Customer Reviews

Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword and Sorceress XXII

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The twenty-first volume of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword and Sorceress came out in 2004, and many readers (myself included) mourned what we thought would be the end of the series. Happily, a new publisher has picked up the torch.

For anyone unfamiliar with the series, the book collects sword & sorcery tales with strong female protagonists, a broad enough theme to encompass a variety of good stories from authors both experienced and new. I settled down, cracked open the book ... and found myself vaguely disappointed. The first few stories didn't satisfy me. Had I romanticized the series so much that nothing could live up to my expectations?

But no, as I read further, I found stories that drew me in. Stories where the struggles felt real, and the heroines fought toward endings both satisfying and believable. I even ended up recommending one (Bearing Shadows, by Dave Smeds) for the Nebula.

After a rocky start, I enjoyed somewhere around half to 2/3 of the stories, which makes for a pretty good collection.

Sword & Sorceress XXII continues the legacy Marion Zimmer Bradley began, presenting stories of strong women (stories that don't bash the reader over the head with "message") by both experienced and new authors. The trade paperback format still feels a little weird, but I can get used to that.

All in all, I'd say this one's worth buying, both for some strong stories, and to support one of the oldest anthology series in the genre.

(Bonus trivia: Norilana Books, the publisher behind Volume XXII, is run by Vera Nazarian, one of the writers Marion Zimmer Bradley mentored years ago.)

I wasn't impressed with this volume at all. After poking around the Web, I think this is partially because the particular formula of these stories isn't as appealing to me as it maybe once was. The S&S submission guidelines point to an old MZB article on what makes a short story: she summarizes it as "A LIKABLE CHARACTER overcomes ALMOST INSUPERABLE ODDS and BY HIS OR HER OWN EFFORTS achieves a WORTHWHILE GOAL". If that sounds completely appealing to you, you will probably like this anthology. If it sounds a bit constraining or possibly trite, you almost definitely won't.

Most of the short stories in this volume do follow this formula. The heroines are typically likable (and mostly somewhat interchangeable, in my opinion). The stories are typically extremely task-oriented, which often makes them feel like a chapter in someone's novel rather than the kind of short story that takes your breath away as it stands on its own. The endings are almost all essentially happy-- everything wraps up with a nice, pat finish (the kind where the heroine secretly smiles to herself and sets off for her next adventure). The stories do not especially challenge, disturb, or intrigue the reader, and some are hopelessly predictable if you have read enough of this kind of fiction.

I did think very highly of two of the stories-- Fairy Debt (by T. Borregaard) was creative and fun, and Bearing Shadows (by Dave Smeds) was excellent. However, if you are looking for short fiction that will do more than play out the same kind of story over and over again, I'd suggest looking elsewhere.

A very nice collection of short stories where the protagonists are female. I rather enjoy the unique way the various authors have of presenting their characters and the challenges they face.

Great part of an anthology series. Wonderful, masterful writing on the part of the authors.

Oh dear, dear, dear. I've been such a fan of S&S for so many years, I hate saying this, but this is dreadful! The stories are juvenile pablum, feels like high school quality. Good thing it's an oversized book with fewer pages than a proper paperback.

I have collected these wonderful compilations of high adventure of the feminine kind since the very first volume! I am so glad that they are still on going despite Ms. Bradley's passing. Every story is as always a gem! Very worthwile addition to anyone's collection!

I've been collecting this series for quite a few years now, and it was great to read the latest title. Looking forward to more...