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Der Traumstein
THE DREAMSTONE C. J. Cherryh
Die Wölfe von Nakescht
WOLVES OF NAKESHT Janrae Frank
Die Frau aus der weißen Wüste
WOMAN OF THE WHITE WASTE T. J. Morgan
Tod der Augusta
THE DEATH OF AUGUSTA Emily Bronte
Joanna Russ
Moriens Hexe
MORIEN'S BITCH Janet Fox
Agabewes Schwert
AGABEWE'S SWORD Charles R. Saunders
Die Fahrten der Jane Saint
JANE SAINT'S TRAVAILS Josephine Saxton
Die Tränen einer Hexe
THE SORROWS OF WITCHES Margaret St.Clair
Falkenblut
FALCON BLOOD Andre Norton
Rape-Patrol
THE RAPE PATROL Michele Belling
In der Grube
BONES FOR DULATH Megan Lindholm
Schach dem Bösen
NORTHERN CHESS Tanith Lee
Die Frau, die den Mond liebte
THE WOMAN WHO LOVED THE MOON Elizabeth A. Lynn
Der Traumstein
THE DREAMSTONE C. J. Cherryh
Die Wölfe von Nakescht
WOLVES OF NAKESHT Janrae Frank
Die Frau aus der weißen Wüste
WOMAN OF THE WHITE WASTE T. J. Morgan
Tod der Augusta
THE DEATH OF AUGUSTA Emily Bronte
Joanna Russ
Moriens Hexe
MORIEN'S BITCH Janet Fox
Agabewes Schwert
AGABEWE'S SWORD Charles R. Saunders
Die Fahrten der Jane Saint
JANE SAINT'S TRAVAILS Josephine Saxton
Die Tränen einer Hexe
THE SORROWS OF WITCHES Margaret St.Clair
Falkenblut
FALCON BLOOD Andre Norton
Rape-Patrol
THE RAPE PATROL Michele Belling
In der Grube
BONES FOR DULATH Megan Lindholm
Schach dem Bösen
NORTHERN CHESS Tanith Lee
Die Frau, die den Mond liebte
THE WOMAN WHO LOVED THE MOON Elizabeth A. Lynn
285 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 1979
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561 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
May 29, 2023
A wonderful collection of thirteen stories about women warriors, assembled by editor Jessica Amanda Salmonson and with a wonderful cover by the amazing Michael Whelan, copyright 1979. I must say I was surprised at how diverse and not typical they were and I wish I had been aware back in the day of such diverse styles, settings, and characters in fantasy, not just of women protagonists (though that too) but just in general. It is a good collection of authors, twelve women and one man, proceeded by a very readable introduction and followed by a section of additional reading compiled by Susan Wood. I appreciated the multi-paragraph introductions by the editor to each tale, as they not only showed insights into why she chose or didn't choose certain stories, but provided insights into writing in general that I found valuable.
The initial tale is “The Dreamstone” by C.J. Cherryh and really set the tone for the rest of the book, focusing not just on what I think of as an Amazon (such as say Red Sonja or Wonder Woman) but really all sorts of strong women warriors. It is a tale of woman warrior lord named Arafel, ruler of the faerie wood named Ealdwood, who falls in love with a hapless youth who seeks refuge in the enchanted wood, fleeing a cruel man who would kill him. It feels classic though the fleeing youth being a young man and the protective warrior being a woman is to me different.
Then the reader gets “Wolves of Nakesht” by Janrae Frank, which feels more Conan/Red Sonja-esque, a rather bloody and violent tale that features wolves that are also men (but are not werewolves). I got a little lost in the some of the story but the action and imagery were vivid.
“Woman of the White Waste” by T. J. Morgan is next and is brilliant, a low fantasy/sword and sorcery style tale of vengeance in pretty much Arctic wastes, a story in which a woman who is not loved by her own village but yet must avenge it against Yarl invaders, who kill and rape its inhabitants. The vivid wintry feel of the story is nicely written.
The next one, “The Death of Augusta,” was a surprising, one by Emily Brontë! Edited by Joanna Russ, it is a fragment of a tale from the imaginary fantasy worlds the Brontë’s told to each other of, of which I had never heard of before.
“Morrien’s Bitch” by Janet Fox is next, back to tales that feel Hyborian, this one about a wily woman thief who lives underground in a series of tunnels and caverns that only she can navigate, one who is captured by the leader of an invading army and in the story both are using the other, each ready to betray the other, but also both kind of liking the other. It is definitely different.
“Agbewe’s Sword” by Charles R. Saunders is a sub-Saharan African story, about Dossouye, an ahosi, a woman warrior of Abomey (definitely Amazonian!) who must defend her Leopard King against the invading Ashanti. Full of richly detailed African culture, it is an intriguing tale of combat, bravery, personal awakening, and multiple double crosses. A great story!
Not sure I really understood the dreamlike and odd “Jane Saint’s Travails” by Josephine Saxton. It has some odd imagery and world building.
Then we get “The Sorrows of Witches” by the prolific and unappreciated these days Margaret St. Clair, a low fantasy/sword and sorcery tale of a necromancer queen and her lover. I read it actually recently in the book _The Hole in the Moon and Other Tales by Margaret St. Clair_, edited by Ramsey Campbell, where it was the only pure fantasy (as opposed to science fantasy or urban fantasy) story in the collection. Probably out of all the tales in this book, it felt the most Hyborian.
“Falcon Blood” by one of my favorite authors, Andre Norton, is next, a tale from her Witch World series. The editor’s introduction to the tale sums it up best; a tale in which we “are given images of two powerful women – one evil, one heroic – and one man whose cultural myths encompass a paranoia so intense as to justify irrational hatred of women.” It is well written and with great imagery. Though I have read several of Norton's works and what I have read so far has been science fiction, based on this tale it looks like her Witch World fantasy setting is well worth checking out.
I was hesitant with the next one given the title, “The Rape Patrol” by Michele Belling. It is a gritty very 1970s feeling crime drama of sorts, of women vigilantes going after a rapist. They are definitely women warriors, though it is set modern day. It almost isn’t fantasy at all until the very end, though that scene aside, it is otherwise a very grounded tale set in our world.
“Bones For Dulath” by Megan Lindholm is the next story, a prolific author today known by the name Robin Hobb. This tale should interest fans of hers, as it “introduces us to Ki and Vandien,” two protagonists, a woman and a man who are friends, the editor in her introduction noting that “Megan plans a novel about these two.” She would go on to publish the four novel _Windsingers_ series featuring the pair, beginning with 1983’s _Harpy’s Flight_ . I enjoyed it, I loved the chemistry between Ki and Vandien, the well written combat scenes, and a really cool monster.
“Northern Chess” by Tanith Lee (a “relatively new writer” according to the editor) is next, a medieval fantasy tale about a lone traveler armored woman warrior named Jaisel. I thought it one of the best tales in the book, though it is arguable some aspects of the ending are derivative of Tolkien, it is still a really good read.
