Warrior Women

Eternal Sky #- Love Among the Talus

by Paula Guran (Editor), Tanith Lee (Contributor), Mary Gentle (Contributor)

From fantastic legends and science fictional futures come compelling tales of powerful women—or those who discover strength they did not know they possessed—who fight because they must, for what they believe in, for those they love, to simply survive, or who glory in battle itself. Fierce or fearful, they are courageous and honorable—occasionally unscrupulous and tainted—but all warriors worthy of the name!

CONTENT

Swords & Sorcery
"Northern Chess" by Tanith Lee
'Anukazi's Daughter" by Mary Gentle
"Become a Warrior" by Jane Yolen
"The Sea Troll's Daughter" by Caitlin R. Kiernan
"Joenna's Axe" by Elaine Isaak
"Love Among the Talus" by Elizabeth Bear
"Soul Case" by Nalo Hopkinson

Just Yesterday
"The Girls from Avenger" by Carrie Vaughn
"In the Loop" by Ken Liu
"Dying with her Cheer Pants On" by Seanan McGuire
"Prayer" by Robert Reed

Somewhere between Myth & Possibility
"England Under the White Witch" by Theodora Goss
"The Lonely Songs of Laren Dorr" by George R.R. Martin
"The Knight of Chains, the Deuce of Stars" by Yoon Ha Lee

Space Aria
"Boy Twelve" by Jessica Reisman
"The Application of Hope" by Kristine Rusch
"Not That Kind of War" by Tanya Huff
"Naratha's Shadow" by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller

Will No War End All War?
"Eaters" by Nancy Kress
"And Wash Out by Tides of Ware" by An Owomoyela
"Hand to Hand" by Elizabeth Moon
"They Tell Me There Will be No Pain" by Rachael Acks
"Wonder Maul Doll" by Kameron Hurley
"The Days of the War, as Red as Blood, as Dark as Bile" by Aliette de Bodard

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

384 pages, Paperback

First published December 17, 2015

About the author

Paula Guran is senior editor for Prime Books. She edited the Juno fantasy imprint from its small press inception through its incarnation as an imprint of Pocket Books. She is also senior editor of Prime's soon-to-launch digital imprint Masque Books. Guran edits the annual Year's Best Dark Fantasy and Horror series as well as a growing number of other anthologies. In an earlier life she produced weekly email newsletter DarkEcho (winning two Stokers, an IHG award, and a World Fantasy Award nomination), edited Horror Garage (earning another IHG and a second World Fantasy nomination), and has contributed reviews, interviews, and articles to numerous professional publications.

Reviews

[Laz the Sailor · Rating 4 out of 5]

These were very good short stories about strong women in difficult situations. Very well written by first-class authors from many genres. Some stories are from established universes, and others are standalone tales. The only real disappointment is that almost all of the stories were sad, with the endings being just a little less sad.

Note: some of the stories are written by men. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[I' · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esta antología para mi gusto ha sido muy irregular. Por dos razones principales.

Uno. Desde mi gusto personal algunos relatos me han flipado, y otros me han resultado pesados. Pero en sí la mayoría me han dejado indiferentes. Considero que es una lectura que ha merecido mucho la pena porque sencillamente algunas historias son increíbles y maravillosas y sé que de otra forma no las habría leído. Pero por otro lado, también hay algunas que, a pesar de su brevedad, se me han hecho pesadas y difíciles de digerir. Así la mayoría me han resultado indiferentes; de estas que las lees, piensas "oh, pues ha estado bien" pero una vez que terminas el libro, no las recuerdas.

Dos. Al estar agrupadas por temáticas se me terminaban haciendo repetitivas. No por género, que eso me parece genial, sino por temas. Sobre todo los relatos finales, cuyo tema era la guerra. Al tener trasfondos similares, y carecer de rasgos definitorios, pues al ser un relato, se suele prescindir de ellos, me ha ayudado a esa sensación de estar leyendo sobre lo mismo todo el rato. Desde mi punto de vista como lectora para mi esto ha sido un fallo, pues en vez de mantenerme en vilo por ver qué tipo de historia iba a encontrar, me ha ido sumiendo en la monotonía y no ayudaba a motivarme.

