DAW, 1979

This anthology, the first of two, contains fantasy stories featuring female protagonists. Judging from the cover blurb versus the introduction, one wonders if the editor and DAW were on the same wavelength. The cover blurb attempts to pitch the collection as equivalent to sword-and-sorcery.

The introduction, on the other hand, seems to point more towards a heroic fantasy or just plain fantasy being featured. Indeed, Salmonson indicates that her goal is to turn sword-and-sorcery's depiction of women on its ear.

That's quite a proclamation from J. A. Salmonson.

Drawing lines of distinction amongst the various sub-genres of fantasy usually results in splitting hairs, anyway. But the bottom-line question for this reviewer is - would this collection appeal to the sword-and-sorcery fan specifically?

Let's take a look at the tales.

The Dreamstone by C. J. Cherryh

The dichotomy of the publisher versus the editor is immediately apparent with this tale. This story is all about an atmosphere of dread and sadness and there is hardly any action worth mentioning.

Not that I was expecting a stereotypical, woman in a chain mail bikini who fights as hard as a man, but a little action would have been a nice way to start out this collection. Instead, we are shown a moping elf maiden who falls in love with a moping man and a moping time in the moping forest is had by all.

Wolves of Nakesht by Janrae Frank

Now, we're getting somewhere! We have combat, we have a woman in exile, and we have werewolves chasing our heroes across the plains. We have strong, interesting characters that aren't just a man's boyish fantasy. This should have been the first story presented in the anthology, to hook the readers and keep them moving forward.

Woman of the White Waste by T. J. Morgan

This is a tale of rape and revenge. Nicely written, but the plot has been used before. Woman is raped, cast out, prays until the edge of death, a goddess answers the prayer --in this case magical weapons and armor--woman slaughters those who abused her. I'm surprised this made it to the anthology, as it seems to violate Salmonson's own criteria of avoiding stagnant mimicry.

The Death of Augusta by Emily Bronte (edited by Joanna Russ)

An examination of a lost Bronte poem (or poems) loosely reconstructed. I like poetry but this didn't do much for me.

Morrien's Bitch by Janet Fox

This is an interesting tale featuring a clever thief who uses her wiles in conjunction with--and against--scheming military men and royalty.

Agbewe's Sword by Charles R. Saunders

The strongest story in the collection by far. Saunders' female warrior, Dossouye, of the Brown Spider Clan, could hold her own against his male creation, Imaro. The tale centers on Dossouye's quest for the title sword, while fighting her way through enemies--those on the battlefield and those in the royal palace. The pseudo-African setting and details set this tale apart.

Dossouye is presented as both a warrior and a woman. Her feminine aspects only augment her skills - they do not detract.

I look forward to hunting down more of the Dossouye tales.

Jane Saint's Travails (Part One) by Josephine Saxton

Huh? This story was a bit of an experiment that was probably full of meaningful allegory that went right over my male head. Salmonson claims that "there will be zealot loyalists who'll condemn this piece as polluting heroic fantasy with higher ideals of breadth and experimentation ... but the wise will realize that heroic fantasy ... is an arena of limitless scope and potentiality."

I don't consider myself a zealot. I agree heroic fantasy is a wide-open palette.

But I guess I'm not that wise--I still didn't like this story.

The Sorrow of Witches by Margaret St. Clair

A sorceress queen raises her lover from the dead. This tale is devoid of action, but it kept me engaged as a simple, direct fantasy tale.

Falcon Blood by Andre Norton

I enjoyed this tale of two disparate persons--one man, one woman--being castaways together. Rich cultures are painted quickly and deftly. Malevolent ruins are always a plus.

The Rape Patrol by Michele Belling

This story features a vigilante group of amazonian women who exact revenge on rapists. Though there are clear amazon bonds that exist between the lead characters, this story features a modern setting, noir-ish violence, and even a touch of voodoo. I actually liked this tale, but it seems to me that this story would be more at home in a horror anthology or a crime anthology rather than being in this heroic fantasy anthology.

Bones for Dulath by Megan Lindholm

This is a great sword-and-sorcery tale! Ki must save her companion from the poison of Dulath--an egg-laying creature revered as a god by the local village. A monster, a rapier, pits of death and a crazy old healer--what more could you want?

Northern Chess by Tanith Lee

This is a solid tale. We've seen it before; a woman conquers a sorcerer's curse that no man can overcome. But Lee's writing keeps the atmosphere intriguing and the plot moving.

The Woman Who Loved the Moon by Elizabeth A. Lynn

This story has elements of a fairy tale, but reads like mythology with the goddess of the Moon having vain revenge on three warrior sisters. Again, a well written fantasy story.

This anthology contains hits and misses. Most of the stories are decent fantasy, even if they don't quite measure up to being the female antithesis to Conan, et al. And a few of the stories--particularly Frank's, Lindholm's and Saunders' contributions--do provide intelligent female counterparts to the male heroes of sword-and-sorcery.

For the price of a used book, Amazons! is worth getting your hands on--for Agbewe's Sword, if nothing else. It is nice that not only did a man contribute to this collection, but that he contributed the best tale. It proves that it does not require a woman to write a proper woman warrior. It only requires a good writer, male or female.