Chicks in Chainmail

Rating:
Summary: From mediocre to dire
Review: There are a few half-decent entertaining works in this book. In fact about half of them are average, mildly entertaining stories. The problem is the other half are below average to flat out dire.

The arrangement of the stories left something to be desired as well. Placing the very worst story of the collection in the fourth slot, after a couple below average tales almost put an end to my reading right there. The story I'm speaking of is the Hilary Clinton in Valhalla tale.

Even the better stories are hobbled by the restrictions of the collection. One after the other of stories that are very similar, bad jokes that aren't presented too differently from one story to the other just wears the reader down with the lack of variety. Really, how many breastplate asides and jokes are necessary?

Suffice to say that the title is the cleverest part of the collection. Good idea, but it wasn't pulled off.

2.5 stars that I rounded down to a 2.

Rating:
Summary: one-note writing....
Review: ....and, can you believe it, from a slew of authors! That what was so disappointing to me about this collection of sci-fi and fantasy stories about liberated warrior babes. The first four were funny (and Friesner's introduction was the most clever of the lot), but after a while lines like," You're bluffing, toots. Everybody knows your 'Barbarian Code' won't let you fight a woman." (from David Vierling's "Armor/Amore") get a little tiresome. OK, there were some pretty amusing tales, like "Career Day" by Margaret Ball. Roped into taking her daughter's class to work with her, our heroinne gamely transports them to her interdimensional workplace, where she's a hired thug for a princeling. Quadratic equations save the day here, believe it or not. And E.T. Spiegelman's "Maureen Birnbaum in the MUD" got my vote as pick of the litter. In this tale told in first person the sarcastic and so-witty prep school/valley girl dialogue actually works. We get to watch Maureen Birnbaum (aka Muffy) apply copious amounts of makeups and unguents to her body as she relates the story of her adventure in a MUD. That's Multi-User Dimension to all you non-geeks out there--a sort of on-line 24-hour text-based Dungeons and Dragons; there are many on the Internet. What was so unusual--and poignant--about this one is that the ending was not funny. It wasn't even happy. Having taken a three-hour break at her best friend Bitsy's house to wash off the mud and blood and make herself stunning for her sweetie, Prince Val of Mars, Maureen Birnbaum finds that she has squandered her go-anywhere taxi ride (the grand prize for slaying the ultimate monster in the MUD). We leave her standing in the empty gravel driveway of her friend's home, literally all dressed up and no place to go. This book was not a dog--I got some chuckles out of it, and it was a nice quick summertime read. But ask me specifics a month from now, and I'll scratch my head and try to call one of these stories to mind--they just don't resonate in any meaningful way. Could Friesner have stretched the parameters a little bit and gone for an anthology with a little bit more impact? How about one of the many stories about Kali, the Hindu goddess of birth and destruction? Now THERE'S a kick-ass babe

Rating:
Summary: Another book that Whacks Stereotypes in the chops
Review: Chicks in Chainmail is one of those books that had to be a volume of irony, the title wouldn't permit anything else. Friesner's relating the (real? fictional) difficulties in getting people to get the title accepted is a good start, and the book goes right on from there, shredding stereotypes, stomping on the fragile male ego (you know, us males ARE the genetically disadvantaged ones, ask any doctor), and in general having a good time stepping on those preconceptions that people tuck away in the back of their head. Some people may not like the one-note nature of the book, but I think THAT'S THE POINT! The selective taxation story ought to be mailed direcly to our present congress, too. I read it on a plane, and again when I got home. Then my spouse captured it and giggled until about 3 in the morning.

Rating:
Summary: Finally, REAL female science fiction characters.
Review: Friesner puts together a collection of stories that poke fun at the stereotypical female character in science fiction novels. It was funny and it showed that female characters can be just as tough and interesting as the Conans of the science fiction world. Way to go Friesner

Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected
Review: I bought this because I like fantasy short stories and I thought the title was funny. There were only 3 stories I actually liked; TEACHER'S PET/Josepha Sherman, WERE-WENCH/Jan Stirling and BLOOD CALLS TO BLOOD/Elisabeth Waters. The rest were boring or unreadable. It has been 4 months since I got this book and its taken me this long to force myself to finish it. What a disappointment.

Rating:
Summary: The Revenge of the Stereotypes
Review: I really enjoyed this book. The stories are full of wonderful stories that are sure to please men and women alike. I wouldn't want to meet any of these women in a dark ally but I really like reading about their conquests and vitories in battle.

Rating:
Summary: Great book for escapist reading
Review: I really enjoyed this book. The stories are full of wonderful stories that are sure to please men and women alike. I wouldn't want to meet any of these women in a dark ally but I really like reading about their conquests and vitories in battle.

Rating:
Summary: Funny! General good read!
Review: I thought the actual book would be terrible, but then I noticed E. Moon's name on it so I thought. Oh what the hell, and bought it. It was worth it. Very funny, and engrosing. So engrosing in fact I stayed up till 3 am to finish it, and I have a test today! Oh well.. :)

Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected
Review: I too thought this would be fun, but the stories are trite, a struggle to read, pure boredom. I got as far as Hillary Clinton being transported to Valhalla after a train crash, and this book crashed shut. It has made the rounds in my office without one person completing the book, or any positive comments. I can't get rid of it. Even as an oddity, it is a miserable failure. This feminist joke is horribly presented. Any comic book on the same subject would be better.

Rating:
Summary: Miserable failure.
Review: I too thought this would be fun, but the stories are trite, a struggle to read, pure boredom. I got as far as Hillary Clinton being transported to Valhalla after a train crash, and this book crashed shut. It has made the rounds in my office without one person completing the book, or any positive comments. I can't get rid of it. Even as an oddity, it is a miserable failure. This feminist joke is horribly presented. Any comic book on the same subject would be better.