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Sword and Sorceress #16
Sword and Sorceress XVI
FOR HONOR AND VALOR
When a young woman gravely injures a powerful creature out of legend, can she find the courage to return to her victim and face redemption of death?
Can an itinerant witch restore the power of a dying god?
Will a woman's vow to become the best sword-smith in her land sever her from the person she loves most?
Can the bravery of a low-born lass chosen as a sacrifice to a terrible beast finally free her kingdom from tyranny?
With an ancient spell prove to a budding sorceress that magic is overrated?
Join Diana Paxson, Lawrence Watt-Evans, Deborah Wheeler, and Dorothy J. Heydt, and their fellow adventurers through perilous lands where women - whether they be powerful magicians, or sword fighters sworn to protect - take up challenges so often considered the sole province of men, in twenty-six original stories collected and edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley.
The sixteenth volume of "Sword & Sorceress" includes 25 all-original stories of strong, heroic women characters -- female warriors and wizards who face down perils and come to the aid of those in need. Includes the fantasy fiction of Diana Paxson, Lawrence Watt-Evans, Deborah Wheeler, and Dorothy J. Heydt, as well as an introduction by Marion Zimmer Bradley.
When a young woman gravely injures a powerful creature out of legend, can she find the courage to return to her victim and face redemption of death?
Can an itinerant witch restore the power of a dying god?
Will a woman's vow to become the best sword-smith in her land sever her from the person she loves most?
Can the bravery of a low-born lass chosen as a sacrifice to a terrible beast finally free her kingdom from tyranny?
With an ancient spell prove to a budding sorceress that magic is overrated?
Join Diana Paxson, Lawrence Watt-Evans, Deborah Wheeler, and Dorothy J. Heydt, and their fellow adventurers through perilous lands where women - whether they be powerful magicians, or sword fighters sworn to protect - take up challenges so often considered the sole province of men, in twenty-six original stories collected and edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley.
The sixteenth volume of "Sword & Sorceress" includes 25 all-original stories of strong, heroic women characters -- female warriors and wizards who face down perils and come to the aid of those in need. Includes the fantasy fiction of Diana Paxson, Lawrence Watt-Evans, Deborah Wheeler, and Dorothy J. Heydt, as well as an introduction by Marion Zimmer Bradley.
306 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 1999
About the author
Marion Zimmer Bradley
815 books4,938 followersMarion Eleanor Zimmer Bradley was an American author of fantasy novels such as The Mists of Avalon and the Darkover series, often with a feminist outlook.
Bradley's first published novel-length work was Falcons of Narabedla, first published in the May 1957 issue of Other Worlds. When she was a child, Bradley stated that she enjoyed reading adventure fantasy authors such as Henry Kuttner, Edmond Hamilton, and Leigh Brackett, especially when they wrote about "the glint of strange suns on worlds that never were and never would be." Her first novel and much of her subsequent work show their influence strongly.
Early in her career, writing as Morgan Ives, Miriam Gardner, John Dexter, and Lee Chapman, Marion Zimmer Bradley produced several works outside the speculative fiction genre, including some gay and lesbian pulp fiction novels. For example, I Am a Lesbian was published in 1962. Though relatively tame by today's standards, they were considered pornographic when published, and for a long time she refused to disclose the titles she wrote under these pseudonyms.
Her 1958 story The Planet Savers introduced the planet of Darkover, which became the setting of a popular series by Bradley and other authors. The Darkover milieu may be considered as either fantasy with science fiction overtones or as science fiction with fantasy overtones, as Darkover is a lost earth colony where psi powers developed to an unusual degree. Bradley wrote many Darkover novels by herself, but in her later years collaborated with other authors for publication; her literary collaborators have continued the series since her death.
Bradley took an active role in science-fiction and fantasy fandom, promoting interaction with professional authors and publishers and making several important contributions to the subculture.
For many years, Bradley actively encouraged Darkover fan fiction and reprinted some of it in commercial Darkover anthologies, continuing to encourage submissions from unpublished authors, but this ended after a dispute with a fan over an unpublished Darkover novel of Bradley's that had similarities to some of the fan's stories. As a result, the novel remained unpublished, and Bradley demanded the cessation of all Darkover fan fiction.
Bradley was also the editor of the long-running Sword and Sorceress anthology series, which encouraged submissions of fantasy stories featuring original and non-traditional heroines from young and upcoming authors. Although she particularly encouraged young female authors, she was not averse to including male authors in her anthologies. Mercedes Lackey was just one of many authors who first appeared in the anthologies. She also maintained a large family of writers at her home in Berkeley. Ms Bradley was editing the final Sword and Sorceress manuscript up until the week of her death in September of 1999.
Probably her most famous single novel is The Mists of Avalon. A retelling of the Camelot legend from the point of view of Morgaine and Gwenhwyfar, it grew into a series of books; like the Darkover series, the later novels are written with or by other authors and have continued to appear after Bradley's death.
Her reputation has been posthumously marred by multiple accusations of child sexual abuse by her daughter Moira Greyland, and for allegedly assisting her second husband, convicted child abuser Walter Breen, in sexually abusing multiple unrelated children.
