Heiresses of Russ 2012: The Year's Best Lesbian Speculative Fiction

“Our worthy mission was to highlight the breadth and quality of lesbian speculative fiction published during the past year, but our even higher purpose has been to provide a book that any readers with a taste for quality science fiction, fantasy, horror, and all their permutations will enjoy.”
—from the Introduction by Lambda Literary Award-winning co-editor Connie Wilkins
 
An unexplained astronomical phenomenon brings a woman and her grandfather closer while she questions the meaning of faith. African villagers in need of aid are sent automatons rather than human relief workers. Mermaids devour men drawn by their song, but what will happen to a steampunk submersible piloted by a woman? Two teenage girls discover that memories are held in the fine aromas of perfumes. A family of sisters in Mexico discovers a fallen angel. These are tales of the strange, the wondrous, the eerie, but all are richly told stories of women facing the unknown and how they are changed by their experiences.

“Several of the fantasy selections use the witch as a classic symbol of female mystery and power, but the stories have a good breadth of setting, and each has a distinctive voice. Showcasing a mix of authors, from superstars like Nalo Hopkinson to promising newcomers like S.L. Knapp, this solid, well-chosen collection will be enjoyed by genre fans of all genders and orientations.”
—Publishers Weekly