Dangerous Women Part I

Dangerous Women #1

by George R.R. Martin (Editor), Gardner Dozois (Editor), Megan Abbott (Contributor)

This first volume features an original 35,000 word novella by George R.R. Martin.‘The Princess and the Queen' reveals the origins of the civil war in Westeros (before the events in A Game of Thrones), which is known as the Dance of the Dragons, pitting Targaryen against Targaryen and dragon against dragon.

Other authors in this volume of warriors, bad girls and dragonriders include worldwide bestselling authors Brandon Sanderson, Lawrence Block and Nancy Kress.

DANGEROUS WOMEN 1
Gardner Dozois’s introduction
George R. R. Martin, ‘The Princess and the Queen’
Carrie Vaughn, ‘Raisa Stepanova’
Nancy Kress,’“Second Arabesque, Very Slowly’
Lawrence Block, ‘I Know How to Pick ‘Em’
Megan Abbott, ‘My Heart Is Either Broken’
Joe R. Lansdale, ‘Wrestling Jesus’
Brandon Sanderson, ‘Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell’

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical

277 pages, Paperback

First published September 25, 2014

About the author

George Raymond Richard "R.R." Martin was born September 20, 1948, in Bayonne, New Jersey. His father was Raymond Collins Martin, a longshoreman, and his mother was Margaret Brady Martin. He has two sisters, Darleen Martin Lapinski and Janet Martin Patten.

Martin attended Mary Jane Donohoe School and Marist High School. He began writing very young, selling monster stories to other neighborhood children for pennies, dramatic readings included. Later he became a comic book fan and collector in high school, and began to write fiction for comic fanzines (amateur fan magazines). Martin's first professional sale was made in 1970 at age 21: The Hero, sold to Galaxy, published in February, 1971 issue. Other sales followed.

In 1970 Martin received a B.S. in Journalism from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, graduating summa cum laude. He went on to complete a M.S. in Journalism in 1971, also from Northwestern.

As a conscientious objector, Martin did alternative service 1972-1974 with VISTA, attached to Cook County Legal Assistance Foundation. He also directed chess tournaments for the Continental Chess Association from 1973-1976, and was a Journalism instructor at Clarke College, Dubuque, Iowa, from 1976-1978. He wrote part-time throughout the 1970s while working as a VISTA Volunteer, chess director, and teacher.

In 1975 he married Gale Burnick. They divorced in 1979, with no children. Martin became a full-time writer in 1979. He was writer-in-residence at Clarke College from 1978-79.

Moving on to Hollywood, Martin signed on as a story editor for Twilight Zone at CBS Television in 1986. In 1987 Martin became an Executive Story Consultant for Beauty and the Beast at CBS. In 1988 he became a Producer for Beauty and the Beast, then in 1989 moved up to Co-Supervising Producer. He was Executive Producer for Doorways, a pilot which he wrote for Columbia Pictures Television, which was filmed during 1992-93.

Martin's present home is Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is a member of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (he was South-Central Regional Director 1977-1979, and Vice President 1996-1998), and of Writers' Guild of America, West.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/george...

Reviews

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Book for All Seasons: an anthology

Rasia Stepanova: about a female Russian WWII fighter pilot; seems timely as books are currently being published about these intrepid women
Not a history lesson; more a lesson in leaving a legacy for country and family

I know how to pick 'em: predator beaten at one's own game

Neighbors: all I could think about was my mother and how my brother and his wife gutted her house after my dad died and her progression through her Alzheimer's diagnosis. This story really upset me.

Wrestling Jesus: overcoming the curses of love and age; also the older generation giving a leg up to the younger and the younger showing deepest respect for it

My Heart is Either Broken: creepy kidnapping story
Definitely my favourite so far

Nora's Song: this is a short story from the POV of Eleanor, the middle daughter of Queen Eleanor and King Henry II. This was timely for me as I'm currently reading The Winter Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick. The events that took place here (Princess Alais of France has joined the family) have not occurred in my book, so I look forward to comparing the stories.

The Princess and the Queen: this is George R R Martin's contribution to the book- a dragon story set in the world of Ice and Fire.

[Asghar Abbas · Rating 5 out of 5]

So here we are. Don't turn away now. We might not be the warriors that built this town. But still, take a look around. For we can still imagine those dragons.

We bartered our sunlight, and squandered the time we didn't have to get this.
To get here? To get inside? To be here? For this?

All our counterfeit gold gone, so gone. Looking around, I can't help but think of all the sunlight we had hidden away when we left. We hid it so well in that familiar smog, we can't find it now ourselves.

I'll be honest. I only read Martin's short story in this anthology. Maybe I'll read the rest, but then again, maybe not.

I'll admit, I read it quickly, coming out of the superb GoT season seven and having just finished A Feast for Crows the second time around, which I really enjoyed. I read this short story to avoid some serious Game of Thrones withdrawals. I had to read it, I had to.

So as far as the story of Princess and the Queens goes, it was an excellent backdrop. Great world-building by Mr. Martin here. Even as I stand to rebuild the remainder of my world, I was aware of that and thereby impressed by the sheer volume and scope of his ambition. Just as I am fixing to fix my remaining world, I can't help but marvel at the westeros one. I'll say one thing though, Martin sure has a virile imagination.

That being said, however. Just a little pickle though, a minor quibble really. Martin used an archmaester to narrate this story. That maester literally told the story instead of, you know showing it. but I can understand being pressed for time, I guess. Martin still has to finish that Song which includes Fire and Ice.

The short story was still enjoyable, given the talent here, no surprises there. Too many dragons. No complaints. Mid-air battles, come on HBO! Make it happen. Make out?

Because I just love the way George Martin writes, so Beatles-ly here, I'll add the two RR to his name, lovingly I might add. I really wanted to see this expand into a book series. But then again, if it had gone that way, we'd still be here waiting for our favorite wizened wizard from Santa Fae to wrap it up. He does take forever and he tends to go on forever too. Even here.

Although, on the other hand in his inane quest to be unpredictable, he was sadly very predictable. And yet all his machinations were for naught. I still ended up rooting for the losing side. And despite all that, the story didn't end like how I had envisioned it. Martin ended up borrowing his ending from History, yet again. Which is a serious indicator we will not like how Game of Thrones will end. There are no happy endings, we'd be lucky if we even get one.

You know, a lot of people draw parallels between ASOIAF and War of the Roses. I didn't really see that. I think Princess and the Queen is more of a direct adaptation of that piece of history. Like how Aegon the III came out as the ultimate victor and ended up marrying Aegon II's daughter to stabilize the region and solidify his position, consolidate it. Pretty much like Henry VIII did when he married Elizabeth of York to legitimize his rule. To keep his crown. To remain in power. To keep a hold on a throne that was never his. Only Elizabeth's. And later, Anne Boleyn's. Yep, that makes sense, it does. In a skewed kind of way.

Okay. Final last words. I actually do have fiction to write myself, hehe. Under lots of my friends' names. I am using their names as titles. Yes, I can hear Mads Mikkelsen saying in his beautiful Hannibal's voice; what a clever boy I am.

Just this. We don't need fiction to tell us that women are dangerous. Or fickle. Or frail. Or flailing. Or failing. Or that the women are farceurs and fabulists of their own fables. Or that they are fraught with misfortunes.

It is not as much as how but what they make us feel is what's making us so bitter. Even though we are not utterly helpless, just completely, given all that flesh and the fallowness of our fragile weaker minds, Women are Dangerous.

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected this to have more fantasy stories in it, given Martin’s involvement, the cover, everything I’d heard about it. But nope, four of the seven stories in this volume aren’t fantasy — even one I thought would be, since I know the author’s fantasy work.

‘The Princess and the Queen’, by George R.R. Martin — Reads like a summary of a story he couldn’t be bothered to write, heavily cribbed from English civil wars. I ended up skipping it, since I’m not actually a Martin fan and haven’t read A Song of Ice and Fire yet.

‘Raisa Stepanova’, by Carrie Vaughn — I kept expecting the SF/F here, but nope; this is a historical story set in World War II. I didn’t really get into it, perhaps because it wasn’t what I was expecting.

‘Second Arabesque, Very Slowly’, by Nancy Kress — Your fairly typical women-are-breeders spec-fic future, with some kids getting all hooked on ballet, enough to kill so they can run off and do it for fun. Didn’t really work for me, because every beat was predictable, and even if I sympathised with their need to get away, I didn’t enjoy the characters’ methods.

‘I Know How To Pick ‘Em’, by Lawrence Block — Gritty noirish short story, sex and murder, exactly what you expect going in.

‘My Heart is Either Broken’, by Megan Abbott — I wasn’t sure where this was going, and I’m not sure it quite got there, but it got hold of me. I wanted things to come out okay; I feared that things would never be the same for the characters if they did.

