With a title like Dangerous Women and George R.R. Martin as an editor, I had radically different expectations for what this book would be than it ended up being. I expected more fantasy, though the amount of more realistic fiction didn't really bother me. I really expected more central women characters, and that's where this collection ultimately failed to deliver. The quality of the stories was patchy at best, so let me break it down good/bad style. 
 The Good 
 When these stories are good, they are very very good. The collection includes quality offerings from Joe Abercrombie, Megan Abbott, Jim Butcher, Carrie Vaughn, and Caroline Spector. The women in these stories may show vulnerability, but they're still powerful, and often dangerous. Butcher's is a Dresden Files story that takes place between Ghost Story and Cold Days, with Molly as its central character. It's always a delight to see more from the women of the Dresden Files. Vaughn provides a look at the women of World War II with a story about a Russian fighter pilot. In general, the good stories show a respect for women, an ability to write women like people, and an understanding of what a SFF audience is looking for with a title like Dangerous Women. 
 The Bad 
 Unfortunately, there are several stories that seemed to miss the point entirely. These stories don't feature women as central characters, interpret "dangerous" in a stereotypical, praying-mantis kind of way, or outright abuse their women. One story in particular features a scene of sexual violence so awful I had to put the book down. Too often in these stories, the "dangerous woman" in question is a secondary concern to the very male story. And honestly, there were at least two stories that completely lost my interest before the women even showed up. 
 Generally, I think that this collection exemplifies Martin's own spotty record of dealing with women, and thus it should be no surprise that he'd publish stories that both celebrate female power and ultimately strip it from them. 
 The crowning glory of this collection, obviously, is Martin's own contribution, a historical account of the Dance of the Dragons, in which Targaryen fought Targaryen in a struggle for the throne. In many ways, it bears more resemblance to the Wars of the Roses than the War of the Five Kings does, despite the frequent comparisons between those two. This type of writing is where Martin really shines; his worldbuilding is always meticulous and detailed, and frequently his characters and storylines seem poor secondary considerations to the world they're in. Perhaps if A Song of Ice and Fire were written this way, it would be shorter and more engrossing, without the weak or slow spots that bog the story down. 
 Overall, the collection is worth reading, but I'd suggest getting it from the library.