I remember enjoying this a lot more as a teen, but tastes change right? Overall some still we're delightful, but most fell a bit flat. Less like they were having fun with the stereotypes and more like they were making fun of them. ( )

Read my review of all the stories: http://www.mackat.dk/book/2014/04/reading-chicks-in-chainmail/ ( )

Never put down chicks -- expecially if they have swords! ( )

I read this book a long time ago, probably 2007. At that time, I loved it. Reading it a second time, I feel more critical. Some of the stories, particularly "Career Day" and "The Stone of War and the Nightingale's Egg", were very good. Others weren't. I enjoyed the creative storytelling, but for a feminist book I found it odd that pretty much every female protagonist ended up with a man in the end. Why couldn't they stay single? I attribute this to pop culture's tendency to soften down its feminist characters... an un-partnered feminist is too intimidating for most people. Sigh. That said, it was definitely an interesting book. Three stars. ( )

I've read several of the anthologies in this series, and I always really *want* to like them - I like the concept, and I very much appreciate the attitude... but then I seem to never really love the stories. I'm just not a big fan of the tongue-in-cheek humor that the series focuses on.

Lady of Steel - Roger Zelazny. A three-page send up relying on reversing gender stereotypes. It doesn't really give itself time to do much with the idea.

And Ladies of the Club - Elizabeth Moon. When they try to start taxing women warriors on their breastplates, the women decide to use their health insurance to have their breasts magically removed - much to the distress of the menfolk.

Exchange Program - Susan Shwartz. Hilary Clinton is mysteriously zapped into a Wagnerian fantasy land, and teaches the Valkyries to demand their rights.

Goddess for a Day - Harry Turtledove. A Greek peasant girl coerced into masquerading as the goddess Athena receives the approbation of the divine.

Armor-Ella - Holly Lisle. A real-estate centered, money-grubbing prince meets his match in a shrewd and deceptive sword-swinging maid. I liked this one's positive cynicism.

Career Day - Margaret Ball. A world-hopping mercenary gets roped into escorting her daughter's whole class on a trip to see what parents do at work all day...

Armor/Amore - David Vierling. A send-up of "barbarian" tropes. Doesn't do much with it.

The Stone of War and the Nightingale's Egg - Elizabeth Ann Scarborough. "Legend has it that [Sun Tzu] served the Wu dynasty after being challenged by the emperor to make an effective army out of his concubines. Sun-tzu placed the emperor's two favorites at the head of two different files of concubines and when they failed to discipline their charges he cut their heads off despite the protests of the emperor. After that the concubines drilled effectively." This story is based on that legend, except no one gets their head cut off, and it's a warrior concubine doing the drilling...

The Growling - Jody Lynn Nye. A very annoying story based on the idea that women who are menstruating are short-tempered. You can send up stereotypes in a funny way, but this just contributes to a false generalization.

The New Britomart - eluki bes shahar. A faux-tourney, put on my some 19th-century-esque aristocrats, becomes the occasion for quite a lot of planning and magical scheming on the parts of several young people. Reminded me a bit of Gordon Dickson.

On the Road of Silver - Mark Bourne. A dedicated but elderly educator about to have her job taken away and her programs replaced with Lazer Light Shows, finds inspiration in her past lives as a warrior woman.

Bra Melting - Janni Lee Simner. A female blacksmith & warrior, tired of having to wear impractical armor, decides to turn the tables on male warriors with an ingenious idea.

The Old Grind - Laura Frankos. A young giantess, eager to see the world, joins a human army.

The Way to a Man's Heart - Esther Friesner. When young women wish to catch a princely husband, and princes are gaga for swordswomen, schools to train young ladies in the martial arts may - or may not - be the answer.

Whoops! - Nancy Springer. A deceased prudish spinster is assigned to be the Guardian Angel of a painfully timid woman. They might actually be good for each other.

The Guardswoman - Lawrence Watt-Evans. The only female member of the City Guard figures out a way to be one of the crew - even on their off-duty trips to the brothels.

Teacher's Pet - Josepha Sherman. A warrior woman and a travelling tutor are thrown together unexpectedly by a shape-shifting spell gone wrong.

Were-Wench - Jan Stirling. A cold and aloof warrior woman is cursed to become a horny wench at the full moon.

Blood Calls to Blood - Elisabeth Waters. The drama of mixed familes with issues to deal with are complicated when there's faerie blood involved.

Maureen Birnbaum in the MUD - George Alec Effinger. A ditzy and make-up obsessed woman tells her friend a far-fetched tale that clearly seems to be based on a video game, not reality. But was it actually true? (Probably the best story in this book.)
I've read several of the anthologies in this series, and I always really *want* to like them - I like the concept, and I very much appreciate the attitude... but then I seem to never really love the stories.
( )