Fight Like A Girl - Volume 2 edited by Roz Clarke and Joanne Hall

I would like to thank Wizard’s Tower Press for an advance copy of this collection

Published - Wizard’s Tower Press

Published - ebook at Bristolcon this weekend - rest of the world 21/11

Price - £17 paperback £4.99 Kindle eBook

The first volume of Fight Like A Girl was produced in response to accusations that stories of women warriors were somehow unrealistic and anachronistic. Sadly the need to counter such narratives still exists, but with this new volume we have also sought to broaden the types of women in the stories, and the ways in which they fight. In this book you will find a variety of science fiction and fantasy stories by top women writers. The heroines will face down adversity in many different ways and show what it is like to Fight Like A Girl.

Featuring stories by Danie Ware, Gaie Sebold, Dolly Garland, Cheryl Morgan, Juliet E McKenna, Anna Smith Spark, K R Green, Julia Hawkes Reed, K T Davies, S Naomi Scott & Lou Morgan, plus an introduction by Charlotte Bond

Nb this volume follows the equally excellent https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/blog/2017/10/15/fight-like-a-girl-edited-by-roz-clarke-and-joanne-hall?format=amp

For me a healthy genre is one that constantly evolves and continues a dialogue with itself; reflecting who we are now and not stuck in its past. Eight years can be relatively recent but it seems only a few years ago we were being told no women read or write fantasy (to the surprise of the many women who did), cons would have strange ‘women in fantasy’ panels where authors of vastly different sub genres and styles would be grouped together as clearly all women wrote the same book, and yet now that has happily led to a new genre that is not unusual. Is that it all done? No just like the wider outside world changes we are still exploring the role and indeed the definition of a woman in a science fiction or fantasy environment. Roz Clarke and Joanne Hall have delivered the excellent Fight Like A Girl Volume 2 with a host of excellent authors delivering intelligent and hugely enjoyable stories to push that conversation onwards.

Charlotte Bond reminds us of the journey we are still on in an excellent introduction providing us with reminders of what the world was like and where we now are but even now notes her daughter gets told girls are only expected to do certain things. There is work still to do and this volume really gets stuck into that.

The God of Lost Things or Ethel, Dragonslayer by Danie Ware - as a statement of intent this really works as our character here is not the feisty young woman we may expect but an elderly widow. However Ethel is gifted with the power of seeing and summoning spirits and is on a search for a missing young woman that brings us to the bleakest of locations a U.K. seaside town in winter. Ware creates a spellbinding voice that tells you with Ethel with a woman who has seen a lot, been underestimated before and does not give up. It’s a tale of loss, grief and determination never to lose yourself however hard the world tries. This is a beautiful atmospheric slice of contemporary British fantasy and quite a wonderful read with a unique central character you root for and remind us that aging is not taking us out of the adventure.

Ambition’s Engine by Gaie Sebold - may initially feel not what we expect as our main character is a man in a steampunk analogue Roman Empire but Sebold makes us watch the vain and ambitious Caliest Deapa on his quest for power and also makes us look at the people around him. In particular a simple hairdresser who knows some secrets that may help. As well as giving us a society and main character we dislike Sebold cleverly makes us see what Deapa cannot and the con here is not a simple heist but the fate of an empire. A tale leaving you with a smile on the face.

A Human Response by Dolly Garland - from secondary world to the very near future and it’s the last hours of the human race. Our main character tells us of how she has ventured into a city where everyone is fleeing spaceships in the sky and she has decided to kill her mother. It’s an excellent hook into a great story that is a dark action and suspense filled SF tale where Garland subverts expectations and delivers a powerful set of reveals and a chilling final act. When do you fight and when do you not? The ambiguity of what is to come next really works in this story.

More Trouble Than She’s Worth? By Cheryl Morgan - a great multi-layered tale of SF action narrated by a spaceship’s AI. We watch a shop of the Queen’s Amazon Navy and its brave warrior crew having to deal with the pregnant Ionian Princess of the opposition they have captured. We have SF-nail takes on Greek mythology but also an explores issues of pregnancy techniques and gender biases and challenges of biological essentialism. The space and land side battles going on are all thrilling but the heart of the story is one of ideas, acceptance and persuasion which really makes this work. Very smart storytelling.

Civil War by Juliet E McKenna - one of my favourites stories is a reminder sometimes the battle is actually not having to fight. A kingdom feels on the edge as various factions become aware the beloved King is dying and two male rivals plan to get the Crown. McKenna takes us through the levels of society that actually make a kingdom work - the powerful household staff, the merchant guilds and noble signatories and we watch the subtle (and occasionally not) ways cases and arguments are made as to what happens next. Just as thrilling as a battle scene but all leads to an excellent pay-off and a reminder to watch all the people in the picture not just the rich and powerful who are centre stage.

Lady Cona by Anna Smith Spark - another favourite and in contrast here is a girl who does indeed like to fight. We watch the warrior princess Cona prepare for battle and Smith Spark creates a character we both enjoy and just slightly fear and suspect may not be the hero. Cons is a wonderful layered character who ultimately we see is a skilled warrior and tactician even if they have a fairly weak voice for speeches and let’s the fighting do the talking. Everything is set up and then we get a gloriously poetic and bloody description of the battle, a fight with a hero and the aftermath. You come away admiring Cona as a power in her own right you really hope you never have to meet on the battlefield. Epic fantasy in miniature.

Ready for Combat by KR Green - another favourite story takes us to Brighton and a battle of secret magical communities. But Green also brings into the timely battle for trans rights and we follow the Circlet and their members in a battle with a Gender Critical protest where they are using magic to change opinion. Green gives us trans characters and indeed the Circlet elders are having to reappraise their own biases. It’s a tale of inclusion, acceptance and taking the fight to the bigots. As well as a fascinating secret world and great characters the story had a passion and message I really loved how it was delivered.

We Have Always Been Here by Julia Hawkes-Read - this gives us an intriguing a fascinating alternate WW2 take with added UFOs and spirits to find out what on earth is going on. Social media fans may also spot the use of Hookland! A fun tale.

The Seamstress, the Hound, the Cook, and her Brother - by KT Davies. A bit of gritty fantasy noir as we we follow four linked characters all get embroiled into a much bigger plotline. Davies changes the story from an cunning heist, the pursuit of the thief and then a finale where it’s less the fate of kingdoms but a hard working cook who loves her young brother too much to let anyone hurt him. We get to see interior and exterior perceptions of characters, action sequences and the various factions and levels of one society but all delivered in a short story really well.

A Way Out by S Naomi Scott - a really impressive SF tale focused on a damaged sentient cyborg warrior spacecraft where our main character lives as a brain only. Scott combines a compelling tale of a damaged ship lost in space trying to work out what’s happened with the backstory that led our character to this situation. A tale of getting out - in many ways and also deciding who are you really fighting for? I really liked it!

Amplify by Lou Morgan - a thrilling end to the volume awaits in this story of not giving up or giving in. We watch an experienced Commander in a beta war with a major power that means her underground fortress is the last one standing. The odds are huge, the situation is bleak and yet there is a chance. Watching our lead character Sarah take that challenge on; lead troops and go for it when the battle is for the highest of stakes makes this an incredibly tense read. Keeps us guessing the outcome all the way to the final page. Really impressive storytelling.

Volume 2 of Fight Like A Girl is a a worthy successor and takes us on a journey as to what SF and fantasy can now deliver and it looks based on this collection to be in a healthy state and I cannot wait to see what is next. Strongly recommended!