen authors working on the bow wave of their own writing, riding a surge of inspiration.
These writers--the vast majority identify as female, a thrill all of its own--play with many versions of queer. The stories range from a 35-page novelette that begins at the raw edge of loneliness and ends in exuberant human connection, to a 6-page blink of quantum weirdness encompassing all possibilities. The stories teem with gay, trans, lesbian, bi, polyamorous, asexual, unspecified, and imaginary people--as well as aliens, angels, and androids. But each ends with some oh-so-human satisfaction, resolution, or glad understanding. Beyond Binary is peopled by those who are brave, who say Yes to joy--and not only survive but thrive.
Some of these pieces are truly strange. Some are delicious romps. But in the end this is the rarest of anthologies: the sum is greater than its parts. Read it. Read it all.'' --Nicola Griffith, multiple award-winning author and editor
About the Author
Brit Mandelo (britmandelo.com) is a writer, critic, and occasional editor whose primary fields of interest are speculative fiction and queer literature, especially when the two coincide. Her work fiction, nonfiction, poetry; she wears a lot of hats has been featured in magazines such as Clarkesworld, Tor.com, and Ideomancer. She also writes regularly for Tor.com and has several long-running column series there, including Queering SFF, a mix of criticism, editorials, and reviews on LGBTQI speculative fiction. When not writing, she is a perpetual student and is working up to an eventual (hopefully) PhD. She is a Louisville native and lives there with her partner in an apartment that doesn t have room for all the books.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Never goes fully 'beyond binary,' but standout stories make it worthwhile
April 30, 2012
By Jasper
Format:Paperback
(This review also appears on the Lesbrary.)
Bottom line: A collection of mostly solid, satisfying queer short stories, though several never live up to the anthology's promise to go "beyond binary."
How does it treat women/same-sex relationships? The worlds of the stories all differ, from present-day Western European/North American countries to pure SF/F settings. In some stories, sexism and anti-queer sentiments are at present-day or greater levels; in some, they are below present-day levels. In most stories, the queer characters reach a hopeful resolution in which their sexual orientation and gender identities are accepted by those who matter to them. However, in several stories, queer characters' futures are left in doubt and their identities remain uneasily accepted by their societies.
Does it have explicit sex scenes?: Yes, several stories have explicit sex scenes, including group sex scenes with members of both genders, f/f and m/m sex scenes, and consensual underage sex scenes.
Would I read it again? Yes. Several of the short stories were clever, sharp, strong, thoughtful and/or sexy, with two standouts that I would gladly read many times over. If I read this collection over again, though, there are stories I would skip.
Would I publish it? No, not as it stands. I would weed out several of the stories that don't push gender identity beyond male/female or sexuality beyond gay/straight and hunt down stories that challenge binary conceptions in stronger ways.
Read Beyond Binary. It fails, as an anthology, to go very far beyond male/female straight/gay conceptions of gender identity and sexual orientation.... Read more ›
Bottom line: A collection of mostly solid, satisfying queer short stories, though several never live up to the anthology's promise to go "beyond binary."
How does it treat women/same-sex relationships? The worlds of the stories all differ, from present-day Western European/North American countries to pure SF/F settings. In some stories, sexism and anti-queer sentiments are at present-day or greater levels; in some, they are below present-day levels. In most stories, the queer characters reach a hopeful resolution in which their sexual orientation and gender identities are accepted by those who matter to them. However, in several stories, queer characters' futures are left in doubt and their identities remain uneasily accepted by their societies.
Does it have explicit sex scenes?: Yes, several stories have explicit sex scenes, including group sex scenes with members of both genders, f/f and m/m sex scenes, and consensual underage sex scenes.
Would I read it again? Yes. Several of the short stories were clever, sharp, strong, thoughtful and/or sexy, with two standouts that I would gladly read many times over. If I read this collection over again, though, there are stories I would skip.
Would I publish it? No, not as it stands. I would weed out several of the stories that don't push gender identity beyond male/female or sexuality beyond gay/straight and hunt down stories that challenge binary conceptions in stronger ways.
Read Beyond Binary. It fails, as an anthology, to go very far beyond male/female straight/gay conceptions of gender identity and sexual orientation.... Read more ›
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By J. Andrews
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This anthology starts out strong with some really good stories. Stories I love. Absolutely love. 'Round about the middle, we got into stories I didn't click with as much. But then I came out the other side and the end stories were all different and interesting.
You wouldn't find all these stories in the same anthology in any other circumstance, because they range from different science fiction subgenres to different fantasy subgenres to a few that feel interstitial. They're also written in different styles. Which basically means there should be something for everyone, but not everything will be for everyone.
I'd list the stories I really loved, but I kind of don't want to play favorites. They're _all_ worth reading.
There is a nice progression to the stories, so that one story does seem to naturally come out of the one before it.
These are all reprints, so the quality is high. But while you may have run across a few of them before, you're unlikely to have seen most of them.
The design of the page numbers was a nice touch.
You wouldn't find all these stories in the same anthology in any other circumstance, because they range from different science fiction subgenres to different fantasy subgenres to a few that feel interstitial. They're also written in different styles. Which basically means there should be something for everyone, but not everything will be for everyone.
