Upright Women Wanted

By Sarah Gailey

A 2021 Hugo Award Finalist!
A 2021 Locus Award Finalist!
A 2020 ALA Booklist Top 10 SF/F Pick!
A Booklist Editor's Choice Pick!
Book Riot's Best Books of 2020 So Far!

Named a Best of 2020 Pick for NPR | NYPL | Booklist | Bustle | Den of Geek

In Upright Women Wanted, award-winning author Sarah Gailey reinvents the pulp Western with an explicitly antifascist, near-future story of queer identity.

“That girl’s got more wrong notions than a barn owl’s got mean looks.”

Esther is a stowaway. She’s hidden herself away in the Librarian’s book wagon in an attempt to escape the marriage her father has arranged for her—a marriage to the man who was previously engaged to her best friend. Her best friend who she was in love with. Her best friend who was just executed for possession of resistance propaganda.

The future American Southwest is full of bandits, fascists, and queer librarian spies on horseback trying to do the right thing.

Praise for Upright Women Wanted

"A good old-fashioned horse opera for the 22nd century. Gunslinger librarians of the apocalypse are on a mission to spread public health, decency, and the revolution."—Charles Stross

"A dazzling neo-western adventure. . . . Gailey’s gorgeous writing and authentic characters make this slim volume a pure delight."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Feb 4, 2020
• ISBN: 9781250213655

Sarah Gailey

Sarah Gailey is a Hugo Award and British Fantasy Award winning and bestselling author of speculative fiction, short stories, and essays. Their nonfiction has been published by dozens of venues internationally. Their fiction has been published in over seven different languages. They have written comics for Marvel, EC, and BOOM! Studios, including multiple original series. They are the editor and publisher of Stone Soup and Love Letters: Reasons To Be Alive. You can find links to their work at sarahgailey.com.

Book preview

CHAPTER

1

As Esther breathed in the sweet, musty smell of the horse blankets in the back of the Librarians’ wagon, she chewed on the I-told-you-so feeling that had overwhelmed her ever since her father had told her the news about Beatriz. She’d known that none of it would come to any good. She’d told Beatriz as much. Tried to tell her, anyway.

But Beatriz never did listen. She always was stubborn, as stubborn as a hot day, the kind that comes too long before a storm breaks, and so she hanged. She swung by her neck while Esther’s father, Victor Augustus, made a speech about the dangers of deviance. Silas Whitmour had stood a few feet behind the podium with his fists clenched in his pockets. His lips had been pressed together tight, his eyes on Esther.

Not on Beatriz. He wouldn’t hardly look at Beatriz at all.

His eyes were on Esther, who had lied to her father and told him she’d make the whole thing right.

---

The Head Librarian didn’t find Esther Augustus until they were two whole days outside of Valor, Arizona. She swore so loud and colorful that it snapped Esther right out of the Beatriz-dream she’d been having, and by the time Esther was sitting upright, the Head Librarian’s revolver was pointed right at her face.

Don’t shoot me, Esther said, her voice raspy. Her mouth tasted foul from two days with only the bottle of water she’d brought, two days without a toothbrush and without food. Please, she added, because her mother had raised her right and because manners seemed like a good idea when a gun was involved.

Give me a single good reason. The Head Librarian’s badge glittered in the early-morning sun. It was a hammered copper star with three columns etched into it—one for virtue, one for knowledge, and one for patriotism. It shone as bright as Beatriz’s eyes had.

Esther wasn’t sure if the Head Librarian was asking for a single good reason to shoot or a single good reason not to, but she decided to play her only card.

My name is Esther Augustus, she said. My father is Victor Augustus. He’s—he’s the Superintendent of the Lower Southwest Territory, she added uncertainly.

The Head Librarian surely knew who Victor Augustus was, but her face didn’t change at the sound of his name. Her square jaw was set just the same as it had been, her flinty gray eyes were just as furious, and her finger was still awfully close to the trigger of her six-shooter.

Leda! The Head Librarian didn’t yell, but her voice carried all the same. After a few seconds, Esther heard unhurried footsteps crunching toward the wagon. The Head Librarian didn’t take her eyes off Esther as those footsteps approached, her gaze matching the unblinking eye that was the barrel of her gun. All three of those eyes watched Esther Augustus, and she watched them back, too dehydrated to sweat and unable to draw a full breath.