No obstante, gracias a esta antología he descubierto a varias autoras que no conocía y me ha motivado a investigar sobre ellas, lo cual siempre es un acierto.

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is based only on the following stories.

The Girls from Avenger by Carrie Vaughn - This one made me sad, mostly because a man's ego caused great harm. I was glad that Em found out what happened, just wish the guy was punished.

Dying with her Cheer Pants On by Seanan McGuire - This author does horror in a way to make it seem real. I like the idea that the girls came up with, it's just too bad that one of them had to be sacrificed.

[Bethany · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I only really liked about three stories in the entire anthology.
The very first one I read. Northern Chess by Paula Guran. I loved the ending. I can't help but chuckle even if it's a total trope now that a woman can succeed where a man can't due to the wording of a curse. Or you know having someone actually named Nobody or No Man I liked that Jaisel could stroll in and not feel the need to prove herself to the men she encounters in the camp. She put the people who didn't get a clue in their place an did't dwell on it. Also she's honorable, she didn't like guy but she still went in after him. So in short my first story and my favorite.

Second I liked The Girls from Avenger by Carrie Vaughn. It was sad what happened to Mary and the fact the men were covering it up because they weren't following the rules just because she was a woman. Honestly you gotta wonder just how many women have been hurt because a man's ego couldn't handle the fact she could do the same job on the same level or better than him. Nobody answer that i know its way to many.

Last I liked Joenna's Axe" by Elaine Isaak This story makes me think of all the war stories about the throwaway units in armies no body wants and they turn around and defeat the enemy. Wasn't there a movie about this? Glory? Maybe? I dunno. Still a good story.

Everything else, I can barely remember and i wasn't particularly interested in. I practically skipped the war section in it's entirety. Although They tell me there will be no Pain by Rachael Acks, is an interesting take on a soldier trying to transition back to civilian life. It's got to be hard what with what's okay during a battle no longer being okay in civilian life. And it's got to be harder with the extensive body modifications she went through when she first joined and then went though again when she quit. It makes me appreciate our soldiers even more.

Recommendation: sure read it you'll probably find a story you like, even if it's not all of them.

[Rene · Rating 4 out of 5]

An anthology of various genres (fantasy, sci-fi, space opera, etc,) showcasing females in combat; many reviewers have commented on how sad most of these stories are; these stories chronicle the personal repercussions of war on the individual, both physical and spiritual.

Even the most memorable one, based in WW2, "The Girls From Avenger" ends in a pyrrhic victory, as Em, a WASP pilot investigating a friend's accidental death, encounters resistance from the male pilots of the Army Air Corp, as they attempt to cover up the truth of the incident; though at the end, Em receives orders to fly P-51 fighters...

The stories that stood out for me:
"Northern Chess", by Tanith Lee
"Love Among the Talus", by Elizabeth Bear
"Soul Case", by Nalo Hopkinson
"Girls From Avenger", by Carrie Vaughn
"Prayer" by Robert Reed
"England Under the White Witch" by Theodora Goss
"Lonely Songs of Laren Dorr", by George RR Martin
"The Knight of Chains, the Deuce of Stars" by Yoon Ha Lee
"Boy Twelve" by Jessica Riesman
"Application of Hope" Kristine Kathryn Rusch
"Not That Kind of War" Tanya Huff
"Eaters" Nancy Kress
"And Wash Out by Tides of War" An Owomoyela
"Days of War, As Red as Blood, As Dark as Bile" Aliette de Bodard

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall Impression

A mixed bag, as anthologies so often are. I much preferred the later sections to the beginning; I wonder if I just don't much like sword and sorcery?

I will say that I found the collection to be a little scattered, a little unfocused. I think it was trying to do too many things at once. It also had an overall grim tone. Still, it was worth a read, and there are a couple of real gems in the mix.

Highlights include: "The Knight of Chains, the Deuce of Stars" by Yoon Ha Lee, "And Wash Out by Tides of War" by An Owomoyela, and "Eaters" by Nancy Kress.

Northern Chess, Tanith Lee 4 stars
Beautifully written, and not in a way that I'm used to. The twist will feel familiar to anyone who's grown up with Lord of the Rings, but it's still a plot device I appreciate.

Anukazi's Daughter, Mary Gentle 2 stars
I didn't much like this story.

