Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Sword And Sorceress XXI

Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Sword And Sorceress XXI edited by Diana L. Paxson

I wasn’t sure that I was going to get the 21st edition of Sword And Sorceress. MZB died, and so I wasn’t certain whether the anthology was going to be continued because it was a quality anthology, or because they were looking to sell on her name.

I’m pleased to say it was the former. Diana L. Paxson, who was chosen as the as the editor, is not only an author I like, but has also edited other anthologies that I have read and enjoyed.

There were, however, changes. Diana Paxson has added poetry, and one story, ‘Rose in Winter’ struck me as more of a romance than the type of story I’d come to expect in a Sword & Sorceress anthology. Despite that, this is still an excellent anthology, and I look forward to XXII.

As always, there were several stories that I particularly liked. ‘Multiple Choice’ by Leslie Fish had a nice twist on men thinking they can get what they want, whenever they want it. ‘Oulu’ by Aimee Kratts focused on the wisdom that women learned over time. But then I’ve always been fond of wise old woman characters. ‘Necessity and the Mother’ by Lee Martindale was the type of sword-for-hire story where the hired sword gets to use her brains as much as her brawn.

‘Plowshares’ by Rebecca Maines I liked because it didn’t go where I was expecting, yet managed to fit my idea of story for this anthology perfectly. Esther M. Friesner’s ‘Child’s Play’ was also a story I liked, despite the fact that it had an evil-stepmother.

‘Step by Step’ by Catherine Soto was a good story, and it managed to remind me a bit of ‘The Boy Who Loved to Draw Cats’ so there was little chance I wasn’t going to like it.

And as always the anthology closed with a short, amusing story. Marilyn A. Racette’s ‘Love Potion # 8 1/2’ fit well into that place and ended the book well.

Now I just have to wait a year until Sword and Sorceress XXII comes out, for the next anthology collection where I’m almost certain to like every story.

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