Maiden, Matron, Crone

Maiden, Matron, Crone (2005) Kerrie Hughes and Martin H. Greenberg

I try to pick up fantasy anthologies when I see them, since chances are they won’t be there the next time I look. I picked up Maiden, Matron, Crone while ago, but saved it to read during the school year, because short story collections are much easier to put down than books.

Some of the stories in this collection were good, some were so-so, and a couple were quite excellent. And there weren’t any stories that I absolutely hated, which is always a good thing. The best part of this collection, however, is that if focused on female characters, and for the most part strong female characters.

The excellent category started with Nina Kirki Hoffman’s story “Strikes of the Heart.” From what I have read, Nina Kirki Hoffman has been very good about writing good and unusual stories. It’s always good to come across the unexpected, and so far her stories have all been just that. In this story, a young woman discovers that her grandmother’s magic is failing and that she is the only one who can take her place and protect the land.

One of the reasons I picked up this anthology was because it contained a Charles de Lint story. “In Sight” is an evening spent with Ruthie Blue, a middle aged Newford folk musician. I suppose that’s one of the nice things about books–you can have middle aged women in your stories, without someone telling you to make them younger and more attractive. I’m hoping that he will write more stories about Ruthie Blue, because I found her a very interesting character.

Devon Monk’s “Bearing Life” was another story with a middle aged hero, this time, a queen who has lost her children and her husband, and rules alone in a besieged country. I like the way that Queen Thera dealt with her problems, and I liked the story, even though the very end wasn’t a surprise.

Also good were Fiona Patton’s story “The Three Gems of the Fianna,” which read a bit like the Celtic tales I like so much, and Alexander Potter’s “Opening Her Door,” which was a twist on the tales I typically find in female centered anthologies.

The concluding tale, “The Unicorn Hunt” by Michelle West was very good. I’m pretty sure that I have one or two Michelle West books around here, and I think I’m going to have to find and read them.
Rating: 6/10

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