‘Wrestling Jesus’, by Joe R. Lansdale — Another fairly predictable one. Not my genre, either. The dangerous woman of the anthology’s theme is, in this case, a nasty woman who likes playing around with people; yay… I’d kinda like to see more dangerous women who aren’t morally dubious. Speaking of which…

‘Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell’, by Brandon Sanderson — Probably my favourite of the bunch, though I guess that isn’t saying much considering my feelings on some of the above. This is actually fantasy, the world is fascinating, and you get sucked in by the character’s problems and what they need to do to survive.

Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.

[Ivana - Diary of Difference]

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Now that I have this book in my library - I cannot wait to read it soon!

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 1 out of 5]

The two famous persons editing this volume must have gone either senile or have become so rich peddling their ware that they consider purest trash as stuff fit to be dumped upon us. Let me go story-by-story.
1. "Raisa Stepanova" by Carrie Vaughn: This story should have been included in those collections that are brought out to help war-veterans. It's good, emotional, historical, and has women facing dangers that are ephmeral. Every day, almost every women, face the adversities in a more stoic and no-nonsense manner. Most importantly, describing the protagonists of this story as "dangerous" is a laughable lie.
2. "I Know How to Pick 'Em" by Lawrence Block: How a story about a pervert male serial killer gets included in this anthology, beats me. Besides, Block seems to have passed his expiry date, now that his writing appears worse than J.A. Conrath.
3. "Neighbors" by Megan Lindholm: As a study of all the issues that plague the old in America, this was a poignant one. As a story about some dangerous woman, this was another piece of ****, apart from being another outrageous lie.
4. "Wrestling Jesus" by Joe. R. Lansdale: The best, and ONLY readable story in this collection, is again a misfit, since it has NO dangerous woman at all.
5. "My Heart Is Either Broken" by Megan Abbott: The editors must have been drunk or worse, when they had considered this story fit for inclusion in THIS anthology. I mean, were they considering manic depressive state as "dangerous"? Well, now we know.
6. "Nora's Song" by Cecelia Holland: Dear God! I am unable to say anything more.
7. "The Princess and the Queen" by George. R.R. Martin: For lovers of 'Game of Thrones' this piece would be ideal. For me, this was plain "Meh", and as a piece for this anthology, it was crap.

Now you have been warned.

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short stories are good for in-between, when you don't want to read a full-blown novel, or don't know which novel to read next, or just want something quick. To ease your mind, for example.

I had acquired the other two books last months, and for reasons of completion, I recently bought the first one, too. One never knows if there are new/unknown authors whose works will be pleasant to read.

Gardner R. Dozois and George R.R. Martin combined their efforts to compile this anthology (and the other two). Of the seven stories, most of the respective authors are unknown to me, in that I've never heard of them (Carrie Vaughn, Lawrence Block, Megan Abbott, Joe R. Lansdale) or never read anything by them (Nancy Kress) or both.

The stories:

George R.R. Martin - The Princess and the Queen, or, the Blacks and the Greens: 1/5
As it says on the cover, this story reveals the origins of the civil war in Westeros (before the events in A Game of Thrones), which is known as the Dance of the Dragons, pitting Targaryen against Targaryen and dragon against dragon. I haven't read the books yet, but figured this prequel could be a nice foretaste perhaps. Well... no. It's a dry read,albeit well-versed, but too many names, too chaotic. The king is dead, who takes the Iron Throne? Brother or sister, each from separate marriages? Bitch fight, clan fight, ... *sigh*. Obviously, I didn't finish it and won't be reading the books either. Too many other stuff to read. For fans of the series, I guess this prequel is a must-read.

Carrie Vaughn - Raisa Stepanova: 2/5
This one's about two Russian yak pilots in WW2 against Germany. It's a story about determination, perseverance, fighting for your country, for what you believe in. Even in the most dire circumstances. An ok story, though not super, I'd say.

Nancy Kress - Second Arabesque, Very Slowly: 3/5
A short story about beauty in art, even if the world is blow to pieces and everyone struggles to survive. It's the kids that add some light to the darkness, by appreciating the art of ballet, despite severe circumstances and leadership of their pack. However, the old nurse in the group decides then to stand up for those kids, yet has to pay for it, with her life, if need be. The kids can't enjoy their hobby very much, are brought back in line real quick when the pack leader finds out. The kids also serve - well, the girls, at least - as breeding machines. As circumstances are so dire that you don't know who's fertile, men have to take turns with each girl to find out if offspring is possible. Didn't the Swedish band In Flames have a song in that vein? Morphing into Primal?
All in all, not a bad story.

Lawrence Block - I Knew How to Pick 'Em: 1/5
This is exactly why I don't read contemporary novels, or stories about real life. This one takes place somewhere in the US, in a bar or something. A woman steps up to a man, they go to her motel, have (graphic) sex, ... He suddenly understands she wanted him to murder her husband, who did provide her with everything she wanted. But afterwards, it would be HIM who would be dumped, as she would be seeking a new victim to f*** with. So he decided to end it before it happened. Lame story, a waste of ink and reading time.

Megan Abbott - My Heart is Either Broken: 1/5
Another contemporary story, this time about a child being lost. The mother, who also seemed to play games with men (housewife gone hooker?), and the father were interrogated by the police. In the end, all's well that ends well. Or sort of. Totally not my kind of story. It was also a bit too fragmented to properly follow the events.

Joe R. Lansdale - Wrestling Jesus: 4/5
Great story! Seriously. A kid gets bullied, manages to be trained by an 80-year old ex-wrestler. As our kid doesn't have a proper family any more (almost your typical marginal family, parents; no offence, just trying to describe the context), was forced to move into a lousy neighbourhood (dangerous when you're a kid who can't defend him/herself), ... He leaves the house (as there's nothing to gain there any longer) and stays with the old man, who has a fantastic way of speaking (of course, with the occasional 'bitch' and alike). But there's also a woman who dominates two men's minds: his and his former opponent, with whom he fights every five years. He who wins, gets the woman. But our X-Man (the old guy) knows he's better off without her, even if he would fight to have her back. And our kid will play a decisive role to break the spell.

Brandon Sanderson - Shadow for Silence in the Forests of Hell: 4/5
Another good story by Mr. Sanderson. The young child Sebruki being brought up by her aunt Silence (who's an innkeeper), as the child's parents (and other people) were killed not too long ago. But they're still not safe, because of the Shades (don't anger them; move slowly, as if you're just taking a walk), because of Chesterton's gang. Silence and William Ann (her daughter) are bounty hunters, Forescouts. This meant a welcome income, as the inn wasn't so profitable. But luck isn't always on their side. All very mysterious at first, as Sanderson doesn't lay all of his cards on the table, but a nice story, after all.


--------------------

As you can see, not really worth the money I spent on it. Only a few likeable stories. Dangerous women? Where? They lived (!) dangerously or were dangerous in a psychological manner, but not as our two authors (Dozois and Martin) led us to believe.

I hope Dangerous Women 2 and Dangerous Women Part 3 will have a better balance. To be read... later.

[Susie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall rating: ★★★☆☆ - Sort of liked/OK. Each story is reviewed individually below.


1/7: Raisa Stepanova by Carrie Vaughn
★★★☆☆ - Sort of liked/OK

This first story has an interesting subject, one I don't actually know that much about - Russian women working as fighter pilots during WWII. The trouble is, the author's writing style let her down somewhat. It was an interesting and engaging story overall, with interesting characters, but the style of writing seemed too immature/simplistic for me. Yes, it broaches quite adult subjects in some respects, yet I tend to prefer a more intellectual style of writing.


2/7: I Know How to Pick ’Em by Lawrence Block
★★☆☆☆ - Disliked

OK, this second story just isn't my thing at all. The writing style is like that of a stereotypical American detective novel. Plus the whole story seems to focus around how great this guy is in sussing out a would-be femme fatale who would otherwise have him doing what she wanted. From his troubled past, to her inconvenient life, whilst in between raving about how manly he is, I would have said that I absolutely hated it, apart from begrudgingly accepting that it's well written and obviously to someone's tastes, just not mine. Plus the surprise in the ending... Yeah, I hate that guy.


3/7: Neighbors by Megan Lindholm
★★★★☆ - Really liked

Now this was a bit more my thing! Not directly so, certainly not in the beginning, but I ended up enraptured by the story and found it very hard to put down! It's a sort of contemporary, urban fantasy sort of thing, although you wouldn't believe that at first reading. And maybe it isn't - maybe it really is about people going crazy. But it says that you have to start to lose your mind to see some of the wonders in the world and gain a second life. So, maybe they aren't really going crazy, but are just opening up to other possibilities. Who knows? Maybe we'll all find out one day...

A tale told with warmth and wonder, it is very hard not to give it 5 stars. Falls just short of the bowl-me-over absolute wow, but still thoroughly enjoyed.


