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_snowy_m's review against another edition
5.0
Love Molly so much. Very happy with the Molly driven storyline
bookworm_brad's review against another edition
5.0
A novella from the Dresden Files, set during book 13 Ghost Story but told from the point of view of Molly, Harry's young apprentice.
Having just read Ghost Story this book fit perfectly as a tale told concurrently and sheds a little light on a few things that Harry experienced in the novel while being an excellent short story in it's own right. It's good to see another side of some of the characters without Harry being involved, although let's not get used to that. Harry rocks after all.
Well written and as always expertly narrated by James Marsters.
Having just read Ghost Story this book fit perfectly as a tale told concurrently and sheds a little light on a few things that Harry experienced in the novel while being an excellent short story in it's own right. It's good to see another side of some of the characters without Harry being involved, although let's not get used to that. Harry rocks after all.
Well written and as always expertly narrated by James Marsters.
tbr_the_unconquered's review against another edition
3.0
So here is my take on the last book in the trilogy :
Some Desperado by Joe Abercrombie
Rating : 5/5
In Summary : A woman on the run arrives at a ghost town in the West. She is bloody, battered and tired. On her trail are three bounty hunters who have all the time and resources in the World. But the woman – Shy is no pushover and there are a few desperate cards up her sleeve. I loved this story and in my definition, this is how a dangerous woman story should be written. Bloody and quick its gets to the meat of things and characters don’t cut corners. The writing is also taut and swift which suits the mood of the story very well. I put this story right in the league of tales by GRRM, Brandon Sanderson and Jim Butcher in this collection.
City Lazarusby Diana Rowland
Rating : 4/5
In Summary : What if the dangerous woman in the tale does not come out of the woodwork until the very end ? A post-apocalyptic New Orleans makes for a good setting of a cops v/s mafia whodunit. A corrupt and shady cop Danny finds love in the person of Delia who is a stripper and the story takes off from there. This story is a mix of hard and soft elements and Diana Rowland captures the noir-ish tones deftly. Personally, about 80% into the tale I had a kind of hunch about the outcome of the story which turned out to be just right. In that way, it is slightly predictable.
Hell Hath No Fury by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Rating : 2/5
In Summary : A group of teenagers go meddle in a place where they had no business in the first place. The place reeks of ancient evil and then….all hell breaks loose. There, you see ? This has been the plot outline of many a cheesy movie and this lack of originality kills the story. The writing style is quite good and so is the dialog but like always cliché kills the tale.
The Hands That Are Not There by Melinda Snodgrass
Rating : 4/5
In Summary : Find a stranger in a bar and 9 times out of 10 they will tell you fantastic stories over drinks. This story starts off a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away but it is no space opera ! The plot line is of treachery and high profile espionage which does not really care if it stamps a few innocent lives under its feet. This again was another twist in the tale format but unlike Diana Rowland’s tale you come off this one with a faint sense of paranoia. I am still wondering if that guy who I met in that last bar was real or a figment of my imagination ! Sheesh ! These stories will someday be the end of me…
Caretakers by Pat Cadigan
Rating : 2/5
In Summary : Two sisters, an old mother with dementia, an assisted living home which is not all what it looks like. Somewhere along this way, this tale had a spark but it is written in a very soporific fashion. Using two paragraphs where two sentences would suffice is what I think is called an overkill. This story suffers from an overload of this medical condition.
Bombshells by Jim Butcher
Rating : 4/5
In Summary : Three smoking hot women go on the hunt for a vampire, who happens to be the boyfriend of one of them. On their way to this hunk, they meet up with countless other monstrosities and battle their way to a rather interesting conclusion. This story occurs in the universe of Harry Dresden but he is absent from the tale. I wasn’t a taker for the first book in Dresden’s universe but this one was very well written. It was a pleasant surprise too for in his first story, Butcher’s characters came across as chauvinists while here the tale does a full tilt and has a woman drive the entire plot onward. One of the really good stories in the collection.
The overall reading experience : It is a strictly average collection. While some of the stories ( GRRM, Brandon Sanderson, Sharon Kay Penman, Joe Abercrombie, Jim Butcher) are real dynamite, the bad ones outweigh them heavily. To me splitting this book into three volumes looks to be a dubious way of boosting sales. If you ever chance across the three volume version of this book, avoid the second volume like the plague. The third seems to be the only one worth its salt. I would not recommend this one unless you get a choice to pick and read the stories.
Some Desperado by Joe Abercrombie
Rating : 5/5
In Summary : A woman on the run arrives at a ghost town in the West. She is bloody, battered and tired. On her trail are three bounty hunters who have all the time and resources in the World. But the woman – Shy is no pushover and there are a few desperate cards up her sleeve. I loved this story and in my definition, this is how a dangerous woman story should be written. Bloody and quick its gets to the meat of things and characters don’t cut corners. The writing is also taut and swift which suits the mood of the story very well. I put this story right in the league of tales by GRRM, Brandon Sanderson and Jim Butcher in this collection.
