Firebrands: Heroines of Science Fiction and Fantasy [Import] [Paperback]

Pamela Sargent (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Paper Tiger (1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1855854627
• ISBN-13: 978-1855854628
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 8.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,673,303 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ron Miller (born May 8, 1947 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an artist and author who lives and works in South Boston, Virginia in the United States. His current work is primarily the writing and illustration of books specializing in astronomical, astronautical and science fiction subjects for young adults.

Miller holds a BFA from Columbus, Ohio, College of Art and Design. He worked as a commercial artist and designer for six years, before taking a position as art director for the National Air & Space Museum's Albert Einstein Planetarium. He left there in 1977 to became a freelance illustrator and author; to date he has nearly forty book titles to his credit, and his illustrations have appeared on scores of book jackets, book interiors and in magazines such as National Geographic, Reader's Digest, Scientific American, Smithsonian, Analog, Starlog, Air & Space, Sky & Telescope, Newsweek, Natural History, Discover, GEO and others.

Miller has translated and illustrated new editions of Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, From the Earth to the Moon and Journey to the Center of the Earth as well as a companion/atlas to Verne's works, Extraordinary Voyages. He has acted as a consultant on Verne for Walt Disney Imagineering and A&E Television Network's Biography series. Miller's book The Dream Machines, a comprehensive 744-page history of manned spacecraft, was nominated for the International Astronautical Federation's Manuscript Award and won the Booklist Editor's Choice Award. His original paintings are in numerous private and public collections, including the Smithsonian Institution and the Pushkin Museum (Moscow).

He designed a set of ten commemorative postage stamps for the U.S. Postal Service. He has been a production illustrator for motion pictures, notably Dune and Total Recall; and he designed and co-directed the computer-generated show ride film, Impact!

Miller has taken part in international space art workshops and exhibitions, including seminal sessions held in Iceland and the Soviet Union. He was invited by the Soviet government to the 30th anniversary celebration of the launch of Sputnik, and has lectured on space art and space history in the U.S., France, Japan, Italy and Great Britain. He was featured on Hour 25 Science Fiction Radio program in early 2003.

An authority on the work of the famed astronomical artist Chesley Bonestell, his book The Art of Chesley Bonestell received a Hugo Award in 2002; other books have received awards, including a Silver Award for best fiction from ForeWord magazine and the Violet Crown Award from the Writers' League of Texas. His Worlds Beyond series received the American Institute of Physics Award of Excellence. The Grand Tour, has gone through three editions, multiple printings, several translations, was a Hugo Award nominee and has sold over 250,000 copies. It was also a twice a Book-of-the-Month feature selection. Other books have been selections of the Science, Quality Paperback and Science Fiction Book Clubs.

Miller has also had several short stories included in science fiction anthologies.

Miller has been on the faculty of the International Space University. He is a contributing editor for Air & Space/Smithsonian magazine; a member of the International Academy of Astronautics; a Life Member, Fellow and past Trustee of the International Association of Astronomical Artists; an Honorary Member of the Societe Jules Verne (Paris); a Member of the North American Jules Verne Society and a Fellow of the British Interplanetary Society.

Books written or co-written

* The Space Art Poster Book (Stackpole, 1979)
* Space Art (Starlog, 1979)
* The Grand Tour (Workman, 1981; revised edition, 1993; revised edition, 2005)
* Worlds Beyond: The Art of Chesley Bonestell (Donning, 1983)
* Out of the Cradle (Workman, 1984)
* Cycles of Fire (Workman, 1987)
* Stars and Planets (Doubleday, 1987)
* Decalcomania--A Tourist's Handbook and Guide (Black Cat Press, 1987)
* Mathematics (Doubleday, 1989)
* 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Unicorn, 1988)
* In the Stream of Stars (Workman, 1990)
* The Bronwyn Trilogy: Palaces & Prisons, Silk & Steel, Hearts & Armor (Ace, 1991-1992)
* The History of Earth (Workman, 1992)
* The Dream Machines (Krieger, 1993)
* Extraordinary Voyages (Black Cat Press, 1994)
* BrainQuest (Workman, 1994)
* Firebrands (Paper Tiger, 1998)
* 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Dorling Kindersley, 1998)
* The History of Rockets (Grolier, 1999)
* Bradamant (Timberwolf, 2000)
* The History of Science Fiction (Grolier, 2001)
* The Art of Chesley Bonestell (Paper Tiger, 2001)
* Palaces & Prisons (Timberwolf Press, 2001)
* Silk & Steel (Timberwolf Press, 2002)
* Hearts & Armor (Black Cat Press, 2005)
* Mermaids & Meteors (Black Cat Press, 2005)
* Velda (Timberwolf Press, 2003)
* Worlds Beyond (eleven-book series, Millbrook Press, 2002-2005)
* Special Effects in the Movies (Millbrook Press, 2006)
* The Elements (Millbrook Press, 2004)
* 13 Steps to Velda (Black Cat Press, 2005)
* Captain Judikah (Black Cat Press, 2005)
* Pathetic Selections (Black Cat Press, 2005)
* Journey to the Center of the Earth (Black Cat Press, 2005)
* The Conquest of Space (four-book series, Lerner, 2007-2008)
* Extreme Wonders: Aircraft (Hylas Publishing, 2007)
* Digital Art (Lerner, 2007-2008)
* Cleopatra (Chelsea House, 2008)
* The Seven Wonders of Engineering (Lerner, 2009)
* The Seven Wonders of the Gas Giants (Lerner, 2010)
* The Seven Wonders of the Rocky Planets (Lerner, 2010)
* The Seven Wonders of Meteors, Asteroids and Comets (Lerner, 2010)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting history and fantasy art, March 5, 2008

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wiredweird "wiredweird" (Earth, or somewhere nearby) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Firebrands: Heroines of Science Fiction and Fantasy (Paperback)

Sargent's text and Miller's artwork would each make a decent book - together, the combination is quite enjoyable.

Starting with fantasies from the 16th century, Sargent notes how Shakespeare's Titania, Spenser's Britomart, and others, she shows some of the roots of the heroic female character in fantasy. Next, she presents some 19th century ambiguities: H. Rider Haggard's "She" and Hans Christian Andersen's (not Disney's!) "Little Mermaid" among them. The first half of the twentieth century did not always treat the female leads with such respect. Dejah Thoris and most - but not all - of Burroughs's women spent lots of time being saved. Few entered the "boys' club" of science fiction heroes. Some, like Doc Smith's Clarissa MacDougal, got grudging day passes, and a few others joined as full members. By the 1960s, though plenty of strong leading ladies appeared, even in male authors' writings. The women's movement of the 1970s might explain part of the inrush of women writing science fiction, as well as starring in its stories. The topic covers too much territory for an approachable book to be exhaustive so Sargent probably misses some of your favorites, including Honor Harrington, Red Sonya, Ellen from Morris's "News from Nowhere," and the entire populations of Herland and Mizora. Still, Sargent offers a reasonable survey with plenty of examples to illustrate the trends she identifies.

Miller's paintings, an average around one per page, illustrate a range of these heroines. The artwork generally comes across as capable and expressive. A few facial expressions come across oddly (e.g. pp.10,18), and the figures lack Frazetta's drama or Julie Bell's power. Miller's style is easy to enjoy, especially by fans of the unclad female form, but that modern style creates some sense of anachronism when applied to 19th and early 20th century characters.

In spite of weaknesses, the art complements the text well, and will add to any library of fantasy art. It's not a "must have," buf fun and informative anyway.

-- wiredweird