Warrior Enchantresses

by Richard Gilliam (Editor), Kathleen M. Massie-Ferch (Editor), Rebecca Ore (Contributor)

From Kleopatra's dealings with a god on the eve of battle to a princess who finds an unusual way to earn respect in a man's world to a wife who will call on the powers of the earth itself to defeat the demon who holds her husband captive, these are the incredible stories of challenges met, victories won, and sacrifices made by some of fantasy's most fascinating females.

Genres: Fantasy, Anthologies, Short Stories, Fiction

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Kevin Knapp · Rating 2 out of 5]

Story quality was uneven: a few were great, but several were terrible. I get the feeling that too much emphasis was placed on writer's resume & not enough on power of actual story...

[Marsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This anthology shows how many women throughout time responded to the call of war and slaughter, how they bargained their lives, souls, offspring and future in order to ensure peace or victory over their enemies or simply secure a place for themselves. Each deals with a different heroine, each as determined in her own way to win an equal footing with men. Some ways lead to victory; some to ignominy and death. But all the women battle on their own terms.

It is a stirring anthology, the messages of female strength, prowess and cunning far transcending feminist politics. This is a fine book, a worthy addition to libraries of people who grew up happily devouring works by the likes of Marion Zimmer Bradley. The stories will not be to everyone's taste and I found myself picking out which would be my favorites. But all of them are worth a second or third read.

[Knight · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like this group of stories. All were set in historical times, which after a while made me feel claustrophobic. I would like to have had some fantastic settings mixed in. And the stories were all about war; it made for very grim reading.

Two are worth mentioning: Auour the Deepminded, by Andre Norton. Nicely written, plot was about escaping war, and it's by Andre Norton and I read all her work. A Wolf Upon the Wind, by Jennifer Roberson. It was bloody and grim, but had a great twist at the end.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not at all what I was expecting. Mostly stories based off of historical women. Some try too hard, but some are really good.

[Nanci · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun collection of well-written tales.