"Damn it, Bet, if you can’t start dealing with scorpions on your own, I’ll—oh." A second woman appeared next to the Head Librarian. Bet, Leda had called her. The two women couldn’t have looked more different. Leda was tall and wide where Bet was somewhere between wiry and scrawny. She was pale where Bet was brown, her skin smooth where Bet’s was scarred. Leda’s eyes were gentle. At least, they were. Until they landed on Esther’s little nest among the saddle blankets and dry goods, that is. When she saw Esther’s hiding place, those gentle eyes flashed hard, then went wary and darting.

Now, Leda, Bet growled, her eyes still on Esther like a snake watching an approaching ankle, didn’t I ask you to check this wagon when we left town?

Leda didn’t answer, but her face told the story well enough: asked to do the task, didn’t feel like doing it, said it was done to move things along.

Please don’t shoot me, Esther said, coughing as the words hit her dry throat. I don’t mean any harm, it’s just—

It’s just that you’re running away, Bet intoned flatly. You’re running away to join the Librarians.

"Well, I’m not … I’m not running away from anything, Esther stammered, the lie loose on her tongue. I’m running to something."

Give the girl some water, Leda muttered to Bet. She’s delirious.

She’s Victor Augustus’s daughter, Bet replied.

Leda’s eyes got big as she looked back to Esther. Those eyes were canaries, Esther realized—they sang everything that passed through Leda’s head, loud and clear enough for anyone to catch. Shit, she hissed. We don’t have time for this.

Does your father know where you are right now? Bet asked. Esther hesitated, then shook her head. Bet mirrored the movement. No? Stupid to tell me so, she said. If he doesn’t know you’re here, there’s not a chance of a consequence for me if I shoot you dead and dump your body in the desert. She sighed, lowering the revolver, and Esther took in a full breath at long last. Get out of that wagon before you sweat fear-stink all over my horse blankets. Leda, this water is coming out of your supply. With that, Bet walked away and out of sight.

Esther slid out of the wagon on weak legs, her feet slipping in the gravel. She’d worn her most practical shoes, but she could already tell they wouldn’t keep her upright on the trails the Librarians rode.

Not that good shoes should be her immediate concern, she thought. She couldn’t rightly say that this wasn’t going according to plan, since there hadn’t been much of a plan in the first place, but it certainly wasn’t going the way she’d hoped it might. She couldn’t think of why a Head Librarian would need to carry a revolver instead of a rifle. A rifle would do just fine for whatever might be in the desert, whatever might come across the horizon to make a woman nervous. A revolver was too close-up for a woman to carry, her father’d always said. A revolver was a man’s weapon, made to end an argument.

A Librarian, Esther thought, shouldn’t ever have need of arguing. That was the whole point.

A strong, callused hand caught her by the elbow before she could stumble again. It was Leda holding a canteen. Esther would have sworn she could smell the water inside of it. She drank too gratefully, and that strong hand slapped her on the back hard to make her cough up the water she inhaled.

You don’t want to lie to Bet, you understand? Leda whispered, her mouth close enough to Esther’s ear to stir the hair near her temples.

I wouldn’t, Esther replied. She decided not to remember the last time Beatriz had been that close to her ear, the things they’d whispered to each other then.

I mean it, Leda said. She’ll know if you lie, and if you do, you can forget about her letting you stay.

Esther nodded, her heart pounding. If she played this thing wrong, she had no idea what might happen. Maybe Bet would take her home to face her father’s wrath. Maybe Bet would turn her loose in the scrubland to wander, lost and alone. Maybe Bet would pull that iron out again, and maybe this time, she’d use it.

But, Esther reminded herself, that was only if she screwed up.

If she did everything right, on the other hand? Well, then she might just get to become a Librarian.

---

A full canteen of water later, Esther was sitting on a rock across from Leda and Bet, and she was lying harder than she ever had before.