(from Wikipedia)
Bradley's first published novel-length work was Falcons of Narabedla, first published in the May 1957 issue of Other Worlds. When she was a child, Bradley stated that she enjoyed reading adventure fantasy authors such as Henry Kuttner, Edmond Hamilton, and Leigh Brackett, especially when they wrote about "the glint of strange suns on worlds that never were and never would be." Her first novel and much of her subsequent work show their influence strongly.
Early in her career, writing as Morgan Ives, Miriam Gardner, John Dexter, and Lee Chapman, Marion Zimmer Bradley produced several works outside the speculative fiction genre, including some gay and lesbian pulp fiction novels. For example, I Am a Lesbian was published in 1962. Though relatively tame by today's standards, they were considered pornographic when published, and for a long time she refused to disclose the titles she wrote under these pseudonyms.
Her 1958 story The Planet Savers introduced the planet of Darkover, which became the setting of a popular series by Bradley and other authors. The Darkover milieu may be considered as either fantasy with science fiction overtones or as science fiction with fantasy overtones, as Darkover is a lost earth colony where psi powers developed to an unusual degree. Bradley wrote many Darkover novels by herself, but in her later years collaborated with other authors for publication; her literary collaborators have continued the series since her death.
Bradley took an active role in science-fiction and fantasy fandom, promoting interaction with professional authors and publishers and making several important contributions to the subculture.
For many years, Bradley actively encouraged Darkover fan fiction and reprinted some of it in commercial Darkover anthologies, continuing to encourage submissions from unpublished authors, but this ended after a dispute with a fan over an unpublished Darkover novel of Bradley's that had similarities to some of the fan's stories. As a result, the novel remained unpublished, and Bradley demanded the cessation of all Darkover fan fiction.
Bradley was also the editor of the long-running Sword and Sorceress anthology series, which encouraged submissions of fantasy stories featuring original and non-traditional heroines from young and upcoming authors. Although she particularly encouraged young female authors, she was not averse to including male authors in her anthologies. Mercedes Lackey was just one of many authors who first appeared in the anthologies. She also maintained a large family of writers at her home in Berkeley. Ms Bradley was editing the final Sword and Sorceress manuscript up until the week of her death in September of 1999.
Probably her most famous single novel is The Mists of Avalon. A retelling of the Camelot legend from the point of view of Morgaine and Gwenhwyfar, it grew into a series of books; like the Darkover series, the later novels are written with or by other authors and have continued to appear after Bradley's death.
Her reputation has been posthumously marred by multiple accusations of child sexual abuse by her daughter Moira Greyland, and for allegedly assisting her second husband, convicted child abuser Walter Breen, in sexually abusing multiple unrelated children.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 23, 2013
Rating and reviewing an anthology collection is always difficult, and really, I think my talk about Sword and Sorceress kind of gets repetitive. It's an anthology of fantasy with women protagonists. It's edited by Mario Zimmer Bradley and by this volume the original focus of the series has shifted a bit as the things she was struggling against(for example her early objection to 'women proves she can cut it in a man's world' stories) fall before new norths she helped to set.
Ultimately I really like this anthology series and this volume was really good. It had a few stories I found ho-hum, but quite a few that were quite riveting. One at the end "The Day they ran out of Princesses" is particularly interesting. It has a fare mixture of different fantasy shorty-story genre's and proves a great short read.
Ultimately I really like this anthology series and this volume was really good. It had a few stories I found ho-hum, but quite a few that were quite riveting. One at the end "The Day they ran out of Princesses" is particularly interesting. It has a fare mixture of different fantasy shorty-story genre's and proves a great short read.
October 29, 2023
I don't usually read anthologies of short stories but maybe I'll do that more often with this series at least. I enjoyed each of the stories in this volume; they were great for times when I don't want to read for long sits and also nice during flights when my brain would want to take a break to look out the window or listen to music.
July 23, 2019
Love all her S&S books of short stories. Have read each one probably 4 o5 5 times. Love them.
September 12, 2011
/review to come
Notable stories include:
"Changed" by Lisa Deason | A desperate unicorn enters a trap; except that summary sounds more interesting than the story.
"City of No-Sleep" by Vera Nazarian | Where dreams are transmutable things.
"A Fool's Game" by Selina Rosen | Becoming a warrior.
"The Anvil of Her Pride" by Lawrence Schimel | Female bladesmith forges the blade that kills her husband, says screw this and leaves with son.
"Salt and Sorcery" by Elizabeth Waters and Michael Spence | The biggest goal of the wife of any student is: To get that student to graduate out of student housing. By any means necessary. Even by taking the damned exams yourself.
Notable stories include:
"Changed" by Lisa Deason | A desperate unicorn enters a trap; except that summary sounds more interesting than the story.
"City of No-Sleep" by Vera Nazarian | Where dreams are transmutable things.
"A Fool's Game" by Selina Rosen | Becoming a warrior.
"The Anvil of Her Pride" by Lawrence Schimel | Female bladesmith forges the blade that kills her husband, says screw this and leaves with son.
"Salt and Sorcery" by Elizabeth Waters and Michael Spence | The biggest goal of the wife of any student is: To get that student to graduate out of student housing. By any means necessary. Even by taking the damned exams yourself.
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August 22, 2008Sword and Sorceress XVI (Sword and Sorceress) (1999)
December 27, 2018
Still enjoying this series. Each book has stories continuing from previous books so I can revisit characters that I liked. Most of the new stories are good.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews