Best Woman Fantasy Authors

[felice]

Another series by a female author I liked a lot when I was 14 was Julian May's Saga of the Exiles series (and the prequel/sequel Galactic Milieu Trilogy)

I was about to suggest that, though not so much the Milieu books (they're not bad, but nowhere near as fun as the Saga). The Saga is technically SF, but but very fantasy in style - essentially humans get caught up in war between elves and goblins in a primitive world with castles, magic, and sword fights. The psychic powers are given a pretty detailed scientific gloss, but they're functionally equivalent to magic.

[Galactus]

What did you think of the history? I can't speak to the accuracy, but what the book did for me was drive home, emotionally, this sense of the whole of history as being made up of real people, which came as something of a profound revelation at that point.

I think Willis - especially her serious stuff - is a little love it or leave it. People who don't like Willis, just don't, and people who do - just do. I've come to terms with it, even though I feel she's a bit underappreciated. For someone who liked Blackout/All Clear for readability emotional punch though, which is exactly where I thought the books failed to live up to her previous standards, Doomsday Book is a really obvious rec. If you didn't like DB - you're not going to like BO/AC, but if you did like them, you'll probably love Doomsday.

Oh, I don't dislike Doomsday Book. It had a few very nice time travel things and such. It's just that a lot of people seem to really love it and I can't quite see what I'm missing.

[Lady Winter Rose]

I will recommended The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. But only if you are tired of male heroes and you want to read something from female POV. I think it's bit corny, but fact that, in this novel, Arthurian legend is told only from female POV makes this unusual (and better, if you ask me).

[Mjolnir]

Datepalm Wrote:

Read Doomsday Book. BO/AC were ok, in the end, but they can't hold a candle up to Doomsday book - all the detail and the immersion and the humor, but much more focus and control. And much more of an emotional punch.. (Though I admit To Say Nothing is probably my favorite of her books.]

Thanks. I'll definitely get to Doomsday Book at some point in the near-ish future. Good to hear it's even better. I agree Blackout's very unfocused, but I thought where the story went in All Clear really elevated the whole project and the ending just works for me.

[Grack21]

Grack21 Wrote:

Well I had this long post about how A Companion to Wolves by Monette and Bear is a horrible, disgusting book, but firefox ate it. So yeah. Avoid that book like a Stankek Goodkind team up.

Hey, it's not that bad. I'll grant you it's got some pretty major flaws -- it's quite short and the cast is huge and it's hard to keep them straight, and I really really wish the men-feel-the-compulsions-of-their-wolves thing went more places than just boinking [eating hunted meat, perhaps; it might add more vericimilitude]. But horrible? Disgusting? I thought it was quite interesting in places, particularly the struggles the main character in this very masculine society has with adopting a nonviolent, balancing, peace-keeping role within the wolfcarl society.

It's not what I'd recommend first [or possibly second] by either of them by any means. But I think it's got good points. I certainly wouldn't agree it's Yeardish.

See, I'm all for alt sexuality. If you want to dress up like a clown while a member of the same sex poops on you, go for it! But I draw the line at bestiality. Especially when it so.....descriptive.

[Lady Blackfish]

I feel it's more productive to put everyone in the same group rather than stress the existence of different groups to be treated differently, to fight sexism. Promoting the unjustly under-represented isn't contradictory to that, and is actually the thing to do.

I think saying a thread like this is "sexist" or gives women "special status" is hyperbolic and unnecessary, particularly given the OP's explanation of the situation (which, if I understand correctly, even implies that her son has difficulty thinking of female authors that he has read). IMO it's still extremely true that men and boys are not even expected to be able to relate to female characters (and women do tend to write about female characters, their goals, and their relationships, in a more central and important way than men do), while women and girls are assumed to be just as interested in characters of any gender as any other by default. Certainly I think it's true of the age group that I assume the OP's son belongs to, given things like (removed one example because I'm not sure it's true), movie adaptations adding male characters so boys have something to watch for (assuming they couldn't possibly relate to female characters, it's just too mean to even ask it).

--------------

Re. Marion Zimmer Bradley, since Mists of Avalon gets rec'd so much I have to get on board with the idea that it tries to do something laudable but the end result isn't all that great (it's not horrible either though). I think the most successful part of the story was the Ygraine section, I enjoyed the book considerably less when it revolved around the other two female protagonists.

[Liadin]

Has anyone recced Mary Renault? I remember enjoying her books a lot at that age, and I don't think they slip into YA territory completely, BUT they're failry short.

