Sword and Sorceress #02

Rating:
Summary: Looking for a Few Heroic Women?
Review: This is Marion Zimmer Bradley's second anthology devoted to exploring the fantasy genre and the women that inhabit it. These aren't romance stories, or tales of Amazons ultimately defeated by a superior man, or domestic stories. These are tales of adventure, where the protagonists are women of the sword or magic staff who actually do something. Despite the cheesy "pulp-fantasy" cover that this second anthology had the misfortune to display, the stories are anything but cheesy. They cover a vast array of tones and styles, ranging from the epic struggle, to the tongue in cheek, to the rough and tumble. These gals aren't waiting for the handsome Hero to step in and rescue them. And with skilled editor Marion Zimmer Bradley selecting the stories for this anthology, each short story has something to offer.

Those of you who have read through the first anthology in the series will note the presence of a number of the same authors, as MZB herself mentions in her foreword. "A Night at the Two Inns" by Phyllis Ann Karr continues the adventures of Frostflower and Thorn-- Karr's gentle sorceress and tough swordswoman duo. Likewise, Diana L. Paxson continues the story of her character Shanna with "Shadow Wood". Other returning authors include Stephen Burns with "The Black Tower", Charles Saunders with "Shimenge's Mask", "Fireweb" by Deborah Wheeler, and "Cold Blows the Wind" by Charles DeLint. Jennifer Roberson also returns with "The Lady and the Tiger" which features, I believe, the first appearance of her now famous Tiger and Del characters.

Warrior women, thieves, craftswomen, sorceresses and assassins all populate these pages. Some stories are straight adventure and epic fantasy such as "The Black Tower" by Stephen Burns and "Shimenge's Mask" by Charles Saunders. Others are biting and surprise the reader with their endings. Try "The Lady and the Tiger" by Jennifer Roberson or "Hunger" by Russ Garrison. Still others are just sincerely funny. Don't miss Elizabeth Thompson's "On First Looking Into Bradley's Guidelines, Or Stories I Don't Want To Read Either" which does a fine job at elaborating the things that Marion Zimmer Bradley didn't want to see submitted for this anthology. The editor was tickled by the poem; I suspect readers will be too.

Beyond the varieties, there are a few tales that defy simple definition, and shine out in this collection. Popular author C. J. Cherryh pens "The Unshadowed Land"; a story that gave the editor goose bumps-not to mention me! The other one I will note is "The Wound in the Moon" by Vera Nazarian, this was the authors first published story and is truly a beautiful, disturbing and thought-provoking piece.

What makes these anthologies stand out, besides the exceptional stories and powerful heroines, is MZB's own introductions to each story and author. Her comments are almost as delightful to read as the stories themselves. For anyone who likes this anthology, I highly recommend you check out the first Sword and Sorceress anthology if you can find it. The good news is there are now nineteen Sword and Sorceress anthologies to read and discover, but I will firmly uphold that the earliest anthologies, particularly the first three, are some of the best.

Happy Reading! shanshad ^_^