A Phoenix First Must Burn ed. by Patrice Caldwell (review)
Buy Issue for $25 at JHUP- A Phoenix First Must Burn ed. by Patrice Caldwell
Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-9848-3565-9 $18.99
E-book ed. ISBN 978-1-9848-3566-6 $10.99
Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 7-10
Caldwell brings together sixteen women authors of color for this collection of fantasy and speculative fiction short stories devoted to the power of Black girlhood. Thematically consistent, these mostly feature female protagonists finding agency in one way or another, be it from redesigning their deal with the devil, exacting vengeance as soul-sucking witches on men who have taken too much from too many women, or choosing their fate via sequencing software. Particular standouts are Karen Strong’s “The Witch’s Skin,” an evocative tale of dark magic, revenge, and grief, and Justina Ireland’s humorous “Melie,” following an ambitious enchantress and her quest for recognition (also featuring murderous unicorns and sassy mermaids, a double bonus). The writers do an impressive amount of world building with limited space, and the tones range from folkloric formality to bitingly acerbic, pulling in a broad audience. A compelling and thoughtful collection, this makes an impressive addition to the plethora of SF short story anthologies out there, with the additional benefit of representing people of color and women in a genre not always inclusive of them. [End Page 297]
