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Pink Winds, Green Cats, Radiant Rocks & Other Classics by the Forgotten Woman of Science Fiction's Golden Age
You Never Heard of Her--But You Should Have! Her name is Frances M. Deegan, she wrote twenty-one stories and thirty-five articles under her own name for the science fiction pulps between 1944 and 1952, when few other women were selling to them at all. Yet, you won't find her listed in any book about science fiction. Not The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, A Reader's Guide to Science Fiction, Pamela Sergeant's Women of Wonder, Roger C. Schlobin's comprehensive listing of women science fiction authors, Urania's Daughters, Alexei and Cory Panshin's The World Beyond the Hill, or David Hartwell's Dark Descent. In fact, in the years since her death Frances M. Deegan has become the Forgotten Woman of the golden age of pulp science fiction, and none of her stories have ever been reprinted. The only place you will find Frances M. Deegan's name is buried among the plethora of male authors in the table-of-contents listings for old sf magazines. Yet, at a time when only a handful of women were writing, or reading, science fiction, Frances M. Deegan was one of the field's most popular authors, if the letter columns of the period are to be believed. And that popularity was deserved, as this first-ever collection of her stories shows. And what stories they are! Set against backgrounds that are often rustic ("The Radiant Rock"), peopled with characters who are decidedly not urban ("The Wizard of Blue Gap"), frequently humorous, with comic touches in even the most straightforward scientific puzzle story ("The Third Bolt"), they blazed new trails for science fiction when first written, and still stand out as vigorous, idiosyncratic work even today, a half century after they were written. It is hoped that thiscollection will introduce the work of this Forgotten Woman to new generations and help, in some measure, to rescue the name and reputation of Frances M. Deegan from obscurity.
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First published March 3, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 22, 2025
Okay I'm a fan of sci-fi & fantasy. This Audible has been so much fun. I have laughed and laughed.
Ther are a coulpe of strong female heroines in the first couple of stories you'll simply love or hate them.
Layla is the first I encountered. You have got to meet her for her to push all your buttons!
The second one would be Celine or Sully as they started calling her. She reminded me so much of Harley Quinn it wasn't funny.
The only thing I really disliked about this Audiobook, was I think they should have taken some of these stories so much further and it's sad knowing that there's so many ways they could have possibly been turned into Larger continued master pieces.
Hope you find the joy that I did.
Ther are a coulpe of strong female heroines in the first couple of stories you'll simply love or hate them.
Layla is the first I encountered. You have got to meet her for her to push all your buttons!
The second one would be Celine or Sully as they started calling her. She reminded me so much of Harley Quinn it wasn't funny.
The only thing I really disliked about this Audiobook, was I think they should have taken some of these stories so much further and it's sad knowing that there's so many ways they could have possibly been turned into Larger continued master pieces.
Hope you find the joy that I did.
June 30, 2018
This is a review of Frances M. Deegan short stories. Not the correct book! Her stories are available online here:
http://www.unz.com/print/author/Deega...
Some can be found at the Archive.org Pulp Magazine collection here:
https://archive.org/details/pulpmagaz...
Not all are available & they can be tough to find, but are easier reading.
I didn't read all of them. One wasn't available & I got pretty tired of them. Not very good, but interesting in odd ways. Imagine Mickey Spillane writing SF, yet he's a girl. Sure couldn't tell the last, though.
The Cat-Snake (Short---6,000) Fantastic Adventures, April 1948, pp. 66-77, a very weird little story that takes a sudden SF twist. 2.5 stars
The Green Cat (Short---7,500) Fantastic Adventures, April 1952, pp. 80-94. Again, I wasn't sure where this was going. Reads like a tough detective story with an SF theme tacked in. 3 stars
Keep It Simple (Short---6,000) Amazing Science Fiction Stories, May 1950, pp. 104-115. Not available, under copyright. (Not at Archive.org in their collection of Amazing, either.
https://archive.org/details/amazingst...)