The final short story is “The Woman Who Loved The Moon” by Elizabeth A. Lynn, a tale in a fantasy setting inspired by feudal Japan, a story of three warrior woman sisters and their very tragic relationship with the Moon. Beautifully dream-like with high fantasy/fairy tale imagery yet still also a tale of combat and honor and easy to follow. Just wonderfully written and a strong finish for the anthology.
The initial tale is “The Dreamstone” by C.J. Cherryh and really set the tone for the rest of the book, focusing not just on what I think of as an Amazon (such as say Red Sonja or Wonder Woman) but really all sorts of strong women warriors. It is a tale of woman warrior lord named Arafel, ruler of the faerie wood named Ealdwood, who falls in love with a hapless youth who seeks refuge in the enchanted wood, fleeing a cruel man who would kill him. It feels classic though the fleeing youth being a young man and the protective warrior being a woman is to me different.
Then the reader gets “Wolves of Nakesht” by Janrae Frank, which feels more Conan/Red Sonja-esque, a rather bloody and violent tale that features wolves that are also men (but are not werewolves). I got a little lost in the some of the story but the action and imagery were vivid.
“Woman of the White Waste” by T. J. Morgan is next and is brilliant, a low fantasy/sword and sorcery style tale of vengeance in pretty much Arctic wastes, a story in which a woman who is not loved by her own village but yet must avenge it against Yarl invaders, who kill and rape its inhabitants. The vivid wintry feel of the story is nicely written.
The next one, “The Death of Augusta,” was a surprising, one by Emily Brontë! Edited by Joanna Russ, it is a fragment of a tale from the imaginary fantasy worlds the Brontë’s told to each other of, of which I had never heard of before.
“Morrien’s Bitch” by Janet Fox is next, back to tales that feel Hyborian, this one about a wily woman thief who lives underground in a series of tunnels and caverns that only she can navigate, one who is captured by the leader of an invading army and in the story both are using the other, each ready to betray the other, but also both kind of liking the other. It is definitely different.
“Agbewe’s Sword” by Charles R. Saunders is a sub-Saharan African story, about Dossouye, an ahosi, a woman warrior of Abomey (definitely Amazonian!) who must defend her Leopard King against the invading Ashanti. Full of richly detailed African culture, it is an intriguing tale of combat, bravery, personal awakening, and multiple double crosses. A great story!
Not sure I really understood the dreamlike and odd “Jane Saint’s Travails” by Josephine Saxton. It has some odd imagery and world building.
Then we get “The Sorrows of Witches” by the prolific and unappreciated these days Margaret St. Clair, a low fantasy/sword and sorcery tale of a necromancer queen and her lover. I read it actually recently in the book _The Hole in the Moon and Other Tales by Margaret St. Clair_, edited by Ramsey Campbell, where it was the only pure fantasy (as opposed to science fantasy or urban fantasy) story in the collection. Probably out of all the tales in this book, it felt the most Hyborian.
“Falcon Blood” by one of my favorite authors, Andre Norton, is next, a tale from her Witch World series. The editor’s introduction to the tale sums it up best; a tale in which we “are given images of two powerful women – one evil, one heroic – and one man whose cultural myths encompass a paranoia so intense as to justify irrational hatred of women.” It is well written and with great imagery. Though I have read several of Norton's works and what I have read so far has been science fiction, based on this tale it looks like her Witch World fantasy setting is well worth checking out.
I was hesitant with the next one given the title, “The Rape Patrol” by Michele Belling. It is a gritty very 1970s feeling crime drama of sorts, of women vigilantes going after a rapist. They are definitely women warriors, though it is set modern day. It almost isn’t fantasy at all until the very end, though that scene aside, it is otherwise a very grounded tale set in our world.
“Bones For Dulath” by Megan Lindholm is the next story, a prolific author today known by the name Robin Hobb. This tale should interest fans of hers, as it “introduces us to Ki and Vandien,” two protagonists, a woman and a man who are friends, the editor in her introduction noting that “Megan plans a novel about these two.” She would go on to publish the four novel _Windsingers_ series featuring the pair, beginning with 1983’s _Harpy’s Flight_ . I enjoyed it, I loved the chemistry between Ki and Vandien, the well written combat scenes, and a really cool monster.
“Northern Chess” by Tanith Lee (a “relatively new writer” according to the editor) is next, a medieval fantasy tale about a lone traveler armored woman warrior named Jaisel. I thought it one of the best tales in the book, though it is arguable some aspects of the ending are derivative of Tolkien, it is still a really good read.
The final short story is “The Woman Who Loved The Moon” by Elizabeth A. Lynn, a tale in a fantasy setting inspired by feudal Japan, a story of three warrior woman sisters and their very tragic relationship with the Moon. Beautifully dream-like with high fantasy/fairy tale imagery yet still also a tale of combat and honor and easy to follow. Just wonderfully written and a strong finish for the anthology.
April 21, 2010
This collection of 13 fantasy stories centered on female heroes was groundbreaking in 1979 when it was published. I loved it when I discovered it in my teens--pre-Buffy, there were few stories of adventure with strong female heroines. This held up well. Indeed, the only story I didn't enjoy at all was the one with the most celebrated names--a piece of juvenalia by Emily Bronte edited by Joanna Russ. Russ is even one of the names featured on the cover, but she only contributes a precis of the story between excerpts of this Tolkenesque epic poem. The book also included stories Andre Norton and C.J. Cherryh. I've heard great things about both authors, who I haven't read outside the stories in this anthology--I'm afraid I found neither standouts. But enough stories did stand out to earn a fairly high rating:
Janet Fox, "Morrien's Bitch" - The central female wasn't likable, but she sure was interesting--more anti-hero than heroine.
Charles R. Saunders, "Agbewe's Sword" - I found Dossouye among the most likable characters in the book. And it was refreshing to read a fantasy based on an African culture rather than the usual faux European fantasy setting. Based enough on the real African civilization of Dohomey and its Amazons to be the one work of historical fiction in the book. Dossouye would also appear in Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword and Sorceress, a series of anthologies that came closest to being Amazons! successor. All the more reason I found myself rather irked by Salmonson's rather condescending introduction to the story, which noted Saunders was the "token male" author in the anthology.
Tanith Lee, "Northern Chess" - Lee, author of several works of fantasy and science fiction who boasts a gorgeous style was a favorite author of mine before I ever owned this anthology--and she didn't disappoint here. I loved this story of a lady knight.
Elizabeth A. Lynn, "The Woman Who Loved the Moon" - the story closed the anthology, and it was a memorable finish. I loved the stories fairy tale quality.
Janet Fox, "Morrien's Bitch" - The central female wasn't likable, but she sure was interesting--more anti-hero than heroine.
Charles R. Saunders, "Agbewe's Sword" - I found Dossouye among the most likable characters in the book. And it was refreshing to read a fantasy based on an African culture rather than the usual faux European fantasy setting. Based enough on the real African civilization of Dohomey and its Amazons to be the one work of historical fiction in the book. Dossouye would also appear in Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword and Sorceress, a series of anthologies that came closest to being Amazons! successor. All the more reason I found myself rather irked by Salmonson's rather condescending introduction to the story, which noted Saunders was the "token male" author in the anthology.
