''Maureen Birnbaum, Barbarian Swordsperson'' is a 1993 story collection by American writer
George Alec Effinger
George Alec Effinger (January 10, 1947 – April 27, 2002) was an American science fiction author, born in Cleveland, Ohio.
Writing career
Effinger was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on January 10, 1947. His father was a United States Navy vetera ...
, collecting all of his stories (up to 1993) about Maureen "Muffy" Birnbaum, a
Jewish-American princess who is magically teleported to various
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures.
The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
and
science fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
universes, and later recounts the tales to her best friend, "Bitsy" Spiegelman. Originally written on his own initiative, the character proved popular enough for Effinger to gain several requests from authors to have versions of their work visited by Muffy.
In addition to satirizing and spoofing the various themes, the stories had a
feminist
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...
undertone, as Maureen dealt with the often
sexist
Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...
reactions of the inhabitants of the worlds she met, struggled to find the
Martian
Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, has appeared as a setting in works of fiction since at least the mid-1600s. Trends in the planet's portrayal have largely been influenced by advances in planetary science. It became the most popular celes ...
prince she had fallen in love with, and contrasted her adventures with the life of Bitsy, a
housewife
A housewife (also known as a homemaker or a stay-at-home mother/mom/mum) is a woman whose role is running or managing her family's home—housekeeping, which may include Parenting, caring for her children; cleaning and maintaining the home; Sew ...
with an increasingly unhappy marriage.
The collection had two editions:
* Swan Press
trade paper (June 1993, ) cover and interior illustrations by
Peggy Ranson.
* Guild America/
SFBC hardcover (Aug. 1994, ) cover and interior illustrations by
Ken Kelly.
: The hardcover reused the trade paper’s copyright page (i.e. date and illustration credit). The hardcover's jacket has the correct credit, and the correct date was advertised in
''Locus'' magazine.
Contents
{, class="wikitable"
, + Details of included stories
, -
!style="text-align:left;", Title
!style="text-align:left;", Story parodied
!style="text-align:left;", Original publication
!style="text-align:left;", Notes
, -
, "A Few Words from Muffy Birnbaum's Most Passionate Admirer" , , — , , this anthology , , Introduction by
Mike Resnick
Michael Diamond Resnick (; March 5, 1942 – January 9, 2020) was an American science fiction writer and editor. He won five Hugo awards and a Nebula award, and was the guest of honor at Chicon 7. He was the executive editor of the defunct mag ...
, -
, "Maureen Birnbaum, Barbarian Swordsperson" , ,
Barsoom
Barsoom is a fictional representation of the planet Mars created by American pulp fiction author Edgar Rice Burroughs. The first Barsoom tale was serialized as ''Under the Moons of Mars'' in pulp magazine '' The All-Story'' from February to Jul ...
, , ''
Fantasy & Science Fiction
''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy fiction magazine, fantasy and science-fiction magazine, first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence E. Spivak, Lawrence Spiv ...
'', January 1982 , ,
, -
, "Maureen Birnbaum at the Earth's Core" , ,
Pellucidar , , ''
Fantasy & Science Fiction
''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy fiction magazine, fantasy and science-fiction magazine, first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence E. Spivak, Lawrence Spiv ...
'', February 1986 , ,
, -
, "Maureen Birnbaum on the Art of War" , ,
Horseclans , , ''
Friends of the Horseclans'' (1987) , ,
, -
, "Maureen Birnbaum After Dark" , , "
Nightfall" , , ''
Foundation's Friends'' (1989) , ,
, -
, "Maureen Birnbaum Goes Shopynge" , ,
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...
, , ''
The Fantastic Adventures of Robin Hood'' (1991) , ,
, -
, "Maureen Birnbaum and the Saint Graal" , ,
Grail legend , , written for ''
Grails: Visitations of the Night'' (1994) , ,
, -
, "Maureen Birnbaum and the Looming Awfulness" , ,
Cthulhu Mythos The Cthulhu Mythos is a mythopoeia and a shared fictional universe, originating in the works of American Horror fiction, horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. The term was coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent and protégé of Lovecraft, t ...
, , this anthology , ,
, -
, "Maureen Birnbaum's Lunar Adventure" , ,
feghoot , ,
science fiction convention
Science fiction conventions are gatherings of fans of the speculative fiction subgenre, science fiction. Historically, science fiction conventions had focused primarily on literature, but the purview of many extends to such other avenues of ex ...
program (1986) , , Revised for this anthology
[{{cite web , url=http://www.erbzine.com/mag64/6465.html , title=Maureen Birmbaum's Lunar Adventure, 1986 version , first=R. , last=Johnson , work=ERBzine , volume=6465 , publisher=Bill Hillman]
Other stories
*"Maureen Birnbaum on a Hot Tin Roof" (1994)
: ''
South from Midnight'' (1994), anthology edited by
Richard Gilliam,
Martin H. Greenberg, &
Thomas R. Hanlon
: ''
Fantasy & Science Fiction
''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy fiction magazine, fantasy and science-fiction magazine, first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence E. Spivak, Lawrence Spiv ...
'' (August 1996), edited by
Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Kristine Kathryn Rusch (born June 4, 1960) is an American writer and editor. She writes under various pseudonyms in multiple genres, including science fiction, fantasy, mystery, romance, and mainstream.
Rusch won the Hugo Award for Best Nove ...
*"Maureen Birnbaum in the MUD" (1995)
: ''
Chicks in Chainmail'' (1995), anthology edited by
Esther Friesner
: ''
Chicks Ahoy'' (2010), anthology edited by Esther Friesner
*"Maureen Birnbaum Pokes an Eye Out" (1996)
: ''
Don't Forget Your Spacesuit, Dear'' (1996), anthology edited by
Jody Lynn Nye
References
Science fiction short story collections
Feminist science fiction
Birnbaum, Maureen
Birnbaum, Maureen
1993 short story collections
Adaptations of works by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Pellucidar
Modern Arthurian fiction
Cthulhu Mythos anthologies
Short stories set on the Moon
Birnbaum, Maureen