Warrior Princesses

by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough (Editor), Martin H. Greenberg

Women warriors have long been a fascinating topic for fantasy readers, and the "Warrior Princesses" anthology delivers tales of brave, bold, and beautiful women defying their traditional roles, This unique collection includes original stories from such fantasy and science fiction writers as Anne McCaffrey, Esther Freisner Morgan Llwellyn, Elizabeth Moon, and many more.

Contents:
My princess / by Elizabeth Moon --
Marimba : a retelling / by Janet Berliner --
Hunger / by Nina Kiriki Hoffman --
Boudicca / by Morgan Llywelyn --
Pestilence / by Michael Scott --
Three-edged choice / by Ru Emerson --
The jewel of Locaria / by Jacey Bedford --
Warrior of Ma-at / by Kathleen M. Massie-Ferch --
Common ground / by John Helfers --
Twelve-steppe program / by Esther M. Friesner --
The road to vengeance / by Mickey Zucker Reichert --
The dreamway princess / by Bill Ransom --
Become a warrior / by Jane Yolen --
Golden years / by Lea M. Day --
The sword of undeath / by Felicia Dale --
The little landmaid / by Sara Young --
She wants things / by Bruce Holland Rogers --
One Tree Hill / by R. Davis --
Strays / by Megan Lindholm --
Debriefing the warrior/princess / by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction, Action

351 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 1998

About the author

Elizabeth Ann Scarborough was born March 23, 1947, and lives in the Puget Sound area of Washington. Elizabeth won a Nebula Award in 1989 for her novel The Healer's War, and has written more than a dozen other novels. She has collaborated with Anne McCaffrey, best-known for creating the Dragonriders of Pern, to produce the Petaybee Series and the Acorna Series.

Reviews

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology of short stories by various authors, as always, contains hits and misses. More hits this time around, thankfully. I tend to read these short stories over a long time, as pallet cleansers between novels; I’m not always ready to dive into another long book just after I finish one. But I also hope to find some treasures and new authors (to me) to try.

Most of these “warrior princess” tales are pretty interesting. There are no chain-mail bikini type stories. Rather, the authors appear to have taken on the challenge of the theme and come up with atypical princesses in unique circumstances. All stories carry a 1998 copyright date, same as the entire volume, so I am under the impression that none have appeared anywhere previously but instead were written specifically for this anthology. Authors include Elizabeth Moon, Morgan Llywelyn, Jane Yolan, Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, Michael Scott, John Helfers, Mickey Zucker Reichert, Esther M. Friesner, and Bill Ransom, among others. A total of 20 stories plus the introduction.

Far and away the best of the stories is “Strays” by Megan Lindholm (Robin Hobb), a completely original take on the idea of a warrior princess. If I hadn’t already been a big fan of hers, this single story would make me a convert.

[Doug Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

An anthology of empowered women characters kicking ass.

SHUT UP IT WASN'T THAT BAD.

[Jacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first ever published story is in this - of course I'm going to give it five stars. But, hey there are some other good stories in here, too.

Audiobook:
I recently discovered that this has been released as an audiobook, and thoroughly enjoyed revisiting the wide variety of stories in here, nicely read by a variety of readers. Sadly the audiobook has a terrible cover, but don't let that stop you listening.

[Christina Crooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology of short stories about warrior princesses contains hits and misses. Favorites include Jane Yolen's "Become A Warrior," Megan Lindholm's "Strays," the hilarious "She Wants Things" by Bruce Holland Rogers, and "Hunger" by Nina Kiriki Hoffman.

[Mervi · Rating 2 out of 5]

While almost all of the stories have princesses, not all of them are warriors. Some have a more metaphysical connection to the theme of the collection. The stories range from tragedies to humorous ones.

Elizabeth Moon: My Princess: The Warrior Princess’s sisters are beautiful and gentle, but the Warrior Princess fights for her country and family. The MC is the groom of the Warrior Princess’s warhorse. When the Warrior Princess’s parents force her into a marriage she doesn’t want, the groom does something about it.

