Return to Isis

Jean Stewart

Completed 4/28/2020, Reviewed 4/28/2020

3 stars

As far as lesbian apocalyptic utopian sci fi novels go, this one is probably considered a classic.  Not because of the quality of the writing, which was mediocre, but because it exists and made an impact.  It must have sold well when it first came out in 1992 because there are five novels all together in this series and then was reprinted in 2010.  But comparing it to other sci fi in general, my reaction is meh.  It’s not bad, but it’s not too good.  It plays on what are now common tropes of women-hating men and a women’s utopia disrupted by someone who acts like the kind of men they escaped from.  Reading it thirty years after it was originally published, I had to put on my way-back hat to appreciate what I could.  Surprisingly, or maybe not, this book was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Sci Fi/Fantasy in 1993. 

The best thing about this book is the concept.  In the future, the US had split into Elysium and Freeland.  Elysium was the women-hating, white-male, race-hating, ultra-Christian society that evolved after the dramatic spread of the deadly AIDS/Genital Herpes mutation.  It purged itself of all differences and kept women for breeding purposes.  It comprised most of the eastern US.  The west, Freeland, was the home to colonies of separatists who formed utopian societies.  What kept the two separate was a force field first designed to keep immigrants from coming into Elysium, but had the side effect of keeping the inhabitants from getting out. 

The plot isn’t too bad.  It’s about a women spy named Whit from a Freeland colony called Artemis who barely escapes after completing her mission in Elysium with the help of Amelia, an Elysium peasant.  When they get back to Artemis, Amelia’s hidden history slowly comes to light, disrupting the peace of the colony.  Zoe, a captain in the militia, claims Amelia is an Elysium spy.  Zoe’s paranoia comes from the fact that somehow, an Elysium attack force got through the force field and attacked the sister colony of Isis.  But Amelia seems to know things about the colonies, but only bits and pieces of memory, causing rational thinkers to wonder where she really comes from.

What’s good about the book, however, is dragged down by the writing.  It’s amateurish with first-novel problems.  The characters are wooden.  There’s not much development for anyone, except Amelia as she slowly recalls her past.  Whit is a bad-ass computer savvy soldier who falls for Amelia.  There’s Lilith, the wise old lesbian who is the leader of the colony.  And lastly there’s Zoe who embodies everything that the colony wants to be rid of.   They’re all pretty cardboard, no real dimensions to any of them. 

I don’t think this book could have been published today.  However, I would acknowledge that this book reflects a specific period in the history of the LGBT movement.  The modern LGBTQ+ novels which are mainstream or nearly so owe their existence to this type of book.  Remember, this book came out as states were codifying anti-LGBT laws in their constitutions.  Even now, as the government quietly obliterates laws criminalizing discrimination, books like this can be relevant and important.  I just wish it had been written better.

I give this book three stars out of five.  I toyed with giving it two stars, but I gave it more because of the world building, and because it was brave for the time period in which it was published.