Tanith Lee, "Northern Chess" - Lee, author of several works of fantasy and science fiction who boasts a gorgeous style was a favorite author of mine before I ever owned this anthology--and she didn't disappoint here. I loved this story of a lady knight.
Elizabeth A. Lynn, "The Woman Who Loved the Moon" - the story closed the anthology, and it was a memorable finish. I loved the stories fairy tale quality.
June 18, 2016
An extremely strong collection with much to recommend in it. Salmonson had a laser-like focus on exactly what she wanted, but her attitude bled through at points. Her assertive views about the state of heroic fantasy at the time--testosterone-drenched pastiche--eventually sounded like a chip on her shoulder.
"Wolves of Nakesht" sketches a wide world and backstory without providing details. Why is Chimquar here? Who are her enemies and why do they team up against her? Who are her wards? These questions aren't answered and don't need answers.
"Morrien's Bitch" is excellent work. Riska is ambiguous and glorious, a mercurial and manipulative presence whose game is several steps ahead of her opponents.
"Agbewe's Sword", by Charles R Saunders is the first appearance of Dossouye, who by herself is a reason to seek out more. The setting's pseudo-Africa is the other reason, being an entirely different vision than yet another warmed over European feudal pastiche. You read of the "men's army" and "women's army" and the three souls of a person and a king who speaks only in the Royal language through a translator and decide that there's something you've been missing.
In "Bones for Dulath", Ki and Vandian have an intriguing relationship, very attached to one another yet insistently not spouses and it is never explained why. There is apparently an entire book series to explore this.
"Wolves of Nakesht" sketches a wide world and backstory without providing details. Why is Chimquar here? Who are her enemies and why do they team up against her? Who are her wards? These questions aren't answered and don't need answers.
"Morrien's Bitch" is excellent work. Riska is ambiguous and glorious, a mercurial and manipulative presence whose game is several steps ahead of her opponents.
"Agbewe's Sword", by Charles R Saunders is the first appearance of Dossouye, who by herself is a reason to seek out more. The setting's pseudo-Africa is the other reason, being an entirely different vision than yet another warmed over European feudal pastiche. You read of the "men's army" and "women's army" and the three souls of a person and a king who speaks only in the Royal language through a translator and decide that there's something you've been missing.
In "Bones for Dulath", Ki and Vandian have an intriguing relationship, very attached to one another yet insistently not spouses and it is never explained why. There is apparently an entire book series to explore this.
May 8, 2009
A collection of stories about Amazons, mostly by female writers. Andre Norton and C. J. Cherryh are the biggest names here, but my favorite story was "Morrien's Bitch" by Janet Fox.
March 23, 2018
A collection of stories published in 1979 and intended to challenge the assumptions about the role of women in high fantasy/sword and sorcery fiction of the time, although the definition of 'Amazon' seems quite flexible, ranging as it does from sorcerous women who sacrifice their powers for a man's love, even a man who seems completely disinterested to begin with, to then-contemporary women vigilantes dishing out retribution on men who commit crimes against women.
The book includes stories by well-known writers such as C J Cherryh, Andre Norton and Elizabeth A Lynn. I found it rather uneven - one of the stories features such a lot of backstory it is pulled down by the weight - Wolves of Nakesht which apparently the writer intended to turn into a novel or series and would perhaps have been better served by presenting a story earlier in the apparently long history of the main character. Others, such as Morrien's Bitch, were clunkily written in places. But there were also some interesting tales such as Agbewe's Sword, set in Abomey, an African county where there is a women's army as well as a men's army, and Falcon Blood, a Witch World backstory tale by Andre Norton in which we discover the reason for the antipathy towards women by the Falconers. That had a Sulcar sailor as the female protagonist and her stalwart nature has finally made some inroads on the Falconer character's prejudices by the end.
I particularly enjoyed Bones for Dulath by Morgan Lindholm (Robin Hobb) set in her Ki/Vandien series which I rate above her Hobb-penned fiction, and Lynn's The Woman Who Loved the Moon a tale with an Asian setting where the character of the title discovers the perils familiar to anyone who has read Western set stories of visits to fairyland. A beautiful lyrically told story. Despite some weaker elements in the collection, stories like this elevate the rating to 4 stars.
The book includes stories by well-known writers such as C J Cherryh, Andre Norton and Elizabeth A Lynn. I found it rather uneven - one of the stories features such a lot of backstory it is pulled down by the weight - Wolves of Nakesht which apparently the writer intended to turn into a novel or series and would perhaps have been better served by presenting a story earlier in the apparently long history of the main character. Others, such as Morrien's Bitch, were clunkily written in places. But there were also some interesting tales such as Agbewe's Sword, set in Abomey, an African county where there is a women's army as well as a men's army, and Falcon Blood, a Witch World backstory tale by Andre Norton in which we discover the reason for the antipathy towards women by the Falconers. That had a Sulcar sailor as the female protagonist and her stalwart nature has finally made some inroads on the Falconer character's prejudices by the end.
I particularly enjoyed Bones for Dulath by Morgan Lindholm (Robin Hobb) set in her Ki/Vandien series which I rate above her Hobb-penned fiction, and Lynn's The Woman Who Loved the Moon a tale with an Asian setting where the character of the title discovers the perils familiar to anyone who has read Western set stories of visits to fairyland. A beautiful lyrically told story. Despite some weaker elements in the collection, stories like this elevate the rating to 4 stars.
July 19, 2015
The title should have been Agency!
Titling it "Amazons!" created the fundamental challenge with this anthology: the word "amazon" means too many different things to different people. Your enjoyment of this book will depend largely on how flexible your concept of "an Amazon" is.
Is an Amazon a skilled fighting woman from a society contemporary with ancient Greece? If so, none of these stories match what you have in mind.
Is an amazon a member of a matriarchal, possibly all-female, society? If so, the story "The Wolves of Nakesht" is about Amazons, but the other 12 stories in this anthology are not.
Is an amazon a woman who lives as a warrior? If so, "Agbewe's Sword" and "Northern Chess" are also about amazons, but the remaining 10 are not.
Is an amazon a woman with a warrior's fighting skill, even if she's never fought in battle? If so, "The Woman Who Loved the Moon" is also about amazons. That still leaves out two-thirds of the stories.
Is an amazon any woman who has physically fought and killed another person?
Is an amazon any woman who chooses a position and defends it with force - any force? Magical? Political?
There's a story here for most concepts of "an amazon". Some will meet your expectations for amazons and others will not. You may still enjoy ones that don't fit your preconceptions (I did) but you also may be disappointed by how few stories are what you were looking for (I was).
The opening story, by C.J. Cherryh, is beautifully written, but I would not have thought the mysterious, trans-dimensional sorceress protagonist met anyone's definition of an "amazon." Likewise with "The Rape Patrol," in which present-day everywomen bring vigilante justice at night. That story just barely qualifies as fantasy.