City Lazarusby Diana Rowland
Rating : 4/5
In Summary : What if the dangerous woman in the tale does not come out of the woodwork until the very end ? A post-apocalyptic New Orleans makes for a good setting of a cops v/s mafia whodunit. A corrupt and shady cop Danny finds love in the person of Delia who is a stripper and the story takes off from there. This story is a mix of hard and soft elements and Diana Rowland captures the noir-ish tones deftly. Personally, about 80% into the tale I had a kind of hunch about the outcome of the story which turned out to be just right. In that way, it is slightly predictable.
Hell Hath No Fury by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Rating : 2/5
In Summary : A group of teenagers go meddle in a place where they had no business in the first place. The place reeks of ancient evil and then….all hell breaks loose. There, you see ? This has been the plot outline of many a cheesy movie and this lack of originality kills the story. The writing style is quite good and so is the dialog but like always cliché kills the tale.
The Hands That Are Not There by Melinda Snodgrass
Rating : 4/5
In Summary : Find a stranger in a bar and 9 times out of 10 they will tell you fantastic stories over drinks. This story starts off a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away but it is no space opera ! The plot line is of treachery and high profile espionage which does not really care if it stamps a few innocent lives under its feet. This again was another twist in the tale format but unlike Diana Rowland’s tale you come off this one with a faint sense of paranoia. I am still wondering if that guy who I met in that last bar was real or a figment of my imagination ! Sheesh ! These stories will someday be the end of me…
Caretakers by Pat Cadigan
Rating : 2/5
In Summary : Two sisters, an old mother with dementia, an assisted living home which is not all what it looks like. Somewhere along this way, this tale had a spark but it is written in a very soporific fashion. Using two paragraphs where two sentences would suffice is what I think is called an overkill. This story suffers from an overload of this medical condition.
Bombshells by Jim Butcher
Rating : 4/5
In Summary : Three smoking hot women go on the hunt for a vampire, who happens to be the boyfriend of one of them. On their way to this hunk, they meet up with countless other monstrosities and battle their way to a rather interesting conclusion. This story occurs in the universe of Harry Dresden but he is absent from the tale. I wasn’t a taker for the first book in Dresden’s universe but this one was very well written. It was a pleasant surprise too for in his first story, Butcher’s characters came across as chauvinists while here the tale does a full tilt and has a woman drive the entire plot onward. One of the really good stories in the collection.
The overall reading experience : It is a strictly average collection. While some of the stories ( GRRM, Brandon Sanderson, Sharon Kay Penman, Joe Abercrombie, Jim Butcher) are real dynamite, the bad ones outweigh them heavily. To me splitting this book into three volumes looks to be a dubious way of boosting sales. If you ever chance across the three volume version of this book, avoid the second volume like the plague. The third seems to be the only one worth its salt. I would not recommend this one unless you get a choice to pick and read the stories.
agoldstarforyou's review against another edition
4.0
least favourite out of the collection, but good/okay still.
pghbekka's review against another edition
3.0
Uneven. Some of the stories were excellent, some dragged (and stories about dangerous women should never be boring).
corireed's review
2.0
2.5 Stars
This book was all over the place. I only really liked two of the stories, and a couple I actively disliked. One I didn't even read because it's set in the same universe as a series I might want to read someday. I basically bought this for Brandon Sanderson' novella, but I recommend just buying the copy off his website.
The breakdown:
Bombshells by Jim Butcher: This is the one I didn't read, because even the introduction before the short story itself gave major Dresden Files spoilers, and I am interested in reading it! I was appalled.
City Lazarus by Diana Rowland: 2/5
Hell Hath No Fury by Sherrilyn Kenyon: 1/5
Some Desperado by Joe Ambercrombie: 4/5
The Hands That Are Not There by Melinda Snodgrass: 3/5
Caretakers by Pat Cadigan: 2/5
Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell by Brandon Sanderson: 4/5
This book was all over the place. I only really liked two of the stories, and a couple I actively disliked. One I didn't even read because it's set in the same universe as a series I might want to read someday. I basically bought this for Brandon Sanderson' novella, but I recommend just buying the copy off his website.
The breakdown:
Bombshells by Jim Butcher: This is the one I didn't read, because even the introduction before the short story itself gave major Dresden Files spoilers, and I am interested in reading it! I was appalled.
