A Woman of the Iron People
A Woman of the Iron People is a 1991 novel by Eleanor Arnason. It chronicles the exploratory mission of a spacefaring crew of humans from Earth as they make contact with the furred people of another planet. These people do not seem to be the hwarhath, from Arnason's next book Ring of Swords. However, like the hwarhath, their society is segregated by sex (see separatism), the women living in towns and maintaining social structure while the men live in the wilds. The woman of the title, Nia, is an exception. Her role as a travelling outcast provides a critical perspective on the cultures of the planet as well as those of the visiting humans.
This book won the first Tiptree Award in 1991, along with Gwyneth Jones's White Queen.
