(Okay, so I did manage to get the words together and find the will to put them on the screen!)
This isn't exactly a book review, and will involve spoilers for the story, so if you don't want to know the score, look away now!
The cover blurb describes the novel as, a "classic work of feminist science fiction" and the introduction written by Catharine Asaro concludes, "In the end it offers a message of hope".
I think it is a novel that is about feminism and the Patriarchy, and that's what I'm going to address in my thoughts on it. I think that it is not a "message of hope", because, as I'll explain, there are no solutions offered, only questions asked.
The novel (set in a post-nuclear holocaust world) features a number of different oppressive social structures relating to gender, and each one I think offers us an insight into the way that the Patriarchy works. I think they also can offer some insights into feminism.
The main social structure is the one that governs the Earth in this novel. It is in name, a matriarchy (the ruling class are called the "Mothers of the City", so "matriarchy" is appropriate - as the society is described, it is both a figurative and a literal term). The structure is completely gender-segregated, and it has been arranged that men live in small hunter-gatherer "bands" in competition with nature and with one another, while women live in vast citadels (called "enclaves" by the men), and preserve knowledge of science and arts. A matriarchal religion based around a figure called "The Lady" is used by the women to direct the behaviour of the men, which presents the concept that there is only "The Lady", and all human female forms are "aspects" of Her. A technology of long-distance, mind-to-mind communication via a device worn on the head, allows the "Mothers of the City" to send images and experiences of themselves, or of recorded figures, directly to the minds of men who worship at the "shrines" in which the men's ends of the communication devices are housed. In this way, by "appearances of aspects of The Lady", men can be directed in their lives, or summoned to "the enclave" in order for the fittest and strongest men to have their sperm harvested. At other times, the recorded images are used to give reward to men who have done well or been obedient: the recorded figures bring the man to orgasm while he lies wearing the communication device.
Apart from this reward, men use boys or each other for sexual release, and it is explicit that boys are raped by older men (on the understanding that if the boy grows up to be big and strong, he will be able to take his revenge eventually).
The explanation given by the women is that men are naturally violent, so they are simply in their element doing this and nothing more can be expected of them. However, early on in the novel we discover that when men try to band together in larger groups, develop agriculture and abandon the hunter-gatherer lifestyle to develop peaceful bonds and larger settlements, the "Mothers of the City" take violent action to exterminate the men who do so - the primitive and warlike state is not "natural", but enforced. This is because the women fear that if men should redevelop technology (even just from scratch), then the "naturally violent" men will regain control of the world and disaster will follow, just as it did before (causing the holocaust).
Reproduction, obviously, is by artificial insemination; and only Mothers of the City give birth to boys, which is their duty to ensure that a healthy supply of genetic variety is possible for future generations. Boys are cared for inside the cities until they are able to walk and strong enough to fend for themselves in the male society (this is apparently around about the age of 4 years old). The mind technology is used to erase memories of the inside of the city, and when a man is called to have his sperm harvested, the young boy is sent out with him, appearing to the man as though he has appeared miraculously.
The final part of this social structure are referred to by the Mothers as being "those whom we serve", and comprise the majority of women in the cities. These women are deemed unable or unwilling to make the decisions about how the society should be run, and are treated as being irrational creatures whose only bliss is in ignorance, and it is the "duty" of the Mothers of the City to make decisions that preserve that state.
The central crisis of the story is when the Mothers expel one of their own from the city, believing that a woman with no tools will have no chance of surviving in the wilderness - her crime was murder, but rather than execute criminals, the society (which cannot countenance killing another woman, ever) cowers from this and prefers to let nature do the job instead. Unexpectedly, however, she survives and encounters one of the hunter-gatherer groups.
Thus begins the second social structure in the story. Birana (the survivor of expulsion) is naturally taken to be a living, breathing, "aspect of the Lady", and therefore, a goddess (with all the knowledge that goes with that). Therefore, she is worshipped by the men. However, this leads to trouble because in order to conceal the fact of her survival, she has to prevent them using the "shrines", which in turn means they aren't getting their Goddess porn, and before long, the men start to think maybe she's going to put out for them instead as a reward for their efforts, and in particular, jealousy erupts when it seems that one man is getting more attention than the rest.
Birana (and that more favoured man, who isn't really important yet in discussing the modes of oppression demonstrated) decides to flee to territory that has been left unexplored by women or men for many years. Her desperate hope is that other expelled women have made it to those lands and there have a different form of society.
On the way, they hear of another "holy appearance" at a more settled tribe, and therefore decide to investigate, leading to the third oppressive social structure, which it turns out formed in much the same way as the second (that is, an expelled woman arrived and decided to exploit her status as a goddess, only to find that when the "shines" were denied the men, they expected her to put out instead). In this case, the expelled woman (Nallei) does put out, and keeps doing so for over a decade in order to maintain her safety. Birana, initially, doesn't have to do so. However, in this structure we begin to see clearly how being perceived as a goddess (and specifically, having women perceived as the deliverers of sexual pleasure), is harmful. There is the converse structure shown as well. Nallei is able to choose those who are "worthy" (just as those who are "worthy" are selected to go to the enclave) besides the chief (who is automatically deemed by himself and the tribe as worthy). Desperation to please "The Lady" is a key element of the men's behaviour, but the expectation is that those who please Her most will get sexual pleasure in return. Nallei, however, is not "free" in any sense - her safety depends on performing the role of "goddess". When Nallei falls ill and dies, Birana (who by this stage has actually fallen in love with her male companion on her journey) is told openly that she will be expected to take over Nallei's duties as the sex object of the tribe.