4/7: Wrestling Jesus by Joe R. Lansdale
★★★☆☆ - Sort of liked/OK

I've never read anything by Lansdale before and, I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised! He doesn't seem to write the sort of things I'm usually interested in, and this story wouldn't have been one I would have read if I had been choosing for myself otherwise, but boy, can he write! I love all the colourful metaphors, all the vibrancy in the style. The story was brought to life in a great way and I was hooked. Unfortunately, towards the end, the liveliness petered out and, by the end, the story had lost its thrum. Otherwise I would have given it a good, solid four stars instead of the satisfactory three.


5/7: My Heart is Either Broken by Megan Abbott
★★★☆☆ - Sort of liked/OK

Now this was... Weird. A tale that could happen to anyone, any family, a tragedy that should have had a happy ending if it weren't for everything that happened along the way, all the suspicions that built up that just lingered once everything was over.

But, not my thing. I didn't feel any pull or attachment to the characters, no sympathy either. It was a bit too empty for me. I should have been crying or lauughing or something, but there was nothing. The text flowed well, but without any hold. Was far too easy to read for what it should have been.


6/7: Nora’s Song by Cecelia Holland
★★★★☆ - Really liked

Now I'm quite a sucker for historical fiction. As it happens, this story gave me an enormous amount of pleasure. An interesting point in history, Eleanor of Aquitaine, told through the eyes of her daughter, Nora (Eleanora/Eleanor). It focusses around the events leading up to the rebellion and how the children respond to the ever-increasing tension between their parents.

All the scenes and events are easily recognisable. Seeing it all through a child's eyes just makes it a delight! But it feels like just one scene in her life (which it obviously is, being a short story). Would be great to read a full account, as can be found with the last of the Plantagenets.


7/7: The Princess and the Queen, or, the Blacks and the Greens by George R.R. Martin
★★★★☆ - Really liked

Now this quite frustrated me. It was a great story, padding out the gaps in the Dance of the Dragons, and yet it seemed rather lazily done. Told in quite a dry style, as it is supposed to be an adapted retelling from an Archmaester, you get used to the style quite easily. Yet there are parts that irritated me a lot, like how the ending felt rushed once all the major action was done, how there was a constant repetition with supposed endings of various characters ending with "but we do not know". Plus, to add to that, there was some bad editing in places, a couple of times where there were extra words, which made the sentences seem bizarre. One time in particular that confused me most was where Caraxes was first described using male terms then with female ones.

So, my rating is a reluctant four stars rather than a well-deserved four, as overall the story had Martin's usual gripping style, but it lacked finesse.

[Arun Divakar · Rating 3 out of 5]

The term dangerous in the context of this book requires a bit of explanation. I had this rough estimate that this would be a book of short stories that feature women who are altogether dangerous and tough customers to deal with. But then as I read along, this perception changed and morphed into a different level of understanding. These women are dangerous but they are not exactly objects of danger for others ; some of them are dangerous even to themselves. It is a cliché line to call an anthology a mixed bag but considering the nature of these stories and the writing, there isn’t any other usage that I can equate this collection to.

Every story is approximately 35 pages ( with the exception of the monster from GRRM) and the theme is of a woman character who drives the plot onward. This was what I thought of the stories themselves :

The Princess & The Queen by George R.R. Martin

Rating : 4/5

In Summary : A tale set before the events of GRRM’s magnum opus. The women here are the most dangerous in the entire book. They are hungry for power and do not shun away from violence. Like a typical GRRM book in GOT, buckets of blood are shed and corpses litter the pages. Nothing is white or black and not even one character is spared. While being the largest story in the book, this one takes the cake for the best tale too.

Raisa Stepanova by Carrie Vaughn

Rating : 2/5

In Summary : An average Russian woman, the daughter of peasant parents in Stalin’s world becomes a fighter pilot that holds off the Germans. The starting of this tale and the ambiance it builds is very impressive and has more to do the kind of camaraderie shared by the women pilots and the behind the screen look at the war. However, the storytelling is bland and clichéd and there aren’t any standout factors in it. It just goes on and on and suddenly ends.

Second Arabesque, Very Slowly by Nancy Kress

Rating : 3/5

In Summary : Tells the story of a post-apocalyptic world where humanity has been reduced to a group of wandering marauders. A woman can either be a tool for reproduction or a midwife who tends to the delivery of a child. The story follows such a band of people across the devastated east coast of the US. This is one of those tales that does not fit in to the grouping of ‘dangerous women’. If anything, it is the women who are in danger in this tale. Well written and captures the mood pretty well with the only drag being that it employs too many clichés we associate with apocalyptic fiction.

I Know How To Pick’ em by Lawrence Block

Rating : 1.5/5

In Summary : This is a story I still cannot make head or tail out of. Two people meet and get into some situations but there is no way I could connect to either of them or be interested in their lives. It is a story that was dead in the water from the first paragraph on.

My Heart Is Either Brokenby Megan Abbott

Rating : meh !/5

In Summary : The rating explains it better.

Wrestling Jesus by Joe.R.Lansdale

Rating : 3/5

In Summary : This is very much an ordinary story – an older man trains a young rookie to fend for him/herself ( take a moment to recollect The Karate Kid, The Mask Of Zorro, Million Dollar Baby etc…). It could have been that this tale followed two poorly written tales but I took an immediate liking for Joe Lansdale’s writing style. There is a dangerous woman in this story but she is dangerous more in retrospect than in reality.

Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell by Brandon Sanderson

Rating : 4/5

In Summary : The only story other than GRRM to focus on a woman who grows dangerous as she starts to run out of options. I have had the experience of reading only Mistborn from Sanderson and found him to be an author who has a solid command over his prose. The story of shadow and her time of being a bounty hunter is as swift paced as an action flick.

The collection as a whole is only so-so. There is nothing in here that would make it a definite read.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first subdivision of the Dangerous Women anthology edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois is a mix bag of both story quality and the interpretation of the phrase ‘dangerous women’. In seven stories across genres around the central theme of women who are dangerous, a reader is treated to see women in various ways only but is also forced to figure out if the women presented or alluded to are actually dangerous.

Of the seven stories featured in Dangerous Women 1 the three best at presenting both a very good story and dangerous women were Carrie Vaugh’s “Raisa Stepanova”, Megan Abbott’s “My Heart Is Either Broken”, and George R.R. Martin’s “The Princess and the Queen”. Just outside these three was Cecelia Holland’s “Nora’s Song” which had a very good story but was seen from the perspective of a little girl finding out how dangerous her mother is. These four stories were at the very beginning and the last three stories of the collection giving the anthology a strong start and finish.

However, the three stories in the middle suffered from a failure of either not being very good or not having a dangerous woman. Both Megan Lindholm’s “Neighbors” and Joe R. Lansdale’s “Wrestling Jesus” were very good stories, but the danger posed by the women either featured or more mentioned then seen was hard to detect. But the weakest story of the entire collection was Lawrence Block’s “I Know How to Pick’em” which went from having potential to falling flat by the end.

Overall Dangerous Women 1 is a mixed bag of very good stories with strong female characters, just very good stories with no danger attached to any female character, and just plain bad all around. The best that could be said is in the end the reader is the ultimate judge.

Individual Story Ratings
Raisa Stepanova by Carrie Vaughn (4/5)
I Know How to Pick’em by Lawrence Block (1/5)
Neighbors by Megan Lindholm (2.5/5)
Wrestling Jesus by Joe R. Lansdale (2/5)
My Heart Is Either Broken by Megan Abbott (4/5)
Nora’s Song by Cecelia Holland (3.5/5)
The Princess and the Queen by George R.R. Martin (4/5)

[Benni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good stories, but the title is meaningless. "Dangerous Women" = any woman with agency, with a couple women who are less characters than objects, conforming to the book's original anticipated title, "Femmes Fatales."

GRRM's own tale is told history-book outline style, with none of the flair that makes me love him so much.

[ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

For most of the book I was looking for either dangerous or women, sometimes even both.

The Princess and the Queen was the reason I bought this book. It was nice to read - though more of an overview than a story. It includes lots of women and dragons but not enough women on dragons doing dangerous things.
Instead it includes the deaths of quite a lot of people whose names I couldn't remember because there were simply too many. And most of the important decision makers were men; that was not what I expected in a book called Dangerous Women. Calling female dragons "she-dragon" but male dragons only "dragon" also seems rather strange to me.
Still, all in all, I liked the story.

Raisa Stepanova is not a story I would have thought I would enjoy, but I did! A group of women, definitely in danger but also being dangerous - that is what I signed up for.

Second Arabesque, Very Slowly has a very disturbing worldbuilding and the story focusses on that: women are either breeders or midwives/healers. There is a sort of rebellion against this system but I had hoped for something more extreme.

I Know How to Pick 'Em - I don't even know where to start with this one. It includes a woman, yes - however, she is not dangerous. The protagonist/narrator clearly thinks so but I do certainly not trust him on anything. She's rather in danger.
This story made me question the whole book: it is the story of a man with a troubling past who meets a woman, deduces stuff about her - might be right, might be wrong - and makes strange decisions. No idea why it's in this book.

