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Beauty Has Her Way
First off, I have a short story in this anthology, so of course you should go out and buy it. It’s even an Amenkor story, if you’ve read and enjoyed my “Throne of Amenkor” series. (It isn’t set at the same time as the Throne books though.)
The main premise is that each story should involve a strong-willed woman who’s willing to do anything—and we mean anything, including what some might consider evil acts—in order to get her way. Most of the stories have strong-willed women, although the stories themselves have different takes on what that actually means. Most of them actually do something extreme in order to get their way, or to escape their circumstances, etc. I enjoyed most of the stories in here, although a few didn’t quite reach me or captivate my interest. Some of the strongest stories included Pete Kempshall’s “Someone Else to Play With” and Erik Scott de Bie’s “Witch Fire.” A few others had great worlds that piqued my interested, even if the story didn’t work as well as I would have liked as a reader. And of course my story rocked. *grin*
The main complaint I’ve seen from some other reviewers of this anthology—a complaint voiced about my story as well as others—is that the main character didn’t really HAVE to be a woman. Regarding my story, I agree. The point of my story didn’t rely on my main character being a woman. However, in my WORLD in the story, the ruler HAD to be a woman, just because of the way the world was set up. And I find that the same is true for most of the other stories: the main character didn’t have to be a woman in general, BUT the world set up in the story required the main character to be a woman—and to overcome adversity because of that. So I don’t believe this critique is valid. EVERY story could be turned and rewritten so that the main character could be a man or woman, just by changing the rules of the world. So it’s all a matter of perspective, I think.
In any case, some interesting reading in this one, even if I personally didn’t enjoy every story. I’m sure we’d disagree on the best and worst if we compared notes. But here were some of my thoughts on the stories as I read:
Yesterday
Sacrifices to the Moon by Paul D. Batteiger: This story had a heavy Conan-esque feel to it, with the battle-savvy woman trekking across an apocalyptic-feeling world. She runs across a society who sacrifices their royalty to the strange creatures in a dark, murky lake at the edge of colossal ruins. An OK story, if you’re into this type of sword and sorcery story.
Dunkle Froline by Ramsey Lundock: A very strange world/society is at the heart of this story, where humans are servants/slaves. Some have come to accept their enslavement, but others are fighting back. This story is about one woman who desperately wants to fight and learns that sometimes fighting doesn’t involve blades as weapons. Some good character realizations as the story progresses.
Tears of Blood by Joshua Palmatier: I wrote this one, so of course it rocks. *grin* This is set in my Amenkor universe and is about a time when plague has struck the city. One of the Servants to the Mistress learns that sometimes the Mistress MUST have her way for the good of the city, even if her actions may seem cruel and evil by others. A harsh look at some of the realities and responsibilities of having true power and being a ruler here.
I, Theodora by Maurice Broaddus: This one is set in Roman times, during Caligula’s reign. The main character is a prostitute and this details some of what she must do and endure in order to remain safe in these harsh times and in her chosen field. The story didn’t have enough direction for me, enough of a solid thread letting me know where it was going or what its purpose was. Afterwards, I realized it was detailing some of what she had to endure, a “day in the life” kind of thing.
Vengeance is Mine by Kenneth Mark Hoover: And this last “Yesterday” story is set in a version of the Old West. The main character, Magra, seeks vengeance against the man and woman who have tried to kill her lover, although the relationships between all of them are more complicated than that. I thought this story a little odd for the anthology, since Magra doesn’t appear to obtain her goal in the end. But Magra had some interesting powers, and there were hints of an interesting world outside of what we see here.
Today
The Moko-Jumbie Girl by Chuck Wendig: In this first story set during “today,” we see a young girl with a ton of grit who is simply trying to save her family from ridicule and misunderstanding. Her brother, admittedly a loser, is in jail and she needs to get him out. She doesn’t have a gun, or much of any physical weapon really, but she does have her roots and she calls on those roots to save her brother.
Someone Else to Play With by Pete Kempshall: This story starts with a guy who certainly feels he’s in control of his own little piece of the world. He talks tough, plays rough, and generally doesn’t take anything from anyone, including his supposed girl. But then another woman enters the picture . . . and from there the story turns completely around. I liked the subtlety of this one, and so far it’s my favorite story in the anthology. Well written, even though the dialect of the main character is hard to follow at the beginning.
Daggers in Her Garters by Ed Greenwood: Here, a woman goes after an ex who has managed to seduce and kill numerous women over the years. But he’s finally pushed this woman beyond her limits. The story certainly fits the anthology theme, although there’s no real SF element to it. But then, the anthology’s theme didn’t require one, did it?
Men Do Nothing by Filamena Hill: No real SF element to this one either, although there are hints of it. A mobster’s daughter takes matters into her own hands when one of the other wives—someone she is close to—is beaten to death and it appears that none of the men in the family are going to do anything about it. A little rough in the writing department, but the character is strong and comes through loud and clear.
