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I strongly recommend you read this
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/NO4MR9Hl.jpg)
and this.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/rOFGUVz.jpg)
They are great books in many ways but on the topic of female characters they are refreshing for their... neutrality of perspective? They include romance and sex at times, but in a way that makes it feel like something exciting happening to the characters, not the sole reason why they're there. Of course it's hard to pin down why you get that vibe sometimes (from both male and female authors), and what the difference is. In the case of Le Guin I think it's just part of her overall great humanity and ability to relate characters in a way that creates both familiarity and deeper reflection.
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On March 28 2014 22:25 Andre wrote:
Symphony of Ages by Elizabeth Haydon is the best fantasy book I've read that's written by a female author and stars a female protagonist.
It's a bit sugar-coated in some parts as romance is featured heavily, but the world and the characters are really interesting.
I agree with this for the most part.
I enjoyed the world and a lot of characters greatly, and it's a good read, even if the main character is a little bit "girly" or mary sue. I guess it makes the books not as dark as they could have been, and that's not a bad thing about it. It's not close from my top 3 fantasy series but it was worth the read.
And the french covers are really boss, for once I can't say a thing about it.
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Have you read the name of the wind by Patrick Rothfuss? You didn't mention him in your "background" section, and if you haven't read it yet you definitely should. The series is focused tightly on one character and I found refreshing in comparison to stuff like ASoIaF and WoT.
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Canada11379 Posts
I have not read Rothfuss as of yet. But I have seen his name here and elsewhere, so I will definitely check him out. I'm making a library run sometime this week, so I expect I'll have a couple more to read soon.
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ASoIaF is bleak indeed, though I think GRRM wants it to be brutally realistic.
There are moments of justice in the books though, but they are rare (at least for now). GRRM has said the ending will be bittersweet, so...
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I'm surprised that Tamora Pierce isn't on that list. Prolific and skillful fantasy writer who's written some compelling female leads.
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Baa?21244 Posts
On March 31 2014 11:10 Veles wrote:
Have you read the name of the wind by Patrick Rothfuss? You didn't mention him in your "background" section, and if you haven't read it yet you definitely should. The series is focused tightly on one character and I found refreshing in comparison to stuff like ASoIaF and WoT.
On March 31 2014 12:36 Falling wrote:
I have not read Rothfuss as of yet. But I have seen his name here and elsewhere, so I will definitely check him out. I'm making a library run sometime this week, so I expect I'll have a couple more to read soon.
Haven't read it but from I hear it's basically the opposite of "female fantasy" lol.
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On March 31 2014 13:15 Carnivorous Sheep wrote:Show nested quote +On March 31 2014 11:10 Veles wrote:
Have you read the name of the wind by Patrick Rothfuss? You didn't mention him in your "background" section, and if you haven't read it yet you definitely should. The series is focused tightly on one character and I found refreshing in comparison to stuff like ASoIaF and WoT. Show nested quote +On March 31 2014 12:36 Falling wrote:
I have not read Rothfuss as of yet. But I have seen his name here and elsewhere, so I will definitely check him out. I'm making a library run sometime this week, so I expect I'll have a couple more to read soon. Haven't read it but from I hear it's basically the opposite of "female fantasy" lol.
The story has some grit, but the mood isn't bleak like in asoiaf. A more qualified description of the series is "adventure fantasy".
On March 31 2014 13:13 RuiBarbO wrote:
I'm surprised that Tamora Pierce isn't on that list. Prolific and skillful fantasy writer who's written some compelling female leads.
I enjoyed those series when I was younger, they were recommended to me by a female teacher so maybe they have merit beyond YA fiction.
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this thread has inspired me to go out and actively sek books written by women. I've read hundreds of books and I honestly dont think a single one of them was written by a woman. Is that sexist?
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On April 01 2014 09:09 MaRCsoN wrote:
this thread has inspired me to go out and actively sek books written by women. I've read hundreds of books and I honestly dont think a single one of them was written by a woman. Is that sexist?
Some would say it means society itself is sexist.
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No mentions of Jacqueline Carey, Elizabeth Moon, Elizabeth Haydon, CS Friedman, or URSULA K LE GUIN until the last page? Sad. Patricia McKillip and Robin Hobb too.
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Canada11379 Posts
Well... I had said I read Robin Hobb. Intended to read Ursula (although it looks like I'll have to request because my local branch has nothing of her) and I said I probably would never read Carey.
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On April 01 2014 12:59 Falling wrote:
Well... I had said I read Robin Hobb. Intended to read Ursula (although it looks like I'll have to request because my local branch has nothing of her) and I said I probably would never read Carey.
Why not Carey? The sex a bit much for you? That's the only complaint I've ever gotten for her and I understand why.
I think LeGuin's books are like 5$ on amazon.
And shit. I totally forgot Naomi Novik, I'm really surprised I haven't seen anyone mention Temaraire. It's historical fiction/fantasy. Starts right before Trafalgar in Napoleonic era but has dragons.
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I'm a total fan of Ursula K. Le Guin and would really recommend The Dispossessed and The Word for World is Forest. After reading almost all her books, I've read those like 3 or 4 times more. They just thrill me each time.
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I read the first assassins trilogy, and while it was alright I didn't think it was that amazing.
However it could be mostly personal bias, the characters were mostly good but the world didn't spark my sense of wonder much at all.
I preferred the empire series cowritten by janny wurts and raymond e feist, although I'm not sure, I thought that janny wurts wrote most of it but it was raymond e feists world so he was needed for related characters and how the world worked.
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On April 01 2014 21:30 Sikian wrote:
I'm a total fan of Ursula K. Le Guin and would really recommend The Dispossessed and The Word for World is Forest. After reading almost all her books, I've read those like 3 or 4 times more. They just thrill me each time.
I liked The Word for World is Forest more than any of the other books I've read from her. So I can agree with that sentiment even if she is famous for other books.
On April 02 2014 02:17 Slayer91 wrote:
I read the first assassins trilogy, and while it was alright I didn't think it was that amazing.
However it could be mostly personal bias, the characters were mostly good but the world didn't spark my sense of wonder much at all.
I preferred the empire series cowritten by janny wurts and raymond e feist, although I'm not sure, I thought that janny wurts wrote most of it but it was raymond e feists world so he was needed for related characters and how the world worked.
That is probably why it is the best book with Feists name on it. :p
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On April 02 2014 02:17 Slayer91 wrote:
I read the first assassins trilogy, and while it was alright I didn't think it was that amazing.
However it could be mostly personal bias, the characters were mostly good but the world didn't spark my sense of wonder much at all.
I preferred the empire series cowritten by janny wurts and raymond e feist, although I'm not sure, I thought that janny wurts wrote most of it but it was raymond e feists world so he was needed for related characters and how the world worked.
That's just how fantasy goes I think. If he could write good characters, I would say that Brandon Sanderson is the next Tolkien, but even though he writes such amazing settings, I don't think there's a single exceptional character in any of his books. It's sad, depressing really.
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I don't know whether to thank you or send you a bill for my time. This has been eating up every free second of my time for the last few days, and I'm not even close to halfway done.
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EPT