The Martian and the Milkmaid (Short) Fantastic Adventures, October 1944, pp. 136-147. Kind of fun in places. Overall, just OK. 2 stars. This story can also be found here:
https://archive.org/details/Fantastic...
If, like me, you saw the beginning of the next story & want to read it, you can do so through the link above since it has the entire issue.
The Master Key (Novelette) Fantastic Adventures, March 1952, pp. 86-119. Barely OK. Way too long with an unbelievable hero & too many weird elements. For instance, human females can have babies with both Martians & Venusians. There are also families of 'Master Forces'. It was a mess.
The Moon Pirates (Short---9,000) Amazing Science Fiction Stories, June 1950, pp. 106-123. The magazine can be found here:
https://archive.org/details/Amazing_S...
Murder On Mars (Novelette---10,000) Amazing Science Fiction Stories, April 1952, pp. 104-122. Can also be found here:
https://archive.org/details/Amazing_S...
Pink Wind (Short---4,500) Fantastic Adventures, March 1951, pp. 70-79. A slightly funny space opera. Amazingly misogynistic if that's the right word when the author is a woman.
Shouldn't Happen to a Dog (Short---5,000) Fantastic Adventures, August 1950, pp. 126-135. A ridiculous, somewhat funny space opera that takes place on Earth. Strange world where the strange thing about a talking dog is his language & love for alcohol.
Who Sleeps With the Angels... (Short---9,000) Fantastic Adventures, January 1951, pp. 80-97.
The Wizard of Blue Gap (Short---6,000) Fantastic Adventures, December 1950, pp. 104-115.
http://www.unz.com/print/author/Deega...
Some can be found at the Archive.org Pulp Magazine collection here:
https://archive.org/details/pulpmagaz...
Not all are available & they can be tough to find, but are easier reading.
I didn't read all of them. One wasn't available & I got pretty tired of them. Not very good, but interesting in odd ways. Imagine Mickey Spillane writing SF, yet he's a girl. Sure couldn't tell the last, though.
The Cat-Snake (Short---6,000) Fantastic Adventures, April 1948, pp. 66-77, a very weird little story that takes a sudden SF twist. 2.5 stars
The Green Cat (Short---7,500) Fantastic Adventures, April 1952, pp. 80-94. Again, I wasn't sure where this was going. Reads like a tough detective story with an SF theme tacked in. 3 stars
Keep It Simple (Short---6,000) Amazing Science Fiction Stories, May 1950, pp. 104-115. Not available, under copyright. (Not at Archive.org in their collection of Amazing, either.
https://archive.org/details/amazingst...)
The Martian and the Milkmaid (Short) Fantastic Adventures, October 1944, pp. 136-147. Kind of fun in places. Overall, just OK. 2 stars. This story can also be found here:
https://archive.org/details/Fantastic...
If, like me, you saw the beginning of the next story & want to read it, you can do so through the link above since it has the entire issue.
The Master Key (Novelette) Fantastic Adventures, March 1952, pp. 86-119. Barely OK. Way too long with an unbelievable hero & too many weird elements. For instance, human females can have babies with both Martians & Venusians. There are also families of 'Master Forces'. It was a mess.
The Moon Pirates (Short---9,000) Amazing Science Fiction Stories, June 1950, pp. 106-123. The magazine can be found here:
https://archive.org/details/Amazing_S...
Murder On Mars (Novelette---10,000) Amazing Science Fiction Stories, April 1952, pp. 104-122. Can also be found here:
https://archive.org/details/Amazing_S...
Pink Wind (Short---4,500) Fantastic Adventures, March 1951, pp. 70-79. A slightly funny space opera. Amazingly misogynistic if that's the right word when the author is a woman.
Shouldn't Happen to a Dog (Short---5,000) Fantastic Adventures, August 1950, pp. 126-135. A ridiculous, somewhat funny space opera that takes place on Earth. Strange world where the strange thing about a talking dog is his language & love for alcohol.