My Heart Is Either Broken - interesting, but again: Why this book? The story certainly includes women and they can be described as dangerous but I was rather expecting fantasy and a lot of really dangerous women. I also didn't appreciate that a lot things are alluded but never explained but that might just be because of my curiosity.

Wrestling Jesus is definitely a nice story but it severely lacked women. It takes five pages for one of the two women to appear and neither of them do much besides being the object of desire or spurring on the plot by kicking her son out of the house. I also did not appreciate that one of the main characters insulted other men by calling them girls (not the actual insult, but I'm not sure if goodreads appreciates swearwords).
However, it was nice as a story - just had nothing to with Dangerous Women.

Shadows For Silence in the Forests of Hell - now that is what I was hoping for when I bought this book! I enjoyed every page it; the worldbuilding, the character - EVERYTHING!
I had nearly given up on this book but this story made me glad that I bought it.
Badass women sneaking around at night through dark forests with potentially murderous ghosts to do morally highly questionable things because they want to protect their family - this story was awesome and captivating.

[Clarissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

"A woman could be strong without having the emotions of a brick" <----- I feel like a lot of authors should take note...

I've never read a short story collection so i wasn't sure what to expect with this. Usually i stay away from them because since they're short, i never feel like i connect to the story or the characters. However i did actually enjoy some of these!

The Princess and the Queen - 4/5 - This one was written very impersonally but i actually enjoyed the fact that it read like something out of a history book. Also love a good prequel story.

Raisa Stepanova - 2/5 - This just was not my thing...I thought the writing was too simple for my liking and i also was not keen on the lead character. I did enjoy the setting though, i've never read anything to do with Russia during the War.

Second Arabesque, Very Slowly - 4/5 - I thought this was one of the best contributions to this book! I thought the setting was very dark and interesting, Nancy Kress really set the scene given that there isn't a lot of time for world building. I love the idea that there is always beauty somewhere, and that it can give someone a reason to live.

I Know How to Pick 'Em - 1/5 - Honestly i didn't like it at all, it just wasn't my thing...at all.

My Heart is Either Broken - 4/5 - Again i thought this was really well done given that its a short story! It was very mysterious, and it was the first one where the 'dangerous woman' actually gave me the creeps a little, especially since it has an....ambiguous end..

Wrestling Jesus - 3/5 - This was quite moving but I felt like there should've been more focus on Felina?

Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell - 5/5 - Now...Brandon Sanderson is already one of my favourite authors but i genuinely thought this was the best contribution. It was well written with an interesting setting and characters that i actually felt for as the story went on. Then again, I wouldn't expect anything less from Sanderson!

[Flighty_Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Princess and the Queen- 1/5: so unfortunate, I expected this to be a clear favourite. I appreciate that it was supposed to be written like a history record, but it was just a mish-mash of constant new character names, and overall was tedious to get through... :(

Raisa Stepenova- 4/5: Enjoyed it, an easy and interesting read.

Second Arabesque, Very Slowley- 5/5 Loved this, would love to read more in this universe.

I Know How to Pick 'Em- 1/5: Wasn't my usual style to start with, but the unnecessary backstory toward the main character just made for uncomfortable reading, and didn't add anything to the story.

My Heart is Either Broken- 4/5: Along the lines of Gone Baby Gone, nicely paced and intriguing.

Wrestling Jesus- 3/5: No major feelings either way toward this one.

Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell- 5/5: Loved it, 100% need a full story out of this one.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll review each of these short stories individually. The theme of the collection is dangerous women and each of the short stories include an intriguing female character, except this one:

Novella: The Princess and the Queen, or, the Blacks and the Greens by George R.R. Martin (ASOIAF)
Rating: 2/5

The only inclusion that I found lackluster was Martin's novella, The Princess and the Queen. I should have paid more attention to the cover before expecting more, it has a quote that says: "Reads like Martin's outline for a Game of Thrones prequel that never was." And that's what it is, a short story written as if by a historian that reads like a short history of a power struggle. There're so many opportunities for interesting description--such as the fights between dragons--and the writing is instead dull. The characters could have been full of nuance, but he uses the "historian's perspective" to excuse not giving them motivations, just actions.

If Martin makes this into a full novel, I'll read it and enjoy it. But this version is just a long outline of a plot and was tedious to read.

On to the short stories, which I did enjoy!

“Raisa Stepanova” by Carrie Vaughn:
Rating: 3/5

Raisa Stephanova was a perfect length with almost no wasted words. It didn't end in a way that I expected, but it wasn't overall a big surprise. Imagine a female fighter pilot who needs to prove that women can in fact fight during WWII in Russia, and you'll have a good idea of the main character. It was enjoyable to read and I finished it in a sitting.

“I Know How to Pick ’Em” by Lawrence Block
Rating: 5/5

This one was outstanding and as a result I've added some of Lawrence Block's books to my to-read list. The story is written from the perspective of a man whose character is extremely compelling and downright dirty--I'm not certain I wanted to be in this man's head, but once I was there I couldn't stop reading. Excellently crafted and full of surprises, this story was perfect.


“Neighbors” by Megan Lindholm
Rating: 3/5

Not a whole lot to say about this one. It was fine to read, but it didn't really capture me either. I wasn't really sympathetic to any of the characters in particular and I didn't find the plot that compelling. Not badly written, just not for me.

“Wrestling Jesus” by Joe R. Lansdale
Rating: 4/5

This one stuck with me. It's about two men who fought over a woman in their young age and kept the fighting spirit alive into their eighties and a kid who needed a role model. There's a bit of coming of age, a bit of reconciliation, and some characters that you could imagine sitting down in a coffee shop with to have a long chat. Very well written.

“My Heart is Either Broken” by Megan Abbott
Rating: 2/5

Like with neighbors, I don't have much to say here. The plot should have been full of tension and suspense and... but I found I didn't really care. Not for me.

“Nora’s Song” by Cecelia Holland
Rating: 4/5

This one made me wish I knew more of the history behind it. The perspective character is a boring child, but the struggle between her parents is excellent. We don't get all the details because it's from the child's perspective. I'd love to know what really happened in the history this is based off of. Very well written.

[Ginny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually struggle with short stories, but this collection of stories was mostly great. Not sure I like the title, though - more strong women, in dangerous situations. Lots of favourite fantasy authors here too, with some new ones I'd never heard of that I'll be looking out for in future... would love to read the other two books in this collection, I'm disappointed my library doesn't have them!

1. 'The Princess and the Queen' - George R.R. Martin
Set in the world of Game of Thrones, several centuries prior to main events. History book outline style, many tedious battle sequences. Honestly, I struggled to follow the story as there were so many characters involved. Some shocking deaths, as per Martin's style. Surprisingly, I probably enjoyed this story the least.

2. 'Raisa Stepanova' - Carrie Vaughn
An author I'll now be looking out for. Very enjoyable story of Russian female fighter pilots. Despite the length, I felt for the characters and the story had me hooked. I wanted more.

3. 'Second Arabesque, Very Slowly' - Nancy Cress
Very enjoyable. A story about finding beauty (through ballet, in this case) in the world, no matter how bleak things are. Dark, dystopian world, where fertility is an issue and women are mainly used for breeding.

4. 'I Know How to Pick'Em' - Lawrence Block
Dark, sexual, disturbing tale. Not really to my taste. The male narrator seemed the dangerous one here.

5. 'My Heart is Either Broken' - Megan Abbott
Uncomfortable tale about a mother regretting having children and wanting her life back. A lost child, a mother toying with men. Fragmented, weird story.

6. 'Wrestling Jesus' - Joe Lansdale
Powerful, but nasty woman in this story. Two, now old men, fighting over her.

7. 'Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell' - Brandon Sanderson
Set in the Cosmere universe. Enjoyable story, wasn't entirely sure what was going on though. Enjoyed the characters and the dark forest. Made me want to read more Sanderson.

[Sachin Dev · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is worth its weight in gold. And am not just talking about the GRRM's story [ which by the way is a fascinating account of a war much before the current Game of Thrones - equally enthralling and twisted and unpredictable. And hell yes - the Body Count Touches the Stratosphere.]

There are gems in this book ( part-1) which are delightful, frightening and entertaining in equal measures. Except for the story by Nancy Kress, all the other stories were really up to the mark. Obviously the Dragon War story sets the tone pretty high - and it's a little unfair on the other writers. But I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of these stories. Megan Abott and Joe R Landsale are authors I'm going to closely follow up now.

Good thing about these anthologies is, the editors hunt up the good ones for you. You just need to follow up on the good talent.

[Sara Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a false advertising title. The stories are all good, written well, engaging....but not what I was looking for from this anthology. Only two stories had scifi/fantasy elements.

Well, the Princess and the Queen was a fantastic historical account of the Dance of the Dragons!