I’ve always wanted to be a Librarian, she said, looking Bet right in the face, making her eyes wide and earnest the way she did whenever she talked to the Superintendent about the importance of the flag and the troops and the border. Her long hair was matted with sweat in spite of the tight braid she’d bound it in before climbing into the back of the wagon, and she felt like something that had gotten stuck on the tread of a tank, but none of that would matter if she could make herself shine with earnest dedication to the cause. Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed of joining an Honorable Brigade of Morally Upright Women, doing Rewarding Work Supporting a Bright Future for—

—the Nation’s Children, Bet finished flatly. You memorized the posters.

I hate those things, Leda muttered, and Bet shot her a sharp look.

Of course I memorized them, Esther said. If she didn’t blink for long enough, she could get her eyes to water a little, so she’d look like she was overcome by passion for the Librarians’ work. She clasped her hands together in front of her and let her shoulders rise. I had one of the recruitment posters hung over my bed since I was a little girl. I love everything about Librarians.

What’s the part that appeals most? Bet asked.

I just admire the work you do so much, she gasped, and there it was: her eyes were burning and she knew they’d take on a real shine soon. Helping to further the spread of correct education is so important. If it weren’t for the Librarians, no one would have up-to-date Approved Materials to read and watch and listen to. My father always said—Bet made a soft sound at this, and Esther reminded herself not to bring up her father again for a little while—he always said that when boredom takes hold, that’s when people get up to trouble. So, I figure that if it weren’t for the Librarians, people would probably be coming up with dangerous new materials all the time. She looked down at her feet and gave a soft sniff. "I just want to help. I want to be part of something that’s bigger than I am. I want to be a

Reviews for Upright Women Wanted

[Moira · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Lesbians fighting fascism? Yes, sounds interesting, right? That's because it is! A perfect little novella exploring a lot of idea surrounding being queer, like the need to hide and the self-hate. Despite this, it gives a good sense pf hope that, if we keep fighting, things will be better!

[pyrocat-110012 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love this book so very much! I love all of Sarah Gailey’s work but this is by far my favorite.

[zoes_human · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The state war machine has created an impoverished and repressive society in which citizens' lives are rigidly controlled. Media is regulated, and resources are strictly rationed. Esther flees an arranged marriage, hoping to rebuild her life and atone for her sins by becoming a Librarian delivering Approved Materials throughout the country. This novella merges the action-packed excitement of a western with the social examination of a dystopian to create a weird western that even makes space for a slow-burn romantic subplot. It is a story both more hopeful and modern than one typically expects of either genre.Fun and fast with an interesting universe, but overall too upbeat for my current mood and too romantic for my particular tastes.

[angiestahl-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting, unique, and compact novella. Dystopian wild west with lesbian librarians on horseback smuggling people for the resistance.Got this as a blind book pick after asking for something quirky and different. This is that in spades. Absolutely worth a try and as others have said, wouldn't mind another visit to this world to check on Esther.

[maryellencg-894309 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I want more of this story!

[sriddell_8 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I wanted to like this book. The cross-genre western / future distopia / LGBQT romance / subversive librarians fighting against injustice. It had the potential to be really entertaining.

Instead (and I may be in the minority here) it was flat, plodding and boring. I really got the visceral sense of riding a horse across the monotonous Arizona desert - and not in any sort of good way.

This book was short, but took me a while to read. I just couldn't get into more than a page or two before turning to an alternate book to read.

[birdo82 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It could stand to be a bit longer and would benefit from more world-building, but this tale of lesbian, gun-toting Librarians in a dystopian western setting makes due with simplicity.

[Jo McGregor · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was completely wonderful. It's absolutely a book that is about the message, rather than having a setting that will hold up to scrutiny or a particularly complicated plot, and I love it anyway. Felt like a joyous high five in book form; I wish I'd had narratives like this when I was younger.

[scarylullabies · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A quick read - there is an efficiency to the storytelling that makes it very accessible and enjoyable.

[ajhackwith · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A really exceptional book from an exceptional author. If you're here for 'queer librarian spies fighting fascists' then you will not be disappointed. Esther is a queer woman looking to escape her fate by joining the librarians, traveling women who ostensibly deliver 'approved media' to smaller communities in a post civil decline west. Her journey as she learns who the librarians really are and learns who she is (and allowed to be) herself, feels so earnest and earned. I sometimes have a problem with novellas where the plot feels too unfinished or leaves me hanging--not here. The pace never drags, and somehow Gailey managed to pack a whole novel's worth of reversals and revelations into one novella.

