''Dangerous Women'' is a cross-genre anthology featuring 21 original short stories and novellas "from some of the biggest authors in the

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

field", edited by

George R. R. Martin George Raymond Richard Martin (born George Raymond Martin; September 20, 1948), also known as GRRM, is an American novelist, screenwriter, television producer and short story writer. He is the author of the series of epic fantasy novels ''A Song ...

and

Gardner Dozois Gardner Raymond Dozois ( ; July 23, 1947 – May 27, 2018) was an American science fiction author and editor. He was the founding editor of ''The Year's Best Science Fiction'' anthologies (1984–2018) and was editor of '' Asimov's Science Fictio ...

and released on December 3, 2013. The works "showcase the supposedly weaker sex's capacity for magic, violence, and mayhem" and "explores the heights that brave women can reach and the depths that depraved ones can plumb." In his own introduction, Dozois writes: "Here you'll find no hapless victims who stand by whimpering in dread while the male hero fights the monster or clashes swords with the villain ... And if you want to tie these women to the railroad tracks, you'll find you have a real fight on your hands." According to Dozois, ''Dangerous Women'' was conceived as a "cross-genre anthology, one that would mingle every kind of fiction, so we asked writers from every genrescience fiction, fantasy, mystery, historical, horror, paranormal romance, men and women alike—to tackle the theme." The anthology was originally announced as ''Femmes Fatale''. Martin noted that the works by himself, Brandon Sanderson,

Diana Gabaldon Diana J. Gabaldon (; born January 11, 1952) is an American author, known for the ''Outlander'' series of novels. Her books merge multiple genres, featuring elements of historical fiction, romance, mystery, adventure and science fiction/fantas ...

, and Caroline Spector are novellas. The anthology won the 2014

World Fantasy Award for Best Anthology In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

* Introduction by

* "Some Desperado" by

Joe Abercrombie Joseph Edward Abercrombie (born December 31, 1974) is a British fantasy writer and film editor. He is the author of '' The First Law'' trilogy, as well as other fantasy books in the same setting and a trilogy of young adult novels. His novel ' ...

(''

The First Law ''The First Law'' is a fantasy series written by British author Joe Abercrombie. ''The First Law'' is the title of the original trilogy in the series, but is also used to refer to the series as a whole. The full series consists of a trilogy, th ...

'')
In the wild west, a desperate woman is chased by bounty hunters into a derelict town and still manages to come out on top of the situation. Nominated for a 2014

Locus Award The Locus Awards are an annual set of literary awards voted on by readers of the science fiction and fantasy magazine ''Locus'', a monthly magazine based in Oakland, California. The awards are presented at an annual banquet. In addition to the pl ...

. * "My Heart is Either Broken" by

Megan Abbott Megan Abbott (born August 21, 1971) is an American author of crime fiction and of non-fiction analyses of hardboiled crime fiction. Her novels and short stories have drawn from and re-worked classic subgenres of crime writing from a female perspec ...

A husband suspects his eccentric wife of their daughter's murder, but the truth turns out to be worse. * "Nora’s Song" by

Cecelia Holland Cecelia Holland (born December 31, 1943) is an American historical fiction novelist. Early life and education Holland was born December 31, 1943, in Henderson, Nevada. She grew up in Metuchen, New Jersey, where she started writing at age 12, rec ...

A story about princess

Eleanor Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It is the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages. The name was introd ...

and her observations of the royal household of

Henry II of England Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (french: link=no, Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress, or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, and as such, was the first Angevin king ...

and (future)

Richard I Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was ...

. * "The Hands That Are Not There" by Melinda Snodgrass (''Imperials'')
A lieutenant in a dystopian future hears about a conspiracy theory about an alien race capable of genetically altering humans. * "Bombshells" by

Jim Butcher Jim Butcher (born October 26, 1971) is an American author., He has written the contemporary fantasy ''The Dresden Files'', ''Codex Alera'', and '' Cinder Spires'' book series. Personal life Butcher was born in Independence, Missouri, in 1971. H ...

(''

The Dresden Files ''The Dresden Files'' is a series of contemporary fantasy/ mystery novels written by American author Jim Butcher. The first novel, '' Storm Front''—which was also Butcher's writing debut—was published in 2000 by Roc Books. The books are wr ...

'')
A young wizard's apprentice finds herself caught between warring factions and must race against time to save a vampire. * "Raisa Stepanova" by

Carrie Vaughn Carrie Vaughn (born January 28, 1973) is an American writer, the author of the urban fantasy '' Kitty Norville'' series. She has published more than 60 short stories in science fiction and fantasy magazines as well as short story anthologies and ...

World War II Russian fighter pilot with an ambition to become an ace. The tale of the Russian resistance and her plight are interwoven with her own struggle for recognition. * "Wrestling Jesus" by Joe R. Lansdale
Two wrestlers become spellbound by a woman and continue to wrestle each other even after retirement on the unspoken condition that the winner gets to keep the woman. * "Neighbors" by

Megan Lindholm Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden (born March 5, 1952), known by her pen names Robin Hobb and Megan Lindholm, is an American writer of speculative fiction. As Hobb, she is best known for her fantasy novels set in the ''Realm of the Elderlings'', ...

