Review: Bad Ass Moms

As usual for a collection or anthology, I have reviews per each short story.

Ruth: Our main character is not just a mother, but a grandmother. That doesn’t stop her from getting the justice she deserves. A compelling tale of wits and experience being a mighty weapon.

Raising the Dead (Hindy Silverman): Funnily enough, I think I added a book with a VERY similar premise to my TBR list recently. Imagine that kids show, Monster High, but instead of a kids’ perspective, it’s told from the parents’ perspective. It was a fun story and I would definitely read more in this world.

What We Bring With Us (Derek Tyler Attico): A multi-generational story about a line of very bad-ass moms.

The Songbird and Her Cage (Joanna Schnurman): A somewhat more mundane story than the prior ones (as in not fantasy or SF), but a very bad ass mom nonetheless.

Hellbeans (Jenifer Purcel Rosenberg): the short story had the cadence and sentence structure of a kids’ story which helped to add levity to the plot from the beginning. This story didn’t just have one bad ass mom, but a bunch of them as well as a neighborhood coming together.

Krysta, Warrior President (Peter David): A fun crossover between a Conan the Barbarian style story with the modern world.

Did THEY do that? (Denise Sutton): A story of a frazzled mother of twins. Why are they leaving her so frazzled? Simply because it’s 2 of them at once? The overall plot twist was pretty obvious a few paragraphs in, but it was still a fun narrative. The final plot twist was great.

Mama Bear (Danielle Ackley-McPhail): If I hadn’t gotten so into fae stuff in the last decade (especially from the October Daye and Dresden Files series), I would have been lost with a bunch of the references in this short story. However, the emotion was pretty powerfully written. I would love to see more from this world.

Jupiter Justice (Kris Katzen): A science fiction short story that seems to echo a lot of the political and scientific tone of The Expanse. I would enjoy reading more about Trung.

The Devil You Knew (Glen Hauman): almost a bit of micro-fiction. As I was reading it I had this sense of dread the whole time that felt so great to release when the twist was revealed.

Mr. Eb’s organic sideshow (Paige Daniels): The opening of this story was pretty obvious given the title but it definitely went off in a different direction than I expected.

Materfamilias (Keith RA Decandido): A world in which some people are Coursers - like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but for all kinds of creatures. Unlike Buffy, but like other stories I’ve read, their presence is not a secret. This short story has us follow one on a short case. I’d definitely like to see more short stories with this character.

Pride Fight (Te Bakutis): This short story does the form perfectly. We get introduced to just enough backstory that I wish I could have a whole novel in this world. It provides enough flavor to make the story work beautifully. The final reveal was there all along if the reader was paying attention (I didn’t predict it, but it followed perfectly from the information given to us) The protagonist was one of my favorite Bad Ass Moms from this anthology.

Perfect Insanity (TJ Perkins): This short story is a fun blend of the mundane and the fantastical. While it works best as a short story, I think the setting is rife for more exploration.

The Art of Crafting Resistance (Karissa Laurel): These types of stories are always hard to do. I think it’s why so much fantasy fiction stays away from the real world or ignores the hard stuff. (eg in a world where magic seems consequence free like Harry Potter - why is there human war, terrorism, etc. Magic systems where there are costs, like The Magicians, don’t have to deal withi this as much) So it was hard to read this story, especially in 2026 and think it’s all just magic. I know it’s magic as metaphor, but it just makes real life hurt all the more for that fact that it’s just human nature and not a magic spell.

The Hardwick Files: The Case of the Full Moon (Russ Colchamiro): A short detective story at a Daycare center. It wasn’t exactly my style, but it was a fun, fast read.

“Come in, sit down, have a bite!” (Paul Kupperberg): If you’ve read enough of my review of comics/graphic novels or have read enough of my blog you know that one of my hobby horses is railing at the fact that the major comic book companies don’t let their heroes age. Sure, sure these are proven characters with a fan base and history, but they’re truly limiting the stories they can tell. (I think this is why Dark Knight Returns and Kingdom Come are so well celebrated) This short story can be summarized as - what if Buffy grew old (like grandmother age)? There isn’t too much room to explore the idea in this short story, but there’s enough that I’d want more. Especially as I get older, stories of once-bad-asses dealing with old age are appealing.

Shape Up, Or Ship Out (Heather E Hutsell): This was the most creative interpretation of the “Bad Ass Moms” prompt. It’s a SF futuristic story and the narrative keeps the reader in suspense about whether this is a dystopian future or not. Also, I always enjoy a demerit machine as in “Demolition Man”.

Shoot Center (Robert Greenberger): This is the first story in this anthology that really tests the reader’s tolerance for sticking with a protagonist no matter what. She is ruthless almost to a fault. But it’s a compelling story nonetheless.

She’s a Real Cougar (Kathleen O’Shea David): I thought I knew where this story was going to go, but it seemed to surprise me at every turn. It definitely has some ideas in common with a corner of literature I normally don’t wander into, but it was a fun story.

Duckbob In: Running Hot and Cold (Aaron Rosenberg): This is one heck of a gonzo story. If you’re willing to go with it, it’s entertaining, but it’s hard to get a handle on at first.

On Moonlit Wings (Mary Fan): I’ve been reading Ms Fan’s books and short stories for a while now. She has a passion for acrobatics and, at least while I was following her on Twitter, she was practicing it herself. Her stories often have elements of acrobatics, dance, and music. This one is no exception. It is also a bit more serious and sobering as it takes place in America’s past rather than a science fictional future or a 2nd world fantasy. Still, it is a perfect fairy tale and a good read.