Sword and Sorceress XVII [Paperback]

Marion Zimmer Bradley (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Sword & the Sorceress | Publication Date: May 1, 2000

Brand-New, All-Original stories of sword-wielding and spellcasting by Diana Paxson, Deborah Wheeler, Dorothy J. Heydt and others DAW's most popular anthology series continues--with an all-new collection of fantasy adventure tales of strong, heroic women warriors and wizards.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: DAW; First Edition edition (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0886778913
• ISBN-13: 978-0886778910
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,040,220 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best (and possibly last) of a fine series., July 3, 2000

By 

James Yanni (Bellefontaine Neighbors, Mo. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sword and Sorceress XVII (Paperback)

The "Sword And Sorceress" series is a series of collections of short stories set in the "Sword And Sorcery" genre, except that in this series, all the protagonists are female. The is because, as Marion Zimmer Bradley has always explained in her introductions, historically in the "Sword And Sorcery" genre, the only female characters were "Bad conduct prizes" for the heros.

The series as a whole is very good, although some volumes were stronger than others. I would rate this one as the best of the series, and with MZB's death, it may be the last. Not a certainty; it is possible, I suppose, that the publishers may choose to continue the series with a new editor, possibly MZB's assistant of the last few years. But I suppose we'll just have to wait and see.

There are only three stories in this collection that are continuations of the adventures of characters met in previous anthologies: "An Exchange Of Favors", by Dorothy Heydt (the adventures of Cynthia, The Witch of Syracuse); "Shadow Soul", by Laura J. Underwood (Ginny, celtic wisewoman); and "Lady Of Flame", by Diana Paxson (Bera, Norse Voelva). But there are many fine one-shot stories here, and no bad ones. If this is the end of the line for the series, it is going out in fine style. Hopefully, there will be more to come.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Generally Pleasing Anthology, June 2, 2000

By 

Emily Snyder - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sword and Sorceress XVII (Paperback)

Since volume IX of Sword and Sorceress, I've anticipated each summer's offering of the latest and greatest S&S short fiction - S&SXVII, while perhaps not the best of this wonderful series, still provides some entertaining reads.

Several of the stories are fairly predictable - in an anthology designed to promote strong female characters in Fantastic Fiction, you can pretty much bet that it's the lone girl and not the army (be that Plains Tribe or Amazons or your brother who ought to weild the sword) that will step up to bat and save the day.

That given, there are some delightful gems in S&SXVII that make it worth buying, such as such notables as :

"Memories of the Sea" by Dave Coleman-Reese is an interesting look at the relation of the soul and memories. The characters and their interrelations are drawn especially well.

In "The Summons," Bunnie Bessel built upon an interesting moral dilemma that a bodyguard must face. I only wish this story had been a novel - the glimpses into the world seemed to display something larger than a short story.

"Luz" by Patricia Duffy Novak examines humility, perseverence, and divine favour in a charming and well-wrought story that, given its content, manages to keep away from moralising while instructing at the same time.

Charles Richard Laing's "Weapons at War" draws from the well-worn "gimmick" of sentient swords, and takes it one comical step further, making one swordwoman's whole armament into a highly opinionated convention!

Enjoy!

4.0 out of 5 stars An editor's farewell, March 28, 2009

By 

Chrijeff (Scranton, PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Sword and Sorceress XVII (Paperback)

This is the last Sword & Sorceress anthology personally signed by editor Marion Zimmer Bradley (it was published in May, 2000, some eight months after she died), and it is definitely one of the best. Its 21 original stories include contributions from authors familiar and otherwise to S&S readers, including Lisa Campos's "The Conjurer's Light" (a female conjurer is ordered by her king to find the legendary Warblade, which he hopes will ensure that his incompetent warrior son can triumph in battle), T. Borregaard's "My Sister's Song" (the story, based upon historical fact, of a threatened tribe's attempts to fend off the invading Romans), Bunnie Bessell's "The Summons" (the female bodyguard of a young prince faces a crisis of conscience), Deborah Wheeler's "Nor Iron Bars a Cage," Laura J. Underwood's "Shadow Soul," Dave Smeds's "Memories Traced in Snow," and Diana L. Paxson's "Lady of Flame" (another adventure of her Irish/Scandinavian seer Bera). With pieces ranging from tales of battle to stories of magic and enchantment, this volume is a fitting swan song for a respected editor.