If the conventional wisdom is that boys and men read science fiction, girls and women read romance, then further conventional wisdom is that men write science fiction and women write romance.

This certainly may have been true forty years ago and remains true, to a certain extent, today. Women who wrote superb science fiction—C. L. Moore, James Tiptree, Jr., Andre Norton—wrote under male pseudonyms.

But beginning in the 1970s, women like Ursula K. Le Guinn, Joanna Russ, and Vonda McIntyre leapt into the science fiction arena and influenced the next generation of women science fiction writers. Writers like the seven women in The Philip K Dick Award Storybundle—Elizabeth Hand, Gwyneth Jones, Kathe Koja, Pat Murphy, Lisa Mason, Kay Kenyon, and Sarah Zettlel. You’ll be hearing much more about me, Kay, and Sarah in the days ahead.

In the meantime, you must watch this fine video of Sarah talking about women and their stories in science fiction at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N08_dvCxbIw

So there you have it, my friends. The Philip K Dick Award Storybundle includes Aestival Tide by Elizabeth Hand (PKD Finalist), Life by Gwyneth Jones (PKD Winner), The Cipher by Kathe Koja (PKD Finalist), Points of Departure by Pat Murphy (PKD Winner), Dark Seeker by K. W. Jeter (PKD Finalist), Summer of Love by Lisa Mason (PKD Finalist), Frontera by Lewis Shiner (PKD Finalist), Acts of Conscience by William Barton (PKD Special Citation), Maximum Ice by Kay Kenyon (PKD Finalist), Knight Moves by Walter Jon Williams (PKD Finalist), and Reclamation by Sarah Zettel (PKD Finalist).

The Philip K Dick Award Storybundle runs only until October 15. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. Download yours today at http://www.storybundle.com/pkdaward and enjoy world-class, award-winning reading right now and into the holidays.

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