Become a Warrior, Jane Yolen 3 stars
Powerful but very bleak.

The Sea Troll's Daughter, Caitlin R. Kiernan 2 stars
This was quite long and didn't really work for me.

Joenna's Axe, Elaine Isaak 4 stars
Very nice! I though this story was very engaging, appreciated the character development, and the ending made me smile (grimly).

Love Among the Talus, Elizabeth Bear 4 stars
A more detached writing style, but I loved the world.

Soul Case, Nalo Hopkinson 4 stars
Short but effective.

The Girls from Avenger, Carrie Vaughn 3 stars
Something about the writing felt just slightly clunky to me, and there's no SFnal element. But it's okay.

In the Loop, Ken Liu 3 stars
Like the idea, not so keen on the execution. The writing style is very "telling", which is not generally what I prefer.

Dying With Her Cheer Pants On, Seanan McGuire 4 stars
This story is just so absurd that you have to like it. Fighting Pumpkins forever!

Prayer, Robert Reed 4 stars
I don't know that I found the ending so satisfying, but this story gets 4 stars just for the totally bonkers world.

England Under the White Witch, Theodora Goss 4.5 stars
History made fairy tale. I very much like Goss's writing - definitely looking forward to reading something novel-length from her.

The Lonely Songs of Laren Dorr, George R. R. Martin 5 stars
Melancholy but utterly lovely.

The Knight of Chains, the Deuce of Stars, Yoon Ha Lee 5 stars
HOLY COW. Can I give this more stars? I want to give this more stars. Gorgeously written, fantastically inventive, the imagery is to die for, the construction is tight. I'm only about halfway through the anthology, but I'm pretty sure this is going to be the highlight.

Boy Twelve, Jessica Reisman 4 stars
I liked this one! A prickly narrator, but Reisman constructed her well. Very inventive in its worldbuilding.

The Application of Hope, Kristine Kathryn Rusch 3 stars
I liked this one too, and possibly enough to foray into the rest of the Diving Universe. However, it felt quite long -- at least novelette length -- and I thought it might be tighter if it were pared down. Plus the prose felt a bit...dry? Unemotional? I'm not certain.

Not That Kind of a War, Tanya Huff 4 stars
Always love me some Torin. Huff is always very insightful about the realities of war and the personalities of those who wage it.

Naratha's Shadow, Sharon Lee & Steve Miller 3.5 stars
This was an interesting sci fi/fantasy blend. I confess myself intrigued enough to investigate a Liaden Universe novel...although, what I was most captivated by was the idea of the scouts and their work finding artifacts and chasing down legends, which mostly happened offscreen in this tale.

Eaters, Nancy Kress 5 stars
Wow! Tight, bursting with energy, complicated characters, ethical dilemmas...an exceptionally strong story.

And Wash Out by Tides of War, An Owomoyela 5 stars
Okay, this one impressed me a lot. I was captivated from the start, and again, really interesting worldbuilding. Will definitely be looking out for more stories by this author.

Hand to Hand, Elizabeth Moon 4 stars
Right, so. I don't know where exactly my opinion stands on the central argument of this story -- but it certainly has one, and one that made me think, and it's well written.

They Tell Me There Will Be No Pain, Rachael Acks 4.5 stars
Grim, but it resonated with me.

Wonder Maul Doll, Kameron Hurley 3 stars
Hurley is pretty much always gory. This story is no exception. It's just universally brutal. I see where it was a challenge to ennui surrounding occupation and war; I see where it was a challenge to, specifically, the invasion of Iraq. I really didn't enjoy the reading experience, though.

The Days of the War, as Red as Blood, as Dark as Bile, Aliette de Bodard 4 stars
Well, that was depressing.

[Crystal (Goddess in the Stacks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This felt like an older anthology, but I recognized a lot of the authors in it, and I was excited to see a sci-fi anthology centered on war but starring women. The book is divided into five sections; Swords (& Spears & Arrows & Axes) and Sorcery focuses on the more standard fantasy warriors - knights, and mages, and the like in fantasy worlds. The next section, Just Yesterday & Perhaps Just Beyond Tomorrow, is closer to contemporary fiction, with a story set during WWII, and a drone pilot, and then an alien invasion of Earth. Somewhere Between Myth & Possibility is like a combination of sci-fi and fantasy; there are space ships and alternate dimensions and witches. The fourth section is Space Aria, and it is what it sounds like - space opera. Pretty straight sci-fi. It's the fifth section that has the most thought-provoking pieces. Will No War End All War? centers stories about the cost of war. And it's a little depressing, to be honest. It's a heavy topic, so that's unsurprising, but it left me in a low emotional place when I shut the book.

