Rating: 
Summary: Volume 17 in the Sword & Sorceress Anthology Series
Review: As Bradley mentions in the intro, "justice" is the theme in most of the 21 short stories listed below:1) "Memories of the Sea" by Dave Coleman-Reese -- A storyteller, who can hear the stories of the dead via pearls, translates what they tell her of people's past lives to a bar full of sailors. Another good first-time S&S story/author.
2) Inspired by Hercules and the Amazons, a princess petitions the Amazons for "Free Passage" (by Mary Catelli) to an island with a curse-breaking herb.
3) "The Conjuror's Light" by Lisa Campos -- A conjuror is commanded by her king to find the mythical Warblade. One of the longest stories here, but a very good S&S debut by Campos.
4) Based on an article T. Borregaard read on historical warfare, "My Sister's Song" tells of a warrior's plan to stop an invading Roman squadron, without using weapons. An interesting story, but not very surprising, since their method is revealed within the first couple pages.
5) "The Summons" by Bunnie Bessell -- A bodyguard is summoned to the Temple for another task: to kill the prince she's been protecting. One of my favorites.
6) "Luz" by Patricia Duffy Novak -- An outcast tries to intercept a child slavery ring, and in doing so, redeems herself in the eyes of the Goddess. It's hard to understand Luz's devotion to a community that treats her so poorly, yet everything is explained by the end.
7) "Caelqua's Spring" by Vera Nazarian -- A ghostlike water entity returns to find her brother. I'm not sure I understood this one at all.
8) "Deep As Rivers" by Cynthia McQuillin -- A female troll stumbles upon a dying elf and seeks the help of a witch, only to suffer from what the elf suffers (a broken heart) when she falls for him.
9) "Weapons at War" by Charles Laing -- A warrior is assisted (though reluctantly) in battle by her temperamental enchanted sword, as well as by her other talking weapons. Brief story, with a good moral.
10) "Hell Hath No Fury...." by Lee Martindale -- A bard is summoned to perform for the demonbred baroness and learns of her parentage.
11) "An Exchange of Favors" by Dorothy Heydt -- A young woman is asked for a favor by a god (Mercury).
12) "Price of the Sword" by Kim Fryer -- A witch is approached by a soldier to remove a curse from her bloodthirsty sword.
13) "Demon Calling" by ElizaBeth Gilligan -- After her mistress abandons her, a young woman seeks shelter from a dangerous stranger and finds the answer to her mistresses question: What are you?
14) "Nor Iron Bars a Cage" by Deborah Wheeler -- A witch is imprisoned for her ability to manipulate metals.
15) "The Haunting of Princess Elizabeth" by Carrie Vaughn -- Three ghosts protect Elizabeth I on her way to the throne as Queen of England. Enjoyable.
16) "Shadow Soul" by Laura J. Underwood -- A mage tracks down a shadow demon in order to save the soul of a bride.
17) "Memories Traced in Snow" by Dave Smeds -- A scholar helps her cousin find the cause of his mysteriously stolen memories.
18) "Valkyrie" by Jenn Reese -- A Norse woman mourns the sudden loss of her son. Good twist at the end.
19) A warrior-turn-slave offers to engage in a "Soul Dance" (by Lisa Silverthorne) to make peace between two warring tribes.
20) "Lady of Flame" by Diana L. Paxson -- During warring times, a Norse wisewoman has visions of a burning goddess in connection with an Irish slavewoman.
21) "The Tears of the Moon" by Cynthia Ward -- A young woman has visions of barbarians invading her village, which turn out to be true. With a bit of unrequited love thrown in, this is a great ending to this anthology. Sadly, this was the last S&S anthology Bradley had an active hand in before dying in 1999--though she did help prepare a couple others, with the help of Elisabeth Waters, who stepped in as editor for volumes #18-20 and will be replaced by another S&S contributor (and Bradley's sister-in-law): Diana L. Paxson. If you're a fan of this feminist fantasy series, then getting this book--along with the others--is worth it. There're some really good stories in here.
Rating:
Summary: Volume 17 in the Sword & Sorceress Anthology Series
Review: As Bradley mentions in the intro, "justice" is the theme in most of the 21 short stories listed below: 1) "Memories of the Sea" by Dave Coleman-Reese -- A storyteller, who can hear the stories of the dead via pearls, translates what they tell her of people's past lives to a bar full of sailors. Another good first-time S&S story/author.
2) Inspired by Hercules and the Amazons, a princess petitions the Amazons for "Free Passage" (by Mary Catelli) to an island with a curse-breaking herb.
