Beyond Binary: Genderqueer and Sexually Fluid Speculative Fiction
ed. by Lee Mandelo
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.
Table of Contents:
"Sea of Cortez" by Sandra McDonald
"Eye of the Storm" by Kelley Eskridge
"Fisherman" by Nalo Hopkinson
"Pirate Solutions" by Katherine Sparrow
"A Wild and a Wicked Youth" by Ellen Kushner
"Prosperine When It Sizzles" by Tansy Rayner Roberts
"The Faerie 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
Lee Mandelo is a writer, critic, and editor whose primary fields of interest are speculative fiction and queer literature, especially when the two coincide. They have two books out, Beyond Binary: Genderqueer and Sexually Fluid Speculative Fiction and We Wuz Pushed: On Joanna Russ and Radical Truth-telling, and in the past have edited for publications like Strange Horizons Magazine. Other work has been featured in magazines such as Stone Telling, Clarkesworld, Apex, and Ideomancer. They also write regularly for Tor.com and have several long-running column series there, including Queering SFF, a mix of criticism, editorials, and reviews on QUILTBAG speculative fiction.
Paperback, 276 pages
Cover by Ryan Vance
“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, winner of the Nebula Award, the James Tiptree, Jr. Award, the World Fantasy Award and six Lambda Literary Awards
''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