[1] Many of the essays previously appeared as letters, in anthologies, or in journals such as Science Fiction Studies, Extrapolation, and Chrysalis.

Topics range from the work of specific authors to major trends in feminism and science fiction.

This collection of essays has been praised for its accessibility, even to readers unfamiliar with complex feminist or science fiction critique theory.

[13] Criticism has mostly been centered on the contradictions in subject matter for the essays, since the source material ranges from Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley to Star Trek.

[14] In addition, critics have claimed that Russ' cautions against psychoanalytic readings of an author's work are naïve and overly simplistic.