Marianne de Pierres

I was excited to find this paper has just been published by
Dr Jessica Aliaga-Lavrijsen in the Humanities open source journal:

Pregnancy, Childbirth and Nursing in Feminist Dystopia: Marianne de Pierres’s Transformation Space

I’ve been blessed to have had several papers written about my work now. It’s a special feeling reading a considered analysis of something you’ve poured your heart into. The Sentients of Orion series was a feminist space opera written at a time when it was hard to get my kind of work published. Special mention to Tim Holman and Darren Nash at Orbit (Hachette) who published me, and with whom I had a wonderful working relationship. Darren’s since moved back to Australia for new challenges at Text Publishing, but Tim’s the big boss now, and deservedly so.

ABSTRACT:
Marianne de Pierres’s Transformation Space (2010) is a rare example of an Australian novel set in an apocalyptic and dystopic interstellar future where pregnancy, childbearing and nursing have a presence that is quite uncommon in Science Fiction (SF). Despite the fact that the genre of SF and that of space opera in particular have been traditionally quite male-oriented, in the last years feminist theories of several kinds have been an undeniable transformative influence. This article intends to analyse not only how these specifically female issues related to motherhood/mothering are presented in the novel, but also to explore their function and role. A close reading of these topics will show whether they endorse a solid feminist stance or are just colourful feminist details in a male-dominated space opera and, in turn, if they have a specifically narrative purpose in the context of the dystopic subgenre.

Keywords: childbirth; contemporary Australian literature; dystopic novel; feminism; feminist SF; nursing; pregnancy; Science Fiction; space opera

Marianne de Pierres

Marianne de Pierres is an author and academic

Open Road Media have made the Sentients of Orion series available in a bundle. You can now pick up this four book  award-winning series for $9.99 USD on Amazon, iTunes, B and N, Google and Kobo

Good reviews are like pasta for a writer. We get enormous energy and sustenance from them. For me, I try and use the good ones as a motivation to keep going, and with the horrible ones, I tell myself everyone is entitled to their opinion – that’s what makes the human race so interesting.

It may be a self deception, but honestly, it’s the only way to survive and be productive. Intense criticism can be paralysing, and I’ll be damned if I’ll let it (criticism) stop me doing what I love. My dear ex-editor once told (soon after my second novel was published) to don my steel cap boots and armour and keep marching because that’s what a writer needs to protect themselves.

Not that all criticism is a negative experience. I have defintiely learned from my some of reviewers, and truly appreciated their perspective and feedback. But life can be measured by its extremes and there are those critics who are all about being destructive.

Anyway, this is a rather long preamble to me admitting to be particularly excited when my SENTIENTS OF ORION series gets good reviews. It was a tough, demanding, mind-stretching project and I’m proud of it. It is not, however, a series that everyone understood. A space opera with difficult, complex characters and a female protagonist who gves birth during the story (no this nothing like Aeryn Sun giving brith in the middle of a firefight in Peacekeeper Wars!), did not fit into the usual space opera mold.

Over at the Deadline Zombie, this lovely, thoughful review appeared this week, and puts it up with my other favourite review by Alex Pierce. Here’s a snippet for you to check out …

‘This is the first of the four book series Sentients of Orion, in which author de Pierres throws a cast of humans into a whirling maelstrom of alien cultures, inscrutable godlike beings and galaxy-wide war. The book deals not only with their struggle to survive, but their growing awareness that they aren’t fully in control of their own destinies. .. de Pierres has written a beautiful, touching story.’

So there … sustenance for another few months!