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Sword and Sorceress #21
Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword and Sorceress XXI
WITH SPELL AND BLADE...
They roam through fantasy landscapes - women who wield a sword in their sisters' defense or work magic passed down through generations. They are many heroines of SWORD AND SORCERESS - brave women who have adopted the daring roles so often deemed to be the exclusive province of men.
Join Diana L Paxson, Esther M Friesner, Rosemary Edghill, Leslie Fish, Dorothy j Heydt and their fellow spell-weavers as they carry on Marion Zimmer Bradley's proud, feminist tradition in the twenty-three original, swashbuckling and magical stories of SWORD AND SORCERESS XXI, where:
A family of thieves is sorely disappointed by their daughter's wizarding ambitions...
A warrior with amnesia is taught a lesson she could never have learned if she remembered her past...
A girl is turned down by a school of magic because of her sex, only to become the disciple of a far more powerful mentor...
An arrogant mage is taught that even the most powerful of sorcerers sometimes needs the help of material weapons...
The best-selling "Sword & The Sorceress series continues with this thrilling 21st edition of all-original stories of action-packed adventure, ultimate magic, and fearsome, sword-wielding women by some of the best names in fantasy today.
They roam through fantasy landscapes - women who wield a sword in their sisters' defense or work magic passed down through generations. They are many heroines of SWORD AND SORCERESS - brave women who have adopted the daring roles so often deemed to be the exclusive province of men.
Join Diana L Paxson, Esther M Friesner, Rosemary Edghill, Leslie Fish, Dorothy j Heydt and their fellow spell-weavers as they carry on Marion Zimmer Bradley's proud, feminist tradition in the twenty-three original, swashbuckling and magical stories of SWORD AND SORCERESS XXI, where:
A family of thieves is sorely disappointed by their daughter's wizarding ambitions...
A warrior with amnesia is taught a lesson she could never have learned if she remembered her past...
A girl is turned down by a school of magic because of her sex, only to become the disciple of a far more powerful mentor...
An arrogant mage is taught that even the most powerful of sorcerers sometimes needs the help of material weapons...
The best-selling "Sword & The Sorceress series continues with this thrilling 21st edition of all-original stories of action-packed adventure, ultimate magic, and fearsome, sword-wielding women by some of the best names in fantasy today.
308 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 2, 2004
603 people want to read
About the author
Diana L. Paxson
170 books410 followersDiana L. Paxson (born 1943) is a novelist and author of nonfiction, primarily in the fields of Paganism and Heathenism. Her published works include fantasy and historical fiction novels, as well as numerous short stories. More recently she has also published nonfiction books about Pagan and Heathen religions and practices.
In addition to her multiple novels and collaborations, she has written over seventy short stories. Her best-known works are the Westria novels, and the later books in the Avalon series, which she first co-wrote with Marion Zimmer Bradley, then took over sole authorship of after Bradley's death.
Paxson was nominated for the Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards twice, in 1989 for the "White Raven" and in 1983 for "Lady of Light".
Paxson's non-fiction books include Taking Up the Runes, Essential Asatru, and Trance-Portation. She writes a regular column for the women's spirituality magazine, Sagewoman.
Paxson has been active in the leadership of a number of organizations. She hosted the first activities of the Society for Creative Anachronism, and was subsequently among that group's founding Directors and Corporate Officers when it incorporated[1]. She was the western regional director of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, and is a frequent panelist at science fiction conventions, especially Baycon, where she was the 2007 Fantasy Guest of Honor.
A leader in the Neopagan and Heathen revivals, Paxson is the founder of the The Fellowship of the Spiral Path and has served as First Officer of the Covenant of the Goddess. She has been Steerswoman of the Heathen group, The Troth, a member of its Board of Directors, and currently edits its journal, Idunna. She is a pioneer in the revival of Oracular Seidh, which she has taught and performed at many Neopagan and heathen festivals and retreats.
She composes and plays music for the harp. She currently lives at her home, Greyhaven, in Berkeley, California.
More can be found on her blog: http://dpaxson.livejournal.com
In addition to her multiple novels and collaborations, she has written over seventy short stories. Her best-known works are the Westria novels, and the later books in the Avalon series, which she first co-wrote with Marion Zimmer Bradley, then took over sole authorship of after Bradley's death.
Paxson was nominated for the Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards twice, in 1989 for the "White Raven" and in 1983 for "Lady of Light".
Paxson's non-fiction books include Taking Up the Runes, Essential Asatru, and Trance-Portation. She writes a regular column for the women's spirituality magazine, Sagewoman.
Paxson has been active in the leadership of a number of organizations. She hosted the first activities of the Society for Creative Anachronism, and was subsequently among that group's founding Directors and Corporate Officers when it incorporated[1]. She was the western regional director of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, and is a frequent panelist at science fiction conventions, especially Baycon, where she was the 2007 Fantasy Guest of Honor.
A leader in the Neopagan and Heathen revivals, Paxson is the founder of the The Fellowship of the Spiral Path and has served as First Officer of the Covenant of the Goddess. She has been Steerswoman of the Heathen group, The Troth, a member of its Board of Directors, and currently edits its journal, Idunna. She is a pioneer in the revival of Oracular Seidh, which she has taught and performed at many Neopagan and heathen festivals and retreats.