Nina Kiriki Hoffman: Hunger: Mestra is the daughter of the legendary King Erysichthon who is cursed with eternal hunger. He demands to sell her and use the money to buy himself more food. She dutifully allows it. Again and again. On a beach, she meets a god who might change things for her.

Morgan Llywelyn: Boudicca: A retelling of the Boudicca legend from the POV of a druid who hates her.

Michael Scott: Pestilence: Scathach, Queen of the Land of Shadows from Scottish legends, is a courier. She ends up in a small village where people are half-bloods of various different fairy creatures. A plague is killing them.

Ru Emerson: Three-edged Choice: Liad is an apprentice thief. She’s frustrated because the master thieves shun female thieves and give the apprentice female thieves the worst jobs. She used to be a princess, but left that life behind. Now, she has a chance to graduate quickly.

Jacey Bedford: The Jewel of Locaria: Locaria’s king is blind, and his son has fallen in battle. A prophecy tells that the King’s firstborn daughter will find the jewel of Locaria and bring peace. The daughter has never learned to use arms. Still, she will wear armor and be a figurehead for the army. However, the Queen has a secret.

John Helfers: Common Ground: Monsters have invaded the forest where elves live. The elves don’t have an effective way to fight them. But a pack of great wolves has the same problem. Can they trust each other?

Esther M. Friesner: Twelve-steppe Program: Nir Mung-Mung is an eunuch who has been sent to fetch a barbarian princess as a bride to his country’s prince. However, he knows that the wedding is just a ploy to get rid of some inconvenient people, himself and the princess included. Princess Anuk'ti doesn’t want to marry and doesn’t want to die. Together, they might find a way out of the situation.

Mickey Zucker Reichert: The Road to Vengeance: Alexxa is the firstborn daughter of the Queen of Genyana. Unfortunately, she was the result of rape and so she’s not the heir to the throne. She’s always looked different and felt like an outsider. She’s always been determined to find her sire and kill him. When she turns twenty, she runs away from the palace to find him. But a lone man follows her.

Jane Yolen: Become a Warrior: The king and his sons have been killed in battle. The king’s seven-year-old daughter knows what will happen to the women and girls, so her nanny cuts her hair. She kills her nanny and runs away, waiting to get her vengeance. She lives in the wilderness, but always seeks a way to avenge her father.

Lea M. Day: Golden Years: A daughter sends a letter to her aging mother. The mother is an aging warrior princess, and the daughter recommends a very interesting retirement home to her.

Felicia Dale: The Sword of Undeath: Familiar is a famous sword. It keeps its holder alive no matter what happens to them. Behrig is the current holder, and she’s been terribly wounded. She wants to die and so gives the sword to the young princess Lysen who idolizes Behrig. However, Lysen is afraid of pretty much everything. Behrig makes Lysen promise that she will destroy the sword as soon as she can.

Sara Young: The Little Landmaid: Ocean gave birth to Morgan, but the Land Goddess stole her. When she grew up, she only knew that she was different from other people. She loves to swim and the Ocean tried to lure her back. But it will cost Morgan.

Bruce Holland Rogers: She Wants Things: Princess Sato of the Middle People doesn’t make mistakes. Still, when she wants the First Dreamer to create a girl called She Wants Things, it might be a mistake. This was a humorous story, but the ending was horrible.

R. Davis: One Tree Hill: General Sharia and her genetically engineered slave companion, Gavin, are fleeing enemy soldiers. Gavin is seriously wounded, but Sharia isn’t going to abandon him.

Megan Lindholm: Strays: Mandy meets Lani Spencer, who is a tough girl. She thinks of herself as an Amazon because that’s the only way to survive her life. Mandy’s mom is a single mom supporting both herself and her daughter. Lani’s mom is a prostitute and a drug addict who lives with her pimp and drug dealer. While Mandy’s life isn’t easy, Lani’s is a lot harder. Lani’s only friends, indeed her loyal subjects, are stray cats. Mandy’s mom doesn’t want her to meet Lani again, but Mandy can’t abandon her.

