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slferg's review
4.0
A fun read. i like this series. Short stories of strong women fighting battles, saving lives. Most of the stories are women warriors.
acreech's review
4.0
"This is the fifth book in the Chicks in Chainmail series edited by Esther Friesner. The book is a collection of 22 short stories by fantasy authors (including one by the editor) that almost all involve at least three elements: a chick (er, woman), chainmail (or other body armor), and adventure with the chick wearing said chainmail. Most of the stories are told tongue-in-cheek, with some more entertaining and coherent than others. My favorites are as follows: The Girl's Guide to Defeating the Dark Lord by Cassandra Claire - Being kidnapped by a Dark Lord can have a happy ending. The Gypsy Queen by Catherine H. Shaffer - Transgendered barbarian swordspersons find true love. Over the Hill by Jim C. Hines - Grandma Guardswoman isn't ready to retire just yet. Defender of the Small by Jody Lynn Nye - Be kind to your small fury friends."
janetlun's review
4.0
This is the 5th in a series of short story anthologies that started with 'Chicks in Chainmail'. This one has 22 stories by different authors. They're all over the map for style, and their take on a woman who can swing a sword.
seitherin's review
3.0
If you've read any of the other "Chicks" books, you'll know the kind of humorous stories included in this volume. There isn't any story that really stands out as exceptional, but there was one that I did enjoy more than any of the others. It was Jody Lynn Nye's Defender of the Small. It's a story of a mercenary hired by some cats to protect them from some abusive townsfolk who do not appreciate the worth of a cat.
Can I recommend this book? Not really unless you are already familiar with the other "Chicks" books. If you're not, start with Chicks in Chainmail. That one is the best for getting your feet wet.
Can I recommend this book? Not really unless you are already familiar with the other "Chicks" books. If you're not, start with Chicks in Chainmail. That one is the best for getting your feet wet.
saoirseak's review
3.0
The same irreverent tone as earlier entries in this series, but I found a lot less politically-questionable humour* in this one than in the first volume (which I reread this fall). Interesting item of historical curiosity: This volume contains Cassandra Clare's first published story, back when she was still writing as Claire-with-an-I, a fairy tale deconstruction very similar in tone to her LOTR parodies in the style of Bridget Jones' Diary which people who spent the early 2000s in the same internet circles as me definitely remember.
Favourites: John G. Hemry's "Mightier Than The Sword", D. S. Moen's "A Sword Called Rhonda", and Friesner's own "Giants in the Earth". I also enjoyed "Princess Injera Versus the Spanikopita of Doom" by Robin Wayne Bailey but it loses points for making me hungry on the subway when neither Greek nor Ethiopian food were readily available.
* That said, I'm not sure how I feel about one story about transgender lesbian barbarian warriors. I honestly can't tell if they're supposed to be a mean-spirited joke or not, which probably means they are :/
Favourites: John G. Hemry's "Mightier Than The Sword", D. S. Moen's "A Sword Called Rhonda", and Friesner's own "Giants in the Earth". I also enjoyed "Princess Injera Versus the Spanikopita of Doom" by Robin Wayne Bailey but it loses points for making me hungry on the subway when neither Greek nor Ethiopian food were readily available.
* That said, I'm not sure how I feel about one story about transgender lesbian barbarian warriors. I honestly can't tell if they're supposed to be a mean-spirited joke or not, which probably means they are :/
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