Let me just say right at the top that I am NOT a fan of George R.R. Martin's Song of Fire and Ice series or the knockoff HBO TV series Game of Thrones. My teeth grind everytime I hear someone refer to Martin as the "American Tolkien." The only thing that Martin has in common with Tolkien (in my opinion) is that they are both prolific writers who constructed entire universes out of the whole cloth of their imaginations. But I digress.
This book is an anthology of stories from a cross section of genres: historical romance to dystopian science fiction, horror noir to urban fantasy; the common denominator is the dangerous female character in each tale. There are 21 stories and novellas in all from some very recognizable authors. If you click HERE you'll see a panygeric review from the L.A. Times; and if you click HERE you'll find a post announcing this book from Martin's own blog.
I waded through this doorstop of a book because it includes a short story, Bombshells, by Jim Butcher from his Harry Dresden series. I am a major fan of Butcher's Harry Dresden, and this is the best piece in the anthology as far as I am concerned. I would also recommend My Heart Is Either Broken by Megan Abbott, Wrestling Jesus by Joe R. Lansdale (although technically the dangerous woman in this story is just a walk-on part), the amazing and poignant Neighbors by Megan Lindholm (a close contender for the title of best in the book), Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell by Brandon Sanderson, City Lazarus by the incomparable Diana Rowland, and Lies My Mother Told Me by Caroline Spector (because I just can't resist a kickass story with a New Orleans setting and this one is terrific).
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