Elizabeth Ann Scarborough: Debriefing the Warrior Princess: Merlin brings back Arthur, whose latest incarnation has died. This time, Arthur was a woman. A princess who married into the British nobility. The British public loved her, but she didn’t have the easiest life.

Many of these were quite different than what I expected. I enjoyed most of them. The best were ”Golden Years”, “The Jewel of Locaria”, which could have been a novel, and “Common Ground”. “Strays” was very moving, but it felt to me that it was in the wrong collection.

[A.R. Hellbender · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obviously, I felt differently about each story. Fantasy stories can be very hit-or-miss for me, because short fiction can't have much world building, and I found myself wanting to read a whole book about many of these.
My favorite was Elizabeth Moon's story, because it felt the most plot-driven and got the point across without over-explaining too much for a short story.

Upon further deliberation, I have decided to include this. (Tw: rape)
One story in particular (She Wants Things) has an ending that could be very triggering to some people, so just know that going in.
It ends on a rape scene that, while not graphic at all (it's from the perspective of an observer who can't really see what's going on), is particularly disturbing from the dialogue and from the fact that the protagonist just leaves the victim there with a "serves you right" attitude.
I read the page several times because I was surprised that it ended on that note.

(And I'm not sensitive about the subject. I have read many many rape scenes that actually are descriptive and wasn't anywhere near as grossed out, if at all. What I'm saying is that when I say beware if you're triggered by stuff like that, I mean it.)

[Ronald · Rating 2 out of 5]

Apparently, this is a reread, but I do not recall having read this anthology before. That's surprising, given the fact that there are several very memorable stories in here, along with a lot of mediocre ones, and some complete garbage, but that's the fate of all anthologies. Different strokes for different folks, and all that.

For starters, not all of the stories are about actual warrior princesses, which rather shoots in the foot the entire purpose of this anthology. It can be argued it's a minor complaint, but it's rather damning to me. To be a bit more objective in my scoring, I gave each individual short story a rating from 1 through 5... though I also handed out a pair of zeroes. Only nine out of twenty were rated four and above, which is lamentable for me as a reader. Still, the ones that were good will be briefly outlined below, so that anyone who follows in my footsteps just skips to the good stuff:

Hunger by Nina Kiriki Hoffman: Mestra, daughter of the legendary King Erysichthon who was cursed with perpetual hunger, dutifully suffers as her father sells her seven times into slavery to try to have enough food to survive. Mestra is a truly moving protagonist, no warrioress, but her compassion and filial piety are truly touching.

Pestilence by Michael Scott: Scathach, Queen of the Land of Shadows, is demoted to courier duty for some strange reason. She's working to address a strange plague threatening a small village of fantasy mongrels before it spills over into bloodshed. It's a good trip into a fantastic Eire, but I'd have enjoyed it more if she was still a proper queen dealing directly with the political fallout of Cu Chulainn's death.

The Jewel of Locaria by Jacey Bedford: Twin sisters are separated at birth due to a cruel law designed to reduce competition for the throne in such cases. Under the threat of a barbarian horde, the twins find each other and swap places in order to defend their homeland. Honestly, it could have been spun out into a full novel. Too bad it wasn't.

Twelve-Steppe Program by Esther M. Friesner: This one is my absolute favorite and is genuinely funny. The horse riding barbarian princess Anuk'ti is being shuffled off to the not-Chinese Empire to marry Prince Fluffy, who unfortunately is manly neither in name nor comportment nor bedroom. The long suffering eunuch Nir Mung-Mung has realized the entire wedding is a plot to eliminate quite a few inconveniences, himself and Anuk'ti included, so he and his newfound ally scheme together to make it out alive. I think this could have been longer, perhaps a novella, though I'm not sure it could be a full novel and keep the same charming notes.

The Road to Vengeance by Mickey Zucker Reichert: The eldest daughter of the Kingdom of Genyana is not the heiress to the land for the simple reason that she is a bastard born of rape. Infuriated at the injustice done to her mother and herself, Alexxa (not a typo) sneaks away from home to hunt down and murder her blood father. The story is quite good, probably worth a novella, though I don't think there's enough to carry a full novel.