FINALLY I can say, yaaaaaay dragons!!!

It read like a straight up historical account....which is probably why I liked it a lot.

What a flooding of names and families. I could see how this story would be insanely overwhelming after the other stories for a non-Westeros reader.

The other stories I seemed to like more and more as they progressed...I wrote about them more in my progress updates.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Desperada / Joe Abercrombie - 4/5
Une bonne entrée en matière, pour ce recueil ainsi que pour ma découverte de Joe Abercrombie. C'est bien écrit, rythmé, le personnage correspond réellement au thème Dangerous Women.
Je ne met pas 5 car ça manquait d'un petit truc en plus grâce auquel j'aurais vraiment pu m'émerveiller, mais je vais définitivement me pencher sur les romans de l'auteur.

Cocktail Explosif / Jim Butcher - 3,5/5
C'est une nouvelle dans l'univers de la saga des Dossiers Dresden. Beaucoup d'auteurs ont soumis des nouvelles faisant partie d'un univers dans lequel se trouvait déjà plusieurs de leurs livres. Ca m'a un peu dérangée pour certains, mais avec Cocktail Explosif, pas tant que ça. J'ai lu cette nouvelle comme on regarderait un épisode d'une série (type enquête) à la télé, comme ça, sans prise de tête. Il y avait également pas mal d'humour dans cette nouvelle. En somme c'était pas extraordinaire mais très sympa et légère. L'univers de la saga a l'air bien construit et développé, avec des créatures variées, et je me pencherai peut-être dessus à l'avenir.

Catcher Jesus / Joe R. Lansdale - 4/5
Une des meilleures nouvelles, et une des mieux écrites surtout. J'ai beaucoup aimé le style de l'auteur, le rythme et l'histoire en elle-même. (Un jeune garçon brimé par ses camarades et rejeté par ses parents va faire la rencontre d'un vieux monsieur ex-champion de lutte.)
Si la nouvelle n'avait pas été dans CE recueil je lui aurais sûrement mis 5/5. Malheureusement ici la femme est loin d'être le personnage principal de l'histoire, elle est fortement dépréciée et moquée. Je ne trouve pas vraiment que cela constitue un éloge à sa dangerosité, plutôt tout le contraire.

Je sais comment les choisir / Lawrence Block - 2/5
Rien à voir avec le thème du recueil encore une fois. La femme est ridiculisée et élevée pas plus loin qu'au rang d'objet. La seule chose intéressante de cette nouvelle (qui fait que je lui ai mis la note de 2), c'est de se demander si les conclusions du personnage principal sont justifiées ou s'il s'est fait tout un film dans sa tête pour justifier ses actes. Je trouve qu'il y a un léger doute qui plane là-dessus et c'est pas mal comme idée, mais au delà de ça.. Non.

Des ombres pour Silence dans les Forêts de l'Enfer / Brandon Sanderson- 5/5
Ma nouvelle préférée de tout le recueil. N'ayant rien lu de Brandon Sanderson, cette histoire avait une grosse pression car je voulais tellement l'apprécier. Et ce fut le cas, à mon grand bonheur. L'histoire est très sombre, avec ces "Ombres" qui font froid dans le dos. La femme qui est la protagoniste principale a, pour le coup, réellement sa place dans ce recueil. C'est bien écrit, c'est cohérent, et le twist final n'était pas pour me déplaire, un petit peu de "Dangerous Women" en plus.. J'ai adoré !

La Fille du Miroir / Lev Grossman - 2/5
Apparemment cette saga est dans l'univers des Magiciens, la saga de Lev Grossman. Je n'ai pas trop aimé cette nouvelle, le prétexte de l'histoire m'apparaît tout à fait ridicule. J'étais limite mal à l'aise, car on a un groupe de filles qui harcèlent carrément un jeune garçon de leur école en détruisant ses affaires, officiellement pour le prétexte qu'il ne remplit pas assez de vin les verres de ses camarades quand il les sert, officieusement car le personnage principal, Prune, avait le béguin pour lui et a été terriblement déçue en apprenant qu'il était gay.
J'ai été un peu choquée par ces motivations, alors je sais pas, peut-être que je suis passée à côté de quelque chose mais je n'ai pas compris l'intérêt de cette histoire..

Annoncer la Sentence / S.M. Stirling - 3/5
Ce qui m'a surtout plus dans cette nouvelle, c'est le contexte post-apocalyptique qui induit un retour aux sources et aux anciennes traditions. Les survivants du "Changement" s'organisent en clan et essayent de recréer certaines structures sans pour autant reproduire les erreurs du passé. J'ai aimé que le personnage principal sache se remettre en question. Malheureusement cela reste trop contemplatif et il n'y a pas assez d'enjeux. Le format de nouvelle ne correspond pas vraiment à cette histoire.

Nommer la Bête / Sam Sykes- 1/5
Incompréhension. L'histoire, l'écriture.. Rien ne m'a plu. Je n'ai pas saisi l'intérêt de cette nouvelle qui ne m'a fait ni chaud ni froid et que j'ai fini par lire en diagonale.

La Princesse et la Reine / GRR Martin 3,5/5
J'ai aimé me retrouver à nouveau dans l'univers de GoT. Le récit est conté de manière cohérente car il est annoncé comme une "chronique" et c'est tout à fait ce à quoi nous avons à faire. Mais du coup, c'est un peu une successions d'évènements annoncés de manière très factuelle. J'aurais aimé quelque chose de plus narratif. Sinon, on retrouve tous les éléments de GoT donc pour les fans ce sera forcément un plaisir de lire cette nouvelle. Pour les personnes qui n'ont pas lu la saga cependant, je ne suis pas sûre que ce soit d'un intérêt fou ou même qu'ils puissent rentrer dans l'histoire facilement.

En conclusion, un recueil assez inégal avec des pépites et d'autres histoires dont je ne comprend pas la présence au sein de ce livre. Je ne comprend pas les choix de GRR Martin et Gardner Dozois car certaines des histoires ne vont pas du tout dans le sens des femmes, au contraire. J'attend de lire la Partie 2, qui rassemble des nouvelles écrites par des auteurs féminines.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really all about George R.R. Martin's story. The first six stories ranged from boring to mediocre, but The Princess and the Queen is an epic history in the realm of Westeros. Here we get to see what dragons were like in battle and ponder how the story of the new dragons will play out in ASOIAF.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

This collection is less "Dangerous Women" and more "Women in Dangerous Situations".

[Nadia Nader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable collection of short stories. Found two new authors whose books I want to read.

[Virginy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comme dans tout recueil de nouvelles, il y a du bon et du moins bon, du long et du court, et surtout ici, on rencontre plusieurs genres, ce qui fait qu’il y en a pour tous les goûts, même si la fantasy et le fantastique prédominent.

L’ouvrage s’ouvre sur Desperada de Joe Abercrombie (Some Desperado), qui fait partie de mes préférées. Ambiance western, et une héroïne qui utilise ses méninges pour survivre, une rebelle dont la tête est mise à prix et qui m’a beaucoup plu.

Vient ensuite Cocktail explosif de Jim Butcher (Bombshells). Ici, on est en présence de fantasy urbaine. Molly, la narratrice, est une sorcière qui va s’introduire dans un bâtiment pour y sauver un vampire. L’histoire est sympa et prenante, cependant, située dans l’univers de la série de romans Les Dossiers Dresden, j’ai eu tout du long la sensation qu’il me manquait des informations, sensation qui a un peu gâché ma lecture.

Dans Catcher Jésus de Joe R. Lansdale (Wrestling Jesus), la femme, bien qu’ayant un rôle primordial dans l’intrigue, n’apparaît que comme un personnage secondaire. C’est sur son existence que repose l’histoire de ces catcheurs qui vont s’affronter toute leur vie durant, juste pour les yeux de la belle qui les a ensorcelés. J’ai beaucoup aimé ce texte qui, à sa façon, traite de relation toxique et du pouvoir de l’auto-persuasion.

Je sais comment les choisir de Lawrence Block (I Know How to Pick ’Em) est un récit policier. Femme fatale et mère abusive se croisent ici sous un regard masculin. Un texte qui fait froid dans le dos!

Des ombres pour Silence dans les forêts de l’Enfer de Brandon Sanderson (Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell) est un texte de Fantasy, et rejoint Desperada dans mes chouchous de cette anthologie. Des créatures surnaturelles qui hantent les bois, et qui s’attaquent à l’imprudent qui ne suit pas certaines règles élémentaires, une aubergiste qui devient chasseuse de primes la nuit pour subsister. Sous la plume de Sanderson, l’ambiance sombre, la sensation de danger permanent, sont un régal! Silence, la figure féminine de cette nouvelle, a quelques secrets que j’ai aimé découvrir au fil du texte.

Un peu de magie avec La fille du miroir de Lev Grossman (The Girl in the Mirror). Des élèves magiciens, un château avec des passages secrets, d’étranges apparitions, un peu plus et on se croirait à Poudlard avec Harry, Ron et Hermione! Un bon moment lecture, mais rien d’inoubliable.