Warrior Women is a really interesting book, with twenty-four different stories examining different aspects of war. Some stories are told by soldiers, some by scientists, some by commanders, some by the sisters and daughters of soldiers. The book does a really good job of examining the subject from all angles. I am eager to see what my husband, as a former Marine, thinks of the book. I can't say that I enjoyed the book, exactly, but it gave me a LOT to think about. And books that do that are just as important as escapist fantasy.

You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.

[Brett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick notes on individual stories as I read them:

"Northern Chess" by Tanith Lee - this is well written, of course, being from Tanith Lee, but the plot turns on a fairly hoary line dating back to Macbeth. Still, a scenic ride.

'Anukazi's Daughter" by Mary Gentle


"Become a Warrior" by Jane Yolen

"The Sea Troll's Daughter" by Caitlin R. Kiernan - I kinda get a Conan vibe from this one too. I'm worried that the stories I like best so far are along Conan/Red Sonja lines - traditional S&S heroes who happen to wear chainmail bikinis.


"Joenna's Axe" by Elaine Isaak - I guess this is what I was expecting?


"Love Among the Talus" by Elizabeth Bear


"Soul Case" by Nalo Hopkinson

JJust Yesterday
"The Girls from Avenger" by Carrie Vaughn - I enjoyed this, but it seems a little out of place in this volume. I guess it's alternate history, but I don't really know enough about the WASPs to be sure.


"In the Loop" by Ken Liu -Wow.


"Dying with her Cheer Pants On" by Seanan McGuire

Short but punchy - I liked it.
"Prayer" by Robert Reed

Somewhere between Myth & Possibility
"England Under the White Witch" by Theodora Goss

Poetic, but I don't think it'll stay with me long.

"The Lonely Songs of Laren Dorr" by George R.R. Martin

Bleak, dreamy, beautiful - reminiscent of M. John Harrison or Moorcock.


"The Knight of Chains, the Deuce of Stars" by Yoon Ha Lee

I love the hell out of this story, but I do not begin to understand it.
Space Aria
"Boy Twelve" by Jessica Reisman
"The Application of Hope" by Kristine Rusch
"Not That Kind of War" by Tanya Huff
"Naratha's Shadow" by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller

Will No War End All War?
"Eaters" by Nancy Kress
"And Wash Out by Tides of Ware" by An Owomoyela
"Hand to Hand" by Elizabeth Moon
"They Tell Me There Will be No Pain" by Rachael Acks
"Wonder Maul Doll" by Kameron Hurley
"The Days of the War, as Red as Blood, as Dark as Bile" by Aliette de Bodard

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Find my full review of all the short stories in this collection on my blog

Warrior Women is an anthology edited by Paula Guran that puts women front and center. There are many ways to be a warrior and many ways to tell the story of one. This anthology collects a variety of stories, arranged around five different themes: Swords (&Spears&Arrows&Axes) & Sorcery, Just Yesterday & Perhaps Just Beyond Tomorrow, Somewhere Between Myth & Possibility, Space Aria and Will No War End All War?

Overall, this is a great anthology. It has a good mix of different stories. They all show differen aspects of what it means to be a warrior. All have different approaches. There were a lot of authors I now want to read more of. The stories I particularly enjoyed were:

The Girls from Avenger by Carrie Vaughn, about WASPs during World War II
England Under the White Witch by Theodora Goss, about an empress with ice powers and her expanding empire
The Application of Hope by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, a novella about a captain trying to find a lost friend in foldspace
And Wash Out by Tides of War by An Owomoyela, about a girl with a chip on her shoulder and her mother, a war machine newly returned from war
They Tell Me There Will Be No Pain by Rachael Acks about a woman trying to fit back into civilian life
The Days of the War, as Red as Blood, as Dark as Bile by Aliette de Bodard about a young girl during war and a mindship looking for a warrior

[Adam Duclos · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was terrible. It's an anthology, but I couldn't get through it even so.