Become a Warrior by Jane Yolen: Another good story of vengeance, though our nameless princess here is very much not a warrior in anything besides spirit. Her father and brothers die in battle, so she sneaks away before the family fortress and women are seized by the winning side. Even as she becomes wilder and less human, she never forgets the wish to avenge the death of her father.

The Sword of Undeath by Felicia Dale: Our young princess Lysen is forced to watch as her hero, the heroine Behrig, is left in horrible agony after her victory over a terrible monster. Cursed with being unable to die due to the magic sword she owns, Lysen accepts the task from her mentor: destroy the sword. This probably could have been spun into a novel or a trilogy of novels.

The Little Landmaid by Sara Young: Morgan is an adopted child, in more ways than one. A creation of the Ocean, a mermaid princess of sorts, she was stolen by the Land. The Ocean sings a siren song to bring her child back to her, but there is more going on beneath the surface than the childish eyes witnessing it perceive. Before she returns to the Ocean, Morgan wants answers.

Strays by Megan Lindholm (Robin Hobb): This one is a sad little tale of Lonnie, Queen of the Strays. A would-be Amazon born into the battered life of the modern slums, our little Native American rules over the stray cats of the city, who recognize her for her kindness to them and love her even as she suffers her junkie prostitute mother and the black pimp who forces her to run drugs for him. Neither warrior nor princess, but the lass has her charm.

As a cumulative whole, the anthology is just ok. When reading only the nine stories I mention above, it's easily a four. I fully acknowledge that this is subjective to taste, but I'm certain my taste is still good.

[Christiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked 6 out of the 20 short stories. When I think Warrior Princess I make a few assumptions; powerful, feminist, successful. These stories have a more imaginative interpretation that I didn't care for. Also a lot of the stories were depressing without being interesting. I don't need a happy ending every time, but I do need it to be interesting.

[Susan]

My Princess • shortstory by Elizabeth Moon
Marimba: A Retelling • shortstory by Janet Berliner
♦"Hunger" by Nina Kiriki Hoffman RE-read 8/19/2015
Boudicca • shortstory by Morgan Llywelyn
Pestilence • shortstory by Michael Scott
Three-Edged Choice • novelette by Ru Emerson
The Jewel of Locaria • novelette by Jacey Bedford
Warrior of Ma-At • novelette by Kathleen M. Massie-Ferch
Common Ground • shortstory by John Helfers
Twelve-Steppe Program • novelette by Esther M. Friesner
The Road to Vengeance • shortstory by Mickey Zucker Reichert
The Dreamway Princess • shortstory by Bill Ransom
Become a Warrior • shortstory by Jane Yolen
Golden Years • shortstory by Lea M. Day
The Sword of Undeath • shortstory by Felicia Dale
The Little Landmaid • shortstory by Sara Young
She Wants Things • shortstory by Bruce Holland Rogers
One Tree Hill • shortstory by Russell Davis [as by R. Davis ]
Strays • (1998) • novelette by Megan Lindholm
Debriefing the Warrior/Princess • shortstory by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

While there are historical women in this anthology, some are fictional creations. But their situations resonate powerfully for all of that. Forced through circumstance, prophecy or ill luck to take up arms, this anthology illuminates the various paths that fighting women take. Not all the paths end well—live by the sword, etc.—but the women all strive mightily to accomplish their goals.

There will be stories that appeal to some readers more than others; no anthology by a mixed bag of writers will win unanimous converts. But all the stories pack a wallop, filled with tension, range and depth of feeling and the occasional bit of humor.

[Mj · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked several of the stories, some were just okay. My favorite is Lea M. Day's "Golden Years". It's a humourous and well written story with a twist. I always enjoy finding a new author to check out from these anthologies.

[CJ - It's only a Paper Moon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have no idea where my copy is but I loved this book when I was younger. It inspired me to write my characters like I wanted to, tough with a take-no-shit attitude.

[Batkat051 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of short stories. Can be frustrating at times because right as you get into the story it ends. But there are several good stories that are worth wading through all the others.