Annoncer la sentence de Stephen Michael Stirling (Pronouncing Doom) plonge le lecteur dans un monde post-apocalyptique, où plus aucune machine ne fonctionne. Un retour à l’Amérique des pionniers, avec la mise en place de communautés et de tribunaux itinérants. La figure féminine suivie ici est la juge, qui va devoir prononcer une sentence et son exécution. Un texte légèrement au-dessus du précédent.

Nommer la bête de Sam Sykes (Name the Beast) est le récit qui m’a le moins plu de cette anthologie. J’ai dû passer à côté de quelque chose avec ce texte, parce que j’ai été très longtemps perdue, ne sachant pas si je suivais la bête ou ses victimes. Il y a des changements de point de vue que j’ai compris, mais d’autres absolument pas, ne sachant pas de qui il était question. Bref, pour moi, une déception…

Enfin… La Princesse et la Reine, ou les Noirs et les Verts de George R.R. Martin (The Princess and the Queen). Le meilleur pour la fin, comme on dit! Et bien que talonnée de très près par les textes de Joe Abercrombie et Brandon Sanderson dans mon appréciation, c’est le meilleur récit de cette anthologie. Ici, Martin reste dans l’univers de A Song of Fire and Ice, autrement connu sous Le trône de Fer, et nous présente des événements ayant eu lieu 200 ans avant sa célèbre saga, que je n’ai pas encore lue. Ne connaissant la plume de Martin que par les textes que j’ai découverts dans Wild Cards, une autre anthologie qu’il a dirigée, j’avoue que j’avais quelques appréhensions, sachant la multitude de personnages qui peuplent Westeros. Je craignais d’être perdue dans les relations que chacun entretient, de confondre les noms et de perdre le fil. Et bien non. J’ai rapidement été happée dans cette nouvelle qui oppose deux femmes: la princesse Rhaenyra et sa belle-mère, la reine Alicent. Toutes deux revendiquent leur légitimité à accéder au Trône de Fer, la première pour elle-même, la seconde pour son fils aîné. Un terrible conflit va éclater, la danse des dragons, mettant Westeros tout entier à feu et à sang. Alliances, complots, trahisons, sacrifices et actes de bravoure, on retrouve tout cela dans ce texte très vivant, au rythme haletant et où l’auteur n’hésite pas à dire les choses crûment.

Dans l’ensemble, une anthologie plutôt homogène, avec une seule véritable déception pour moi. Des textes divers pour varier les plaisirs et une vraie bonne idée de mettre les femmes en avant, de montrer qu’elles peuvent être aussi débrouillardes, intelligentes, fortes que les hommes. Et si elles semblent dangereuses à certains, c’est peut-être finalement parce qu’elles leur sont supérieures 😉

[Storm · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first of 3 paperbacks with stories already in the full anthology Dangerous Women

Introduction - Gardner Dozois - 3⭐
There have always been dangerous women through history, like Boudicca and Elizabeth Bathory, but writers in the 1950s portrayed them as damsels in distress. As time went on kick ass women showed up in Paranormal Romance. This anthology is meant to showcase dangerous women in all genres of writing.

Raisa Stepanova - Carrie Vaughn - 2⭐
Raisa Stepanova fought and sacrificed in order to become a female fighter pilot flying for the USSR's "Equal" army in World War 2. This historical fiction is bogged down by too much slice of life as Raisa takes on ever more dangerous missions believing if she just becomes an Ace it will wash the stain from her family's honor from her brother's MIA status.

I Know How to Pick ’Em - Lawrence Block - 2⭐
The protagonist has her pegged the minute she walks into his bar - the femme fatale intends to find someone violent whom she can lull with sex, and make him fall in love with her enough to want to protect her from her "abusive" husband. Except the guy she picks is all kinds of messed up already ...


Neighbors - Megan Lindholm - 2⭐
It's a Robin Hobb story about an elderly woman who "sees" mysterious things happening in her neighborhood. Her children and 911 think she's suffering from dementia. Excellent, but hard to read because Hobb is great a writing very real feeling characters that you feel you know, especially if you've ever had relatives suffer from Alzheimers.

Wrestling Jesus - Joe R. Lansdale - 5⭐
A boy is saved from bullies by a garrulous old wrestler, X-man. He takes the boy as a protege as he needs a training partner for his upcoming match against Jesus. Both men in their 80s meet every five years to have a wrestling match and the winner gets the girl. Jesus always wins though; this time, however, with the training from his new protégé, X-man may stand a chance! It's a win-win. Except ... let's just say, the girl sounds borderline psychotic so why would X-man want her? The thrill of forbidden fruit? Men are strange. Story was heartfelt, humorous and touching.

My Heart is Either Broken - Megan Abbott - 2⭐
Mr. Fergusen's daughter Shelby is missing after her mother, Laurie spilled chocolate on herself and asked another woman at the store to watch her daughter. Laurie's bad memoryand strange behavior lead the police, and her husband, to start having doubts about her innocence. Didn't enjoy this creepy story but props to the author for making me have such a visceral reaction.


Nora’s Song - Cecelia Holland - 1⭐
Eleanor of Aquitaine's daughter Nora wants the same rights as a man, to be a king and a lord, to ride a horse into battle. Unfortunately she's not an Amazon, so this story was kinda depressing.

The Princess and the Queen [A Song of Ice and Fire story #] - George R.R. Martin - 5⭐
The history of the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons as written by Archmaester Gyldayn of the Citadel of Oldtown, is set some 200 years before events in A Song of Ice and Fire series. As a show watcher who hasn't read the books, I was impressed at how great the writing is, making this the best story in the entire collection. In the space of a novella, we get a history of all the key players, their dragons, their reasons and rationales for what they're doing and why. Plus lots of backstabbing, politics, death and Dragons, which are cool beyond belief even if they're over-powered weapons of mass destruction.

[Iris Schechter · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I read it in French, and apparently they didn't cut it the same. Book 1 is all the novels written by male authors. Book 2 are the female authors. So if you want my work on the latter, please refer to my review of Dangerous Women 2 :) For the fomer, see below !

Some desperado - Joe Abercrombie. 5⭐
With very few words, Abercrombie manages to paint a whole world, and make feel the rage of living of his character. This was my favorite novel of book 1.

Bombshells - Jim butcher

Skipped that because of spoilers on Harry Dresden. Will come back to it later. Sorry sorry, I know I'm late ...

Catcher Jesus - Joe R. Landsale 3⭐
Not what I expected, but not bad. This is a reflexion on fighting for what you want, and knowing what's good for you. I wan't a big fan of the story itself, but I really liked the ending.

I know how to pick 'em - Lawrence Block 4⭐
This is neither my type of story nor my type of writing. Yet it was strangely hypnotising. The danger is not always where you think.

Shadows for Silence in the forests of hell -Bran Sanderson 4⭐

For having read Sanderson in English, I am sad to see that traduction to French did not do it justice. But the story is great, very original.

The girl in the mirror - Lev Grossman 3⭐

I was a bit disappointed by this one. The writing isn't great, but not terrible either. Just translation added to medium writing. But the story was also shortcoming. The setting is all good, the building of the tension, then the adventure begins... And it's over before it even really starts, leaving me hungry and with questions.
But then again, maybe those who red all of the Magicians' books got it and were able to fully appreciate it.

Pronouncing doom - S. M. Stirling 2⭐
What a drag to read that one. First the writing style, full of redundancies and dubious analogies.
Then there is the world building. I heard many writers say "I don't have the skill set to write a short novel". And indeed the exercice is different for 30 pages than for 1000. Here I got drowned into barely useful information that just clouded my reading and annoyed me.

Name the beast - Sam Sykes 4⭐
This novel is the perfect oposit of the previous one. Delicate and elusive, suggestive rather than descriptive. This read was like a dream, where you know exactly who and are, and then not. It is also a reflexion on motherhood, albeit one I could appreciate even without being a mother myself.

The princess and the queen - Georges R. R. Martin 4⭐

True to himself, G.R.R.Martin can't go three sentences without killing someone(s). But that gives a real suspense to this tale where no-one is safe. And above all, what a pleasure it is to read him. This is writting at its finest.The tale was a bit long for a "short novel", but then again there's got to be privileges to being to one organizing the collection.

[James Grasham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd had this book on my shelf for a while, but somehow never made the time to sit down and read it. Comprised of seven short stories from a cross section of authors/genres, it provided a nice little sample of each author's work.

The Princess and the Queen by George RR Martin is essentially a section from Fire & Blood about the civil war in the Tagaryen dynasty (although I'm not sure if Fire & Blood came before or after). It was a fantastic read for someone who is heavily invested in Westeros history, however I'm not sure how someone who was new to his work would pick it up.

