Extra (Ordinary) People

Five elegant stories from Hugo & Nebula award-winning author Joanna Russ, in the form of a history lesson to a child of the future. A medieval abbess defends her community against Viking invasion; a young girl sails on a 19th-century clipper bound for America with a guardian who is not what 'he' seems; a time traveller disguises herself as a male god on an errand of mercy in a feudal past; an author evokes the plot of a Gothic romance between two women.
The stories are as much about the nature of sf as they are about the imagined & fantastical worlds they describe. Russ once more draws on her talent for vivid characterisation to involve us in worlds not our own, exploring gender & power relationships in past & future to illuminate our own time.
Comprising:
Souls (1983 Hugo Award)
The Mystery of the Young Gentlemen
Bodies
What Did You Do During the Revolution, Grandma?
Everyday Depressions