"Agbewe's Sword" stands out for not being set in a classic European fantasy world, for featuring a POC protagonist, for being based on a historical group of fighting women (the Dahomey amazons), and for being written by the anthology's "token man".
And, as mentioned, "The Wolves of Nakesht" not only follows the classic concept of matriarchal, misandrist "Amazons" but throws in a twist by making the main character an exile, living as a man in a society of historical gender roles.
"Northern Chess" is tied with "Wolves" as my personal favorite. The stinger at the end is something you've undoubtedly heard before, but it's toyed with in a way that was new to me, hilarious, and my-goodness-feminism-still-has-lots-of-work-to-do sad all at once.
Perhaps it is a sign of the times. Maybe, in 1979, fantasy fiction with women protagonists who took meaningful action was so rare that any female characters with agency could carry the banner of "Amazons!" Equally likely is that Jessica Amanda Salmonson's definition of "an amazon" is broader than most people's. Her Encyclopedia certainly gives that impression.
But hey, it's an anthology! You can skip around as much as you like. If you've read these reviews and some or all of Amazons! sounds appealing, go read it.
Titling it "Amazons!" created the fundamental challenge with this anthology: the word "amazon" means too many different things to different people. Your enjoyment of this book will depend largely on how flexible your concept of "an Amazon" is.
Is an Amazon a skilled fighting woman from a society contemporary with ancient Greece? If so, none of these stories match what you have in mind.
Is an amazon a member of a matriarchal, possibly all-female, society? If so, the story "The Wolves of Nakesht" is about Amazons, but the other 12 stories in this anthology are not.
Is an amazon a woman who lives as a warrior? If so, "Agbewe's Sword" and "Northern Chess" are also about amazons, but the remaining 10 are not.
Is an amazon a woman with a warrior's fighting skill, even if she's never fought in battle? If so, "The Woman Who Loved the Moon" is also about amazons. That still leaves out two-thirds of the stories.
Is an amazon any woman who has physically fought and killed another person?
Is an amazon any woman who chooses a position and defends it with force - any force? Magical? Political?
There's a story here for most concepts of "an amazon". Some will meet your expectations for amazons and others will not. You may still enjoy ones that don't fit your preconceptions (I did) but you also may be disappointed by how few stories are what you were looking for (I was).
The opening story, by C.J. Cherryh, is beautifully written, but I would not have thought the mysterious, trans-dimensional sorceress protagonist met anyone's definition of an "amazon." Likewise with "The Rape Patrol," in which present-day everywomen bring vigilante justice at night. That story just barely qualifies as fantasy.
"Agbewe's Sword" stands out for not being set in a classic European fantasy world, for featuring a POC protagonist, for being based on a historical group of fighting women (the Dahomey amazons), and for being written by the anthology's "token man".
And, as mentioned, "The Wolves of Nakesht" not only follows the classic concept of matriarchal, misandrist "Amazons" but throws in a twist by making the main character an exile, living as a man in a society of historical gender roles.
"Northern Chess" is tied with "Wolves" as my personal favorite. The stinger at the end is something you've undoubtedly heard before, but it's toyed with in a way that was new to me, hilarious, and my-goodness-feminism-still-has-lots-of-work-to-do sad all at once.
Perhaps it is a sign of the times. Maybe, in 1979, fantasy fiction with women protagonists who took meaningful action was so rare that any female characters with agency could carry the banner of "Amazons!" Equally likely is that Jessica Amanda Salmonson's definition of "an amazon" is broader than most people's. Her Encyclopedia certainly gives that impression.
But hey, it's an anthology! You can skip around as much as you like. If you've read these reviews and some or all of Amazons! sounds appealing, go read it.
May 10, 2014
This was a good one. Five stories have three or above ticks from me, which indicates great enthusiasm. Even outside of those five, there is Charles R. Saunders, writer of African-themed fantasy, who here gives us the woman Dossouye; and a narrative poem by Emily Bronte, edited from her manuscripts by Joanna Russ.
Amazons 2 didn't match up the quality of selections here.
Amazons 2 didn't match up the quality of selections here.
March 16, 2022
This was okay. I'm not a fan of "high fantasy" as I call it, as I also don't enjoy "hard sci fi." This was what I consider high fantasy with the fairy tale style storytelling and the meticulous writing. I suppose I prefer my writing to be more colloquial.
In any case, this wasn't bad, just came across a little tedious. If you enjoy high fantasy with the obligatory purple prose, you'll probably enjoy this collection.
In any case, this wasn't bad, just came across a little tedious. If you enjoy high fantasy with the obligatory purple prose, you'll probably enjoy this collection.
July 30, 2017
I read this when first came out, but I wasn't as enamoured with it this time as I was in 1980. For my money Tanith Lee won, and CJ Cherryh came in second. Salmonson considers the tragic last tale "The woman who loved the moon to be the jewel in the crown." I don't have enough 'cares' to ponder why. To paraphrase Yoda, "so much anger, so much hate..."
June 18, 2013
Along with some familiar names (C.J. Cherryh, Tanith Lee, Andre Norton, Joanna Russ) some less well-known ones in an anthology which still holds up some 34 years later. The stories range from modern day I'm-not-sure-how-to-classify-it (Michelle Belling's "The Rape Patrol") to African fantasy quest (Charles Saunders' "Agbewe's Sword") to an espionage-flavored subversion of quest (Josephine Saxton's "The Travails of Saint Jane"). There's humor of various flavors, gentleness, fury, and determination - part of Jessica Amanda Salmonson's purpose for this anthology was to show that sword and sorcery didn't have to be limited to a narrow range of characters, plots and moods.
I want to look up some of the less well-known authors from this anthology and see what else they did. Highly, highly recommended.
I want to look up some of the less well-known authors from this anthology and see what else they did. Highly, highly recommended.
July 27, 2025
My first DAW I've owned and read! I don't think I can really justify higher than a 3, but I did enjoy this way more than most 3s I've rated. Badass, niche, provocative, maybe even revolutionary for the fantasy publishing world. With that said, I can't really say there's an exceptional story in this -- several I enjoyed a lot, but none that I would say are truly great. I think my top 3 are the Megan Lindholm (i.e., Robin Hobb), Tanith Lee, and Janrae Frank stories. The latter of those might be the most memorable one for me though just because of how obscure Frank is -- I had high expectations for Hobb and Lee, but the Frank story was kickass sword and sorcery with ostensibly no real following.
A tier below those 3 would probably be the St. Clair and Norton stories. I was excited to read St. Clair -- she's a pretty forgotten but at one point highly influential and respected SF/fantasy figure -- and it was a good first impression. Surprised that I liked the Norton one -- I see a shit ton of her books all over every thrift book store's vintage mass market SF/fantasy sections, but have never once really heard much anything good about her (and rarely see her stuff get picked up). Still not sure I'll go out of my way to read her unless I hear otherwise, but Falcon's Blood was a cool story.
