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bcuda's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
justiceofkalr's review against another edition
3.0
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.
michaeldrakich's review
4.0
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.
brynhammond's review
4.0
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 [a:Charles R. Saunders|715521|Charles R. Saunders|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1378170820p2/715521.jpg], 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.
[b:Amazons 2|2522874|Amazons 2|Jessica Amanda Salmonson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1357814386s/2522874.jpg|2530378] didn't match up the quality of selections here.
[b:Amazons 2|2522874|Amazons 2|Jessica Amanda Salmonson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1357814386s/2522874.jpg|2530378] didn't match up the quality of selections here.
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