An
absolute delight! The thirteen f/f stories in this treasurable Sacchi
Green-edited anthology are, without exception, nothing short of superb. One is
impressed not only by the consistent high quality of the writing, but dazzled
by the sheer breadth of imagination here on display, and, time and time again, utterly
astonished by the very realistic depths of these engaging fantasy characters.
There’s
more than enough variation in mood and style to avoid the sort of creeping disaffection
one too often experiences with overly ambitious specialty collections. On the
other hand, one detects a strong but sympathetic editorial hand quietly at work
throughout, keeping everything taut and focused. (Readers do not encounter those
glaring inaccuracies in language, careless apposition, or amateurish plot
detours sometimes indulged by editors of a more laissez faire frame of
mind.) Green has arranged the stories to achieve and maintain maximum interest.
If
this collection can be said to have a unifying theme, it might best be summed
up as “love overcomes all”. Curiosity gets the better of suspicion, understanding
makes the heart grow fonder, the ice-melting fire of lust leads to an endless
springtime of delight, the call of duty ultimately defers to the call of the
blood, happily for now, if not always happily ever after. (I would not
characterize any of these stories as ‘romance’ per se.)
In
Cara Peterson’s Steel a deposed princess seeks the aid of a witch in
order to slay a dragon and reclaim her throne, but finds that neither is possible until she can outgrow her own deep-seeded prejudices. Madeleine Shade’s Robber Girl
is a fast-moving, action-packed shifter story with the author’s characteristic
eye for interesting detail. Salome
Wilde’s The Princess’s Princess gives us a stylish f/f variation on the
‘spoiled princess’ meme, though in this case our princess learns a charming
lesson about love and sex from an outsider, who, it turns out, is every bit her equal. On the lighter side,
readers are treated to Emily L. Byrne’s wonderfully whimsical Toads,
Diamonds, and the Occasional Pearl, and the snarky banter of SWF Seeks
FGM by Allison Wonderland, which
turns the story of Cinderella’s evil stepmother into a wickedly delicious romp
with the Fairy Godmother, the language steeped in puns, alliteration, and
sprung rhymes like some old-time late-night radio host channeling her inner
beatnik.
Brey
Willows’ Penthouse 31 is a clever contemporary updating of the Rapunzel
legend, that does not eschew the scarier elements of the tale. H.N. Janzen’s The
Prize of the Willow is a simple, beautiful, poignant tale of loneliness and
longing overcome. In The Mark and the Caul, the always-interesting
Anabeth Leung gives us a classic fairy tale of lovers overcoming their supposed
‘handicaps’, while A.D.R. Forte gives us a sweeping mythic “call of fate” story
in Warrior’s Choice. Sacchi Green’s Norse-flavored Trollwise is
marvelously constructed and perfectly satisfying with its sly wink of a surprise ending. Lea
Daley’s wonderful The Sorceress of Solisterre combines cool palace
intrigue with blazing sensual tension in the story of a politically astute
princess and her young court seer and counselor.
Probably
my favorite stories in the collection are Michael M. Jones’ scintillating,
brilliant, lyrical Rumpelstiltskin redux The Miller’s Daughter, and M
Birds’ powerful, memorably atmospheric Wood Witch. This exquisitely-crafted story draws on the
archetype so familiar from legends like Mulan or folk songs like Sweet
Polly Oliver and Bold William Taylor in which the young would-be
warrior woman must don a man’s armor and pass as a soldier in order to
fight for what she wants or believes in. Birds does not blink at the gruesome inhumanity of war, while gradually bringing the main characters into focus
through the blood and smoke of battle. A
truly stunning achievement…as is this anthology altogether!
Enthusiastically
recommended!
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