George R. R. Martin, Gardner Dozois (Get this book) Bold and deadly female characters of many genres stride through the pages of this massive anthology. The stand-alones in this smorgasbord of fantasy, science fiction, noir, historical fiction and paranormal romance are also worthy of notice, particularly Megan Abbott's chilling "My Heart is Either Broken," concerning a young mother's socially inappropriate response to her daughter's kidnapping; Megan Lindholm's sadly believable "Neighbors," in which a lonely widow becomes ever more alienated from her daily routine, her family and her neighborhood; and Brandon Sanderson's gripping "Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell," about an innkeeper/bounty hunter who must defeat rapacious ghosts, brutal outlaws and greedy bureaucrats to keep herself and her daughter safe and free. Everyone will find something to like here.--Kirkus