3) "The Conjuror's Light" by Lisa Campos -- A conjuror is commanded by her king to find the mythical Warblade. One of the longest stories here, but a very good S&S debut by Campos.
4) Based on an article T. Borregaard read on historical warfare, "My Sister's Song" tells of a warrior's plan to stop an invading Roman squadron, without using weapons. An interesting story, but not very surprising, since their method is revealed within the first couple pages.
5) "The Summons" by Bunnie Bessell -- A bodyguard is summoned to the Temple for another task: to kill the prince she's been protecting. One of my favorites.
6) "Luz" by Patricia Duffy Novak -- An outcast tries to intercept a child slavery ring, and in doing so, redeems herself in the eyes of the Goddess. It's hard to understand Luz's devotion to a community that treats her so poorly, yet everything is explained by the end.
7) "Caelqua's Spring" by Vera Nazarian -- A ghostlike water entity returns to find her brother. I'm not sure I understood this one at all.
8) "Deep As Rivers" by Cynthia McQuillin -- A female troll stumbles upon a dying elf and seeks the help of a witch, only to suffer from what the elf suffers (a broken heart) when she falls for him.
9) "Weapons at War" by Charles Laing -- A warrior is assisted (though reluctantly) in battle by her temperamental enchanted sword, as well as by her other talking weapons. Brief story, with a good moral.
10) "Hell Hath No Fury...." by Lee Martindale -- A bard is summoned to perform for the demonbred baroness and learns of her parentage.
11) "An Exchange of Favors" by Dorothy Heydt -- A young woman is asked for a favor by a god (Mercury).
12) "Price of the Sword" by Kim Fryer -- A witch is approached by a soldier to remove a curse from her bloodthirsty sword.
13) "Demon Calling" by ElizaBeth Gilligan -- After her mistress abandons her, a young woman seeks shelter from a dangerous stranger and finds the answer to her mistresses question: What are you?
14) "Nor Iron Bars a Cage" by Deborah Wheeler -- A witch is imprisoned for her ability to manipulate metals.
15) "The Haunting of Princess Elizabeth" by Carrie Vaughn -- Three ghosts protect Elizabeth I on her way to the throne as Queen of England. Enjoyable.
16) "Shadow Soul" by Laura J. Underwood -- A mage tracks down a shadow demon in order to save the soul of a bride.
17) "Memories Traced in Snow" by Dave Smeds -- A scholar helps her cousin find the cause of his mysteriously stolen memories.
18) "Valkyrie" by Jenn Reese -- A Norse woman mourns the sudden loss of her son. Good twist at the end.
19) A warrior-turn-slave offers to engage in a "Soul Dance" (by Lisa Silverthorne) to make peace between two warring tribes.
20) "Lady of Flame" by Diana L. Paxson -- During warring times, a Norse wisewoman has visions of a burning goddess in connection with an Irish slavewoman.
21) "The Tears of the Moon" by Cynthia Ward -- A young woman has visions of barbarians invading her village, which turn out to be true. With a bit of unrequited love thrown in, this is a great ending to this anthology. Sadly, this was the last S&S anthology Bradley had an active hand in before dying in 1999--though she did help prepare a couple others, with the help of Elisabeth Waters, who stepped in as editor for volumes #18-20 and will be replaced by another S&S contributor (and Bradley's sister-in-law): Diana L. Paxson. If you're a fan of this feminist fantasy series, then getting this book--along with the others--is worth it. There're some really good stories in here.
Rating: 
Summary: This series never fails to delight
Review: Once again, Marion Zimmer Bradley has collected an amazing selection of short stories of the engrossing world of warriors and sorceresses. As the title implies, all of these stories revolve around women. Many talented writers were first published in previous volumes of S&S, and I look with great anticipation to future works by these talented veterans and newcomers. I give this series my highest recommendation for lovers of fantasy! Thank you, MZB for looking through all of those piles of slush to find these gems!
Rating:
Summary: another great anthology
Review: One of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword and Sorceress books, I think the second one, was the first fantasy book I ever read. Since then I've collected most of them; I love the intelligent stories and the emphasis on the originality and, as MZB puts it, the "sense of wonder" that is sometimes hard to come by in this genre. This newest one is no different.
Rating:
Summary: another great anthology
Review: One of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword and Sorceress books, I think the second one, was the first fantasy book I ever read. Since then I've collected most of them; I love the intelligent stories and the emphasis on the originality and, as MZB puts it, the "sense of wonder" that is sometimes hard to come by in this genre. This newest one is no different.