Historical fiction, yes? I realize the OP's son probably isn't restricted to fantasy, but recommending female authors generally is just too broad a topic--it's as if somebody started a thread saying "recommend some good books."

[Kosciuszko]

I just realized that I've barely read any female authors. I don't think its sexism, because my first fantasy was Susan Cooper and my first books I read a lot of was Judy Blume (I think it was her?) when very young.

Maybe its because most books I read come as recommendations and I don't really take a chance on anything anymore. And people tend to read male authors more, so I tend to hear about them more... and so on, in a sort of vicious cycle. So threads like this are good on occasion to fight that cycle, IMO.

[Curethan]

No-one mentioned Steph Swainston yet? 'The year of our War' was her debut, crisp and interesting, she's added 2 or 3 in the series now. Also at 290 pages its a reasonable choice for assignment reading (i.e anyone should be able to knock it over in under a week).

[Datepalm]

Historical fiction, yes? I realize the OP's son probably isn't restricted to fantasy, but recommending female authors generally is just too broad a topic--it's as if somebody started a thread saying "recommend some good books."

Hm, good point. I kind of think of Renault as being lumped in with my genre reading, though obviously she's not really.

[Grack21]

I'd like to throw Jane Lindskold's Firekeeper books out there. No here talks about them so maybe they're ridiculed for some dumb reason, but I thought they were brilliant. She was able to do intelligent wolves without it turning into cheesy YA or just being a ripoff of Hobb. Plus it actually has an ending.

[SkynJay]

I just realized that I've barely read any female authors. I don't think its sexism, because my first fantasy was Susan Cooper and my first books I read a lot of was Judy Blume (I think it was her?) when very young.

Maybe its because most books I read come as recommendations and I don't really take a chance on anything anymore. And people tend to read male authors more, so I tend to hear about them more... and so on, in a sort of vicious cycle. So threads like this are good on occasion to fight that cycle, IMO.

I am on the same page. Read the Pern books in high school, S. E. Henton(sp?) in middle. And in adult life..... Harper Lee and Stowe? Some J.A. but very little adult fiction. Parker is on my list now though.

[Mjolnir]

Grack21 Wrote:

See, I'm all for alt sexuality. If you want to dress up like a clown while a member of the same sex poops on you, go for it! But I draw the line at bestiality. Especially when it so.....descriptive.

Bestiality?

Um, ... wow, I do ... not remember that.

Seriously, maybe I'm just completely forgetting major scenes -- it could happen, I only read the book the once and it was three years ago and change. But I remember having the same moderately positive response to it when I first finished reading it, and I really think I would remember if there'd been any scenes in which men boinked wolves because it would've freaked me the hell out and caused me to stop reading. All I remember was when the wolves went into heat it caused the men to enter a hormonal rage and do the bow-chicka-wow-wow each with the other, which drove one of the main societal conflicts in the thing because their conception of themselves was as manly men who slept with women. Unless this is what you're referring to, in which case I wouldn't call it bestiality really, disturbing, but also thought-provoking as opposed to just "oh-my-god-get-it-away".

[Grack21]

Grack21 Wrote:

See, I'm all for alt sexuality. If you want to dress up like a clown while a member of the same sex poops on you, go for it! But I draw the line at bestiality. Especially when it so.....descriptive.

Bestiality?

Um, ... wow, I do ... not remember that.

Seriously, maybe I'm just completely forgetting major scenes -- it could happen, I only read the book the once and it was three years ago and change. But I remember having the same moderately positive response to it when I first finished reading it, and I really think I would remember if there'd been any scenes in which men boinked wolves because it would've freaked me the hell out and caused me to stop reading. All I remember was when the wolves went into heat it caused the men to enter a hormonal rage and do the bow-chicka-wow-wow each with the other, which drove one of the main societal conflicts in the thing because their conception of themselves was as manly men who slept with women. Unless this is what you're referring to, in which case I wouldn't call it bestiality really, disturbing, but also thought-provoking as opposed to just "oh-my-god-get-it-away".

It's possible I misread it. I it was a long while ago, and I go through books like potato chips. I could be remembering wrong too. Heh, now I'm curious, I;ll have to give it a skim through when I'm at the store this week.

Reading around on the net it looks like I got all the names confused, but I'm not the only one to do so it seems. Either way I didn't think it was that great, wolf or non wolf porn aside. Is there anything by either author you would recommend? I''m always willing to give an author another shot.

Edit: Man now I feel bad. I'll have to pick up something by one of them Tuesday. Seriously though, the names in that book were confusing.

