Crown of Stars by James Tiptree
"Crown of Stars" is a collection of science fiction stories by Alice Sheldon, who wrote under the pseudonyms James Tiptree, Jr. and Raccoona Sheldon. The anthology features narratives primarily penned between 1985 and 1988, with some originating from the 1970s. The stories delve into complex themes such as the ramifications of political choices on marginalized individuals, the role of religion in providing existential meaning, and the interplay between humanity and nature. Notable tales include "Morality Meat," which critiques societal consequences of political decisions regarding abortion, and "Yanqui Doodle," where a soldier grapples with his violent past. Other stories explore imaginative interpretations of the afterlife and the divine, such as in "In Midst of Life" and "Second Going." The collection also highlights the empowerment of nature and critiques environmental degradation through narratives like "The Earth Doth Like a Snake Renew." Overall, "Crown of Stars" presents a thought-provoking exploration of societal issues and personal identity through speculative fiction.
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Crown of Stars
First published: 1988
Type of work: Stories
Type of plot: Science fiction—New Wave
Time of work: Various, from the present to the unspecified near future
Locale: Various locations on Earth, on other planets, and in Heaven and Hell
The Plot
Crown of Stars collects stories written by Alice Sheldon under both of her pseudonyms, James Tiptree, Jr., and the less frequently used Raccoona Sheldon. Although most of these stories first appeared in print in science-fiction magazines and anthologies between 1985 and 1988, “Last Night and Every Night” and “The Earth Doth Like a Snake Renew” are products of the 1970’s, and one story, “Come Live with Me,” appears in print for the first time.
“Yanqui Doodle” and “Morality Meat,” though published under different pseudonyms, are similar in theme and tone. Both are set in the near future and examine the impact of political decisions on unprivileged citizens. In “Morality Meat,” the crusade to end abortion rights has resulted in a huge number of unwanted babies. So overcrowded are adoption centers that many babies are butchered and sold as suckling pigs to the very rich, who, it is indicated, know what they are eating. In “Yanqui Doodle,” a young soldier is given pills to make him both willing to kill and able to forget his deeds. When he is wounded, his supply is cut off, and he begins to remember the atrocities he has committed. Unable to live with his memories but realizing that the real enemy is the government that used and abandoned him, he attacks a convoy of his own military leaders.
Another theme common in the collection is the role of religion in providing meaning for existence. “In Midst of Life,” for example, tells the story of a man who awakes after committing suicide to find that the afterlife is whatever he wishes it to be. “Second Going” is about a visitation of angels, disguised as a benevolent race of octopus-like creatures. These angels actually are “gofers” for the gods; they have been given the task of finding a race of people whose belief will keep the gods alive. The humorous “Our Resident Djinn” tells of Satan’s attempt to take over Heaven after the death of God. Although he convinces the saints to move Heaven to Hell, he encounters an entity, Nature, who—in league with her father, Entropy—threatens to assert her dominion over Earth.
In “Our Resident Djinn” and in such stories as “The Earth Doth Like a Snake Renew,” Tiptree suggests both the enormous power of nature and the need to protect its resources. In “The Earth Doth Like a Snake Renew,” the protagonist attempts a sexual union with Earth, which she considers male. After doing everything she can to please him and to make herself sexually available, she finds that Earth—which is in fact a young male being—has been treating her as his plaything. In the gentler “Come Live with Me,” humans merge with a healing consciousness that long ago had become a part of the natural world.
Tiptree frequently links nature with the theme of a young woman’s emerging sexual and social sense, as in “The Earth Doth Like a Snake Renew” and the allegorical “All This and Heaven Too.” In the latter story, Amoretta, the young queen of pristine Ecologia-Bella, plans to wed the young prince of Pluvio-Acida, a country utterly devastated by pollution, despite the dire consequences for her idyllic country.