''We Who Are About To...'' is a

feminist science fiction Feminist science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction (abbreviated "SF") focused on theories that include feminist themes including but not limited to gender inequality, sexuality, race, economics, reproduction, and environment. Feminist SF ...

novel by

Joanna Russ Joanna Russ (February 22, 1937 – April 29, 2011) was an American writer, academic and feminist. She is the author of a number of works of science fiction, fantasy and feminist literary criticism such as ''How to Suppress Women's Writing'', as w ...

. It first appeared in magazine form in the January 1976 and February 1976 issues of ''

Galaxy Science Fiction ''Galaxy Science Fiction'' was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published in Boston from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by a French-Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break into the American market. World Editi ...

'' and was first published in book form by Dell Publishing in July 1977. The book's plot focuses on an unnamed protagonist, who is the only female member of a group of people stranded on a hostile planet. When the male group members attempt to rape the protagonist, she kills them in self defense, leaving her to confront loneliness and starvation. While the book was poorly received by critics when it was first published, later reappraisals were more favorable.

Plot

The story takes the form of an audio diary kept by the unnamed protagonist. A group of people, with no technical skills and scant supplies, are stranded on a planet and debate how to survive. The men in the group are dedicated to colonizing and populating the planet, but the unnamed female protagonist, who does not believe that long-term survival is possible, resists being made pregnant by them. Tensions escalate into violence, until finally she is forced to kill the other survivors in order to defend herself against rape. Left alone, she becomes increasingly philosophical, recounting her personal history in political agitation and attempting to chart the days and seasons even as she begins to hallucinate from hunger and loneliness. She experiences visions, first of the people she killed, and then of people from her past. Finally, weak from hunger, she resolves to kill herself.

Reception

''We Who Are About To...'' received poor reviews at the time of publication, and was panned by

Spider Robinson Spider Robinson (born November 24, 1948) is an American-born Canadian science fiction author. He has won a number of awards for his hard science fiction and humorous stories, including the Hugo Award 1977 and 1983, and another Hugo with his co-a ...

writing in ''

Analog Analog or analogue may refer to: Computing and electronics * Analog signal, in which information is encoded in a continuous variable ** Analog device, an apparatus that operates on analog signals *** Analog electronics, circuits which use analog ...

'', and by

Algis Budrys Algirdas Jonas "Algis" Budrys (January 9, 1931 – June 9, 2008) was a Lithuanian-American science fiction author, editor, and critic. He was also known under the pen names Frank Mason, Alger Rome (in collaboration with Jerome Bixby), Jo ...

in ''

The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence Spivak's Mercury Press. Editors Anthony Boucher ...

''. Later reviews have been more positive, however;

David Pringle David Pringle (born 1 March 1950) is a Scottish science fiction editor and critic. Pringle served as the editor of '' Foundation'', an academic journal, from 1980 to 1986, during which time he became one of the prime movers of the collective whi ...

referred to it as "a grim tale which inverts the usual sf myth of human indomitability" in ''The Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction'', and Sarah LeFanu said in ''In the Chinks of the World Machine: Feminism and Science Fiction'' that "for all its brevity tcan withstand a multiplicity of readings. It is about how to die, then it is as much about how to live." Samuel R. Delany called ''We Who Are About To...'' "a damningly fine analysis of the mechanics of political and social decay", offering the interpretation that "Russ suggests that the quality of life is the purpose of living, and reproduction only a reparative process to extend that quality—and not the point of life at all... only feudal societies can really believe wholly that reproduction... is life's real point."Delany, Samuel R. (1996) ''Longer Views: Extended Essays '', Wesleyan

Publication history

* January 1976, United States, ''

'', Jan 1976, ed. James Baen, publ. UPD Publishing Corporation, magazine * February 1976, United States, ''

'', Feb 1976, ed. James Baen, publ. UPD Publishing Corporation, magazine * July 1977, United States, published by Dell Publishing, , paperback * May 1978, United States, published by Dell Publishing, , paperback * November 1978, Great Britain, published by Magnum Books, , paperback * December 1978, United States, published by Gregg Press, , hardcover * August 1987, Great Britain, published by

The Women's Press The Women's Press was a feminist publishing company established in London in 1977. Throughout the late 1970s and the 1980s, the Women's Press was a highly visible presence, publishing feminist literature. Founding In 1977, Stephanie Dowrick cof ...

, , paperback * March 2005, United States, published by

Wesleyan University Press Wesleyan University Press is a university press that is part of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. The press is currently directed by Suzanna Tamminen, a published poet and essayist. History and overview Founded (in its present form ...

, , trade paperback * February 2017, Great Britain, published by

Penguin Books Penguin Books is a British publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.Feminist science fiction novels American science fiction novels 1977 science fiction novels 1977 American novels Works by Joanna Russ Works originally published in Galaxy Science Fiction Dell Publishing books