Becoming by David A. Hill, Jr.: The main character here is a police detective who gets fed up with the bureaucracy of the department blocking her attempts to bring a diplomatically immune criminal to justice. Again, no SF element. This brought out the vigilante in me, with a twist at the end.
Witch Fire by Erik Scott de Bie: Very cool SF concept here, with our main character a “gun witch” out to police her own kind. An interesting alternate world that I’d like to explore more. In fact, this story felt like it was a continuation of something else, with the ending giving the impression that there’s certainly more to come—sort of like part of an episode of a TV series—but a good solid story in and of itself.
Tomorrow
Ride the Rebel Wind by Amanda Gannon: The first story in the section titled “tomorrow” is definitely set in the future, with great airships (that reminded me of dirigibles, but they aren’t) plying the skies, including one wreaking havoc on the small towns that still survive in what’s left of America. The world was great . . . but it didn’t feel like the story ended for me. I just wanted . . . more. The buildup in the earlier parts of the story demanded it, I felt.
A Well-Embroidered Heart by Keffy R. M. Kehrli: A creepy little story here, with an interesting take on necromancy. Necromancers have taken over, and the dispossessed “son” of the ruler with an identity crisis of his own wants it all to end. This one tends more toward horror. Well written with a good balance between the creepy and the emotions of the main character.
The Runner by K.V. Taylor: This one could have been in the “yesterday” section as easily as “tomorrow,” in my opinion. A clan is defending their swampy territory from outsiders, in order to keep control of the prized blackwood plants that grow there. One woman is asked to do the unspeakable in order to save the clan, but she takes matters into her own hands. I liked the world, and the main character.
Trapped Star by Ann Wilkes: Set in the far future, here the main character is a thief out to steal a jewel which could change everything, because the jewel is more than it seems. She’s, of course, willing to use and abuse anything and everyone to get it. While the writing was good, I was expecting the story to do something more than it did at the end. It was good and held my interest up until a certain point . . . and then the last page or so just felt flat to me, as if it should have ended sooner or should have gone on to something else.
Her Eyes On by Kay T. Holt and Bart R. Leib: The last story in the anthology is about a woman trapped on a colony where the men rule everything and the only safety offered women is through marriage. But Leda builds herself her own spaceship in order to escape. Her no-good husband sells it . . . and forces her to take matters into her own hands. A very solid final story for the anthology, definitely fitting the theme.
First off, I have a short story in this anthology, so of course you should go out and buy it. It’s even an Amenkor story, if you’ve read and enjoyed my “Throne of Amenkor” series. (It isn’t set at the same time as the Throne books though.)
The main premise is that each story should involve a strong-willed woman who’s willing to do anything—and we mean anything, including what some might consider evil acts—in order to get her way. Most of the stories have strong-willed women, although the stories themselves have different takes on what that actually means. Most of them actually do something extreme in order to get their way, or to escape their circumstances, etc. I enjoyed most of the stories in here, although a few didn’t quite reach me or captivate my interest. Some of the strongest stories included Pete Kempshall’s “Someone Else to Play With” and Erik Scott de Bie’s “Witch Fire.” A few others had great worlds that piqued my interested, even if the story didn’t work as well as I would have liked as a reader. And of course my story rocked. *grin*
The main complaint I’ve seen from some other reviewers of this anthology—a complaint voiced about my story as well as others—is that the main character didn’t really HAVE to be a woman. Regarding my story, I agree. The point of my story didn’t rely on my main character being a woman. However, in my WORLD in the story, the ruler HAD to be a woman, just because of the way the world was set up. And I find that the same is true for most of the other stories: the main character didn’t have to be a woman in general, BUT the world set up in the story required the main character to be a woman—and to overcome adversity because of that. So I don’t believe this critique is valid. EVERY story could be turned and rewritten so that the main character could be a man or woman, just by changing the rules of the world. So it’s all a matter of perspective, I think.
In any case, some interesting reading in this one, even if I personally didn’t enjoy every story. I’m sure we’d disagree on the best and worst if we compared notes. But here were some of my thoughts on the stories as I read:
Yesterday
Sacrifices to the Moon by Paul D. Batteiger: This story had a heavy Conan-esque feel to it, with the battle-savvy woman trekking across an apocalyptic-feeling world. She runs across a society who sacrifices their royalty to the strange creatures in a dark, murky lake at the edge of colossal ruins. An OK story, if you’re into this type of sword and sorcery story.
Dunkle Froline by Ramsey Lundock: A very strange world/society is at the heart of this story, where humans are servants/slaves. Some have come to accept their enslavement, but others are fighting back. This story is about one woman who desperately wants to fight and learns that sometimes fighting doesn’t involve blades as weapons. Some good character realizations as the story progresses.
