Amazons II

The first Amazons! collection of fantasy stories centered on female heroes was groundbreaking when it was published in 1979. I loved it when I discovered it in my teens--pre-Buffy, there were few stories of adventure with strong female heroines. I disagree that this second collection of a dozen

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stories is weaker--I actually prefer it to the first; I think it's stronger both on average and with more outstanding stories and no real clunkers. It's a bit more gender balanced on the contents page--the first book had only one "token male" author as Salmonson pointed out--and this second book even had stronger, more appealing and complex male characters. It also had the advantage of having more authors I'd consider favorites on the content page. Tanith Lee, a great favorite is the one author with a repeat appearance and also features F.M. Busby, Phylis Ann Karr, and G.R.R. Martin. Not only are all these the authors in the contents page I consider favorites, but all in all I'd say the stories they provided were my favorites in the collection.

Busby's "For a Daughter" has fantasy trappings but could actually be seen as science-fiction set in a post-apocalyptic future--there's no magic involved, and the adversary here is arguably the most complex in the book. Tanith Lee's "Southern Lights" features her Jaisel, who appeared in the first anthology and I think this story stronger--less polemical. Phyllis Ann Karr's "The Robber Girl" not only has a lovely fairy-tale feel, but her central character is more an anti-heroine--an appealing rogue. And I thought George R. R. Martin (yes, that Martin, Game of Thrones Martin) offered the strongest story of the lot in "In the Lost Lands." A great closer.

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