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bookstuff's review against another edition
3.0
Uneven collection.
Best stoties were: "Rules of Engagement" by Sherwood Smith, "The Beheaded Queen" by Dave Smeds, and "Lace-Maker..." by Tanith Lee story. The "Topaz Desert" by Catherine Asaro is a good story, specially for fans of her Lost Continent books, but a poor fit for the collection's theme.
Best stoties were: "Rules of Engagement" by Sherwood Smith, "The Beheaded Queen" by Dave Smeds, and "Lace-Maker..." by Tanith Lee story. The "Topaz Desert" by Catherine Asaro is a good story, specially for fans of her Lost Continent books, but a poor fit for the collection's theme.
janetlun's review
This is an anthology of short stories, generally with some elements of swashbuckling and romance, and often some bending of a gender role. Sherwood Smith's "Miss Austen's Castle Tour" is hilarious, and strikes me as perfectly in tune with Austen's viewpoint in "Northanger Abbey." Mary Rosenblum's "Dragon Wind" is a lovely tale of an imaginary ancient China. Madeleine Robins' "Writ of Exception" nicely turns marriages of convenience on their head. Tanith Lee's "The Pillow Boy of General Shu" is intelligent, heartfelt, and tragic. Francesca Forrest's "The Biwa and the Water Koto" is a lovely little tale of out-smarting a magical creature.
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