Dragons and Warrior Daughters: Fantasy Stories by Women Writers

4 out of 5

Jam – Aug 13, 2007

If you can get a copy of this book, do. My review is with the qualifier that it's been at least ten years since I read this book, and it's one of the ones I really wish I'd taken from the school library when I left. It's a collection of short stories, all staring dragons and with a main female character, but the forms these take... not all the narrators are female, not all the settings are fantasy. They're good stories and they're the sort of thing you wish there was more of. Some of them are mor If you can get a copy of this book, do. My review is with the qualifier that it's been at least ten years since I read this book, and it's one of the ones I really wish I'd taken from the school library when I left. It's a collection of short stories, all staring dragons and with a main female character, but the forms these take... not all the narrators are female, not all the settings are fantasy. They're good stories and they're the sort of thing you wish there was more of. Some of them are more straight-forward, some of them are more disconcerting (one, I rarely read, not because I disliked the ending, but because it made me go "meep!", others I needed a sequel, a whole damn series of). Dragonfield • Jane Yolen Draco, Draco • Tanith Lee Falcon’s Mate • Pat McIntosh The Healer • Robin McKinley Dragon Reserve, Home Eight • Diana Wynne Jones Crusader Damosel • Vera Chapman Cry Wolf • Pat McIntosh Black God’s Kiss [Jirel of Joiry] • C. L. Moore It's the range of the stories as much as anything else, seeing the dragons, seeing the women, as more than just one or two basic roles.

5 out of 5

Fyre – Feb 19, 2014

Dragons and Warrior Daughters – Ed. Jessica Yates , a collection of short stories all featuring prominent female characters or protagonists, some of which have dragons. I picked this book up for two reasons. It has a story from Robin McKinley, one of my most beloved authors, and I am trying to populate my daughter’s bookshelf with positive stories about women and girls. I got exactly what I was hoping to find. The stories were varied in tone and the role that each woman played. What did not vary w Dragons and Warrior Daughters – Ed. Jessica Yates , a collection of short stories all featuring prominent female characters or protagonists, some of which have dragons. I picked this book up for two reasons. It has a story from Robin McKinley, one of my most beloved authors, and I am trying to populate my daughter’s bookshelf with positive stories about women and girls. I got exactly what I was hoping to find. The stories were varied in tone and the role that each woman played. What did not vary was that each protagonist was faced with difficult choices that had no pat answers. Even more than their being women, I enjoyed that each hero had to choose from imperfect solutions to their problems. Some of the stories had slightly improbable, happily ever after conclusions, others were ambiguous, and others downright depressing. I’m happy I picked this up and I will be setting it on the shelf for my daughter to investigate in another 10-12 years. Heck, I might even read it again!