Astounding Science Fiction
''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' is an American science fiction magazine published under various titles since 1930. Originally titled ''Astounding Stories of Super-Science'', the first issue was dated January 1930, published by William C ...
'' in December 1958, it has drawn harsh criticism in the following decades, with
Michael Dirda
Michael Dirda (born 1948) is a book critic for the ''Washington Post''. He has been a Fulbright Fellow and won a Pulitzer Prize in 1993.
Career
Having studied at Oberlin College for his undergraduate degree in 1970, Dirda took an M.A. in 1974 and ...
of ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' noting that it is "often regarded as the most
sexist
Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls.There is a clear and broad consensus among academic scholars in multiple fields that sexism refers primaril ...
Michael Dirda
Michael Dirda (born 1948) is a book critic for the ''Washington Post''. He has been a Fulbright Fellow and won a Pulitzer Prize in 1993.
Career
Having studied at Oberlin College for his undergraduate degree in 1970, Dirda took an M.A. in 1974 and ...
, in ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
''; published July 4, 2017; retrieved August 27, 2019
Synopsis
When four men and three women are shipwrecked on an alien planet, the men tell the women that they are henceforth legally required to form a colony and immediately begin having as many children as possible (and regularly switch partners, so as to ensure maximum
genetic diversity
Genetic diversity is the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species, it ranges widely from the number of species to differences within species and can be attributed to the span of survival for a species. It is dis ...
), with the women's lack of consent being considered irrelevant. One woman acquiesces; a second is beaten until she acquiesces; and the third kills the other two so that, as the sole remaining female on the planet, she will be too valuable for the men to mistreat. The men then lobotomize her. The story ends with her giving birth to her first daughter.
Reception
James Nicoll
James Davis Nicoll (born March 18, 1961) is a Canadian freelance game and speculative fiction reviewer, former security guard and role-playing game store owner, and also works as a first reader for the Science Fiction Book Club. As a
Usene ...
James Nicoll
James Davis Nicoll (born March 18, 1961) is a Canadian freelance game and speculative fiction reviewer, former security guard and role-playing game store owner, and also works as a first reader for the Science Fiction Book Club. As a
Usene ...
, at James Nicoll Reviews; published August 19, 2019; retrieved August 27, 2019 and posited that
Poul Anderson
Poul William Anderson (November 25, 1926 – July 31, 2001) was an American fantasy and science fiction author who was active from the 1940s until the 21st century. Anderson wrote also historical novels. His awards include seven Hugo Awards and ...
's 1960 story "Eve Times Four" — wherein four women in a parallel situation discover that no such legal requirement exists, that the planet on which they landed already had human colonies, and that their male companion had arranged the entire situation as an excuse to commit
rape by deception
Rape by deception is a situation in which the perpetrator deceives the victim into participating in a sexual act that they would otherwise not consent to. Deception can occur in many forms, such as false statements or actions.
Notable cases
Un ...
— was written as a direct response. ''
Galactic Journey
''Galactic Journey'' is a science fiction blog and fanzine.
Published from October 21, 2013, it is a time-shifted web presence, documenting science fact and fiction from the perspective of fans living exactly 55 years ago, day by day. Focused on ...
'' considered that the term '
misogyny
Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women. It is a form of sexism that is used to keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the societal roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practiced fo ...
' did not "adequately convey the sentiment" in the story, and suggested instead "hatred of women", noting that it begins with the viewpoint character hitting a woman.Astoundingly bad (11-15-1958) by Gideon Marcus, at ''
Galactic Journey
''Galactic Journey'' is a science fiction blog and fanzine.
Published from October 21, 2013, it is a time-shifted web presence, documenting science fact and fiction from the perspective of fans living exactly 55 years ago, day by day. Focused on ...
''; published November 15, 2013; retrieved August 27, 2019
PZ Myers
Paul Zachary Myers (born March 9, 1957) is an American biologist who founded and writes the ''Pharyngula'' science-blog. He is associate professor of biology at the University of Minnesota Morris (UMM)
Pharyngula
The pharyngula is a stage in the embryonic development of vertebrates. At this stage, the embryos of all vertebrates are similar, having developed features typical of vertebrates, such as the beginning of a spinal cord. Named by William Ballard, ...
''; published September 29, 2017; retrieved August 27, 2019
Gordon van Gelder
Gordon Van Gelder (born 1966) is an American science fiction editor. From 1997 until 2014, Van Gelder was editor and later publisher of ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'', for which he has twice won the Hugo Award for Best Editor Shor ...
