Bookslut
Colleen Mondor

Finally, there are three stories (one actually a novella) that explore gender identity. In "And Salome Danced," "Eye of the Storm" and "Dangerous Space," the main character is named Mars, but Mars's gender is never revealed. In "Salome" the story centers around a theater production and an actor who auditions effectively for both male and female roles -- without ever identifying his / her true gender. Mars is deeply affected by this person and the ease with which he/she switches, and ponders what this could mean. In fact, Mars's confusion is so sincere and honest that readers may very well miss the fact that Mars remains an unknown gender throughout the story as well. It gets you thinking about how you read gender into any story and how much of a significant part it plays.