In a scenic suburb of Seattle, Alzheimer's disease changes the way of life for elderly women. A bit of magic and time travel are thrown in for good measure. * "I Know How to Pick 'Em" by

Lawrence Block Lawrence Block (born June 24, 1938) is an American crime writer best known for two long-running New York-set series about the recovering alcoholic P.I. Matthew Scudder and the gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr. Block was named a Grand Ma ...

A contemporary crime thriller; a femme fatale crime story with a twist. * ''Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell'' by Brandon Sanderson ( The Cosmere)
In a forest inhabited by supernatural evil beings called shades, an elderly inn-keeper turns bounty hunter at night. * "A Queen in Exile" by

Sharon Kay Penman Sharon Kay Penman (August 13, 1945 – January 22, 2021) was an American historical novelist, published in the UK as Sharon Penman. She was best known for the Welsh Princes trilogy and the Plantagenet series. In addition, she wrote four medieval ...

Chronicles a little-known episode of late 12th-century Sicilian history; Constance of Sicily goes to great lengths to secure the support of the people for her son, (future) Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor. * "The Girl in the Mirror" by

Lev Grossman Lev Grossman (born June 26, 1969) is an American novelist and journalist who wrote ''The Magicians Trilogy'': '' The Magicians'' (2009), ''The Magician King'' (2011), and ''The Magician's Land'' (2014). He was the book critic and lead technology ...

(''

Magicians Magician or The Magician may refer to: Performers * A practitioner of magic (supernatural) * A practitioner of magic (illusion) * Magician (fantasy), a character in a fictional fantasy context Entertainment Books * ''The Magician'', an 18th-ce ...

'') * "Second Arabesque, Very Slowly" by

Nancy Kress Nancy Anne Kress (born January 20, 1948) is an American science fiction writer. She began writing in 1976 but has achieved her greatest notice since the publication of her Hugo- and Nebula-winning 1991 novella ''Beggars in Spain'', which became a ...

* "City Lazarus" by Diana Rowland * '' Virgins'' by

('' Outlander'')
In 1740 France, young

Scottish Highlanders The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Sc ...

Jamie Fraser and Ian Murray become mercenaries. * "Hell Hath No Fury" by

Sherrilyn Kenyon Sherrilyn Woodward (formerly Sherrilyn Kenyon; born December 11, 1965) is a bestselling US writer. Under her former married name, she wrote both urban fantasy and paranormal romance. She is best known for her Dark Hunter series. Under the pseud ...

, a present-day Native American ghost story * "Pronouncing Doom" by

S. M. Stirling Stephen Michael Stirling (born September 30, 1953) is a Canadian-American science fiction and fantasy author who was born in France. Stirling is well known for his Draka series of alternate history novels and his later time travel/alternate hi ...

(''

Emberverse The Emberverse series—or Change World—is a series of post-apocalyptic alternate history novels written by S. M. Stirling. The novels depict the events following a mysterious—yet sudden—worldwide event called "The Change" that occurs at ...

''), a "

hanging judge "Hanging judge" is a colloquial phrase for a judge who has gained notoriety for handing down punishment by sentencing convicted persons to death by hanging, or otherwise imposing unusually harsh sentences. Hanging judges are officers of the court ...

" tale set "in a postapocalyptic America devastated by plague and machine failure" * "Name the Beast" by Sam Sykes * "Caretakers" by

Pat Cadigan Patricia Oren Kearney Cadigan (born September 10, 1953) is a British-American science fiction author, whose work is most often identified with the cyberpunk movement. Her novels and short stories often explore the relationship between the hum ...

* ''Lies My Mother Told Me'' by Caroline Spector (''

Wild Cards ''Wild Cards'' is a series of science fiction superhero shared universe anthologies, mosaic novels, and solo novels. They are written by a collection of more than forty authors (referred to as the "Wild Cards Trust") and are edited by George ...

'') * ''

The Princess and the Queen ''The Princess and the Queen, or, the Blacks and the Greens'' is an epic fantasy novella by American novelist George R. R. Martin, published in the 2013 Tor Books anthology '' Dangerous Women''. The novella is presented in the form of writing ...

, or, the Blacks and the Greens'' by

, a tale of "continent-burning warfare" that explodes between

Targaryen George R. R. Martin's ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' saga features a large cast of characters. The series follows three interwoven plotlines: a dynastic war for control of Westeros by several families; the rising threat of the superhuman Others (A So ...

Princess Rhaenyra and her stepmother Queen Alicent, set in the

Westeros The fictional world in which the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' novels by George R. R. Martin take place is divided into several continents, known collectively as The Known World. Most of the story takes place on the continent of Westeros and in ...

of Martin's '' A Song of Ice and Fire'' series, 200 years before the events of ''

A Game of Thrones ''A Game of Thrones'' is the first novel in ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin. It was first published on August 1, 1996. The novel won the 1997 Locus Award and was nominated for both ...

'' (1996). Nominated for a 2014 Locus Award.

Reception

Both Abercrombie's "Some Desperado" and Martin's ''The Princess and the Queen'' were nominated for 2014 Locus Awards. The anthology as a whole won the 2014

References

{{Martin-Dozois anthologies 2013 anthologies Gardner Dozois anthologies Tor Books books

Contents

Reception

References