Recommendations: SF/F books without sexual assault triggers

[The Reckoner]

Roland was pretty willing when he went into that speaking ring, wasn't he? I would say Moorcock's stuff (mostly Elric and Von Bek, though I think Von Bek might have some of OP's triggers) is better than Hobb, Earthsea LeGuin, Lewis, Tolkien. Wolfe, Gibson, and LHoD LeGuin are the best on the list. I would also suggest Robert Howard, but again his Conan stuff probably trips the triggers.

[Darth Richard II]

Now, as shown, my memory isn't so great, and there are like 16 or so books now, but I'm pretty sure Steven Brust's Vlad Taltosh serious is rape free. And excellent and overlooked here. :P

My God looking at my shelves....there's a lot of rape in these books. o.O

OK, series that are awesome that I'm fairly certain don't have rape

The Expanse

Legend of Eli Monpress

Naomi Novik's Dragon books I am not going to try and spell. Temeraire?

I want to say Tad Williams Memory of SOrrow and Thorn, but its been ages since I last read that one.

[Galactus]

Roland was pretty willing when he went into that speaking ring, wasn't he? I would say Moorcock's stuff (mostly Elric and Von Bek, though I think Von Bek might have some of OP's triggers) is better than Hobb, Earthsea LeGuin, Lewis, Tolkien. Wolfe, Gibson, and LHoD LeGuin are the best on the list. I would also suggest Robert Howard, but again his Conan stuff probably trips the triggers.

I know at least some of Moorcock's stuff has rape in it. (and apparently a lot of it) thanks to Ferretbrain's runthrough but then again, Moorcock has written a ton, and I'm not sure which ones.

but again his Conan stuff probably trips the triggers.

You know, the frost giant's daughter, that is all about Conan trying to rape a woman. (he fails, but still)

I want to say Tad Williams Memory of SOrrow and Thorn, but its been ages since I last read that one.

Fairly certain Miriamele is at least threatened at some point? Might be a few other instances as well.

[MisterOJ]

And as the person making the list, I think the detailed discussion is very handy. Like, I'd be comfortable recommending (for instance) Kavalier & Clay to someone whose only trigger is graphic, violent sexual assault; the scene in question in that book involves coercion and is faded-to-black. But there's other people to whom a scene like that would be a deal-breaker.

Man, I gotta find a way to catalog these that doesn't end up with a spreadsheet with one column dedicated to cataloging different instances of literary sexual violence. That would just be depressing, and possibly counterproductive.

So are you doing this with a specific purpose in mind? Or are you just doing it for kicks?

[Darth Richard II]

The Frost Giant's Daughter isn't ABOUT that, it starts off with a naked girl taunting him in the snow and ch chases her because BEWBS, but I wouldn't say thats what its ABOUT.

I'm nitpicking.

[Crom Dubh]

I thought it was implied/stated that Conan was ensorcelled by the eponymous daughter, hence why he chases after her? Still, rather rapey, but kindof not-by-choice on Conan's part. Either way, nothing ever happens though it is pretty clear what he intends, and that he feels confused as to why he tried to do it afterwards. So, if you're on a "hair trigger" as Daniel Abraham says, avoid it. Otherwise, go for it.

[Darth Richard II]

I thought it was implied/stated that Conan was ensorcelled by the eponymous daughter, hence why he chases after her? Still, rather rapey, but kindof not-by-choice on Conan's part. Either way, nothing ever happens though it is pretty clear what he intends, and that he feels confused as to why he tried to do it afterwards. So, if you're on a "hair trigger" as Daniel Abraham says, avoid it. Otherwise, go for it.

Yes, its actually occasionally a matter of heated debate, although I agree with your interpretation. You'd probably still want to put it on the no no list though.

[Lies And Perfidy]

So are you doing this with a specific purpose in mind? Or are you just doing it for kicks?

A friend requested recommendations and a bunch of other people chimed in with similar sentiments.

[Darth Richard II]

Do you have more specific criteria? Like it's been said it's hard to really give good recs unless we know how sensitive people are.

