Second Arabesque, Very Slowly, by Nancy Kress

Nancy Kress is a first-rate writer, the stories illuminate even rather standard setups very well.  Such is the case here.  Second Arabesque, Very Slowly is from the Dangerous Women collection, and it's predictable as a post-Apocalypse tale--in this case a population collapse due to an infertility plague.  The protagonist is a Nurse, a small tribe's healer.  She is getting on in years and knows she can't keep up much longer.  In post-Apocalypse worlds life is about survival.  But even in desperate survival conditions people want beauty.  So it is here.  It's heartwarming in its own way, and nice to read, but not really above average.  Two stars.

The Girl In the Mirror, by Lev Grossman

The Girl In the Mirror is another story in Dangerous Women, and is a part of the author's The Magicians setting.  As always it's hard to judge a short story out of the context of its series.  But from this sample I get the feeling I've read it already--Harry Potter (there's even a shoutout in here)--so probably won't pursue it further.  It's kind of fun but there's a lot of references outside the story and just feels derivative now.  2 stars.

A Queen in Exile, by Sharon Kay Penman

From Dangerous Women: A Queen in Exile is a historical piece.  It's well done, and straight history holds up reasonably well against fantasy such as Game of Thrones.  But in the end I like speculation.  2 stars.

Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell, by Brandon Sanderson

I greatly admire Brandon Sanderson's fantasy.  All the stories I have read seem very complete and well-developed, and this story is no exception.  I just discovered why--he has them all tied together under the Cosmere, an overarching structure of "Shardworlds" that allow for different world structures but fit together.  You learn something every day.

Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell is set in a world where some manner of fantastic tragedy has created a place where the dead turn into dangerous "shades" that require careful preparation to deal with.  Fortunately they follow some logical rules.  Our protagonist, Silence, owns an inn in the middle of Shadow territory, and is a bounty hunter as well as an inkeeper.  Tough life, since her fence is a government agent putting the squeeze to her.  This makes a good setup for a strong story, with lots of action and a world that has a nasty potential beauty, just a little like Sean McMullen's Greatwinter trilogy, though it's kind of a stretch. 

3 stars from me.  Fun to read.

I Know How to Pick 'Em, by Lawrence Block

More from Dangerous Women--I Know How to Pick 'Em is one that I kind of wonder if it qualifies.  Yes, the lady definitely has intentions, but I wonder if she really knew as well as the protagonist thought that she could carry them off.  To be dangerous you have to have bad thoughts and be able to carry them out.  Now the protagonist (a guy), he really is dangerous.  2 stars but almost fun. 

Neighbors, by Megan Lindholm

Megan Lindholm's story Neighbors (the link to LibraryThing attributes to Robin Hobb, a pseudonymn) is a decent parallel universe story, with the theme of an aging person who might be suffering from dementia crossing over.  To what sounds like a worse place, except she would be free there.  That's all fine--what stuck in my mind is the apparent age of the "old" people.  The protagonist is becoming dangerously forgetful, and is "closer to sixty-eight than eight".  Her neighbor who has already lost it was carpooling kids to soccer just 22 years ago.  The protagonist's brother is rotting with Alzheimer's in a nursing home.  Lot of early onset Alzheimers here.  Amusing.  Two stars for ordinariness, but intriguing for the unintended commentary. 

Wrestling Jesus, by Joe R. Lansdale

I kind of thought I remembered Joe R. Lansdale, but not until after I read Wrestling Jesus, which was probably a good thing--turns out the other story I read by him is one I really disliked, so that experience would have kind of spoiled me.  But this one is actually quite good--think Karate Kid with a professional wrestler.  Indeed, it's a heartwarming tale, so quite the switch.  Good writing and fun to read, so I can recommend it with 3 stars.