Raisa Stepanova by Carrie Vaughn was a thrilling read about a fighter pilot trying to earn her stripes as an ace whilst troubled by the disappearance (and alleged desertion of her brother). It became easy to root for our hero and feel for her when things weren't going so well.

Second Arabesque, Very Slowly by Nancy Kress is set in a dystopian future after an unknown event that caused society to break down. Our protagonist often recalls stories that her grandma had told her about the world before. An outstanding premise, but unfortunately I didn't find myself relating to the characters much. Just a bit too much macho for the sake of macho.

I Know How to Pick 'Em by Lawrence Block is a pleasantly deceiving tale of a man out to meet a woman. I found I had genuinely no idea where things were going right up until the twist at the end.

My Heart is Either Broken by Megan Abbott is the story of a kidnapped child and the parents' struggle to retrieve her. In this story there seemed to be a bit of jumping from place to place and time to time, I found it a little hard to follow, although there was an abundance of suspense.

Wrestling Jesus by Joe R Lansdale was certainly one of my favourites from this collection. We see through the eyes of a bullied kid, desperate to learn to deal with his tormentors, yet he ultimately ends up helping his mentor with his own battle. A character who most of us would be able to relate to, I was disappointed when the story ended and would love to have read more.

Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell by Brandon Sanderson was my first foray into the works of Sanderson (barring the last three volumes of Wheel of Time). I think he definitely deserves his place amongst the royalty of the genre. In such a short story he managed to build an immersive world, create characters who I could root for and an antagonist I couldn't help but hate. I was unsure about diving into his work before now, but this has me convinced.

Overall this book was an excellent read and I would highly recommend to anyone who wants to change the pace of their reading slightly with a selection of bite size stories.

[Jarezal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una sólida primera parte de relatos cortos con, por fin, buenos personajes femeninos. He disfrutado todos menos uno y fue precisamente el que me llevó a comprar la antología.

The Princess and the Queen – George R.R. Martin: ¡Qué decepción, señor Martin! Qué manera de desperdiciar la lucha entre Targaryens, entre la legítima heredera y su hermano el usurpador. Dragón contra dragón, luchas en tierra, mar y aire. Había mucho potencial y en una absurda decisión, solo superada por la división del cuarto y quinto libro, narra la historia como si fuera una trascripción de la crónica de un maestre. ¿Qué significa esto? Que son casi 80 páginas sin párrafos, ni apenas diálogos. Con dos nombres desconocidos por línea, narrando solo los hechos, sin apenas épica, sin ingenio, sin tensión. ¿No había otra forma de contar la historia para que fuera interesante de leer?

Raisa Stepanova – Carrie Vaughn: Aquí sí que tenemos a una mujer peligrosa. Segunda guerra mundial y una piloto de combate en el ejército ruso. ¿Conseguirá ser la primera en alcanzar los cinco enemigos derribados y decantar la guerra hacia su bando?

Second Arabesque, Very Slowly – Nancy Kress: Un mundo postapocalíptico con pequeños grupos sobreviviendo por su cuenta y un problema de fertilidad. Las mujeres en cuanto llegan a la pubertad son probadas a ver si pueden tener hijos pero… ¿quizás no todas quieran que ese sea su único objetivo en la vida?

I Know How to Pick ‘Em – Lawrence Block: Un encuentro en un bar de alterne. Quizás el sexo sea solo una excusa y cada uno busca en realidad otra cosa pero seguramente acaben encontrando lo que no se esperan.

My Heart Is Either Broken – Megan Abbot: Historia de una desaparición, de la actitud ante ella del padre y de la madre y de cómo las apariencias provoca que se juzgue sin saber.

Wrestling Jesus – Joe R. Lansdale: Esta historia de un luchador y su protegido es bastante divertida por la relación entre ambos y la personalidad del viejo X-Man pero no me termina de encajar con la temática de la antología. La mujer brilla por su ausencia en el relato y su único mérito es ser tan atractiva que los hombres sean incapaces de pensar racionalmente y hagan cualquier cosa por conseguirla.

Shadows for Silence in the Forest of Hell – Brandon Sanderson: Siempre había querido leer algo de este autor y después de este relato creo que tendré que buscar alguna de sus novelas. Probablemente el mejor de este primer volumen y de los que mejor encaja con la temática. Un bosque lleno peligros mortales, una posada con las mejores protecciones para el viajero y una encargada que es mucho más de lo que te puedas imaginar.

[Brigitte Alouqua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Je le dis presque chaque fois que je lis un livre de ce genre rassemblant plusieurs auteurs, mais j’adore ce genre de lecture qui me permet de découvrir des auteurs dont je ne connais pas la plume, et d’en retrouver d’autre que j’ai déjà lu. Je pense d’ailleurs que c’est le moyen de voir si on peut accrocher à tel ou tel auteur, on peut mieux appréhender son univers, se faire déjà une petite idée de son style. Et qui sait, par la suite, lire ses autres parutions. Ici nous avons vraiment tout un panel d’auteurs, et j’avoue que pour certains je ne connaissais même pas le nom, et d’autre pour lesquels je ne connaissais justement que leur nom. Une chose que j’ai adoré dans ce livre, c’est que ce ne sont pas uniquement des histoires courtes que nous lisons, mais nous avons également une note de chaque auteur avant la nouvelle qu’il a écrite, déjà là nous avons une idée de ce qui nous attend avant d’entamer l’histoire en elle-même, et je trouve que c’est relativement important, surtout si l’on ne connaît pas l’auteur en question.

Un autre point que j’ai apprécié lors de ma lecture, c’est que, bien que le thème principal est le même pour chacun des auteur, les histoires qu’ils nous présentent sont différentes, nous font découvrir des univers différents, certains beaucoup plus prenants que d’autres, mais chaque fois des histoires avec des personnages cohérents et riches, émouvants à certains niveaux, détestable à d’autres. Mais c’est un véritable régal que je suis certaine de relire un de ces jours.

Dans cette anthologie, uniquement des auteurs masculins, je suis franchement curieuse de découvrir la suivante dont les auteurs ne seront que féminins, et surtout, découvrir qui sont les auteures qui s’y trouvent et nous donnent un aperçu de leurs univers.

Dans cette version masculine, vous retrouverez ces auteurs :

Joe Abercrombie
Jim Butcher
Joe R. Lansdale
Lawrence Block
Brandon Sanderson
Lev Grossman
S.M. Stirling
Sam Sykes
Georges R.R. Martin
Peut-être en connaissez-vous déjà, peut-être vous sont-ils pour la plupart inconnus, pour ma part, aucun de ces auteurs ne font partie de ma bibliothèque, et ce fut donc une totale découverte pour moi. Si je dois maintenant me plonger dans certains de leurs univers, voici ceux qui ont eu ma préférence : Joe Abercrombie / Lawrence Block / Brandon Sanderson / S.M. Stirling / Sam Sykes. Cela fait déjà pas mal d’univers que j’aimerais approfondir, mais quand on aime on ne compte pas, n’est-ce pas ? Leurs histoires courtes m’ont en tout cas convaincue que je devais absolument lire au moins un de leurs autres parutions.

[Désirée Goubert · Rating 2 out of 5]

I specifically picked this read of George R. Martin as I loved the previous book I read of him: "Tuf Voyaging". I have to admit I was unfortunately rather disappointed in this book, even though some of the stories are very nice! 

The title "Dangerous woman" is to my opinion misleading as the stories aren't necessary about heroins and empowered female figures. 


"The princess and the queen" by George R Martin: 1/5. A so-called prequel on game of thrones, I couldn't quite follow this story all the way through. There are so many names and places that it is a bit exaggerated for a story of only 80 pages. I didn't like the ending either, although some of the dragon fights that are described are pretty cool! 


"Raisa Stepanova" Carrie Vaughn: 3/5. Of all the stories this one came to closes to having a dangerous woman as a lead character. I enjoyed this story and it has some interesting plot twist and a very strong ending.


"Second arabesque, Very Slowly" Nancy Kress: 5/5. This was my favourite of the stories, but to my opinion not very well fitting with the title at all. I will definitely read more on Megan … starting with her novel "Beggars in Spain".


"I know how to pick 'Em" Lawrence Block: 0/5. I really did not like this story at all. It was quite disturbing at points and if anything goes completely against the title of dangerous woman. It might be my interpretation but I do not find this story fit for this book and should actually make it R-rated!


"My heart is either broken" Megan Abott: 2/5. This story was okay, not terrible but not great either. It left the least amount of impression on me out of the whole book and I didn't really feel engaged with the story like with the others.


"Wrestling Jesus" Joe R. Lansdale: 4/ 5. I did like this story by Joe R. Lansdale but again fail to see it's connection with the title of this book. It's very engaging though and I also liked the ending. There is a strong female role here but not as I expect for a "dangerous woman".