She composes and plays music for the harp. She currently lives at her home, Greyhaven, in Berkeley, California.
More can be found on her blog: http://dpaxson.livejournal.com
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 30, 2016
Most were pretty boring and I could have dnfed, but then you never know if there will be a good ones since they are all shorts.
I honestly do not remember anything or any names, I only wrote down thoughts after the two fist ones.
"Dawn and Dusk," by Dana Kramer-Rolls
I liked this one, a nice feel to it
"Spell of the Sparrow," by Jim C. Hines
Meh
"The Woman's Place," by Susan Urbanek Linville; "Kin," by Naomi Kritzer; "Ursa," by Jenn Reese; "Red Caramae," by Kit Wesler; "Parri's Blade," by Cynthia McQuillin,
"Sun Thief," by K. A. Laity,
Ohh, Finnish mythology. No it was not only cos of that that I liked it, but I did. It was a good short that had me hooked.
"Lostland," by Rosemary Edghill;
"Plowshares," by Rebecca Maines,
This one I remember having promise
"Step by Step," by Catherine Soto; "Favor of the Goddess," by Lynn Morgan Rosser, "Rose in Winter," by Marie M. Longhin, "Kazhe's Blade," Terry McGarry,
"The Skin Trade," by Heather Rose Jones,
This one could have been a good fantasy book, it had an interesting concept.
"Multiple Choice," by Leslie Fish, "Oulu," by Aimee Kratts, "A Kind of Redemption," by John P. Buentello, and "Journey's End," by Dorothy J. Heydt. The one two-page poem, "Sword and Sorceress," is by Jennifer G. Tifft.
I honestly skimmed most. The good ones did not outweigh the bad ones.
I honestly do not remember anything or any names, I only wrote down thoughts after the two fist ones.
"Dawn and Dusk," by Dana Kramer-Rolls
I liked this one, a nice feel to it
"Spell of the Sparrow," by Jim C. Hines
Meh
"The Woman's Place," by Susan Urbanek Linville; "Kin," by Naomi Kritzer; "Ursa," by Jenn Reese; "Red Caramae," by Kit Wesler; "Parri's Blade," by Cynthia McQuillin,
"Sun Thief," by K. A. Laity,
Ohh, Finnish mythology. No it was not only cos of that that I liked it, but I did. It was a good short that had me hooked.
"Lostland," by Rosemary Edghill;
"Plowshares," by Rebecca Maines,
This one I remember having promise
"Step by Step," by Catherine Soto; "Favor of the Goddess," by Lynn Morgan Rosser, "Rose in Winter," by Marie M. Longhin, "Kazhe's Blade," Terry McGarry,
"The Skin Trade," by Heather Rose Jones,
This one could have been a good fantasy book, it had an interesting concept.
"Multiple Choice," by Leslie Fish, "Oulu," by Aimee Kratts, "A Kind of Redemption," by John P. Buentello, and "Journey's End," by Dorothy J. Heydt. The one two-page poem, "Sword and Sorceress," is by Jennifer G. Tifft.
I honestly skimmed most. The good ones did not outweigh the bad ones.
Read
April 29, 2009Contains my story "Ursa."
June 22, 2012
I love the short stories in these books. Lets you make a good choice of new authors.
July 12, 2019
I loved this book! I just turned 18, and it’s always been hard for me to find books in this style that I enjoy enough to finish. The short story format really helped there. And of course I enjoyed the different mythologies sprinkled here and there, and the fact that the protagonists are women. Yeah that’s become more popular in the YA genre, but it’s been hard to find in the style of writing these stories employ, so it was nice to find that there are even more volumes. Overall, great book, great authors, and I couldn’t put it down!
August 26, 2022
I have to say I am disappointed with the anthology.
I couldn't connect with almost any of the short stories within.
I am currently reading several anthologies and this is by far my least favorite..
Apart from sun thief; the women's place, red caramae and step by step - the others are rather boring, pointless or I couldn't connect at all.
Really liked Diana talking about each author... Unless you are a completeonist of some of the authors within I would bother with it.
I couldn't connect with almost any of the short stories within.
I am currently reading several anthologies and this is by far my least favorite..
Apart from sun thief; the women's place, red caramae and step by step - the others are rather boring, pointless or I couldn't connect at all.
Really liked Diana talking about each author... Unless you are a completeonist of some of the authors within I would bother with it.
June 20, 2012
This was a perfectly serviceable entry in a fine series; it is neither the best nor the worst of the lot. This is true both in terms of the quality of the stories in it, and in terms of the smoothness of the editing. One item of note is that it contains the (allegedly) final story in the "Cynthia, Witch of Syracuse" series by Dorothy J. Heydt, which I've always been quite fond of and which is apparently being (has been by now?) collected into a book in its own right. I'll have to look for it.
June 6, 2009
I'd forgotten I'd already read this one. But then I was recognizing the stories. Not a bad selection in this S&S, still nowhere near as good as the volumes in their heyday.
February 5, 2010
An excellent collection
Read
May 10, 2010I have a story in this one.
December 30, 2018
Better editing than last book...most stories are winners. Last of the books I have in the series and decided not to go and buy the last 8.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews