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teresathistle's review
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Martin and Sanderson were the only ones who stuck to the theme of the collection. Some of these stories are truly awful. Who writes aboug violence against women for an anthology supposedly about dangerous women?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Misogyny
Moderate: Pregnancy
cookerlives's review against another edition
4.0
I've only finished The Princess and the Queen (so far). It was written and reads like a history text, and as a fan of history this does not bother me in the least. It may bother others. If you are a fan of A Song of Ice and Fire and want to know more about the history of Westeros, specifically the Targaryen family, this is an essential read. If you could care less about those things, skip this. Expect a lot of dragons, dragon riding, and dragon fighting.
saydenie's review against another edition
4.0
This book was really all about George R.R. Martin's story. The first six stories ranged from boring to mediocre, but The Princess and the Queen is an epic history in the realm of Westeros. Here we get to see what dragons were like in battle and ponder how the story of the new dragons will play out in ASOIAF.
sataanaperkele's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.25
Truly awful. For a book that's meant to be a collection of short stories featuring empowered women, a lot of the stories are sexist.
R.R. Martins work is the what you would expect from an A Song of Ice and Fire novella, though may as well have been presented as a list of bullet points for its lack of structure.
The short story 'I know how to pick them' by Lawrence Block exemplifies everything wrong with this collection. Lawrence, you write like a dinosaur. Do us all a favour and don't waste any more good paper on your garbage.
Sanderson's 'Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell' is the only good work in this collection, but given the terrible quality of the other stories, it fails to make the book worth reading.
R.R. Martins work is the what you would expect from an A Song of Ice and Fire novella, though may as well have been presented as a list of bullet points for its lack of structure.
The short story 'I know how to pick them' by Lawrence Block exemplifies everything wrong with this collection. Lawrence, you write like a dinosaur. Do us all a favour and don't waste any more good paper on your garbage.
Sanderson's 'Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell' is the only good work in this collection, but given the terrible quality of the other stories, it fails to make the book worth reading.
slipperbunny's review against another edition
3.0
3,21/5. Not the kind of stories I had hoped for. Some were good but didn't really fit to the theme.
tbr_the_unconquered's review against another edition
3.0
The term dangerous in the context of this book requires a bit of explanation. I had this rough estimate that this would be a book of short stories that feature women who are altogether dangerous and tough customers to deal with. But then as I read along, this perception changed and morphed into a different level of understanding. These women are dangerous but they are not exactly objects of danger for others ; some of them are dangerous even to themselves. It is a cliché line to call an anthology a mixed bag but considering the nature of these stories and the writing, there isn’t any other usage that I can equate this collection to.
Every story is approximately 35 pages ( with the exception of the monster from GRRM) and the theme is of a woman character who drives the plot onward. This was what I thought of the stories themselves :
The Princess & The Queen by George R.R. Martin
Rating : 4/5
In Summary : A tale set before the events of GRRM’s magnum opus. The women here are the most dangerous in the entire book. They are hungry for power and do not shun away from violence. Like a typical GRRM book in GOT, buckets of blood are shed and corpses litter the pages. Nothing is white or black and not even one character is spared. While being the largest story in the book, this one takes the cake for the best tale too.
Raisa Stepanova by Carrie Vaughn
Rating : 2/5
In Summary : An average Russian woman, the daughter of peasant parents in Stalin’s world becomes a fighter pilot that holds off the Germans. The starting of this tale and the ambiance it builds is very impressive and has more to do the kind of camaraderie shared by the women pilots and the behind the screen look at the war. However, the storytelling is bland and clichéd and there aren’t any standout factors in it. It just goes on and on and suddenly ends.
Second Arabesque, Very Slowly by Nancy Kress
Rating : 3/5
In Summary : Tells the story of a post-apocalyptic world where humanity has been reduced to a group of wandering marauders. A woman can either be a tool for reproduction or a midwife who tends to the delivery of a child. The story follows such a band of people across the devastated east coast of the US. This is one of those tales that does not fit in to the grouping of ‘dangerous women’. If anything, it is the women who are in danger in this tale. Well written and captures the mood pretty well with the only drag being that it employs too many clichés we associate with apocalyptic fiction.
I Know How To Pick’ em by Lawrence Block
Rating : 1.5/5
In Summary : This is a story I still cannot make head or tail out of. Two people meet and get into some situations but there is no way I could connect to either of them or be interested in their lives. It is a story that was dead in the water from the first paragraph on.
My Heart Is Either Brokenby Megan Abbott
Rating : meh !/5
In Summary : The rating explains it better.
Wrestling Jesus by Joe.R.Lansdale
Rating : 3/5
In Summary : This is very much an ordinary story – an older man trains a young rookie to fend for him/herself ( take a moment to recollect The Karate Kid, The Mask Of Zorro, Million Dollar Baby etc…). It could have been that this tale followed two poorly written tales but I took an immediate liking for Joe Lansdale’s writing style. There is a dangerous woman in this story but she is dangerous more in retrospect than in reality.
Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell by Brandon Sanderson
Rating : 4/5
In Summary : The only story other than GRRM to focus on a woman who grows dangerous as she starts to run out of options. I have had the experience of reading only Mistborn from Sanderson and found him to be an author who has a solid command over his prose. The story of shadow and her time of being a bounty hunter is as swift paced as an action flick.
The collection as a whole is only so-so. There is nothing in here that would make it a definite read.
Every story is approximately 35 pages ( with the exception of the monster from GRRM) and the theme is of a woman character who drives the plot onward. This was what I thought of the stories themselves :
The Princess & The Queen by George R.R. Martin
Rating : 4/5
In Summary : A tale set before the events of GRRM’s magnum opus. The women here are the most dangerous in the entire book. They are hungry for power and do not shun away from violence. Like a typical GRRM book in GOT, buckets of blood are shed and corpses litter the pages. Nothing is white or black and not even one character is spared. While being the largest story in the book, this one takes the cake for the best tale too.
Raisa Stepanova by Carrie Vaughn
Rating : 2/5
In Summary : An average Russian woman, the daughter of peasant parents in Stalin’s world becomes a fighter pilot that holds off the Germans. The starting of this tale and the ambiance it builds is very impressive and has more to do the kind of camaraderie shared by the women pilots and the behind the screen look at the war. However, the storytelling is bland and clichéd and there aren’t any standout factors in it. It just goes on and on and suddenly ends.
Second Arabesque, Very Slowly by Nancy Kress
Rating : 3/5
In Summary : Tells the story of a post-apocalyptic world where humanity has been reduced to a group of wandering marauders. A woman can either be a tool for reproduction or a midwife who tends to the delivery of a child. The story follows such a band of people across the devastated east coast of the US. This is one of those tales that does not fit in to the grouping of ‘dangerous women’. If anything, it is the women who are in danger in this tale. Well written and captures the mood pretty well with the only drag being that it employs too many clichés we associate with apocalyptic fiction.
I Know How To Pick’ em by Lawrence Block
Rating : 1.5/5
In Summary : This is a story I still cannot make head or tail out of. Two people meet and get into some situations but there is no way I could connect to either of them or be interested in their lives. It is a story that was dead in the water from the first paragraph on.
My Heart Is Either Brokenby Megan Abbott
Rating : meh !/5
In Summary : The rating explains it better.
Wrestling Jesus by Joe.R.Lansdale
Rating : 3/5
In Summary : This is very much an ordinary story – an older man trains a young rookie to fend for him/herself ( take a moment to recollect The Karate Kid, The Mask Of Zorro, Million Dollar Baby etc…). It could have been that this tale followed two poorly written tales but I took an immediate liking for Joe Lansdale’s writing style. There is a dangerous woman in this story but she is dangerous more in retrospect than in reality.
Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell by Brandon Sanderson
Rating : 4/5
In Summary : The only story other than GRRM to focus on a woman who grows dangerous as she starts to run out of options. I have had the experience of reading only Mistborn from Sanderson and found him to be an author who has a solid command over his prose. The story of shadow and her time of being a bounty hunter is as swift paced as an action flick.
The collection as a whole is only so-so. There is nothing in here that would make it a definite read.
luzbella's review against another edition
3.0
Raisa Stepanova 3 stars
I know how to pick em 2 stars
neighbors 2 stars
wrestling Jesus 4 stars
my heart is either broken 2 stars
Nora's song 2 stars
the princess and the queen 3 stars
I know how to pick em 2 stars
neighbors 2 stars
wrestling Jesus 4 stars
my heart is either broken 2 stars
Nora's song 2 stars
the princess and the queen 3 stars
lizthedragon's review against another edition
3.0
I'll review each of these short stories individually. The theme of the collection is dangerous women and each of the short stories include an intriguing female character, except this one:
Novella: The Princess and the Queen, or, the Blacks and the Greens by George R.R. Martin (ASOIAF)
Rating: 2/5
The only inclusion that I found lackluster was Martin's novella, The Princess and the Queen. I should have paid more attention to the cover before expecting more, it has a quote that says: "Reads like Martin's outline for a Game of Thrones prequel that never was." And that's what it is, a short story written as if by a historian that reads like a short history of a power struggle. There're so many opportunities for interesting description--such as the fights between dragons--and the writing is instead dull. The characters could have been full of nuance, but he uses the "historian's perspective" to excuse not giving them motivations, just actions.
