Book Review: Picnic on Paradise by Joanna Russ (Three Stars)
A foolproof world and full of fools.
Interesting, but not engaging science fiction tale involving the consequences of previous time travel. Given the nonsensical premise (hey, it’s science fiction) the story has nothing to do with time travel and little to do with science. It’s mostly an anything-that-can-go-wrong-does story.
The nineteenth. The twentieth. The twenty-first [day]. They were very quiet. They were idealizing, trusting, companionable, almost happy. It made Alyx nervous, and the more they looked at her, asked her about her and listened to her, the more unnerved she became. She did not think they understood what was happening.
The protagonist is a fish out of water, yet she adapts and leads where her party of contemporary trekkers are babes in the wilderness. It doesn’t go well for any of them. Pretty violent.
“I have,” said Alyx, “just killed a bear. It was eleven feet high and could have eaten the lot of you. If anyone talks loud again, any time, for any reason, I shall ram his unspeakable teeth down his unspeakable throat.”
As a Matter of Fancy 
I’d have to read it – haven’t seen this one. Some of the women writers were trying hard not to be imitation men in the SF – it can be awkward. Or complementary.