The Shore of Women : The Classic Work of Feminist Science Fiction

"A cautionary tale, well-written, with excellent character characterization, a fine love story, as well as much food for thought...an elegant science fiction novel." —Ann McCaffrey This classic work of feminist science fiction finds the world reordered. Following a nuclear holocaust, women have used advanced technology to expel men from their cities, bringing them back only for purposes of loveless reproduction under the guise of powerful goddesses. When one young woman, Birana, questions her society's deception, she finds herself exiled amongst the very men she has been taught to scorn. As Birana and her reluctant male protector Arvil grow closer, their feelings for each other just might mend their fractured world—if they somehow manage to survive. “Pamela Sargent gives meticulous attention to a believable scenario....a captivating tale both from the aspect of the lessons that the author tries to impart and from the skills she has used to tell it.” —The Rocky Mountain News “How many perfect science fiction novels have I read? Not many. There are at most three or four such works in a decade. Pamela Sargent’s THE SHORE OF WOMEN is one of the few perfect novels of the 1980s....Her story of a woman exiled from a safe high-tech city of women, the man ordered by the gods to kill her, and their search for a place of safety, is powerful, beautiful, and true.” —The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction A dystopian tale of a power struggle between the sexes in the post-nuclear future, perfect for readers of Margaret Atwood and Ursula K. Le Guin. After a nuclear holocaust, women rule the world. Using advanced technology, they’ve expelled men from their vast walled cities to roam the countryside in primitive bands, bringing them back only for the purpose of loveless reproduction under the guise of powerful goddesses. When one young woman, Birana, questions her society’s deception, she finds herself exiled among the very men she has been taught to scorn. She crosses paths with a hunter, Arvil, and the two grow close as they evade the ever-threatening female forces and the savage wilderness men. Their love just might mend their fractured world—if they manage to survive. Hailed as “one of the genre’s best writers” by the Washington Post Book World , Pamela Sargent is the author of numerous novels, including Earthseed and Venus of Dreams . The winner of the Nebula and Locus awards, she has also coauthored several Star Trek novels with George Zebrowski. This classic work of feminist science fiction finds the world reordered. Following a nuclear holocaust, women have used advanced technology to expel men from their cities, bringing them back only for purposes of loveless reproduction under the guise of powerful goddesses. When one young woman, Birana, questions her society{u2019}s deception, she finds herself exiled amongst the very men she has been taught to scorn. As Birana and her reluctant male protector Arvil grow closer, their feelings for each other just might mend their fractured world{u2014}if they somehow manage to survive I had expected Birana to weep. I had thought that when she was finally led to the wall, she would plead with the city, even though her plea would have been futile. Instead, she gazed steadily at the women who had pronounced her sentence, as if condemning those who had condemned her.