[Lies And Perfidy]

Yeah, that's the difficulty, isn't it? I alluded to this in a previous post, but some people are fine with anything that doesn't have graphic on-page sexual assault; others might actually be okay with that but are triggered by scenes of coercion/manipulation; and then others just want a fantasy book where rape isn't a thing that gets discussed period. I guess it depends on the nature of a person's specific trauma and how their brain handles it.

All of these recs have been good recs, because people are talking about them. :)

[Errant Bard]

Wait, only Fantasy? I thought you wanted anything in speculative fiction.

[emberling]

Now, as shown, my memory isn't so great, and there are like 16 or so books now, but I'm pretty sure Steven Brust's Vlad Taltosh serious is rape free. And excellent and overlooked here. :P

Really? Nothing in the first couple of books when Vlad is a crime boss? He owns brothels. Pimps report to him. That could be ok in some situations but this is not really a consent-respectful culture. It's been a long time and my memory is certainly fuzzy but I'm pretty sure there are, at minimum, scenes where Vlad interacts with one or more women who are forced by circumstances into prostitution and he is very sad and regretful about it but then does nothing to help and even profits off the situation. I seem to also remember when he talks about his past getting beat down by Orca thugs regularly - which could be triggering itself - he mentions offhand or obliquely that women in his situation would be raped.

It is shockingly hard to think of books I can be confident have no sexual assault or coercion, foreground or background or threatened. If it's not on the page it's in the main female character's backstory or just tossed in the setting to make it seem real, to signify seedy places and bad people, etc.

[Darth Richard II]

Yeah I don't remember anything specific from the first few, it's been so long, but Tiassa has some stuff I just remembered.

[Galactus]

It is shockingly hard to think of books I can be confident have no sexual assault or coercion, foreground or background or threatened.

I can think of a few examples, but once you get into genre stuff (with the violence that tends to imply) it gets harder.

The first thing that comes to mind for me is Robinson Crusoe. (lots of racism, but no sexual violence, of course, there are no women in that book so...) Jules Vernes' "The Mysterious Island" also qualifies, I think. (presumably for the same reason)

Basically, it's "relatively" easy as long as you avoid books dealing with war or crime. That doesen't guarantee it by a long shot, but if it has either of those things, chances are there's going to be rape involved.

[peterbound]

Really? Nothing in the first couple of books when Vlad is a crime boss? He owns brothels. Pimps report to him. That could be ok in some situations but this is not really a consent-respectful culture. It's been a long time and my memory is certainly fuzzy but I'm pretty sure there are, at minimum, scenes where Vlad interacts with one or more women who are forced by circumstances into prostitution and he is very sad and regretful about it but then does nothing to help and even profits off the situation. I seem to also remember when he talks about his past getting beat down by Orca thugs regularly - which could be triggering itself - he mentions offhand or obliquely that women in his situation would be raped.

It is shockingly hard to think of books I can be confident have no sexual assault or coercion, foreground or background or threatened. If it's not on the page it's in the main female character's backstory or just tossed in the setting to make it seem real, to signify seedy places and bad people, etc.

So, pretty much no book in the genre would fit your criteria for the OP.

The Taltos books are very light on the exploitation, and its a rare book in realm of fantasy that doesn't deal with some aspect of the underworld, to include prostitution.

[Darth Richard II]

DragonLance? Maybe?

*ducks rocks*

[Papirolle]

Book of the New Sun has rape in it, as has been pointed out already.

Also, Neal Stephensons Baroque Cycle has rape in it. I particularly remember in Quicksilver, a quite brutal scene where a man is raped. Also, one of the protagonists is a harem girl.

[Darth Richard II]

Yeah, you know, there's a lot of raoe in our genre huh?

[MinDonner]

The Lies of Locke Lamora series is rape-free, IIRC? There's a hint in book 3 maybe that Sabetha was afraid of a particular culture's rituals of rape-ginger-virgins-to-death (which, OK), but I don't recall anything onscreen in either of the first two books.

Also, Alan Campbell's Scar Night doesn't have any at all in that I can recall, despite a few prominent female characters. But Dying Earth has a fuckton of it (especially if you include threats) and Inversions I think has an almost-rape scene towards the end... man, there really is a lot of it about. :-/

[peterbound]

Yeah, you know, there's a lot of raoe in our genre huh?

I think with as broad of a criteria people are setting, Ya, it's going to be tough to find something without 'triggers'