In the introduction to her new essay collection, Kameron
Hurley states “There’s a revolution going on. We’re seeing some of the loudest
and most violent of its battles inside a seemingly strange place: fan and
creator communities of science fiction and fantasy media.” Hurley then goes on
to explain why she wrote the essays in the collection, how they are part of the
narrative of persistence, particularly for women fans and creators, in the face
of this battle.
The essays in The Geek
Feminist Revolution are divided into four distinct sections that tackle
writing, fandom, the personal, and revolution itself. Of course, as in any
collection like this, these threads can be found in most of the essays in one
way or the other and some of the anecdotes from one essay will often influence
how one reads a later essay. Hurley’s voice throughout is engaging and
forceful. It’s hard not to see the power behind her arguments and to feel moved
to some kind of action within one’s own space as a writer or as a fan.
Some of her essays deepened my own perceptions of a work
that I’d enjoyed, such as “Wives, Warlords, and Refugees: The People Economy of
Mad Max,” and others, such as “Some Men are More Monstrous than Others: On True Detective’s Men and Monsters,” made
me want to argue with Hurley but in the best possible way. Hurley often reads
like listening to an excellent professor’s lecture: she’s seeking to expand
your knowledge on a subject, but also to bring your voice into the
conversation.
If there’s an issue with this collection, it’s less one with
Hurley’s work itself, and more with how this book will be read. Hurley is
writing about vital issues and in a way that shows their importance, but she’s
also writing to an audience who will probably already agree with her. I’m a
writer of SFF and horror, I’m a fan of SFF and horror, and I’m also a woman who
understands and thinks about gender and feminism a lot, so this book feels like
a great championing cry to me. However, I wonder if it’s going to be read by
people who need this book, but in a different way than I need this book: those
who might truly argue with Hurley’s stances or who might take offense at the
concepts that she’s bringing up. There’s not an easy fix to this issue and I do
hope it gets read much more widely than I’m assuming its target audience will
be. As Hurley says, “…there are a whole lot more of us now, connected via
online spaces, and all of us speaking out together are stronger than any one of
us speaking out alone.”
The Math
Baseline Assessment: 8/10
Bonuses: +1 for the excellent essay “We Have Always Fought”
Penalties: -1 for some essays working within the greater whole, but seeming to be somewhat superfluous on their own
Nerd Coefficient: 8/10 “well worth your time and attention”
Baseline Assessment: 8/10
Bonuses: +1 for the excellent essay “We Have Always Fought”
Penalties: -1 for some essays working within the greater whole, but seeming to be somewhat superfluous on their own
Nerd Coefficient: 8/10 “well worth your time and attention”
***
POSTED BY: Chloe, speculative fiction fan in all forms, monster theorist, and Nerds of a Feather blogger since 2016.
POSTED BY: Chloe, speculative fiction fan in all forms, monster theorist, and Nerds of a Feather blogger since 2016.
Reference: Hurley, Kameron The Geek Feminist
Revolution [Tor, 2016]