If Martin makes this into a full novel, I'll read it and enjoy it. But this version is just a long outline of a plot and was tedious to read.
On to the short stories, which I did enjoy!
“Raisa Stepanova” by Carrie Vaughn:
Rating: 3/5
Raisa Stephanova was a perfect length with almost no wasted words. It didn't end in a way that I expected, but it wasn't overall a big surprise. Imagine a female fighter pilot who needs to prove that women can in fact fight during WWII in Russia, and you'll have a good idea of the main character. It was enjoyable to read and I finished it in a sitting.
“I Know How to Pick ’Em” by Lawrence Block
Rating: 5/5
This one was outstanding and as a result I've added some of [a:Lawrence Block|17613|Lawrence Block|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1303856083p2/17613.jpg]'s books to my to-read list. The story is written from the perspective of a man whose character is extremely compelling and downright dirty--I'm not certain I wanted to be in this man's head, but once I was there I couldn't stop reading. Excellently crafted and full of surprises, this story was perfect.
“Neighbors” by Megan Lindholm
Rating: 3/5
Not a whole lot to say about this one. It was fine to read, but it didn't really capture me either. I wasn't really sympathetic to any of the characters in particular and I didn't find the plot that compelling. Not badly written, just not for me.
“Wrestling Jesus” by Joe R. Lansdale
Rating: 4/5
This one stuck with me. It's about two men who fought over a woman in their young age and kept the fighting spirit alive into their eighties and a kid who needed a role model. There's a bit of coming of age, a bit of reconciliation, and some characters that you could imagine sitting down in a coffee shop with to have a long chat. Very well written.
“My Heart is Either Broken” by Megan Abbott
Rating: 2/5
Like with neighbors, I don't have much to say here. The plot should have been full of tension and suspense and... but I found I didn't really care. Not for me.
“Nora’s Song” by Cecelia Holland
Rating: 4/5
This one made me wish I knew more of the history behind it. The perspective character is a boring child, but the struggle between her parents is excellent. We don't get all the details because it's from the child's perspective. I'd love to know what really happened in the history this is based off of. Very well written.
Novella: The Princess and the Queen, or, the Blacks and the Greens by George R.R. Martin (ASOIAF)
Rating: 2/5
The only inclusion that I found lackluster was Martin's novella, The Princess and the Queen. I should have paid more attention to the cover before expecting more, it has a quote that says: "Reads like Martin's outline for a Game of Thrones prequel that never was." And that's what it is, a short story written as if by a historian that reads like a short history of a power struggle. There're so many opportunities for interesting description--such as the fights between dragons--and the writing is instead dull. The characters could have been full of nuance, but he uses the "historian's perspective" to excuse not giving them motivations, just actions.
If Martin makes this into a full novel, I'll read it and enjoy it. But this version is just a long outline of a plot and was tedious to read.
On to the short stories, which I did enjoy!
“Raisa Stepanova” by Carrie Vaughn:
Rating: 3/5
Raisa Stephanova was a perfect length with almost no wasted words. It didn't end in a way that I expected, but it wasn't overall a big surprise. Imagine a female fighter pilot who needs to prove that women can in fact fight during WWII in Russia, and you'll have a good idea of the main character. It was enjoyable to read and I finished it in a sitting.
“I Know How to Pick ’Em” by Lawrence Block
Rating: 5/5
This one was outstanding and as a result I've added some of [a:Lawrence Block|17613|Lawrence Block|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1303856083p2/17613.jpg]'s books to my to-read list. The story is written from the perspective of a man whose character is extremely compelling and downright dirty--I'm not certain I wanted to be in this man's head, but once I was there I couldn't stop reading. Excellently crafted and full of surprises, this story was perfect.
“Neighbors” by Megan Lindholm
Rating: 3/5
Not a whole lot to say about this one. It was fine to read, but it didn't really capture me either. I wasn't really sympathetic to any of the characters in particular and I didn't find the plot that compelling. Not badly written, just not for me.