Brief breakdown/impressions of each story:
The Dreamstone by CJ Cherryh:
Fairy tale feel, fun start but more or less unremarkable
Wolves of Nakesht by Janrae Frank:
One of the standouts of the collection for me -- not necessarily brilliant, but really cool, engaging sword and sorcery from a deeply obscure author. Finished this and wanted more of Chimquar -- really liked the characters in the small amount we got of them.
Woman of the White Waste by TJ Morgan:
Very short and fairly forgettable. Salmonson prefaces this story by saying a lot of essentially rape revenge stories were submitted as part of this anthology but that this one stood out among the crowd as remarkable -- not sure I agree. This author seems deeply obscure -- can't tell if she really published much else
The Death of Augusta by Emily Bronte (edited by Joanna Russ):
Fascinating and frustrating in how brief and fragmentary this is -- first I've ever heard of Gondal and Emily Bronte's lifelong writing of it. Not entirely Russ's fault -- the poems themselves were never really intended for publishing and were fleshed out pretty entirely in correspondences between Emily and Anne so will never be satisfying or complete, but I would have loved more subtext from Russ.
Morrien's Bitch by Janet Fox:
Salmonson prefaces that this one is provocative and it definitely is -- not sure I would say it's provocative in a good way though!
Agbewe's Sword by Charles R. Saunders:
Funny preface from Salmonson on this, the only contribution by a male author, and I think the only non-white author -- she admits this was too good not to include even though it was submitted 2 weeks after the deadline (epic anthologist backhand). May also be a significant standout for me -- very cool style and am intrigued by Saunders's African-inspired sword and sorcery. Sounds like he has a bit of a cult following still -- his Imaro DAW editions fetch pretty hefty prices on ebay
Jane Saint's Travails (Part One) by Josephine Saxton:
Didn't care much for this. Felt like an outline of a story with nothing to fill it in -- I've quite literally almost forgotten what it's about because it's just trying to do too much in too little space
The Sorrows of Witches by Margaret St. Clair:
Fun -- I know Margaret St. Clair has sort of a cult following, so glad to have read something of hers. Not remarkable, but still good and interesting
Falcon Blood by Andre Norton:
I actually enjoyed this one too -- it felt like a Howard Conan story, this sort of erie cosmic element present while they sink deeper into the ruins. And kind of a fun pairing between Tanree and Rivery -- misogyny redemption story I guess!
The Rape Patrol by Michele Belling:
This one is memorable -- apparently just a creative writing project from a student of Joanna Russ' (Michele Belling), deeply obscure. The luring out of the man (on all fours) from the warehouse is the highlight -- creepy and mysterious, fun read
Bones for Dulath by Megan Lindholm:
Megan Lindholhm/Robin Hobb's first professional sale as a fantasy writer! Probably too broad a statement to make from only having read Assassin's Apprentice and now this from her, but am fairly confident she wouldn't know how to write an unengaging story and unlikeable characters if she tried. This was a lot of fun, and weirdly kind of reminded me of some of the stories in the first two Witcher books. Creepy creatures, vaguely/potentially Eastern European setting, unwelcoming/crabby/brooding peasant villagers who (theme/moral!) may be worse than the beast our protagonists' are tasked with killing.
Northern Chess by Tanith Lee:
My first Tanith Lee! Really have been excited to read her, have only heard great things -- this was a great start. Jaisel is badass, the setting is badass, and the writing is probably the best in this anthology.
The Woman Who Loved the Moon by Elizabeth Lynn:
Probably the most notable story in this collection, but not quite as good as I expected -- though I understand why it's fairly famous. Pretty prose, and the only story in this anthology with unashamedly queer characters (which was a little surprising). Written/reads like a fairy tale, which I generally don't care as much for, and this was no exception really -- the nature of a fairy tale and the inherent narrative distance it takes on just often kind of takes the humanity out of characters. It's deliberate, but I often just don't enjoy it unless the story or some other aspect is extraordinary.
A tier below those 3 would probably be the St. Clair and Norton stories. I was excited to read St. Clair -- she's a pretty forgotten but at one point highly influential and respected SF/fantasy figure -- and it was a good first impression. Surprised that I liked the Norton one -- I see a shit ton of her books all over every thrift book store's vintage mass market SF/fantasy sections, but have never once really heard much anything good about her (and rarely see her stuff get picked up). Still not sure I'll go out of my way to read her unless I hear otherwise, but Falcon's Blood was a cool story.
Brief breakdown/impressions of each story:
The Dreamstone by CJ Cherryh:
Fairy tale feel, fun start but more or less unremarkable
Wolves of Nakesht by Janrae Frank:
One of the standouts of the collection for me -- not necessarily brilliant, but really cool, engaging sword and sorcery from a deeply obscure author. Finished this and wanted more of Chimquar -- really liked the characters in the small amount we got of them.
Woman of the White Waste by TJ Morgan:
Very short and fairly forgettable. Salmonson prefaces this story by saying a lot of essentially rape revenge stories were submitted as part of this anthology but that this one stood out among the crowd as remarkable -- not sure I agree. This author seems deeply obscure -- can't tell if she really published much else
The Death of Augusta by Emily Bronte (edited by Joanna Russ):
Fascinating and frustrating in how brief and fragmentary this is -- first I've ever heard of Gondal and Emily Bronte's lifelong writing of it. Not entirely Russ's fault -- the poems themselves were never really intended for publishing and were fleshed out pretty entirely in correspondences between Emily and Anne so will never be satisfying or complete, but I would have loved more subtext from Russ.
Morrien's Bitch by Janet Fox:
Salmonson prefaces that this one is provocative and it definitely is -- not sure I would say it's provocative in a good way though!
Agbewe's Sword by Charles R. Saunders:
Funny preface from Salmonson on this, the only contribution by a male author, and I think the only non-white author -- she admits this was too good not to include even though it was submitted 2 weeks after the deadline (epic anthologist backhand). May also be a significant standout for me -- very cool style and am intrigued by Saunders's African-inspired sword and sorcery. Sounds like he has a bit of a cult following still -- his Imaro DAW editions fetch pretty hefty prices on ebay
Jane Saint's Travails (Part One) by Josephine Saxton:
Didn't care much for this. Felt like an outline of a story with nothing to fill it in -- I've quite literally almost forgotten what it's about because it's just trying to do too much in too little space
The Sorrows of Witches by Margaret St. Clair:
Fun -- I know Margaret St. Clair has sort of a cult following, so glad to have read something of hers. Not remarkable, but still good and interesting
Falcon Blood by Andre Norton:
I actually enjoyed this one too -- it felt like a Howard Conan story, this sort of erie cosmic element present while they sink deeper into the ruins. And kind of a fun pairing between Tanree and Rivery -- misogyny redemption story I guess!
The Rape Patrol by Michele Belling:
This one is memorable -- apparently just a creative writing project from a student of Joanna Russ' (Michele Belling), deeply obscure. The luring out of the man (on all fours) from the warehouse is the highlight -- creepy and mysterious, fun read
Bones for Dulath by Megan Lindholm:
Megan Lindholhm/Robin Hobb's first professional sale as a fantasy writer! Probably too broad a statement to make from only having read Assassin's Apprentice and now this from her, but am fairly confident she wouldn't know how to write an unengaging story and unlikeable characters if she tried. This was a lot of fun, and weirdly kind of reminded me of some of the stories in the first two Witcher books. Creepy creatures, vaguely/potentially Eastern European setting, unwelcoming/crabby/brooding peasant villagers who (theme/moral!) may be worse than the beast our protagonists' are tasked with killing.
Northern Chess by Tanith Lee:
My first Tanith Lee! Really have been excited to read her, have only heard great things -- this was a great start. Jaisel is badass, the setting is badass, and the writing is probably the best in this anthology.
The Woman Who Loved the Moon by Elizabeth Lynn:
Probably the most notable story in this collection, but not quite as good as I expected -- though I understand why it's fairly famous. Pretty prose, and the only story in this anthology with unashamedly queer characters (which was a little surprising). Written/reads like a fairy tale, which I generally don't care as much for, and this was no exception really -- the nature of a fairy tale and the inherent narrative distance it takes on just often kind of takes the humanity out of characters. It's deliberate, but I often just don't enjoy it unless the story or some other aspect is extraordinary.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 25, 2012
Another teenager favourite, this is a sampler of female hero fantasy, from authors as diverse as Bronte to currently big name writers. Not everything here is good, but as a product of the eighties, this, along with works like the Sword and Sorceress Anthologies, were groundbreaking efforts to get female protagonists properly respected in the genre. I'm probably giving it more stars than it deserves, as much of the stuff here has a touch of the experimental and some of the stories are by now bog standard plots (ie rape and revenge), but it's not a big commitment and it's a good look-see into the earlier years of some writers who are still producing.
May 15, 2025
okay wow! this was extremely good. a breath of fresh air among all the other sword & sorcery i've been reading lately, for all that i really do enjoy it. as i said in one of my updates this has a rly good variety in heroines & stories, and with really only two that i disliked & one that i am neutral toward this was a great collection as a whole. i also rly enjoyed the editor's notes at the beginning of each story, with a little background on the author or the story's inclusion or, even better, what the editor liked so much about the stories (even if i didn't always agree with her)
the opening story by c.j. cherryh was absolutely gorgeous, with a forest witch who is fae-like in her etherealness, and an almost dunsanian fairytale atmosphere. i was a little worried the rest would be disappointing in its wake, tbh, but thankfully that was not the case. reading it did prompt me to dig up & purchase the next book in her morgaine cycle on ebay lol.
"the wolves of nakesht" was a rly fun african-inspired romp, with a woman who left her people & lived as a male warrior for decades. i loved so much of this one, from the way she was torn between her desire to return home & her desire to live as she pleased, to the wolves themselves. great cultural interplay here.
"woman of the white waste" was written for me specifically, i think, revolving entirely around snow & ice magic & goddesses (our heroine's goddess showed up as a fucking SNOW BEAR, i lost my mind) while also being a deeply poignant glimpse into the emotional aftermath of trauma & avenging ourselves for it.
"the death of augusta" is a bit of a weird one. it's less of a short story & more of a like, mini-essay on one of emily brontë's lesser known unfinished works. essay is prbly the wrong word for it, even; it's more like a summary of what parts of its manuscripts survive. certainly interesting, tho. i had no idea the brontë sisters had created a fantasy world of their own
"morrien's bitch" was...mostly entertaining? i think i just didn't rly vibe w this one tbh. i didn't dislike it, & there were parts of it that i enjoyed (mainly our lead lady, who was engagingly conniving), but overall it just left me unimpressed.
"agbewe's sword" is our lone submission written by a man, & an author whose african sword & sorcery i've been meaning to check out for a while, so i was excited to see this here! this was, i think, if not the first installment of his sword & sorcery heroine's series than certainly the earliest story of the series, & i rly rly enjoyed it. extremely rich world building, with a set or really fun characters & an ending that made me even more excited to check the rest out. i will say the like, self-righteous tone of the editor's note in the intro did leave a bad taste in my mouth, tho.
i absolutely did not enjoy "jane saint's travails," & i find its inclusion in this collection a little mysterious, tbh. as i said in my reading update tho i am just not a fan of written surrealism, so this was just not it for me.
on the other hand i LOVED "the sorrows of witches," a brief almost dunsanian fairy-tale of a necromancer queen whose true love is brutally murdered. another one written specifically for me.
"falcon blood" is the first andre norton story i've read since i was like, 13, so that was interesting! i enjoyed this piece a lot. jonkara was sick as hell, fyi.
"the rape patrol," on the other hand, was, uh. another weird one lmfao. barely even fantasy, we rly only get like a three paragraph moment of someone using magic to draw a rapist out of hiding. i rly don't know how i feel about this one tbh, or its inclusion in this anthology. idk. maybe i need to read it again. i think it also just felt really jarring, bc we've been bouncing between all of these gorgeous lush high fantasy settings, with language to match, & then all of a sudden we get slapped in the face with almost aggressively modern first person POV. the whiplash was crazy
"bones for dulath" was EXTREMELY fun, with a rly cool weird monster. i enjoyed this world a lot & am absolutely going to be looking up the full-length novel this author was apparently mid-writing for these characters at the time of publication.
similar to the andre norton piece "northern chess" is the first tanith lee i've read since my teens, so this was another one i was excited for. lee described this as "medieval & carolingian france, with a touch of shakespeare & agincourt", & i gotta say, this setting was great. for all that it was still medieval european fantasy it just felt so different from the rest? jaisel was awesome, i loved her. & i always love an eowyn-esque ending
lastly, "the woman who loved the moon" was STUNNING??? very heavily inspired by east asian & specifically japanese folklore (altho i confess some confusion over the talvelai surname), this one was so good i genuinely started weeping at the end lmao. lesbian romance!!! with the moon!!!!! what fucking more could i ask for.
anyway. this introduced me to a lot of new authors i want to check out, which is always fun. very glad i picked this up on a whim today, & it'll prbly be a little bit before i read the second volume but if it's anywhere near as good as this one was i'm looking forward to reading it.
lastly, to the person i saw who opened up their review with "this should have been called Agency!" of course you are a man. of fucking course you are lmfao.
the opening story by c.j. cherryh was absolutely gorgeous, with a forest witch who is fae-like in her etherealness, and an almost dunsanian fairytale atmosphere. i was a little worried the rest would be disappointing in its wake, tbh, but thankfully that was not the case. reading it did prompt me to dig up & purchase the next book in her morgaine cycle on ebay lol.
"the wolves of nakesht" was a rly fun african-inspired romp, with a woman who left her people & lived as a male warrior for decades. i loved so much of this one, from the way she was torn between her desire to return home & her desire to live as she pleased, to the wolves themselves. great cultural interplay here.
"woman of the white waste" was written for me specifically, i think, revolving entirely around snow & ice magic & goddesses (our heroine's goddess showed up as a fucking SNOW BEAR, i lost my mind) while also being a deeply poignant glimpse into the emotional aftermath of trauma & avenging ourselves for it.