Rating: 
Summary: A Generally Pleasing Anthology
Review: Since volume IX of Sword and Sorceress, I've anticipated each summer's offering of the latest and greatest S&S short fiction - S&SXVII, while perhaps not the best of this wonderful series, still provides some entertaining reads. Several of the stories are fairly predictable - in an anthology designed to promote strong female characters in Fantastic Fiction, you can pretty much bet that it's the lone girl and not the army (be that Plains Tribe or Amazons or your brother who ought to weild the sword) that will step up to bat and save the day. That given, there are some delightful gems in S&SXVII that make it worth buying, such as such notables as : "Memories of the Sea" by Dave Coleman-Reese is an interesting look at the relation of the soul and memories. The characters and their interrelations are drawn especially well. In "The Summons," Bunnie Bessel built upon an interesting moral dilemma that a bodyguard must face. I only wish this story had been a novel - the glimpses into the world seemed to display something larger than a short story. "Luz" by Patricia Duffy Novak examines humility, perseverence, and divine favour in a charming and well-wrought story that, given its content, manages to keep away from moralising while instructing at the same time. Charles Richard Laing's "Weapons at War" draws from the well-worn "gimmick" of sentient swords, and takes it one comical step further, making one swordwoman's whole armament into a highly opinionated convention! Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Best (and possibly last) of a fine series.
Review: The "Sword And Sorceress" series is a series of collections of short stories set in the "Sword And Sorcery" genre, except that in this series, all the protagonists are female. The is because, as Marion Zimmer Bradley has always explained in her introductions, historically in the "Sword And Sorcery" genre, the only female characters were "Bad conduct prizes" for the heros. The series as a whole is very good, although some volumes were stronger than others. I would rate this one as the best of the series, and with MZB's death, it may be the last. Not a certainty; it is possible, I suppose, that the publishers may choose to continue the series with a new editor, possibly MZB's assistant of the last few years. But I suppose we'll just have to wait and see. There are only three stories in this collection that are continuations of the adventures of characters met in previous anthologies: "An Exchange Of Favors", by Dorothy Heydt (the adventures of Cynthia, The Witch of Syracuse); "Shadow Soul", by Laura J. Underwood (Ginny, celtic wisewoman); and "Lady Of Flame", by Diana Paxson (Bera, Norse Voelva). But there are many fine one-shot stories here, and no bad ones. If this is the end of the line for the series, it is going out in fine style. Hopefully, there will be more to come.
Rating:
Summary: Best (and possibly last) of a fine series.
Review: The "Sword And Sorceress" series is a series of collections of short stories set in the "Sword And Sorcery" genre, except that in this series, all the protagonists are female. The is because, as Marion Zimmer Bradley has always explained in her introductions, historically in the "Sword And Sorcery" genre, the only female characters were "Bad conduct prizes" for the heros. The series as a whole is very good, although some volumes were stronger than others. I would rate this one as the best of the series, and with MZB's death, it may be the last. Not a certainty; it is possible, I suppose, that the publishers may choose to continue the series with a new editor, possibly MZB's assistant of the last few years. But I suppose we'll just have to wait and see. There are only three stories in this collection that are continuations of the adventures of characters met in previous anthologies: "An Exchange Of Favors", by Dorothy Heydt (the adventures of Cynthia, The Witch of Syracuse); "Shadow Soul", by Laura J. Underwood (Ginny, celtic wisewoman); and "Lady Of Flame", by Diana Paxson (Bera, Norse Voelva). But there are many fine one-shot stories here, and no bad ones. If this is the end of the line for the series, it is going out in fine style. Hopefully, there will be more to come.
Rating:
Summary: Volume 17 in the Sword & Sorceress Anthology Series
Review: While I don't think S&S 17 will go down in the annals of history as one of the great works of literature in our time, it is worth reading. It's good for reading on lunch breaks or other times when you don't have several uninterrupted hours for a good solid read. As with all anthologies, there are submissions that appeal to my sense of "good story" more than others. My personal favorite from this one was Carrie Vaughn's "Haunting of Princess Elizabeth."
Rating:
Summary: An OK Book
Review: While I don't think S&S 17 will go down in the annals of history as one of the great works of literature in our time, it is worth reading. It's good for reading on lunch breaks or other times when you don't have several uninterrupted hours for a good solid read. As with all anthologies, there are submissions that appeal to my sense of "good story" more than others. My personal favorite from this one was Carrie Vaughn's "Haunting of Princess Elizabeth."
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