First published 2013
This collection brings together female protagonists who refuse to be victims. The anthology spans multiple genres and worlds, featuring sword-wielding warriors who fight their own battles and queens whose ambitions reshape kingdoms. George R.R. Martin contributes a novella about the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of Dragons from his Song of Ice and Fire universe. Jim Butcher adds a Harry Dresden tale, while Lev Grossman explores Brakebills school from his Magicians series. Diana Gabaldon tells the early story of Jamie Fraser from Outlander. Other contributors include Joe Abercrombie, Brandon Sanderson, and Megan Lindholm writing as Robin Hobb. These women don't wait for rescue. They pilot spacecraft across galaxies, solve murders as private detectives, and survive in postapocalyptic wastelands. The collection presents female bandits, rebels, and hanging judges alongside deadly femmes fatale and formidable superheroes. Each story appears here for the first time, creating a showcase of powerful women who shape their own destinies.
Genres: adventure, fantasy, action
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, powerful-women
Setting: Brakebills, Outlander
Period: Dance of Dragons, Song of Ice and Fire
784 pages · Hardcover · Tor Books