[othemts · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This novella has a western vibe while actually set in a dystopian future in which the United States has crumbled under autocratic rule that discriminates against LGBTQ people (ok, maybe not so far in the future?).  Esther hides in a wagon belonging to The Librarians after the execution of her lover Beatrice.  The Librarians officially travel the southwest distributing "approved" reading material but in fact are gun-slinging lesbian women and enby people with ties to pockets of resistance. It seems like a very short story for all of its ambition, but has some great moments, and can be disarmingly sweet and hopeful

[davisfamily-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The book was good, a fun western romance with a twist. The audio version of this was 2 ⭐️, a high pitched baby voice..so bad.

[katiekrug · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really love novellas, but I think this one would have worked better as a longer piece. The premise is intriguing (a near future American Southwest with subversive librarians, sapphic romance, and shoot-outs) but it wasn't fully developed, nor were the characters. Still, a fun listen, and I love the tagline on the cover, "Are you a coward or are you a librarian?"

3.5 stars

[hippielunatic · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Easy-to-read novella, but the plot feels too dense for this short of an exploration. Set in an interesting dystopian setting that was not as developed as I would have liked, the characters were similarly intriguing but mostly flat.

This made me want more of the world, more of the Librarians, more of the Resistance, but as an individual unit, it was not incredibly fulfilling for me.

[greeniezona · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was as easy as breathing. This is a "give the people what they want" kinda story. A Western where librarians deliver their books in wagons and wear badges and "just happen" to be all queer women and non-binary folks, and oh yeah, are leading a secret resistance movement? EAT IT UP WITH A SPOON.

[lycomayflower · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I adored the premise of this sapphic western novella (set in the future after Something Happened in an unspecified apocalypse-y way) and there were a few just fantastic scenes, but on the whole it didn't quite spark for me. I strongly suspect YMMV.

[caedocyon · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Fine, but pretty insubstantial. Feels like a medium between [book:River of Teeth|31445891] and [book:Magic for Liars|34594037], but more on the River of Teeth side of the scale. Gailey's writing has massively improved over the past few years, and I'm excited to keep reading their books, but this one was just OK.

[zjakkelien · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This started out well, but in the end I didn't like it as much as I wanted to. The story line was a bit messy, and I found the characters a little incongruous at times. I thought the librarians showed a strange mix of empathy and callousness. I guess the book defended that with saying you have to become hardened if you live that kind of life. Perhaps, but I think it was uncalled for. I also didn't get the main character. Considering the events prior to her joining the librarians, I think her reactions were strange.

It's nice that there were a lot of queer characters and I think the concept was nice. I did enjoy it to a certain degree, but I think this book had more potential.

[amberwitch · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Very mixed story told in very broad strokes. Or in other words, flimsy worldbuilding, cardboard thin characters, unbelievable plot line, and simple messages driven home with a very big hammer in a juvenile story with a lot of gore and angst.

[deltaqueen50 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey is a novella that packs quite a punch. Enhanced by pulp Western language, a desert setting, and a group of strong, sharp tongued women this story about Librarians who travel the west was exciting, interesting and powerful.

In a United States that has evolved into a society that resembles the Old West, we unfortunately soon learn that homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, fascism, war and untruths are the rule of the day. Esther has stole away with a group of Librarians who travel the west bringing people “approved” materials and hope. She is recovering from the trauma of seeing the woman she loved hung for deviance and she is determined to become a Librarian. We soon learn that Librarians are, in fact, the heroes of the day and Esther’s story teaches both her and the readers that there is a place for everybody, and heroes come in all shapes and sizes.

Upright Women Wanted was a fun, quick read that was easy to love. How could one not love a story about subversive Librarians fighting injustice and allowing us to explore their politics of otherness.

[jckphnx · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It could stand to be a bit longer and would benefit from more world-building, but this tale of lesbian, gun-toting Librarians in a dystopian western setting makes due with simplicity.

[montzaleew · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Upright Women Wanted
by Sarah Gailey

This story takes place in the US in an alternate time. The State has authorized material and reading unauthorized material can get you killed. So can loving the same sex. This book follows Esther, who watched her girlfriend hang after being caught with the wrong material. Her father also wants to marry her off to a guy she doesn't like. She runs away by hiding in the back of the Librarian's book wagon.

Librarians transport authorized material around so everyone can read the same books, see the same movies. Esther wants to become a Librarian.

This book follows the partly wild west style adventure of these women who are considered State authorized helpers but underneath they work for the resistance. This is how Esther grows from seeing the world under a iron fist to trying to make a change.

It's full of action, romance, hope, and growth. Great characters and plot. Loved the unique world.

[jennybeast · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was a giveaway from Tor and I probably wouldn't have picked it up if I remembered that Sarah Gailey wrote the Hippo westerns -- which were the most brilliant idea, but I didn't care for the writing.

This little book was a bit of a revelation, though, and I think maybe my issues with her writing are solved by the novella format. I liked the new future/western/dystopian setting. I liked that we never really found out the answers/backstory to a lot of what was happening in the world. I like imagining badass lesbian librarian gunslingers -- who doesn't? And I think this was a good balance of Esther's internal struggles and fast paced adventure. I also really enjoyed Cye, the ornery non-binary mentor.

[lyndainoregon · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting genre- and gender-bending Western/scifi/LGTBQ novelette about a futuristic Balkanized America where bands of roving "librarians" distribute more than "approved" reading materials. They are also active agents in a vaguely-described "resistance" movement and a haven for free-thinkers of all stripes.

Gailey sometimes reaches a bit too far trying for quasi-Western dialogue (particularly when describing firearms), but it's overall a quick read with a fresh viewpoint.

[reading_fox · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Short novel, long novella - just over 100 pages of writing - of an alternative history or dystopian near future, it's not quite clear which, where the US conservative right wing has been in established power for some time. Many of the men are off at the State Sponsored War, and the rest run the communities and households. All resources are devoted to the War Effort, so most communities are small towns living simple lives in a very Wild West sort of manner. One of the few national communications are the Travelling Librarians, who bring approved materials to each community. They are usually spinster women as men can't be spared from the War effort.

The story starts with Our Heroine hiding away in a librarian's van, after her illicit girlfriend was caught with some Unapproved material and publicly hanged- a somewhat extreme response even by the prevalent standards. She just wants to get away to an upright populace where her feelings wont get her into trouble, and what could be more approved than the Librarians.

It's cleverly written so that we gradually see the Librarians may be more than they first appeared, an although the Wild West violence is somewhat comical the characters shine.

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

That was an interesting read but felt too short, then again I hasn't really looked at whether it was a novel or a novella before starting still this story of lesbian librarians in a post-new-american civil war was interesting and entertaining. Esther has seen what happens to those who buck the system and it's not pretty, now she's trying to find a place for herself but finds that the truth about the travelling librarians is more complicated than she thought. It's a story about fitting square pegs into round holes and about subtle subversion.
I enjoyed the read and found the characters interesting and I'd like some more set in this world.

[beth.clarke · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A post-apocalyptic western about a group of lesbian librarians traveling while encountering obstacles while spying as part of the resistance. A quick, enjoyable read!

[sammusher · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

What if Handmaid's Tale, but set in the American West and really, really gay?

[librolindsay · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I only wish this were longer!

[booksandliquids · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this, but I wish it would have been more than it was.

What I loved

The worldbuilding. A post apocalyptic world mixed with the wild west, yes, sign me up! An oppressive government and a group of female librarians working for the rebellion under the cover of being 'proper women' - sign me up! The premise is cool and I feel there are a lot of great stories to be told in this world.
The representation. I love representation and here it didn't feel forced, it fit the story and got its message accross clearly without hitting you over the head with what it wants you to take away from it.
The writing. It was engaging, very on point and I want to read more of this. I will definitely check out more books by Sarah Gailey.

What didn't work for me

I don't know if a novella was the right format for this story. It actually took me a bit to get into it, which I feel a novella shouldn't do. And then once it got started, it tried to do so much in the little time it had. I feel like this story should have been told in a novel or it should have been shortened to fit the length of a novella. As it is, some of the resolutions came too quickly for me, without much buildup, and at the same time I wished for more character development, but there wasn't time to explore those characters further and most of them ended up a bit flat.

I wish I could read a whole novel set in this world, and I hope someday I will.