"the death of augusta" is a bit of a weird one. it's less of a short story & more of a like, mini-essay on one of emily brontë's lesser known unfinished works. essay is prbly the wrong word for it, even; it's more like a summary of what parts of its manuscripts survive. certainly interesting, tho. i had no idea the brontë sisters had created a fantasy world of their own
"morrien's bitch" was...mostly entertaining? i think i just didn't rly vibe w this one tbh. i didn't dislike it, & there were parts of it that i enjoyed (mainly our lead lady, who was engagingly conniving), but overall it just left me unimpressed.
"agbewe's sword" is our lone submission written by a man, & an author whose african sword & sorcery i've been meaning to check out for a while, so i was excited to see this here! this was, i think, if not the first installment of his sword & sorcery heroine's series than certainly the earliest story of the series, & i rly rly enjoyed it. extremely rich world building, with a set or really fun characters & an ending that made me even more excited to check the rest out. i will say the like, self-righteous tone of the editor's note in the intro did leave a bad taste in my mouth, tho.
i absolutely did not enjoy "jane saint's travails," & i find its inclusion in this collection a little mysterious, tbh. as i said in my reading update tho i am just not a fan of written surrealism, so this was just not it for me.
on the other hand i LOVED "the sorrows of witches," a brief almost dunsanian fairy-tale of a necromancer queen whose true love is brutally murdered. another one written specifically for me.
"falcon blood" is the first andre norton story i've read since i was like, 13, so that was interesting! i enjoyed this piece a lot. jonkara was sick as hell, fyi.
"the rape patrol," on the other hand, was, uh. another weird one lmfao. barely even fantasy, we rly only get like a three paragraph moment of someone using magic to draw a rapist out of hiding. i rly don't know how i feel about this one tbh, or its inclusion in this anthology. idk. maybe i need to read it again. i think it also just felt really jarring, bc we've been bouncing between all of these gorgeous lush high fantasy settings, with language to match, & then all of a sudden we get slapped in the face with almost aggressively modern first person POV. the whiplash was crazy
"bones for dulath" was EXTREMELY fun, with a rly cool weird monster. i enjoyed this world a lot & am absolutely going to be looking up the full-length novel this author was apparently mid-writing for these characters at the time of publication.
similar to the andre norton piece "northern chess" is the first tanith lee i've read since my teens, so this was another one i was excited for. lee described this as "medieval & carolingian france, with a touch of shakespeare & agincourt", & i gotta say, this setting was great. for all that it was still medieval european fantasy it just felt so different from the rest? jaisel was awesome, i loved her. & i always love an eowyn-esque ending
lastly, "the woman who loved the moon" was STUNNING??? very heavily inspired by east asian & specifically japanese folklore (altho i confess some confusion over the talvelai surname), this one was so good i genuinely started weeping at the end lmao. lesbian romance!!! with the moon!!!!! what fucking more could i ask for.
anyway. this introduced me to a lot of new authors i want to check out, which is always fun. very glad i picked this up on a whim today, & it'll prbly be a little bit before i read the second volume but if it's anywhere near as good as this one was i'm looking forward to reading it.
lastly, to the person i saw who opened up their review with "this should have been called Agency!" of course you are a man. of fucking course you are lmfao.
March 27, 2010
This was a pretty good anthology; the stories ranged from great to mediocre, but it was one of the first of its kind. Today there are lots and lots of strong female heroines even in the S&S genre, but at the time this anthology came out, they were still pretty rare (Red Sonja aside).
Read
August 11, 2011This book introduced me some of my all time favorite authors!!
August 14, 2016
Great characterizations (especially considering this book came out in 1979) but I thought the stories themselves were only so-so.
April 7, 2020
Thirteen tales of amazons as imagined by female writers. I've also decided to rate the introduction because of its length. My average rating was 3.3. Normally, I would round to the closest number which would be 3, but in this case, I'm going to round up to 4. Why? Because in the mix are five stories I rated 5 stars. That's better than one third at a top rating. There's one stinker at 1 star that hurts the average.
INTRODUCTION: OUR AMAZON HERITAGE by Jessica Amanda Salmonson. The editor of this book has decided to add, as an intro, a nine-page history on women who she would label as Amazons and a look into the history of the title. It is quite detailed, though I think she plays a little loose with what the average person perceives as what an amazon woman is. For me, a lengthy history lesson is more than I want to muddle through before getting to what I'm here to read-fantasy tales of amazon women. 3 stars
THE DREAMSTONE by C. J. Cherryh. Before I start, I need to state how I am an ardent fan of the author. I have read many of her works and she is one of my favorites so my opinion on her short may be a bit jaundiced. As expected, her gift of the written word shows well here. Some may find it a bit too strong in the way of purple prose, but in the '70s that was the style. Don't look for a lot of action in this one, but the protagonist shows well how she is a master of her domain. 5 stars
WOLVES OF NAKESHT by Janrae Frank. This is your standard sword and sorcery fare with lots of sword battles and fights against magical man-wolves, the Nakest. The main character has led a life where everyone thinks she is a man. It's subject to one of the flaws of the '70s where the characters all have difficult to pronounce names and dialogue in make-believe tongues where I have no idea what they are saying. 3 stars
WOMAN OF THE WHITE WASTE by T. J. Morgan. A short tale where a woman is brutally gang-raped runs off into the winter wildness and meets an old god who empowers her for revenge. Throw in a magic sword and you touch a lot of cliches in the genre. 3 stars
THE DEATH OF AUGUSTA by Emily Bronte. OKay. I get it. Famous author. World famous. Still, this is nothing more than a poem and finding the amazon in it is a stretch at best. As it is, the editor had to include all kinds of notes explaining what was going on in the poem. I think the editor would have been best served by leaving this one out. 1 star
MORRIEN'S BITCH by Janet Fox. I really liked this one. The protagonist is smart, savvy, and in control. The whole hidden cavern/tunnels thing is well done. If there's a weakness, it's that the protagonist is not an amazon, but a thief. Considering the wide parameters set by the editor in the introduction, I won't let that deter me from a good rating. 5 stars
AGBEWE'S SWORD by Charles A Saunders. The first in this collection by a male author. Lucky for me that I am not saddled with the limiting restriction of a cultural appropriation attitude that says a male cannot write a story with a female lead. In this tale, not just one female lead, but two. Juxtpositioned over a war where a magic sword is needed to turn the tide is a deep hatred between two women. The sword can only be wielded by one, but which one? 5 stars
JANE SAINTS TRAVAILS by Josephine Saxton. A woman is executed and while dead has a weird dream that has her in search of her three children and a Kodebook. For a brief bit, the POV changes to the children who are inconsequential to the story. This meandered too much for me. 2 stars
THE SORROWS OF WITCHES by Margaret St. Clair. A queen with powerful magics revives from death a man who spurned her in life to be her lover. She keeps him dead when he's not needed. Enter the jealous consort to muddy the waters. 2 stars
FALCON BLOOD by Andre Norton. Enter into this anthology a true master of the fantasy genre. In this short story, she shows her colors in a well-crafted tale. A strong female saddled with a recalcitrant male are shipwrecked and together must face an ancient menace. 5 stars
THE RAPE PATROL by Michele Beiling. This story is a simple, straight-forward avenge theme. Predictable and lacks imagination. 2 stars
BONES FOR DULATH by Megan Lindholm. Outside of the unimaginative title, this is an entertaining piece with a nice mix of drama, humor, and action. The interaction between the characters is quite good. 5 stars
NORTHERN CHESS by Tanith Lee. Warrior woman attacks a castle controlled by an evil spirit. Classic cliche sword and sorcery fantasy. 3 stars
THE WOMAN WHO LOVED THE MOON by Elizabeth A. Lynn. Three warrior sisters, one by one, fight the moon goddess, the last one falling in love with her rival. I didn't feel the intensity. 3 stars.
