A review by bojanus
Chicks in Chainmail by Esther M. Friesner

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Super fun! A great collection. My favorite was the story about taxing bras. Even reading it in 2024, I felt the themes, stories, and characters still carried well (Aside from perhaps the "Hilary Clinton goes to Valhalla" story, which is choke full of references to her political career that was probably most relevant in the 90's. Nowadays it feels strange and distant to read about what the narrative was surrounding her then compared to a post-2016 election world). In general though, I was surprised how despite the implied time period, many of the stories grapple with very modern themes and structures, both with time-travel or world-hopping mechanics, and by having long boring wizard paperwork that any modern person could relate to. There were also multiple stories that were refreshingly explicit about topics like periods and sex.

Basically, if you want a fun anthology focused on women, check this out! Even almost thirty years since its initial publication, I've enjoyed it!