, introducing the story in his 2017 anthology ''Go Forth and Multiply: Twelve Tales of Repopulation'', noted that it is "justly reviled".Go Forth And Multiply: Twelve Tales Of Repopulation edited by Gordon Van Gelder (book review) by Gareth D. Jones, at SF Crowsnest; published September 18, 2017; retrieved August 27, 2019Vonda N. McIntyre and Susan Janice Anderson, when introducing their 1976 anthology of feminist science fiction '' Aurora: Beyond Equality'', specifically mentioned "The Queen Bee" as the type of story which should be ''excluded'' from the anthology, but stated that it may have "symbolic truth", in that "(w)omen in our society are conditioned to develop their physical attractiveness as a 'weapon' to 'kill off' other female competition. Confinement to a single role is, in a sense, a sort of psychic lobotomy."Introduction_to_''Aurora:_Beyond_Equality ''.html" ;"title="Aurora: Beyond Equality">Introduction to ''Aurora: Beyond Equality ''">Aurora: Beyond Equality">Introduction to ''Aurora: Beyond Equality '' by Vonda N. McIntyre and Susan Janice Anderson, published 1976 by Fawcett Books; as cited in ''The Battle of the Sexes in Science Fiction'', chapter 5, "The Women Men Don't See", by Justine Larbalestier, published 2002 by Wesleyan University Press
In 2009,
Darrell Schweitzer
Darrell Charles Schweitzer (born August 27, 1952) is an American writer, editor, and critic in the field of speculative fiction. Much of his focus has been on dark fantasy and horror fiction, horror, although he does also work in science fictio ...
explored the story in an essay in ''
The New York Review of Science Fiction
''The New York Review of Science Fiction'' is a monthly literary magazine of science fiction that was established in 1988. It includes works of science fiction criticism, essays, and in-depth critical reviews of new works of fiction and scholarship ...
''. Based on its dissimilarity to the bulk of Garrett's oeuvre, he proposed that its premise may have been a suggestion from ''Astounding'' editor
John W. Campbell
John Wood Campbell Jr. (June 8, 1910 – July 11, 1971) was an American science fiction writer and editor. He was editor of ''Astounding Science Fiction'' (later called ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'') from late 1937 until his death ...
, who was known as a contrarian and provocateur. As well, Schweitzer compared "The Queen Bee" to
Tom Godwin
Tom Godwin (June 6, 1915 – August 31, 1980) was an American science fiction author active throughout the 1950s into the 1970s. In his career, Godwin published three novels and around thirty short stories. He is best known for his short sto ...
's controversial 1954 story "
The Cold Equations
"The Cold Equations" is a science fiction short story by American writer Tom Godwin, first published in ''Astounding Magazine'' in August 1954. In 1970, the Science Fiction Writers of America selected it as one of the best science-fiction short s ...
", as "(b)oth stories are about characters in tight spots making tough choices based on laws of the universe which respect neither persons nor gentler emotions"; however, he emphasized that, "despite its numerous contrivances", the theme of Godwin's story — "the physics of mass, thrust, and ballistics cannot be argued with" — remains valid, whereas "The Queen Bee" is, "(to) use an esoteric, quasi-academic, technical term (...)
bullshit
''Bullshit'' (also ''bullshite'' or ''bullcrap'') is a common English expletive which may be shortened to the euphemism ''bull'' or the initialism B.S. In British English, "bollocks" is a comparable expletive. It is mostly a slang term and a ...
." In particular, he pointed out that a "legal requirement" is not a
physical law
Scientific laws or laws of science are statements, based on repeated experiments or observations, that describe or predict a range of natural phenomena. The term ''law'' has diverse usage in many cases (approximate, accurate, broad, or narrow) a ...
but a social convention, and that it is not possible to breed a planetary population from one single human woman, ultimately concluding that the story "does not make sense", and that its "core message" — which he phrased as "all a woman's good for is breeding" — is "appalling".Randall Garrett's "The Queen Bee": The Most Sexist Science Fiction Story Ever Published? by
Darrell Schweitzer
Darrell Charles Schweitzer (born August 27, 1952) is an American writer, editor, and critic in the field of speculative fiction. Much of his focus has been on dark fantasy and horror fiction, horror, although he does also work in science fictio ...
, originally published in the ''
New York Review of Science Fiction
''The New York Review of Science Fiction'' is a monthly literary magazine of science fiction that was established in 1988. It includes works of science fiction criticism, essays, and in-depth critical reviews of new works of fiction and scholarsh ...
'', October 2009; subsequently archived in ''The Threshold of Forever: Essays and Reviews'', published March 24, 2017, by
Wildside Press
Wildside Press is an independent publishing company in Cabin John, Maryland, United States. It was founded in 1989 by John Betancourt and Kim Betancourt. While the press was originally conceived as a publisher of speculative fiction in both trade ...
Title
Vicki Ann Heydron
Vicki Ann Heydron (born 21 October 1945) is an American writer of speculative fiction and poetry.
Born in Sacramento, she wrote most of her work in collaboration with her husband Randall Garrett. Her principal work is the ''Gandalara Cycle'' (1981 ...
stated that John W. Campbell changed the story's title to "The Queen Bee" without consulting Garrett — a change of which Garrett "approved wholeheartedly", because it was "outstandingly more appropriate" than the original title (which he had forgotten by the time he told her of this).Introduction to "The Breakfast Party", by
Vicki Ann Heydron
Vicki Ann Heydron (born 21 October 1945) is an American writer of speculative fiction and poetry.
Born in Sacramento, she wrote most of her work in collaboration with her husband Randall Garrett. Her principal work is the ''Gandalara Cycle'' (1981 ...
, in ''Takeoff Too!'', p. 132; published March 1987 by Starblaze Graphics;