Science Fiction and Fantasy Association of New Zealand

Dangerous Women Dangerous Women
Edited by George R. R. Martin And Gardner R. Dozois
Harper Voyager

Supplied for review by Harper Collins New Zealand

Reviewed By: Jan Butterworth

The Dangerous Women anthology is a collection of 21 stories that feature strong heroines. It contains the following stories:

  • Introduction by Gardner Dozois
  • Some Desperado by Joe Abercrombie - A Red Country story
  • My Heart is Either Broken by Megan Abbott
  • Nora’s Song by Cecelia Holland
  • The Hands That Are Not There by Melinda Snodgrass
  • Bombshells by Jim Butcher - A Harry Dresden story – Set in the Dresden universe, the story takes place a few months after Harry Dresden's death and is told from Molly’s POV. Harry's brother, Thomas Raith, has been abducted by the Fomor, who have been making a move on post-Dresden Chicago. And Molly, together with vampire aide Justine and werewolf Andi, sets off to rescue the vampire in distress!
  • Raisa Stepanova by Carrie Vaughn – Raisa is a Russian female pilot during WWII who is trying to become one of the first woman aces, pilots who have 5 confirmed kills, in the world. At first just for her then in order to prove she is not a traitor after her brother goes MIA and is considered a traitor which would stop her family from receiving the meagre rations that the government handed out during the war.
  • Wrestling Jesus by Joe R. Lansdale
  • Neighbors by Megan Lindholm
  • I Know How to Pick ’Em by Lawrence Block
  • Shadows For Silence in the Forests of Hell by Brandon Sanderson
  • A Queen in Exile by Sharon Kay Penman
  • The Girl in the Mirror by Lev Grossman - A Magicians story
  • Second Arabesque, Very Slowly by Nancy Kress
  • City Lazarus by Diana Rowland
  • Virgins by Diana Gabaldon - An Outlander story - Jamie and Ian as young men in France, before Cross-stitch, making a living outside of the Highlands. It shows a lot of the lessons that made Jamie the man he is.
  • Hell Hath No Fury by Sherilynn Kenyon -
  • Pronouncing Doom by S.M. Stirling - An Emberverse story
  • Name the Beast by Sam Sykes
  • Caretakers by Pat Cadigan
  • Lies My Mother Told Me by Caroline Spector - A Wild Cards story
  • The Princess and the Queen by George R.R. Martin - A Song of Ice and Fire story – This is a history of the first Dance with Dragons, fierce war between two Targaryens over the Iron Throne. It begins with the death of King Viserys I Targaryen. The chain of events that take place after his death sparks a war within the Targaryen families over who will sit on the throne.

This is a very heavy book to lift and hold but as they’re short stories you can put it down for a break after each story. I have only read a few by favoured authors so far but have found a few others that look intriguing. The Princess and the Queen is noteworthy for being the only story in TSOFAI series without a body count. Really. Go read it if you doubt me.

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