The Start of the End of the World
"The Start of the End of the World" is a 1981 short story by Carol Emshwiller.
Editions
- 1981: Universe 11, ed. Terry Carr
- The Norton Book of Science Fiction, ed. Ursula K. Le Guin and Brian Attebery)
Reviews & commentaries
- "In the 50s there were many stories published that depicted sweet little old ladies, hopelessly naive and uninformed, encountering invading aliens, and usually saving the Earth. This is a witty variation on that theme. "Woman of a certain age" is the translation of a French euphemism for a middle-aged woman. Compare this story with War of the Worlds. How is this invasion different? Since this story makes fun of an old woman, is it anti-feminist; or can you detect feminist themes in it?"