The preface was extensive, and basically stated, in a very long winded way, that the editor personally picked out stories that exemplified strong women. Sounds good!

Story one: Lame. Seemed well written, with a kick butt warrior woman taking on a necromancer's castle when an entire cadre of male knights had failed. Unfortunately, it was all a set-up for the old 'only a woman can defeat it in the first place' trope. She did fight her way in, but then everything just fell apart by itself.

Story two: Awful. Seemingly strong woman knight takes a prisoner, is offended when her commanding officer worries that she'll let him go because 'women's hearts are soft', then immediately does just that. The hell?

There were a lot more stories in this anthology that I didn't read, but having already lost faith in the editor's choices, I opted out. If the editor can't even start the anthology with decent stories, I can only assume the rest would be worse.

In short, Paula Guran has terrible taste in stories, and wouldn't know a strong woman if one saved the day right in front of her.

[Jody Mena · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read! In fact, it should somehow be required reading for... something... I don't know, but it should! The female leads in these stories all shared a quality of harsh, galvanizing, sometimes ruthless strength that a lot of authors seem reluctant to imbue into their female characters, so that even though the themes, settings and genres of the stories varied in the extreme, the were all equally compelling, equally satisfying, and all equally belonged in this unforgettable collection. It took me forever to finish this book because I kept portioning out the stories, making myself read just one per day, in order to make it last - they were so good, I just didn't want to reach the last page! To quote the inestimable Neil Gaiman, "I like stories where women save themselves."

[Kate K. F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warrior Women is a strong anthology with a mixture of old and new stories. My favorite stories were in the sections that focused on fantasy warriors more than science-fiction. I appreciated the range of approaches to war from women who oppose it to those who are career military.

A major warning that a lot of the stories contain violence or references to violence both physical and sexual along with variations on sexism. Many of my favorite stories came from authors I knew such as Seanan McGuire though I did discover others that I want to read more of such as Yoon Ha Lee. This is a good anthology and one that I'd recommend to anyone wanting to read the variety of ways that a woman character can become a warrior.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed some of the stories in this anthology. Few of them particularly stood out, although I really liked Kristine Kathryn Rush's The Application of Hope. I've read some of Rusch's other works, and I may have to read some more of her space operas.

On a less important note, the editor annoyly prefaced each story with a short introduction that often included major spoilers for the story. This really weakened the overall effect of the stories, and while I did skip past the introductions after a while, it never ceased to bother me.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent collection of shorts of which I've read very few and many are of recent vintage. Also unusual, I've heard of most of the authors. At least one of these, The Girls from Avenger is a straight historical fiction, an example of the wide genre spread of this collection. Many of these stories are pretty grim and graphic, consider this fair warning.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were several stories I enjoyed in this collection: "Northern Chess" by Tanith Lee; "Joenna's Axe" by Elaine Isaak; "Love Among the Talus" by Elizabeth Bear; "The Girls from Avenger" by Carrie Vaughn; "Eaters" by Nancy Kress; "And Wash Out by Tides of War" by An Owomoyela; "Hand to Hand" by Elizabeth Moon; "They Tell Me There Will Be No Pain" by Rachael Acks.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting compilation of stories, focused as much on consequence and conscience as mighty causes and cool tech. As with any collection of shorts, some appealed more than others, but overall a good read from an inspiring list of authors.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of hits, a couple misses, and a few I wish I had liked more, but a well-curated anthology nonetheless!

[Greymalkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful anthology with a very well curated variety of stories and takes on the idea of a "woman warrior".

[M.E. Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uneven stories, some good, some not so good but all warriors.

[Jonathon Lapak · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were a number of standout stories in this collection, with 'Hand to Hand', 'The Application of Hope' and 'Tell Me There Will Be No Pain' being particular high points for me.

[Ralyn Longs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of short stories, usually a risky proposition but the quality of these was consistently high, spanning a variety of genres. Would recommend.

[Meg]

Lots and lots of different stories in this collection. War, colonization, PTSD, obsession, different ways of 'winning.' A solid read, with a lot of great writers.