Tears of Blood by Joshua Palmatier: I wrote this one, so of course it rocks. *grin* This is set in my Amenkor universe and is about a time when plague has struck the city. One of the Servants to the Mistress learns that sometimes the Mistress MUST have her way for the good of the city, even if her actions may seem cruel and evil by others. A harsh look at some of the realities and responsibilities of having true power and being a ruler here.
I, Theodora by Maurice Broaddus: This one is set in Roman times, during Caligula’s reign. The main character is a prostitute and this details some of what she must do and endure in order to remain safe in these harsh times and in her chosen field. The story didn’t have enough direction for me, enough of a solid thread letting me know where it was going or what its purpose was. Afterwards, I realized it was detailing some of what she had to endure, a “day in the life” kind of thing.
Vengeance is Mine by Kenneth Mark Hoover: And this last “Yesterday” story is set in a version of the Old West. The main character, Magra, seeks vengeance against the man and woman who have tried to kill her lover, although the relationships between all of them are more complicated than that. I thought this story a little odd for the anthology, since Magra doesn’t appear to obtain her goal in the end. But Magra had some interesting powers, and there were hints of an interesting world outside of what we see here.
Today
The Moko-Jumbie Girl by Chuck Wendig: In this first story set during “today,” we see a young girl with a ton of grit who is simply trying to save her family from ridicule and misunderstanding. Her brother, admittedly a loser, is in jail and she needs to get him out. She doesn’t have a gun, or much of any physical weapon really, but she does have her roots and she calls on those roots to save her brother.
Someone Else to Play With by Pete Kempshall: This story starts with a guy who certainly feels he’s in control of his own little piece of the world. He talks tough, plays rough, and generally doesn’t take anything from anyone, including his supposed girl. But then another woman enters the picture . . . and from there the story turns completely around. I liked the subtlety of this one, and so far it’s my favorite story in the anthology. Well written, even though the dialect of the main character is hard to follow at the beginning.
Daggers in Her Garters by Ed Greenwood: Here, a woman goes after an ex who has managed to seduce and kill numerous women over the years. But he’s finally pushed this woman beyond her limits. The story certainly fits the anthology theme, although there’s no real SF element to it. But then, the anthology’s theme didn’t require one, did it?
Men Do Nothing by Filamena Hill: No real SF element to this one either, although there are hints of it. A mobster’s daughter takes matters into her own hands when one of the other wives—someone she is close to—is beaten to death and it appears that none of the men in the family are going to do anything about it. A little rough in the writing department, but the character is strong and comes through loud and clear.
Becoming by David A. Hill, Jr.: The main character here is a police detective who gets fed up with the bureaucracy of the department blocking her attempts to bring a diplomatically immune criminal to justice. Again, no SF element. This brought out the vigilante in me, with a twist at the end.
Witch Fire by Erik Scott de Bie: Very cool SF concept here, with our main character a “gun witch” out to police her own kind. An interesting alternate world that I’d like to explore more. In fact, this story felt like it was a continuation of something else, with the ending giving the impression that there’s certainly more to come—sort of like part of an episode of a TV series—but a good solid story in and of itself.
Tomorrow
Ride the Rebel Wind by Amanda Gannon: The first story in the section titled “tomorrow” is definitely set in the future, with great airships (that reminded me of dirigibles, but they aren’t) plying the skies, including one wreaking havoc on the small towns that still survive in what’s left of America. The world was great . . . but it didn’t feel like the story ended for me. I just wanted . . . more. The buildup in the earlier parts of the story demanded it, I felt.
A Well-Embroidered Heart by Keffy R. M. Kehrli: A creepy little story here, with an interesting take on necromancy. Necromancers have taken over, and the dispossessed “son” of the ruler with an identity crisis of his own wants it all to end. This one tends more toward horror. Well written with a good balance between the creepy and the emotions of the main character.
The Runner by K.V. Taylor: This one could have been in the “yesterday” section as easily as “tomorrow,” in my opinion. A clan is defending their swampy territory from outsiders, in order to keep control of the prized blackwood plants that grow there. One woman is asked to do the unspeakable in order to save the clan, but she takes matters into her own hands. I liked the world, and the main character.
Trapped Star by Ann Wilkes: Set in the far future, here the main character is a thief out to steal a jewel which could change everything, because the jewel is more than it seems. She’s, of course, willing to use and abuse anything and everyone to get it. While the writing was good, I was expecting the story to do something more than it did at the end. It was good and held my interest up until a certain point . . . and then the last page or so just felt flat to me, as if it should have ended sooner or should have gone on to something else.
Her Eyes On by Kay T. Holt and Bart R. Leib: The last story in the anthology is about a woman trapped on a colony where the men rule everything and the only safety offered women is through marriage. But Leda builds herself her own spaceship in order to escape. Her no-good husband sells it . . . and forces her to take matters into her own hands. A very solid final story for the anthology, definitely fitting the theme.
