A review by deana_reads
Silk & Steel: A Queer Speculative Adventure Anthology by Claire Bartlett, Elizabeth Davis, Jennifer Mace, Alison Tam, Django Wexler, Cara Patterson, Chris Wolfgang, Ellen Kushner, K.A. Doore, Neon Yang, Aliette de Bodard, Ann Leblanc, Yoon Ha Lee, S.K. Terentiev, Freya Marske

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.5

I’m very picky with short stories and this anthology was only okay. I was really excited for the cover and the idea of queer fantasy/sci fi power couples but as I’m guessing most anthologies are, some stories fell flat.

There was a lot of dueling in this??? Which based on the cover and the apparent inspo pic, okay, but only one story actually had the two women dueling each other and it had extremely minimal tension and payoff for me. My standouts were Elinor Jones vs the Ruritanian Multiverse, Plan Z, and The Parnassian Courante (prize for being my absolute favorite).