Warrior Wisewoman 2
Somewhat distanced from the first volume's attempts to be a science fiction companion to feminist fantasy seriesSword and Sorceress, this collection offers up 15 stories of varying strength and appeal. Standouts include Ian Whate's Shop Talk, in which a young woman deals with xenophobia; Lee Martindale's Lady Blaze, which puts a new spin on pirates and prostitutes in space; and Jennifer R. Povey's Working the High Steel, an adventure involving high-atmosphere construction. Less successful are Jennifer Brisset's death penalty allegory The Executioner and DJ Cockburn's Rainfire by Night, a postapocalyptic fantasy about a tribe of car worshippers. This series is still finding its voice, but James has done a good job of assembling a lineup that satisfies more than it disappoints and is a properly varied representation of feminist science fiction.(June)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.