INTRODUCTION: OUR AMAZON HERITAGE by Jessica Amanda Salmonson. The editor of this book has decided to add, as an intro, a nine-page history on women who she would label as Amazons and a look into the history of the title. It is quite detailed, though I think she plays a little loose with what the average person perceives as what an amazon woman is. For me, a lengthy history lesson is more than I want to muddle through before getting to what I'm here to read-fantasy tales of amazon women. 3 stars
THE DREAMSTONE by C. J. Cherryh. Before I start, I need to state how I am an ardent fan of the author. I have read many of her works and she is one of my favorites so my opinion on her short may be a bit jaundiced. As expected, her gift of the written word shows well here. Some may find it a bit too strong in the way of purple prose, but in the '70s that was the style. Don't look for a lot of action in this one, but the protagonist shows well how she is a master of her domain. 5 stars
WOLVES OF NAKESHT by Janrae Frank. This is your standard sword and sorcery fare with lots of sword battles and fights against magical man-wolves, the Nakest. The main character has led a life where everyone thinks she is a man. It's subject to one of the flaws of the '70s where the characters all have difficult to pronounce names and dialogue in make-believe tongues where I have no idea what they are saying. 3 stars
WOMAN OF THE WHITE WASTE by T. J. Morgan. A short tale where a woman is brutally gang-raped runs off into the winter wildness and meets an old god who empowers her for revenge. Throw in a magic sword and you touch a lot of cliches in the genre. 3 stars
THE DEATH OF AUGUSTA by Emily Bronte. OKay. I get it. Famous author. World famous. Still, this is nothing more than a poem and finding the amazon in it is a stretch at best. As it is, the editor had to include all kinds of notes explaining what was going on in the poem. I think the editor would have been best served by leaving this one out. 1 star
MORRIEN'S BITCH by Janet Fox. I really liked this one. The protagonist is smart, savvy, and in control. The whole hidden cavern/tunnels thing is well done. If there's a weakness, it's that the protagonist is not an amazon, but a thief. Considering the wide parameters set by the editor in the introduction, I won't let that deter me from a good rating. 5 stars
AGBEWE'S SWORD by Charles A Saunders. The first in this collection by a male author. Lucky for me that I am not saddled with the limiting restriction of a cultural appropriation attitude that says a male cannot write a story with a female lead. In this tale, not just one female lead, but two. Juxtpositioned over a war where a magic sword is needed to turn the tide is a deep hatred between two women. The sword can only be wielded by one, but which one? 5 stars
JANE SAINTS TRAVAILS by Josephine Saxton. A woman is executed and while dead has a weird dream that has her in search of her three children and a Kodebook. For a brief bit, the POV changes to the children who are inconsequential to the story. This meandered too much for me. 2 stars
THE SORROWS OF WITCHES by Margaret St. Clair. A queen with powerful magics revives from death a man who spurned her in life to be her lover. She keeps him dead when he's not needed. Enter the jealous consort to muddy the waters. 2 stars
FALCON BLOOD by Andre Norton. Enter into this anthology a true master of the fantasy genre. In this short story, she shows her colors in a well-crafted tale. A strong female saddled with a recalcitrant male are shipwrecked and together must face an ancient menace. 5 stars
THE RAPE PATROL by Michele Beiling. This story is a simple, straight-forward avenge theme. Predictable and lacks imagination. 2 stars
BONES FOR DULATH by Megan Lindholm. Outside of the unimaginative title, this is an entertaining piece with a nice mix of drama, humor, and action. The interaction between the characters is quite good. 5 stars
NORTHERN CHESS by Tanith Lee. Warrior woman attacks a castle controlled by an evil spirit. Classic cliche sword and sorcery fantasy. 3 stars
THE WOMAN WHO LOVED THE MOON by Elizabeth A. Lynn. Three warrior sisters, one by one, fight the moon goddess, the last one falling in love with her rival. I didn't feel the intensity. 3 stars.
March 7, 2018
Amazons! is a 40-year old anthology with many strong stories, but none are truly exceptional. It includes several authors who are widely known now (Tanith Lee, C.J. Cherryh, Andre Norton, Charles Saunders) and others who I hadn't heard of. Being exposed to the latter was a treat -- Megan Lindholm's story in particular stuck out, about a woman saving her man from an agonizing death by poison by tracking down and killing the thing that poisoned him. It was very well-done sword & sorcery.
August 20, 2018
Solid collection of shorts, similar in content and precedes MZB's Sword and Sorceress series, with some of the same writers. Of particular note, is Charles Saunders' origin story for his wonderful warrior Dossouye of Abomey.
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September 28, 2019optional
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 12, 2023
Really good collection of strong woman short stories from 1979, all but one written by women. Wish I had found this when I was young.
Want to read
November 22, 2025Recently acquired this, I didn’t realize Robin Hobb’s old pen name was Megan Lindholm (1979) — now I’m hyped to read this!! 🤩
January 16, 2014
There were a couple completely bizarre stories in here and a couple of boring stories as well, but there were also some really great ones. Mostly the stories by authors I recognized were the good ones and the bad ones came from authors I've never heard of. Overall things kind of balanced out to about average. That's kind of the nature of anthologies though. One disappointing thing is that despite being touted as a contributor on the front cover, Joanna Russ' piece is actually just some commentary on an only vaguely interesting poem by Emily Brontë.
August 13, 2013
Bought for a quarter in a second hand store.
Worth a lot more, though the language has dated a little. Deffo good and interesting, though the first story (primarily a love story) is a little offputting.
The end additional reading looks pretty amazing too.
Worth a lot more, though the language has dated a little. Deffo good and interesting, though the first story (primarily a love story) is a little offputting.
The end additional reading looks pretty amazing too.
March 26, 2015
Oh my goodness, this is a blast from the past. I LOVED this book back in the day. When I was about 15. Such good stories, and I was super into short story collections. I must have gotten rid of the book in one of my drives to become a person with less stuff. I sort of wish I still had it!
August 26, 2013
As I recall, there was some really good stories in this one.
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