Dangerous Women
The Dresden Files #13.1 - Bombshells
by George R.R. Martin, Gardner Dozois, Carrie Vaughn, Lev Gossman, Joe R. Lansdale, Megan Lindholm, Lawrence Block, Brandon Sanderson, Sharon Kay Penman, Lev Grossman, Nancy Kress, Diana Rowland, Diana Gabaldon, S.M. Stirling, Sam Sykes, Pat Cadigan, Caroline Spector, Joe Abercrombie, Megan Abbott, Cecelia Holland, Jim Butcher, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Melinda M. Snodgrass
Why You'll Love This
Twenty-three writers — including Martin, Butcher, Sanderson, and Gabaldon — each handed the same dare: write a woman you wouldn't want to cross.
- Great if you want: genre-hopping variety with familiar authors writing at full intensity
- The experience: uneven but rewarding — standout stories justify the whole collection
- The writing: each voice is distinct — Abercrombie's grit versus Sanderson's world-building versus Butcher's wit
- Skip if: anthology inconsistency frustrates you — quality varies significantly story to story
About This Book
What does it mean to be dangerous? Not reckless or villainous — but genuinely, deliberately dangerous in the way that only women who've been underestimated, cornered, or pushed too far can be. This sprawling anthology, edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, gathers some of the most distinctive voices in contemporary fiction to explore that question across genres, centuries, and worlds. From frontier outlaws to medieval queens, from noir femmes fatales to warriors navigating magic systems of breathtaking complexity, every story centers a woman whose danger is inseparable from her humanity.
What makes the collection reward patient reading is its range without chaos. Brandon Sanderson contributes a standalone Cosmere story that feels complete and haunting on its own terms. Jim Butcher drops readers into Dresden's Chicago through a fresh perspective. Joe Abercrombie brings his signature moral grit, while Diana Gabaldon and Sharon Kay Penman anchor the anthology in vivid historical texture. No two stories share a tone or a genre, yet the editorial hand holds it together with real intention. At 700-plus pages, it earns its length — each story a distinct world, each woman unforgettable in her own right.