I'd list the stories I really loved, but I kind of don't want to play favorites. They're _all_ worth reading.
There is a nice progression to the stories, so that one story does seem to naturally come out of the one before it.
These are all reprints, so the quality is high. But while you may have run across a few of them before, you're unlikely to have seen most of them.
The design of the page numbers was a nice touch.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Review for Beyond Binary.
I really enjoyed this collection of stories about people redefining sexual identity and gender. The stories are all speculative fiction, reprinted from a variety of speculative fiction magazines and anthologies. They range from the slightly different to the quite strange, and some are more accessible than others, but all are well written and worth reading. The choices are a good selection of the editor calls "sexually fluid", one of my current favorite phrases. Several stories are sexually explicit and others cover some dark territory.
Two of my favorites were at the end. In The Metamorphosis Bud, an 87-year old woman wakes up to find herself transformed. How she explores the transformation in the streets of San Francisco is truly funny. In Schrodinger's Pussy (the best title, IMHO), a woman is visited by a future self and what ensues is both explicit and fascinating.
I also enjoyed A Wild and A Wicked Youth, for the writing, and because I learned how Richard, from Swordspoint, got to Riverside. The Faerie Cony-Catcher was a twist on the havoc fairies can wreak on the unsuspecting, expressed in lovely language and a twinkle in the eye.
I also very much enjoyed Fisherman, a wonderful character who tugged at my heart, and Eye of the Storm, a long story with wonderful characters and an unusual premise that came together beautifully.
I really enjoyed this collection of stories about people redefining sexual identity and gender. The stories are all speculative fiction, reprinted from a variety of speculative fiction magazines and anthologies. They range from the slightly different to the quite strange, and some are more accessible than others, but all are well written and worth reading. The choices are a good selection of the editor calls "sexually fluid", one of my current favorite phrases. Several stories are sexually explicit and others cover some dark territory.
Two of my favorites were at the end. In The Metamorphosis Bud, an 87-year old woman wakes up to find herself transformed. How she explores the transformation in the streets of San Francisco is truly funny. In Schrodinger's Pussy (the best title, IMHO), a woman is visited by a future self and what ensues is both explicit and fascinating.
I also enjoyed A Wild and A Wicked Youth, for the writing, and because I learned how Richard, from Swordspoint, got to Riverside. The Faerie Cony-Catcher was a twist on the havoc fairies can wreak on the unsuspecting, expressed in lovely language and a twinkle in the eye.
I also very much enjoyed Fisherman, a wonderful character who tugged at my heart, and Eye of the Storm, a long story with wonderful characters and an unusual premise that came together beautifully.
4 of 8 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
The stellar entries make it worth a read, but overall a uneven collection
May 1, 2012
By Sally Bend
Format:Paperback
Brit Mandelo's Beyond Binary is a collection of previously published Genderqueer and Sexually Fluid Speculative Fiction that I'd been looking forward to for quite some time. Having finally had a chance to read it through and go back to revisit a few of the stories I felt weren't quite so deserving of the tag speculative fiction, I have to say it's an interesting enough collection. There are some stellar entries that definitely make this worth a read, but overall I was disappointed in the extent to which the authors attempted to queer the concept of gender.
Nalo Hopkinson's "Fisherman" was definite highlight of the collection for me, with it's languid revelation of gender and its remarkably sincere exploration of sexuality. The relationship that develops here is a delight to experience, with an understanding whore who acknowledges and respects her client's chosen gender, while equally accommodating and his birth gender in their intimacies.
Ellen Kushner's "A Wild and Wicked Youth" was another strong addition to the book, a longer story about very personal expressions of gender and unusual expressions of sexuality. If you never thought fighting could be sexy, or that enjoying the thrill of victory could be orgasmic, then you need to read this. Very clever, and very well-done.
Sonya Taaffe's "Another Coming" was a beautifully written piece, full of haunting imagery, but it only strains the gender binary with one relationship, and it's never satisfactorily explained how it could work. A lovely bisexual story, but not necessarily genderqueer.
Sarah Kanning's "Sex with Ghosts" was another favourite of mine, featuring a robot sex worker with a flair for English poetry.... Read more ›
Nalo Hopkinson's "Fisherman" was definite highlight of the collection for me, with it's languid revelation of gender and its remarkably sincere exploration of sexuality. The relationship that develops here is a delight to experience, with an understanding whore who acknowledges and respects her client's chosen gender, while equally accommodating and his birth gender in their intimacies.
Ellen Kushner's "A Wild and Wicked Youth" was another strong addition to the book, a longer story about very personal expressions of gender and unusual expressions of sexuality. If you never thought fighting could be sexy, or that enjoying the thrill of victory could be orgasmic, then you need to read this. Very clever, and very well-done.
Sonya Taaffe's "Another Coming" was a beautifully written piece, full of haunting imagery, but it only strains the gender binary with one relationship, and it's never satisfactorily explained how it could work. A lovely bisexual story, but not necessarily genderqueer.
Sarah Kanning's "Sex with Ghosts" was another favourite of mine, featuring a robot sex worker with a flair for English poetry.... Read more ›