“Wrestling Jesus” by Joe R. Lansdale
Rating: 4/5
This one stuck with me. It's about two men who fought over a woman in their young age and kept the fighting spirit alive into their eighties and a kid who needed a role model. There's a bit of coming of age, a bit of reconciliation, and some characters that you could imagine sitting down in a coffee shop with to have a long chat. Very well written.
“My Heart is Either Broken” by Megan Abbott
Rating: 2/5
Like with neighbors, I don't have much to say here. The plot should have been full of tension and suspense and... but I found I didn't really care. Not for me.
“Nora’s Song” by Cecelia Holland
Rating: 4/5
This one made me wish I knew more of the history behind it. The perspective character is a boring child, but the struggle between her parents is excellent. We don't get all the details because it's from the child's perspective. I'd love to know what really happened in the history this is based off of. Very well written.
ibrokeapot's review against another edition
2.0
Raisa Stepanova
★★★☆☆
A smart and well-written story with great characters and a beautiful arc, though it was a bit slow-paced for my taste.
I Know How to Pick 'Em
★☆☆☆☆
I have absolutely no idea why this story is included in this anthology. Narrated by a mentally unstable man, the women are neither dangerous nor vivid enough to excite the reader, only dim shadows of what could have been.
Neighbors
★★★★☆
This was a really heart-warming tale about an elderly woman and how she and her family is dealing with her constant episodes of forgetfulness, her fight about keeping life liveable all the while her family is insisting she should move on.
Wrestling Jesus
★☆☆☆☆
Here I don't ask where are the dangerous women, but rather where are the women in general.
"Girl" is only used as a slur and weakness is defined by way of being a pussy. The main character's mother is shamed for having sex and fun after her husband's death. The other female character is displayed as a trophy then tossed aside when the lesson is learned by the men.
And among the manly man things like fighting for a girl and cursing and being really tough there is absolutely nothing left to enjoy and nothing based on which I would recommend this story.
My Heart is Either Broken
★☆☆☆☆
Yet another story about a mentally ill woman through a man's eyes.This story could have been much better if the doubts and discoveries were made by the detectives instead of the husband, whose ignorance about her wife's condition, him interpreting it as "quirky" behaviour made it all the more worse.
Nora's Song
★★★☆☆
The style felt a bit out of place for the era, and the titular character's behaviour was somewhat cliché, but the Queen's and King's quarrel as the backdrop at least piqued my interest for Eleanor of Aquitaine.
The Princess and the Queen, or, the Blacks and the Greens
★★★★☆
I remember reading it a while back, and how it shattered all my romanticised theories about this period in Westerosi history.
But after accepting that the first Targeryen civil war was much more gruesome than I previously expected I came to love and care for many of the characters only mentioned among these paragraphs.
★★★☆☆
A smart and well-written story with great characters and a beautiful arc, though it was a bit slow-paced for my taste.
I Know How to Pick 'Em
★☆☆☆☆
I have absolutely no idea why this story is included in this anthology. Narrated by a mentally unstable man, the women are neither dangerous nor vivid enough to excite the reader, only dim shadows of what could have been.
Neighbors
★★★★☆
This was a really heart-warming tale about an elderly woman and how she and her family is dealing with her constant episodes of forgetfulness, her fight about keeping life liveable all the while her family is insisting she should move on.
Wrestling Jesus
★☆☆☆☆
Here I don't ask where are the dangerous women, but rather where are the women in general.
"Girl" is only used as a slur and weakness is defined by way of being a pussy. The main character's mother is shamed for having sex and fun after her husband's death. The other female character is displayed as a trophy then tossed aside when the lesson is learned by the men.
And among the manly man things like fighting for a girl and cursing and being really tough there is absolutely nothing left to enjoy and nothing based on which I would recommend this story.
My Heart is Either Broken
★☆☆☆☆
Yet another story about a mentally ill woman through a man's eyes.This story could have been much better if the doubts and discoveries were made by the detectives instead of the husband, whose ignorance about her wife's condition, him interpreting it as "quirky" behaviour made it all the more worse.
Nora's Song
★★★☆☆
The style felt a bit out of place for the era, and the titular character's behaviour was somewhat cliché, but the Queen's and King's quarrel as the backdrop at least piqued my interest for Eleanor of Aquitaine.
The Princess and the Queen, or, the Blacks and the Greens
★★★★☆
I remember reading it a while back, and how it shattered all my romanticised theories about this period in Westerosi history.
But after accepting that the first Targeryen civil war was much more gruesome than I previously expected I came to love and care for many of the characters only mentioned among these paragraphs.