Gailey wears their heart and viewpoint on their sleeve, and Upright Women Wanted is that much better for it. Couched in tart language, hard-bitten imagery, and pulp-Western punch, the novella benefits from its brevity. There's not a word or scene wasted, and the world-building hints at the enormity of America's imagined collapse without overdoing it ... It's a stirring story of resistance, but more importantly, it's an illustration of how personal transformation can be political transformation. Above all, it's a lively, exquisitely crafted, and unrelentingly fun gallop through Gailey's verdant imagination, even if it's caked in a layer of Arizona dust.
There’s queer tragedy here, but it’s never exploitative. The deliberate misunderstanding of 'deviancy' as a capital offense, whether in sexuality, gender or political thought, is not fiction, and though the novel begins with the unjust, state-sanctioned murder of a queer woman and alludes to many more, Gailey lets that injustice read as injustice. They center this narrative on Esther choosing to resist. They give queer women and nonbinary folks agency, letting them be the heroes of their own stories. They reckon with the complexities of 'fighting back,' of violence as resistance, of the weight of killing, even in self-defense. They demonstrate the patriarchy inherent in the tropes of the genre, and they write resistance into it. The short, sharp plot moves swiftly, and Gailey’s biting voice shines in this setting, brimming with wit and alive with joy. Upright Women Wanted weaves the conceits of a Western romp with the fabric of an anti-fascist call to arms, all wrapped in a love letter to queer resistance and community. A love letter to the power of representation, of getting to read about a love and a life like the kind you’ve only dreamt about, and choosing to fight for a world in which you can live without fear.
Through a clever conceit, sparky characters, and sheer force of will, their latest novella expertly tweaks the Western and dystopian genres ... Gailey often touches on the themes of identity and found families in their work, and never has it been more stripped down and authentic. The setting and plot are a little more bare bones than usual, but the tradeoff is a far more in depth exploration of a young woman on the verge of both finding what she’s been missing and losing everything ... Upright Women Wanted is as gritty as a Western, as oppressive as post-apocalyptic, and as idealistic as hopepunk. It’s so well-written, its characters so well-developed, and its world so compelling that it feels longer than it is. As much as I dream of future novellas to expand the series, I am wholly satisfied with just this single entry. It takes a strong, competent hand to be able to tell such a profound story in only 176 pages. Sarah Gailey continues their streak of awesomeness.
Gailey carefully selects their words for maximum impact, and in doing so creates a world where the reader wants to join the revolution, become part of the resistance ... Full of just as much heart and grit as flashy horseback riding and wiley gunfights, Upright Women Wanted blends the feel of a western with a very modern commentary on learning to embrace one’s identity and find one’s people ... This novella is one you won’t want to put down and it will leave you longing for more!
Upright Women Wanted is deftly characterised and has an interesting voice, but even for its brief page count, it feels slight. There’s not a lot of meat on its bones, and what meat there is, is undercut by how unusually talkative and trusting the Librarians are for people who could be executed if the wrong person lays evidence against them. (I find how quickly they allow Esther to uncover suspicious things about them to lack tension.) ... Upright Women Wanted is fun and entertaining, but I’m not convinced it’s 20 quid worth of fun and entertaining. It might be 12 quid worth. On the other hand, it has queer librarians and gunfights in the desert, so who’s to say someone else won’t rate it more highly?
Combining winking humor, cinematic landscapes, heart-stopping action sequences, and romances that will leave readers silently squeeing, Gailey’s...slim novel is a feat of writerly sorcery that packs a sweeping political epic into fewer than 200 pages. Even as readers are charmed by the book’s sense of righteous rebellion and queer glee, the lesson Esther learns—that everyone has a right to be who they are—will catch them right in the feels.
... [a] dazzling neo-western adventure ... Gailey’s gorgeous writing and authentic characters make this slim volume a pure delight. Readers will relish this showcase of Gailey’s striking talents.