[Inkdaub]

I already suggested West but I've thought of a couple more that I don't think have been mentioned in the thread.

Tamara Siler Jones wrote three sequential books that were marketed as 'forensic fantasy'. Don't let that label put you off. The books were surprisingly enjoyable and felt familiar and different in all the right places. They center around a castellan named Dubric Byerly who, along with his cohorts, solves murders that occur in his land. The sad part is that Jones has seemingly dropped off the face of the earth.

Sharon Shinn writes a couple different series but the one I like is the Twelve Houses series. I shouldn't like it as it's all about romance and isn't very challenging at all. The plots are simple and the outcomes obvious. But something about these books kept me coming back for more until read the whole series. If she wrote another one I'd read that too. I'm partly joking here as I have to admit I like romance in my books and Shinn balances it well with the action.

[Xray the Enforcer]

Just to be clear: There is no bestiality in A Companion to Wolves. Mjolnir had the right of it.

I've read a few books/stories by Elizabeth Bear -- Hammered, Iron and Wine, and a few short stories I'm not remembering. Hammered was, IIRC, her debut novel and has some debut novel flaws. I never got into Blood and Iron because I discovered that I don't give a shit about the Fae in any story they've ever shown up in. Same thing happened when I read War for the Oaks by Emma Bull. That book was solid, but my inability to care about any stories involving Fae means that I didn't appreciate it as much as I could have.

I've read two books and various short stories by Sarah Monette -- Melusine, The Virtu and ?? Highly stylized prose that I disliked the first time through, and loved the second time through. A warning, though: something happens to one of the POV characters (not going to say what in case you don't want spoilers) that makes for very difficult/frustrating first-time reading of Melusine.

[Grack21]

Just to be clear: There is no bestiality in A Companion to Wolves. Mjolnir had the right of it.

I've read a few books/stories by Elizabeth Bear -- Hammered, Iron and Wine, and a few short stories I'm not remembering. Hammered was, IIRC, her debut novel and has some debut novel flaws. I never got into Blood and Iron because I discovered that I don't give a shit about the Fae in any story they've ever shown up in. Same thing happened when I read War for the Oaks by Emma Bull. That book was solid, but my inability to care about any stories involving Fae means that I didn't appreciate it as much as I could have.

I've read two books and various short stories by Sarah Monette -- Melusine, The Virtu and ?? Highly stylized prose that I disliked the first time through, and loved the second time through. A warning, though: something happens to one of the POV characters (not going to say what in case you don't want spoilers) that makes for very difficult/frustrating first-time reading of Melusine.

I actually like stylized prose, so I'll give it a look see. I feel so bad after accsuing them of wolf porn.

[kissoon]

A few not mentioned yet:

C.L. Moore - Black God's Kiss

Hope Mirrlees - Lud-in-the-Mist

Caitlin R. Kiernan

K.J. Bishop - The Etched City

[Little Valkyrie]

Another series by a female author I liked a lot when I was 14 was Julian May's Saga of the Exiles series (and the prequel/sequel Galactic Milieu Trilogy), and although I haven't read it for a few years I think it would probably stand up to a re-read better than McCaffrey's books. It's a very imaginative series, apparently the basic premise of time travelling back two millions years to the Pliocene epoch wasn't enough of a concept, but May also had to add in psychic powers, Celtic mythology and half a dozen alien races along with a list of (often memorable) characters comparable in size to ASOIAF's cast list.

I still love those--I think they hold up because there are a lot of layers and allusions that I didn't get when I first read them. I also had the pleasure of reading the Saga when it was done, but then waiting for Intervention and the Trilogy...and in the days before heavy Internet use there were no spoilers, so the twists really did twist (and I'll try not to spoil it for anyone else). So first there was a re-read knowing how the entire thing looped together, and then there was a re-read where I caught the threads of Catholic theology and Wagner's Ring.

[williamjm]

I still love those--I think they hold up because there are a lot of layers and allusions that I didn't get when I first read them. I also had the pleasure of reading the Saga when it was done, but then waiting for Intervention and the Trilogy...and in the days before heavy Internet use there were no spoilers, so the twists really did twist (and I'll try not to spoil it for anyone else). So first there was a re-read knowing how the entire thing looped together, and then there was a re-read where I caught the threads of Catholic theology and Wagner's Ring.

When I read it, most of the books were out but I did have to wait for Diamond Mask and Magnificat, I remember spending quite a lot of time wondering what would happen in the last book and how the revelation at the end of Diamond Mask would turn out.