Fist of the Spider Woman anthology
Publisher: Arsenal Pulp Press, 2009
Genre: Horror
Sub-genre: Anthology, LGBT
Rating: 3 and 1/2 pints of blood
I really like the cover for this book. I didn't much at first, but it grew on me. I love the simple style and lack of color. Plus its overall creepiness, what between the floating heads in the water and the woman with the freaky spider legs, fits the horror genre well.
Fist of the Spider Woman is an anthology of horror stories primarily featuring lesbian relationships or women who are different. The anthology was edited by Amber Dawn and the stories assembled do a fabulous job answering the questions "What do queer women fear the most?" and "What do queer women desire the most?" Most stories focus more on the balance between fear and desire than one or the other exclusively, and for the most part they all do a very good job of hitting that fine line in between.
I have to say my absolute favorite part of this anthology is the variety in the stories. I tend to get bored with anthologies because it feels like I'm just reading the same story written with different characters. This is definitely not an issue with Spider Women. All of the stories set out with the same theme but end up so completely different that it's refreshing rather than tiring. This is most definitely not an anthology you will get tired with. Anyone who likes any type of horror should be able to find at least one or two stories in this anthology that they will enjoy.
Unfortunately this book also suffers the downfall of most anthologies, with so many stories there are some you love, some you hate and some that just aren't memorable enough for either. I did enjoy the majority of stories in this anthology, most notably In Circles by Aurelia T. Evans, Sido by Suki Lee and Shark by Kestrel Barnes, but there were others I think I could have lived without. I'm sure depending on your taste for horror there will be others you love or not.
Overall this is a good and refreshing horror anthology to read, especially if you're looking for good LGBT themed stories.
Genre: Horror
Sub-genre: Anthology, LGBT
Rating: 3 and 1/2 pints of blood
I really like the cover for this book. I didn't much at first, but it grew on me. I love the simple style and lack of color. Plus its overall creepiness, what between the floating heads in the water and the woman with the freaky spider legs, fits the horror genre well.
Fist of the Spider Woman is an anthology of horror stories primarily featuring lesbian relationships or women who are different. The anthology was edited by Amber Dawn and the stories assembled do a fabulous job answering the questions "What do queer women fear the most?" and "What do queer women desire the most?" Most stories focus more on the balance between fear and desire than one or the other exclusively, and for the most part they all do a very good job of hitting that fine line in between.
I have to say my absolute favorite part of this anthology is the variety in the stories. I tend to get bored with anthologies because it feels like I'm just reading the same story written with different characters. This is definitely not an issue with Spider Women. All of the stories set out with the same theme but end up so completely different that it's refreshing rather than tiring. This is most definitely not an anthology you will get tired with. Anyone who likes any type of horror should be able to find at least one or two stories in this anthology that they will enjoy.
Unfortunately this book also suffers the downfall of most anthologies, with so many stories there are some you love, some you hate and some that just aren't memorable enough for either. I did enjoy the majority of stories in this anthology, most notably In Circles by Aurelia T. Evans, Sido by Suki Lee and Shark by Kestrel Barnes, but there were others I think I could have lived without. I'm sure depending on your taste for horror there will be others you love or not.
Overall this is a good and refreshing horror anthology to read, especially if you're looking for good LGBT themed stories.