From the Bookshelf of Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy"…

Amazons II

Jessica Amanda Salmonson (Editor),

Jo Clayton (Contributor)

Start date: January 1, 2014

Discussion: Group Reads

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What Members Thought

Feb 18, 2016 Derek rated it really liked it

Shelves: sword-and-sorcery

What a difference a strong editor makes. In comparison to Barbarians and Barbarians 2, this anthology has a detailed and compelling introduction--examples of "woman warriors" establishing the idea as not a historical oddity--which makes me want to seek out more about them, a specific theme to thread among the stories, a goal to minimize repeat performances by authors between volumes, brief introductory pieces for each work, and a feeling that no piece is out of place in terms of size.

Salmonson What a difference a strong editor makes. In comparison to Barbarians and Barbarians 2, this anthology has a detailed and compelling introduction--examples of "woman warriors" establishing the idea as not a historical oddity--which makes me want to seek out more about them, a specific theme to thread among the stories, a goal to minimize repeat performances by authors between volumes, brief introductory pieces for each work, and a feeling that no piece is out of place in terms of size.

Salmonson does not like the pulp heritage of sword and sorcery--she has sharp words for the laziness and lunkheadedness prevalent in such creations--and prefers folkloric influences and more literary, considered writing. This meshed with my own interests rather well, as she was looking at works just outside the usual, from authors I hadn't read before.

The only story that didn't work for me was Jo Clayton's "Nightwork", which was set in some unspecified alien world for no reason I could figure, the half-detailed background of the setting an unnecessary distraction.

The real gems included George R. R. Martin's "In the Lost Lands", a raw and merciless piece, gorgeously written, that spins something close to myth, and is the one thing in the anthology that is widely reprinted.

Tanith Lee's "Southern Lights" has a slow, patient mood that grows more unsettling as the story progresses. The action is subtle: Jaisel averts catastrophe through her consideration and foresight, rather than blundering through events. I can't help but think that a stereotypically male protagonist would have handled the situation far worse.

Gordon Derevanchuk, sadly, has only a few credits to his name. "Zroya's Trizub" is, interestingly, based on Slavic legends and has a dark and ironic ending that rivals Martin's contribution.

"The Robber Girl" is a childlike whimsy whose narration makes the piece: irreverent and enthusiastic and a bit sociopathic, a tall tale told over mugs of ale in a seedy establishment, just before she robs you blind. ...more

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