The Adventures of Alyx
Blurb
The Adventures of Alyx is a 1976 collection of feminist science fiction stories by Joanna Russ.It is composed of five stories:
"Bluestocking" begins in the fantasy city of Ourdh. Alyx is hired by a young noblewoman to help the latter escape from an arranged marriage.
"I Thought She Was Afeard Till She Stroked My Beard" describes Alyx's escape from an abusive marriage to become a pirate.
"The Barbarian" takes place again in Ourdh. Alyx, the titular barbarian, is employed by a sorcerer with little regard for human life.
"Picnic on Paradise" presents Alyx as an agent of the Trans-Temporal Authority. Having been accidentally rescued from drowning in the bay of Tyre by a "time-scoop," she is employed to guide a group of ill-prepared vacationers across the treacherous landscape of an alien world.
"The Second Inquisition" takes place in 1925. In it, a young woman befriends an odd visitor, who is eventually revealed to be a time-traveling granddaughter of Alyx. The Trans-Temporal Authority of "Picnic on Paradise" is explicitly mentioned.
These stories display elements of science fiction cloaked in fantasy in a similar way to work by Mary Gentle, who has cited them as an influence.
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