"Shadows for silence in the Forrest's of Hell" Brandon Sanderson: 3/5. This is one of my favourite authors and he did succeed in his story to fully engage with the topic of dangerous woman. It's nicely written and one of those page-turners, however not as much fantasy as I like to see from Brandon Sanderson.

Altogether the short stories are a nice, quick, in-between read but not so much engaging with the title of the book and a few were to my opinion just not very good at all. Therefore, I would not recommend this book.

[Annika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kuten aina, novellikokoelmissa on hyviä ja vähemmän hyviä novelleja. Oma syyni lukea tämä kirja oli Brandon Sanderson. Sandersonin fantasiakirjoissa on muutenkin paljon erilailla voimakkaita tai vaarallisia naishahmoja, joten "Shadows for Silence in the Forest of Hell" ei pettänyt. Olisin jopa mieluusti lukenut enemmän tästä maailmasta, jossa vaaralliset varjo-olennot hallitsevat metsiä ja ihmisten pitää yrittää suojautua välttämällä verenvuodatusta tai käyttämällä hopeaa. Vanha majatalonpitäjä ja hänen tyttärensä olivat mielenkiintoisia hahmoja.

Kokoelmaa on ymmärrettävästi markkinoitu George R. R. Martinin Targaryeneiden historiasta kertovalla novellilla, joka on peräti 90 sivun mittainen. Täytyy myöntää, että itse pidin sitä aika tylsänä. Martinin tyyli oli Song of Ice and Firessakin kuiva ja luetteloiva, mutta tässä se jotenkin korostui, kun hahmoihin ei ollut mitään tarttumapintaa. Ensin kävi näin ja sitten kävi niin, tämä lordi meni sinne ja sitten tämä leidi tuli tänne. Ei dialogia juuri ollenkaan tai ihmeempää kuvailua. En ole katsonut House of Dragonia, niin en tiedä onko tästä ammennettu siihen ja kuinka paljon, koska tätä hehkutettiin kuin prologiksi Game of Thronesille.

Sandersonin ja Martinin lisäksi muut kirjoittajat olivat minulle tuntemattomia, mutta pidin todella paljon Nancy Kressin novellista "Second Arabesque, Very Slowly" ja Megan Abbottin novellista "My Heart is Either Broken". Kressin novelli sijoittuu dystopiseen tulevaisuuden New Yorkiin, jossa virus on tehnyt suurimman osan naisista hedelmättömiksi ja yhteiskunta on romahtanut anarkiaan, jossa vahvimmat miehet hallitsevat väkivallalla ja yrittävät haalia "laumoihinsa" lisääntymiskykyisiä naisia. Päähenkilö on vanha nainen, joka on ostanut paikkansa ryhmässä toimimalla hoitajana. Novelli kertoo yksilöistä, jotka uhmaavat syystä tai toisesta uutta maailmanjärjestystä. Abbottin novelli taas on painostava jännäri pariskunnasta, jonka lapsi on väitetysti kidnapattu. Poliisi ja naapurit epäilevät lapsen äidin itse tehneen lapselle jotain ja vaikka tämän mies ei aluksi usko siihen, hän alkaa pikkuhiljaa nähdä vaimonsa eri valossa.

Venäläisistä naislentäjistä kertovan novellin unohdin nopeasti ja kaksi muuta novellia eivät olleet oikein omaan makuun. Päähenkilöinä machomiehiä ja vaaralliset naiset ovat tässä yhteydessä tietysti kliseisiä seksipommeja, jotka viettelevät miehet, mutta saavat ansionsa mukaan.

[Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

As this is a collection of short stories, I'll review every story individually, give it an individual rating and then at the end, will say something about the anthology in general. Here we go:

The Princess and the Queen - George R.R. Martin - 3/5
I've never been a big fan of GRRM or A Song of Ice and Fire - mostly because I'm not a fan of GRRM's writing style. Sadly, I had the same sentiment while reading this story, and then some.
Most of my problems with this story were because the author chose to tell the story as if it's from a history book, changing perspectives everywhere and having a very distant writing style. It made it tough to empathize; and on top of that, this story was packed with characters and plot everywhere, which made it impossible to keep track, a problem I have with ASoIaF as well. Right now, I remember three characters; the princess, the queen and Joffrey because he had the same name as a certain Joffrey we all know and love.
It's as if the author tried to pack a whole five-book series into ninety pages, and sadly, it fell flat for me. However, the worldbuilding was great, as usual, and the women were dangerous enough to me, which is why it earns three stars.

Raisa Stepanova - Carrie Vaughn - 5/5
This story was awesome. I'm not a big fan of historical fiction in general, but in this short story, Vaughn absolutely nails it. It takes place during the second World War and is written from the perspective of a Russian female pilot. And a very dangerous woman, at that.
I can tell Vaughn has done her research; the whole story is filled with facts here and there, but without being overwhelming. The character is believable and I especially loved her relationship with her brother and the way she kept writing him letters. The ending was a great twist.
Certainly one of the better ones.

Second Arabesque, Very Slowly - Nancy Kress - 4/5
Also a good story, genre-wise a bit more up my alley. This story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where a plague has been making women infertile. It's written from the perspective of a nurse who travels with a gang, led by a gang leader. She helps their members out and really seems to be the one holding the gang together, which is very convincing and makes her believable as a character. But what I loved the most about this was how ballet plays its own part in the story; the one thing two of the characters really care about, their own light at the end of the tunnel. It was beautiful to read.
The only reason why it's not getting the full rating is because the main character was a strong woman, but she didn't seem all that dangerous, mostly catering to the whims of the gang leader. I understood why, but nonetheless, it made the story feel a bit out of place.

I Know How To Pick 'Em - Lawrence Block - 1/5
Where Nancy Kress's story felt 'a bit' out of place, this story feels as if it's supposed to be somewhere else entirely because I don't see the dangerous women anywhere. The story itself feels noir-esque, which I'm not a fan of, but that's not the problem.
The problem is that this story feels exactly like the kind of story this anthology tries to combat. It contains two women and both are eager to bed the protagonist. For different reasons and both are very messed up in the head, but nonetheless, they feel sexist and wrong. The psychological reasons for what they do are messed up and I have no problem with that, but I do have a problem with their portrayal.
Yeah, this one was a huge letdown.

My Heart Is Either Broken - Megan Abbott - 3/5
I'm a bit 'meh' about this story. It definitely felt more like it belonged in this anthology, which was nice, but at the same time, I feel it could've been so much more. The story reads like a thriller, which was good, but at one point I was handed the answers to me on a silver platter in a way that felt unfaithful to the character or the plot. In general, I felt a bit disconnected to the people in this story, which was a shame.
But I understood the plot and where it was going and I understood the characters, even if I didn't feel as much for them as I should, which is why this is getting three stars.

Wrestling Jesus - Joe R. Lansdale - 3/5
This story started out so awesome and kept up the awesomeness through most of the story. The main character's a guy named Marvin who needs to learn to stand up for himself. (Spoiler: he does at one point, and when he does, it feels awesome) He gets boxing classes by one of the former champions, who is eighty now and still capable of kicking a lot of ass. The dangerous woman gets introduced fairly late in the story, but when she's there, it's not hard to see why she's dangerous. This story definitely belonged here.
So why the three stars? Because of the ending - it turned around everything in such a way that it left me very, very confused because it felt so disconnected to the rest of the plot. Lansdale doesn't stick the landing; he has a great flight until the last point, where he suddenly crashes into the airport and nobody really knows why.
A shame, because otherwise, this was good.

Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell - Brandon Sanderson - 4/5
I'll admit straight off the bat that I'm a big Brandon Sanderson fanboy and his story was the main reason why I decided to read this anthology. And it's got everything I expect from a Sanderson-story; good, faithful worldbuilding, interesting characters and a very fantastical feeling to the story as a whole.
But I'm not giving him the full five stars because I had problems keeping up with him. I still don't quite understand why Silence kills people, and at the end of the story, there's a death that I felt was unjustified and came too quickly. Which was a shame, because otherwise, this was pretty good.

This makes an average of 3,2, so rounding down, that becomes three stars.
Something I want to say about this part of the anthology as a whole is that I feel the women could've, at some point, been more dangerous. Maybe I'm looking at the wrong definition of dangerous here, but in the foreword I was promised that with every single one of these women, if you want to chain them to a train track like in the old Western movies, you'll be in for a major fight. And with some of the women (mostly the ones in the stories that are given four or five stars) I can actually see that. But with the others, their danger was more psychological or perhaps even absent. So if you're looking to chain them to a train track, you'll mostly be facing a really messed up discussion. Which was a shame.
Strong female characters, though? Yeah, I can see that. With the exception of maybe Lawrence Block's story, all the women were strong and believable. I was just expecting a bit more from an anthology called Dangerous Women.
I did like how most of the stories weren't about cheap action girls, though. There was enough variety in the different protagonists, and mostly in age; there were plenty of older dangerous women, which was awesome.
Anyway, this was part one and I'll certainly be taking a look at part two later!