City Lazarus by Diana Rowland: 2/5
Hell Hath No Fury by Sherrilyn Kenyon: 1/5
Some Desperado by Joe Ambercrombie: 4/5
The Hands That Are Not There by Melinda Snodgrass: 3/5
Caretakers by Pat Cadigan: 2/5
Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell by Brandon Sanderson: 4/5
therealestreya's review
4.0
DANGEROUS WOMEN 1
Gardner Dozois’s introduction
George R. R. Martin, ‘The Princess and the Queen’
Carrie Vaughn, ‘Raisa Stepanova’
Nancy Kress,’“Second Arabesque, Very Slowly’
Lawrence Block, ‘I Know How to Pick ‘Em’
Megan Abbott, ‘My Heart Is Either Broken’
Joe R. Lansdale, ‘Wrestling Jesus’
Brandon Sanderson, ‘Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell’
DANGEROUS WOMEN 2
Gardner Dozois’s introduction
Megan Lindholm, ‘Neighbors’
Lev Grossman, ‘The Girl in the Mirror’
Sharon Kay Penman, ‘A Queen in Exile’
S. M. Stirling, ‘Pronouncing Doom’
Caroline Spector, ‘Lies My Mother Told Me’
Sam Sykes, ‘Name the Beast’
Diana Gabaldon, ‘Virgins’
DANGEROUS WOMEN 3
Gardner Dozois’s introduction
Joe Abercrombie, ‘Some Desperado’
Diana Rowland, ‘City Lazarus’
Sherlynn Kenyon, ‘Hell Hath No Fury’
Melinda Snodgrass, ‘The Hands That Are Not There’
Pat Cadigan, ‘Caretakers’
Cecelia Holland, ‘Nora’s Song’
Jim Butcher, ‘Bombshells’
Gardner Dozois’s introduction
George R. R. Martin, ‘The Princess and the Queen’
Carrie Vaughn, ‘Raisa Stepanova’
Nancy Kress,’“Second Arabesque, Very Slowly’
Lawrence Block, ‘I Know How to Pick ‘Em’
Megan Abbott, ‘My Heart Is Either Broken’
Joe R. Lansdale, ‘Wrestling Jesus’
Brandon Sanderson, ‘Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell’
DANGEROUS WOMEN 2
Gardner Dozois’s introduction
Megan Lindholm, ‘Neighbors’
Lev Grossman, ‘The Girl in the Mirror’
Sharon Kay Penman, ‘A Queen in Exile’
S. M. Stirling, ‘Pronouncing Doom’
Caroline Spector, ‘Lies My Mother Told Me’
Sam Sykes, ‘Name the Beast’
Diana Gabaldon, ‘Virgins’
DANGEROUS WOMEN 3
Gardner Dozois’s introduction
Joe Abercrombie, ‘Some Desperado’
Diana Rowland, ‘City Lazarus’
Sherlynn Kenyon, ‘Hell Hath No Fury’
Melinda Snodgrass, ‘The Hands That Are Not There’
Pat Cadigan, ‘Caretakers’
Cecelia Holland, ‘Nora’s Song’
Jim Butcher, ‘Bombshells’
ayejay's review
5.0
Decent coming of age tale, but I feel it didn't live up to the dangerous woman theme.
xandira's review
4.0
To be fair, I have not read every single story. but I have read a good chunk, and they have all been fantastic. Especially Sanderson's. I may not get around to reading the rest, but I didn't want to leave this is limbo forever.
heyheybooks's review
3.0
I borrowed this book from my mom, who bought it for the Diana Gabaldon story, and I chose to read it as part of my Big Books project in 2017. It comes in at 784 pages, with 21 short stories included, of various genres. I started out intending to read every story, but ended up not finishing 6 of them. My favorites by far were Megan Lindholm (Robin Hobb)’s story about an elderly woman whose neighbor goes missing, and is visited by a mysterious fog, and Brandon Sanderson’s Shadows For Silence in the Forests of Hell, a very well done fantasy story about a bounty hunter and some super spooky ghost-type things. Both are authors I hadn’t read before but have books on my to-read list, and I’m glad I enjoyed them.
Two of the other stories are by authors I have read before. Gabaldon’s story was interesting but lacked my favorite parts of the Outlander world, and George RR Martin’s story was so dry and overly detailed it ended up being skipped after a few pages. Which is a shame, because I love the main Song of Ice and Fire series. The other authors I skipped or gave up on after a page or two were Jim Butcher, Lawrence Block, Diana Rowland, Sherrilyn Kenyon, and Caroline Spector.
Overall, it was a little of a letdown, as I was hoping for more badass female protagonists and more stories with a fantasy tilt to them. 3.5 stars.
Two of the other stories are by authors I have read before. Gabaldon’s story was interesting but lacked my favorite parts of the Outlander world, and George RR Martin’s story was so dry and overly detailed it ended up being skipped after a few pages. Which is a shame, because I love the main Song of Ice and Fire series. The other authors I skipped or gave up on after a page or two were Jim Butcher, Lawrence Block, Diana Rowland, Sherrilyn Kenyon, and Caroline Spector.
Overall, it was a little of a letdown, as I was hoping for more badass female protagonists and more stories with a fantasy tilt to them. 3.5 stars.