James Tiptree, Jr., The Long List Anthology Volume 2, & Dangerous Things

Letters to Tiptree 

Alexandra Pierce & Alisa Krasnostein, Editors

I can't remember when I first bumped into James Tiptree, Jr., but I do remember falling in love with his stories immediately. As with so many things that I have loved, however, Tiptree slipped away from me, and though I have thought of him from time to time . . . and even picked up a few of his books when they lifted their snouts above the ocean's surface for a breath . . . I haven't really read him for three or four decades.

But today I bought The Long List Anthology Volume 2: More Stories From the Hugo Award Nomination List (edited by David Steffen) because (1) I like science fiction, (2) anthologies are a good way to get to know a bunch of writers, including at least a few of whom you've never previously heard, (3) I have been out of touch with modern science fiction for quite some time and wanted to dip my toe back into the pool, and (4) it was only 99 cents. The equivalent of 594 pages for 99 cents? Um, YE-es. 

I looked over the table of contents to see how many names I recognized. There was a time when I would have recognized 80 to 100% of the names in pretty much any science fiction anthology. This time around? I recognized one name: Elizabeth Bear. But I only recognized her name because I thought she was Greg Bear's wife. Turns out she wasn't. So zero, then.

So I turned back to the Foreword, hoping to gain a little insight there, and in the six short paragraphs I found out that two of the "stories" in this anthology were actually non-fiction pieces . . . or, at least, not-fiction pieces. They were letters written to James Tiptree, Jr., for inclusion in a book of letters written to James Tiptree, Jr., and entitled Letters to Tiptree. 

James Tiptree, Jr., died May 19, 1987.

More or less. Since James Tiptree, Jr., was the pen name for Alice Bradley Sheldon.

I read both of the not-fiction pieces. And (1) I liked them both a lot, (2) I immediately wanted to read more stuff by both of the writers--Nicola Griffith & Seanan McGuire, and (3) I immediately wanted to read some James Tiptree, Jr. stuff.  

And there on my shelf was Meet Me at Infinity, which was a posthumous publication including both short stories and essays. 

Sometimes it is good to live in a house of books.

Now I've got some reading to do.