[Joanna Chaplin · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some neat stories in here, but I had trouble with the theme. Almost all the stories were serious and mostly sad. Because warrior women implies war, and war is hell.

[Gary Pilkington · Rating 4 out of 5]

With more hits than misses, this anthology is recommended to both fantasy and sci-fi readers as there are selections from both genres.

[Cameron Mcconnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Timely collection of essays about women who are warriors in different ways and cultures. Thought provoking stories cover a range of scifi and fantasy situations.

[Sebastian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The middle was very good, but the beginning and end were not as interesting

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My foray down the rabbit hole looking for more Seanan McGuire stories led me to Warrior Women. This is an anthology edited by Paula Guran of women warriors in various sci-fi and fantasy settings. Guran gathered already published stories from various time periods and sources to bring this collection together. She did an excellent job, as each story swept me up in its storytelling.
I will mention Seanan’s story as that is the one that led me to this anthology. “Dying With Her Cheer Pants On” is a wonderful blend of old-world mythology and space aliens. Somehow Seanan makes a cheerleader cheering for the home team into a world-shattering event. Another one that I really enjoyed was “The Sea Troll’s Daughter” by Caitlin R. Kiernan and “Joenna’s Axe” by Elaine Isaak. The representation of different sexualities as well as the different bonds featured in the stories was a refreshing view in the world of fantasy and sci-fi.
This is a great collection of short stories, combining classic well-known authors like Jane Yolen with newer authors like Yoon Ha Lee. It’s definitely added to my list of authors to read!

[Eleanor With Cats · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of good authors in here. I think the story I kept it for, that I didn't already have in another anthology, was 'England Under the White Witch' by Theodora Goss.

Table of contents, alpha by author:

“They Tell Me There Will be No Pain” by Rachel Acks
“Love Among the Talus” by Elizabeth Bear
“The Days of the War, as Red as Blood, as Dark as Bile” by Aliette de Bodard
“Anukazi’s Daughter” by Mary Gentle
“England Under the White Witch” by Theodora Goss
“Soul Case” by Nalo Hopkinson
“Not That Kind of War” by Tanya Huff
“Wonder Maul Doll” by Kameron Hurley
“Joenna’s Ax” by Elaine Isaak
“The Sea Troll’s Daughter” by Caitlín R. Kiernan
“Eaters” by Nancy Kress
“Northern Chess” by Tanith Lee
“The Knight of Chains, The Deuce of Stars” by Yoon Ha Lee
“In the Loop” by Ken Liu
“Dying With Her Cheer Pants On” by Seanan McGuire
“The Lonely Songs of Laren Dorr” by George R. R. Martin
“Naratha’s Shadow” by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
“Hand to Hand” by Elizabeth Moon
“And Wash Out by Tides of War” by An Owomoyela
“Prayer” by Robert Reed
“The Application of Hope” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
“Boy Twelve” by Jessica Reisman
“The Girls From Avenger” by Carrie Vaughn
“Become a Warrior” by Jane Yolen

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like all short story collections that I write reviews for, this review will be benignly neglectful; I read a story a day around April-ish, during which I had defined opinions about things, and then I forgot about it and finished up the last two stories today.

It is quite a collection! Splits between some classic fantasy (the first story is from like, 1970, which makes it Extremely Classic Fantasy; I liked it more from an archaeological point of view); to modern historical (hi Carrie Vaughn's flying WW2 girls); and Sci Fi and Other, I believe. They all have catchier titles, of course. There's quite a lot to tickle the fancy of a girl who likes girls with swords (and various other weapons); but some fights are best won with games (Yoon Ha Lee's contribution).

I would say there were more stories here that I liked than that I didn't; I do think I skipped 90% of the "modern warfare" but that's probably mostly a personal preference.

[Shipofools999 · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a lot of stories from authors I like but in the end, I found I just couldn't keep reading about fighting, death, and destruction. I ended up giving up on the book after reading a few of my authors.

I read
Tanith Lee-Northern Chess
Mary Gentale-Anukazi's Daughter
Carrie Vaughn-The Girls from Advengers
Seanan McGruire-Dying with her Cheer Pants on

Eventually I couldn't keep reading good stories about death and destruction. Not with what is going on with the election at this time.