Sword and Sorceress 32 by Elisabeth Waters

Sword and Sorceress 32 edited by Elisabeth Waters ISBN-13: 9781938185489 Paperback: 318 pages Publisher: Marion Zimmer Bradley Literary Works Trust Released: Nov. 2, 2017

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from NetGalley:
Women of Sorcery and Courage. For over two decades, the late Marion Zimmer Bradley, best-selling and beloved author, discovered and nurtured a new generation of authors. The original stories featured here include such stellar authors as Mercedes Lackey, Dave Smeds, Deborah J. Ross, Robin Wayne Bailey, Pauline J. Alama, and exciting newcomers whose voices are sure to be heard again.


My Review:
I used to read Sword and Sorceress back twenty years ago, and I remember enjoying the clever fantasy stories. I suppose I should have known that the content would change over the course of 20 years.

Sword and Sorceress 32 is a collection of 18 short fantasy stories with a female main character. It seemed like nearly all of them had witches. (Back when I last read S&S, some of these women would have been called a sorceress or magician, but I guess "witch" sells these days). About half of the stories had the dead (ghosts, zombies) playing a major role. I don't really care for ghost stories. Several of those stories had a heroine who faced an overwhelming force summon the dead (or fey, in one case) to win the battle.

I preferred the stories were the heroines faced a big challenge and used cleverness to figure out a simple, successful solution. Several stories were humorous, like "Woman's Work" by Pauline J. Alama. Others came up with an unusual idea, like "Expiration Date" by Julia H. West. Overall, I enjoyed about a fourth of the stories. There was no sex. There was occasional use of bad language (and some stories didn't have any).

The Sound of the Moon by Robin Wayne Bailey
A Librarian in Distress by Rose Strickman
Wight Nights by Steve Chapman
Unexpected by Suzan Harden
The Nature of Wraiths by Dave Smeds
Royal Daughters by Elaine Cunningham
The Girl from Black Point Rock by Deborah J. Ross
Shaman's Quest by Kevin L. O'Brien
Save a Prayer by Mercedes Lackey
Add a Cup of Terror by Michael Spence & Elisabeth Waters
Deadly Questions by Jonathan Shipley
Sky, Clouds, and Sonam by Catherine Mintz
Hostages of Honeycomb by Marian Allen
Woman's Work by Pauline J. Alama
Authority Figures by Michael H. Payne
Till the Cows Come Home by L.S. Patton
Expiration Date by Julia H. West
Finding Truth by Lorie Calkins


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.