| Home ~ Reviews ~ 77 ~ 78 ~ 79 ~ 80 ~ 81 |
Title |
Under the Moons of Eden |
Author |
Christopher Leeson |
Story Code(s) |
F/M, TG, Transform |
Length |
54,600 words |
Rating |
Outstanding |
Summary |
Some time in the distant future a military space vessel, manned by 500 men, is shot down and marooned on a planet light years from home. Some of the men are transformed into women, including the commander, Major Breen. |
Commentary |
This is a long story. I did not read it in one sitting. It would
probably be more correct to call it a short novel. The plot is very well paced. The characters are dynamic. The transformations lead to some serious psychological problems. The author does an excellent job in his handling of the psychological ramifications of the transformations. There is sex in this story, but the transformations do not occur just so that unproductive male-female sex can take place. Transformations, of the sort described in this story, are a creation of science-fiction. They do, however, raise some interesting questions. If a heterosexual man is transformed into a woman is it then natural for him to be attracted to men? What determines sexual identity and sexual orientation? If something like this actually happened the only papers that would cover it would be the National Inquirer and the Weekly World News; no one would believe it, but I still think these are interesting philosophical, psychological, and sociological questions. I think the author handles the transformations and sexual orientation/identity questions quite well. In the hands of other authors it may just have been a gimmick, instead of an element in the story. One final observation, there does seem to be more stories out there about men being transformed into women than women into men. There are stories in which a man and a woman are both transformed, but why is it rare to find one in which only a woman is transformed into a man? |
ASSM |
Part One ~
Part Two ~
Part Three Part Four |