Who Sleeps With the Angels... (Short---9,000) Fantastic Adventures, January 1951, pp. 80-97.
The Wizard of Blue Gap (Short---6,000) Fantastic Adventures, December 1950, pp. 104-115.
June 22, 2018
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of these short stories that were written many years ago when female Sci-fi authors were not very common. The stories themselves are great and of a quality that would give today's writers a run for their money. The narration fit the characters well and he did a great job of both the male and the female voices. This book was very entertaining and I love that stories are no longer hidden away.
August 28, 2018
Pink Winds, Green Cats, Radiant Rocks & Other Classics by the Forgotten Woman of Science Fiction's Golden Age
This was the first science-fiction audiobook I listened to, but I was not disappointed. The stories were written by Frances Deegan in the 1940s and 1950s.
The stories were well constructed. I loved hearing about the zeitgeist of the post-WW II era. How magical, for instance, electricity still seemed to be. And the things the male characters said to the females. They would get slapped for saying these things in the current age.
The narrator was pleasant to listen to. I enjoyed listening to his performance.
I would definitely recommend this book. The stories are well-written, exciting and they offer a fresh new perspective on the world. And no, electricity does not come out of a stone, but what a magical world it would be if it did.
I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
This was the first science-fiction audiobook I listened to, but I was not disappointed. The stories were written by Frances Deegan in the 1940s and 1950s.
The stories were well constructed. I loved hearing about the zeitgeist of the post-WW II era. How magical, for instance, electricity still seemed to be. And the things the male characters said to the females. They would get slapped for saying these things in the current age.
The narrator was pleasant to listen to. I enjoyed listening to his performance.
I would definitely recommend this book. The stories are well-written, exciting and they offer a fresh new perspective on the world. And no, electricity does not come out of a stone, but what a magical world it would be if it did.
I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
September 5, 2018
How refreshing that someone is finding and "resurrecting" obscure science fiction stories written by women! Frances Deegan is a great writer with a wonderful imagination, yet her stories had been lost since their publication in the 1940's and 1950's.
The first thing that caught my attention was the great cover and awesome name! Reminded me of the psychedelic images of the Sixties! The stories were intriguing, with great descriptions and characters. It seems like Ms. Deegan was trying to write from a male perspective in most of the stories (which is understandable), but there were some traces of the feminine also.
I especially enjoyed the story "Radiant Rocks", focusing on a redneck family that finds a cache of rock that produces electricity. The narrator did a wonderful job in the voices for this one.
The writing was great, the narration was great and I loved this glimpse into classic and unknown sci-fi. I hope that more of these collections show up now that the age of the Internet and electronic reading is in full swing.
I was given the opportunity to listen to this book by the publisher and chose to review it.
The first thing that caught my attention was the great cover and awesome name! Reminded me of the psychedelic images of the Sixties! The stories were intriguing, with great descriptions and characters. It seems like Ms. Deegan was trying to write from a male perspective in most of the stories (which is understandable), but there were some traces of the feminine also.
I especially enjoyed the story "Radiant Rocks", focusing on a redneck family that finds a cache of rock that produces electricity. The narrator did a wonderful job in the voices for this one.
The writing was great, the narration was great and I loved this glimpse into classic and unknown sci-fi. I hope that more of these collections show up now that the age of the Internet and electronic reading is in full swing.
I was given the opportunity to listen to this book by the publisher and chose to review it.
September 1, 2020
I listened to this one today, honestly if science fiction is not your thing, you won't care for this. I don't read much science fiction and I really didn't care for this. The first story I was distracted through. So the second story I decided to stay focused, it was hard, but I did. Third story I was a distracted mess and I sped the audio up super fast to get through it. The narration was fine, why do all narrators have to talk so slow? I usually have to speed it up to at least 2 for it to be normal sounding. So overall if I like science fiction, this would have rated higher, so I was generous with a three star rating.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews