These 18 darkly complex short stories and novellas touch upon human nature and perception, metaphysics and epistemology, and gender and sexuality, foreshadowing a world in which biological tendencies bring about the downfall of humankind. Revisions from the author's notes are included, allowing a deeper view into her world and a better understanding of her work. The Nebula Award–winning short story Love Is the Plan, the Plan Is Death, the Hugo Award–winning novella The Girl Who Was Plugged In, and the Hugo and Nebula Award–winning novella Houston, Houston, Do You Read? are included.
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"There is just one great collection of Tiptree's fiction still in print...Her Smoke Rose Up Forever, from Tachyon Publications." —The New York Times Book Review
"Tiptree is one of the best story writers in or out of the [science fiction] field." —Locus
"One of science fiction's greatest assets." —Science Fiction Chronicle
"Exquisite, lyrical prose...keen insight and ability to depict singularity within the ordinary." —Publishers Weekly
"Showcases what are undoubtedly the best of Tiptree's stories." —SF Site
"One of the first hardbacks I ever bought and still one of my most read." —Locus
About the Author
James Tiptree, Jr., was a pseudonym for Alice Bradley Sheldon, the author of Brightness Falls from the Air, Byte Beautiful, and Tales of the Quintana Roo. She is recognized as one of the most respected writers in the science fiction world and has been the recipient of several awards including the Hugo, Locus, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards.
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31 of 32 people found the following review helpful
By Rory Coker
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In 508 pages we get 18 short stories by James Tiptree, Jr. Original publication dates range from 1969 to 1981. Time has overtaken many of the tales in a strange way, that makes one wish Tiptree were still around to appreciate developments. For instance, in "The Girl Who Was Plugged In," the world breathlessly watches the real-time antics of young, beautiful wealthy girls... who are actually brainless synthetic creations animated by what amount to brains in jars in an underground lab. What would Tiptree make of the Parises, Nicoles, Lindsays and Brittanies of our own day, who appear to have no brains located anywhere?
Tiptree really got rolling in 1973, when she published her three best-known stories, "The Girl...," along with "Love is the plan the plan is death," and "The Women Men Don't See." Along with 1976's "Houston, Houston, do you read?" these are the quintessential Tiptree tales. "Love is the plan..." is my favorite science fiction short story, and one of the best short stories of any kind ever written. It has not a single human character, and depicts the unbearably touching efforts of a gigantic, heavily-armored, multi-limbed alien to tackle and solve three deadly problems faced by his species, two internal--- stemming from instinctively programmed behavior--- and one external, a global climate change. That he will fail, and why he will fail, is evident early on from many clues fairly planted within the narrative. But he does his level best, which is indeed far better than you and I could hope to do, and like most Tiptree aliens, he is totally charming and lovable throughout his hopeless task. Our own species is currently failing completely to deal with a global climate change, and we are neither charming nor lovable in our miserably conflicted efforts.
"A Momentary Taste of Being" is another quintessential Tiptree story; an expedition of interstellar exploration inadvertently discovers the true purpose of human existence... a purpose which reveals all human effort, achievement and aspiration to be utterly pointless and futile. "With Delicate Mad Hands" is a key story, from 1981, that catches Tiptree in transition from symbolic War of the Sexes tales to space-operatic adventure. Almost all her stories from 1981 to her death in 1987 were space adventures set in the distant future.
Several tales here were completely new to me, particularly "Slow Music," from 1980, in which a chance (?) encounter of the earth with some alien stream of disembodied consciousness has made suicide so irresistibly attractive that there are only a handful of living humans. This story seems to contain a sly self-portrait of Tiptree herself, as the dying ancient human wreck that the two main characters discover on their way to see "The River," as the stream is called.
There's not a bad or mediocre story in the volume. And, alas, this is probably the only collection of Tiptree fiction currently in print in the US. Get it while it's still available.
Tiptree really got rolling in 1973, when she published her three best-known stories, "The Girl...," along with "Love is the plan the plan is death," and "The Women Men Don't See." Along with 1976's "Houston, Houston, do you read?" these are the quintessential Tiptree tales. "Love is the plan..." is my favorite science fiction short story, and one of the best short stories of any kind ever written. It has not a single human character, and depicts the unbearably touching efforts of a gigantic, heavily-armored, multi-limbed alien to tackle and solve three deadly problems faced by his species, two internal--- stemming from instinctively programmed behavior--- and one external, a global climate change. That he will fail, and why he will fail, is evident early on from many clues fairly planted within the narrative. But he does his level best, which is indeed far better than you and I could hope to do, and like most Tiptree aliens, he is totally charming and lovable throughout his hopeless task. Our own species is currently failing completely to deal with a global climate change, and we are neither charming nor lovable in our miserably conflicted efforts.
"A Momentary Taste of Being" is another quintessential Tiptree story; an expedition of interstellar exploration inadvertently discovers the true purpose of human existence... a purpose which reveals all human effort, achievement and aspiration to be utterly pointless and futile. "With Delicate Mad Hands" is a key story, from 1981, that catches Tiptree in transition from symbolic War of the Sexes tales to space-operatic adventure. Almost all her stories from 1981 to her death in 1987 were space adventures set in the distant future.
Several tales here were completely new to me, particularly "Slow Music," from 1980, in which a chance (?) encounter of the earth with some alien stream of disembodied consciousness has made suicide so irresistibly attractive that there are only a handful of living humans. This story seems to contain a sly self-portrait of Tiptree herself, as the dying ancient human wreck that the two main characters discover on their way to see "The River," as the stream is called.
There's not a bad or mediocre story in the volume. And, alas, this is probably the only collection of Tiptree fiction currently in print in the US. Get it while it's still available.
26 of 30 people found the following review helpful
By tangerine
James Tiptree, Jr. (the pen name for Alice Sheldon) excelled at imaginative plots, intriguing science, and most of all, lyrical writing. Her explorations of gender, biology and science were vivid and controversial, and she won all of science fiction's major awards. This short story collection was out of print for many years, and has now been revised with the author's original notes. It is a must-have for science fiction fans, feminists, anthroplogists, and, well, everyone. This is one of my favorite authors, and I truly love this book.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By B. Thompson
* viii * Introduction (Her Smoke Rose Up Forever) * essay by Michael Swanwick
* 1 * The Last Flight of Dr. Ain * (1969) * shortstory by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 9 * The Screwfly Solution * (1977) * shortstory by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 33 * And I Awoke and Found Me Here on the Cold Hill's Side * (1972) * shortstory by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 43 * The Girl Who Was Plugged In * (1973) * novelette by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 79 * The Man Who Walked Home * (1972) * shortstory by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 95 * And I Have Come Upon This Place by Lost Ways * (1972) * novelette by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 115 * The Women Men Don't See * (1973) * novelette by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 145 * Your Faces, O My Sisters! Your Faces Filled of Light! * (1976) * shortstory by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 163 * Houston, Houston, Do You Read? * (1976) * novella by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 217 * With Delicate Mad Hands * (1981) * novella by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 275 * A Momentary Taste of Being * (1975) * novella by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 361 * We Who Stole the Dream * (1978) * novelette by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 385 * Her Smoke Rose Up Forever * (1974) * novelette by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 403 * Love Is the Plan the Plan Is Death * (1973) * shortstory by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 421 * On the Last Afternoon * (1972) * novelette by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 445 * She Waits for All Men Born * (1976) * shortstory by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 459 * Slow Music * (1980) * novella by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 505 * And So On, and So On * (1971) * shortstory by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 1 * The Last Flight of Dr. Ain * (1969) * shortstory by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 9 * The Screwfly Solution * (1977) * shortstory by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 33 * And I Awoke and Found Me Here on the Cold Hill's Side * (1972) * shortstory by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 43 * The Girl Who Was Plugged In * (1973) * novelette by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 79 * The Man Who Walked Home * (1972) * shortstory by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 95 * And I Have Come Upon This Place by Lost Ways * (1972) * novelette by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 115 * The Women Men Don't See * (1973) * novelette by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 145 * Your Faces, O My Sisters! Your Faces Filled of Light! * (1976) * shortstory by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 163 * Houston, Houston, Do You Read? * (1976) * novella by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 217 * With Delicate Mad Hands * (1981) * novella by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 275 * A Momentary Taste of Being * (1975) * novella by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 361 * We Who Stole the Dream * (1978) * novelette by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 385 * Her Smoke Rose Up Forever * (1974) * novelette by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 403 * Love Is the Plan the Plan Is Death * (1973) * shortstory by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 421 * On the Last Afternoon * (1972) * novelette by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 445 * She Waits for All Men Born * (1976) * shortstory by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 459 * Slow Music * (1980) * novella by James Tiptree, Jr.
* 505 * And So On, and So On * (1971) * shortstory by James Tiptree, Jr.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
This will haunt you for a very long time
I latched onto Tiptree with the publication of his first anthology (Ten Thousand Light Years from Home) in the early 1970s, and eagerly awaited and devoured every subsequent... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mark Woodward
3.0 out of 5 stars
Big ideas, some truly brilliant gems, lots of difficulty, sex
Pros: Her Smoke Rose Up Forever is a collection of short stories and novellas, but I had very different reactions to many of them. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Forest F. White
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredible
In this volume are some of the best short stories I've ever read. And it's deliberate that I don't say "some of the best _science fiction_ stories... Read more
Published 10 months ago by K. Bunker
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent writing that will leave you thinking
The first thing that struck me about this collection was the quality of the writing. Sheldon has absolute mastery over the English language, and she displays it at every turn. Read more
Published 22 months ago by ReadingWhileFemale
5.0 out of 5 stars
I really enjoed this one.
Excellent collection of stories. "Houston, Houston, Do you read" was my favorite of the bunch. Tiptree's stories are truly original and leave you with the sense of wonder and the... Read more
Published 23 months ago by nate
5.0 out of 5 stars
PLEASE spare us the story synopses and let us discover them for...
I have no idea why anyone would want to write (or read) a review outlining each short story in an anthology. I want to discover the stories for myself. Read more
Published on September 15, 2010 by Jack Of Alltrades
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Science Fiction Still Current
Tiptree's classic work "Her Smoke Rose Up Forever" is remarkably applicable to today. The stories are not only an exciting read but in a time when the welfare of women and... Read more
Published on July 15, 2009 by Paula M. Sipe
5.0 out of 5 stars
James Tiptree/Alice Sheldon: Best author of the genre
All the best stories written by Sheldon are here, and they are as powerful as they ever were, and more cogent in today's violent world. Read more
Published on June 12, 2007 by Linda W. Purdy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding Sci-Fi with an Unusual Perspective
I'm an unsure how James Tiptree/Alice Bradley's work hasn't appeared in more of the feminist/women's studies courses I took in either undergrad or graduate school. Read more
Published on March 31, 2007 by The Diatribe
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Look into a Dark Soul
Some of the blurbs about Alice Sheldon, writing as James Tiptree, Jr., indicate that her real gender was a mystery and, in fact, some commented that `he had to be a man' because of... Read more
Published on March 21, 2007 by sbissell3
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