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A review by tbr_the_unconquered
Dangerous Women, Vol. 1 by George R.R. Martin
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.