These Princesses Slay their Own Dragons
Back in the 1980’s, women in the science fiction and fantasy genre were mostly relegated to the roles of ‘damsels in distress’ or prizes to be distributed to the male heroes at the end of the story. Stories that featured a strong, brave woman who challenged the world were few and far between. So in the early 1980’s, Marion Zimmer Bradley, author of the Darkover novels and The Mists of Avalon, decided to create an anthology that would address this lack of powerful women in a genre crammed with men.
Featuring formidable authors whose writing careers have flourished in the decades since this anthology series first ran, Sword and Sorceress has become a mainstay in the genre; even years after the death of its creator. Each anthology contains stories where the hero (or sometimes, even the villain) is female and is someone readers can admire for more than her looks. She is passionate, independent, and won’t take insults sitting down. Or she can be shy, softspoken, but have an inner courage that moves mountains.
Notable authors of today’s science fiction and fantasy sold their first stories to this series; authors like Mercedes Lackey, Elisabeth Waters, Glen Cook, Diana L. Paxson, Emma Bull, and several others. Submissions for each volume have been steadily increasing over the years – at one point, there were even enough for three volumes.
The Sword and Sorceress anthology series is still going strong, even past the death of its creator. Showcasing stories with strong females who are independent in their own right, this anthology series will surely continue to empower women in speculative fiction.