In the story thus far, we have both the positive and the negative elements of pornography, in that if porn is the
only, or
main, source of sexual education (or indeed, contact with women!), then men will view women primarily for the sexual pleasure they can give. On the other hand, the finding that when men have porn to watch they are less likely to attack real women (which has been statistically observed in the real world) is also implied, because in the novel the main reason for wanting the physical "aspects" to perform is only because access to the fantasy "aspects" has been denied.
The other aspect of the patriarchy that is very successfully mirrored here by all the forms of society thus far presented in the novel (including the Matriarchy) is that artificial sex-scarcity is use to control men's behaviour but also produces the fixation on sex as something that is "earned" rather than something consensual between two parties. This is a key factor in the "sex-class/no-sex class" identity of women, and the way in which the Patriarchy controls women's roles. Sex-scarcity is heightened to a maximum in the Matriarchal society, because women are brought up only having lesbian relationships and to view the male body as disgusting; also, as explained, sex is used explicitly as a
reward for good work, in the normal society. Thus, it is expected.
Similarly, the familiar-from-real-life trope is played out in these structures that it is natural for men to want sex, but it is unnatural (even disgusting) for women to want it. Anyone who even expresses an interest in "history" (which sometimes talks about how men and women used to "do it" before the holocaust) is seen as a pervert in the cities. That "no woman would WILLINGLY do those things". As it turns out, Birana eventually does willingly do those things, finds she likes it (with the one man to whom she feels close, anyway), and then does it rather enthusiastically! (This, obviously, I am presenting as a criticism of certain suggestions by the anti-porn campaigners).
Birana and her beau flee from the intended gang-rape of Birana and travel still further into the unknown, where they finally pass from the territory controlled by the Mothers. Here, they do find a group with a different way of living, but this one has reverted to the extreme of Patriarchal sex-possession. In this culture, gendered roles of who does the hunting and who does the home-keeping are rigidly enforced; women do not speak unless directly addressed; men have the right to fuck whomever they choose, and need only indicate their desire and the woman must accept it (or else suffer beatings). When Birana's companion finds himself going along with this, even despite his firm intention at the start of their stay in the group always to respect her wishes and her opinions, they realise that they have to leave.
That's the sum of all the social structures presented. Needless to say, I don't think it makes for a "message of hope" as Catharine Asaro promised it would! The only social structure that had a truly feminist sense was in fact that between Birana and her partner - a society of two. Because he realised in travelling with her that she was neither a goddess nor an object, but a person, he negotiated his relationship with her and she with him; when she eventually offers to have sex with him to help him relieve his pent-up sexual desires, there is no pressure from him for her to do so; and he seeks to make it as pleasurable as he can for her (the "mind-porn" of the "shrines" apparently taught him enough) and he communicates with her so that she can guide him in making it easier/better for her. But their relationship is the only one like it in the whole novel. It isn't all plain sailing either - they fight, he sometimes (even before the "Patriarchy" society) uses his greater strength to threaten her, and she uses shame or withdrawal to emotionally hurt him in return; just like a real relationship, it is imperfect, which is pleasing about the way it's written.
Is it a "feminist science fiction" work? I think it is, but possibly not in the way that the cover designer might have meant it. The matriarchal society has not replaced the Patriarchy but turned it to its own ends, and certainly has not brought about the end of the oppression of women: "those whom we serve" are still oppressed by the Mothers (whom I see as very closely analogous to certain elements of the feminist movement today), and the Mothers also have to police one another rigidly, as well. The society functions always on a basis of fear, and "freedom" from men is only accomplished at the cost of being afraid of what might happen if their control over men were to be released somehow. However, it is definitely feminist in that it provides in the various social structures presented, a clear dissection and analysis of how the Patriarchy uses sexuality and sex roles to ensure that everyone is kept oppressed, from the "pedestal" status of women to the "worthiness equation" for men.
Some other thoughts:
1/. I was a little bit disconcerted that the way that Birana's sex scenes were described, it was almost as if Pamela Sargent was saying that het sex is in some way a better experience than lesbian or gay sex, instead of being different (and a matter of choice).
2/. An answer was suggested early on: a Mother of the City is reluctant to send her son out into the male world, having grown attached to him, and he hasn't shown any sign of violent tendencies (well, he does at one point, but only when he is feeling physically threatened by some of the Mothers-to-be). It is noticed that he has a lot of mental skills, but there is no need for them in the world to which he would be sent. Maybe that young boy could have functioned perfectly well in the city.
3/. There's no attempt to address transsexuality or how that might fit into the society. I think it's pretty clear that a man who felt himself to be in the wrong body, would have no frame of reference at all in the male society, and would likely not last very long in the harsh culture that stemmed from the conditions. At the very least, he would be used as a whore by all the other men in his band.
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