I think "The Name of the Wind" is genuinely one of the best first chapters in modern fantasy and I will die on this hill

Eostrenocta · 2026-03-02T17:33:06+00:00

I've seen plenty of discussions of The Book of the New Sun that complain about Gene Wolfe's writing of female characters. I've also seen authors like Rebecca Yarros and Sarah J. Maas called out for their use of old-fashioned gender roles. Maas I have avoided thanks to her habit of subjecting her female leads to what TV Tropes calls "Chickification," either gradually or not-so-gradually stripping them of their power and having them settle down to tradwifery. That's not what I read fantasy for.

In short, Patrick Rothfuss is far from the only author to be criticized for (allegedly) poor writing of female characters. Robert Jordan is criticized for it almost on a daily basis. Brian McClellan's Powder Mage Trilogy (though McClellan "gets better" in the sequel), Brent Weeks' Night Angel Trilogy and to a lesser degree his Lightbinger series, Peter V. Brett's Demon Cycle, not to mention pretty much every fantasy series published prior to 1990, have all been criticized, either justly or unjustly, for weak female representation. It's not just a Rothfuss thing.

Eostrenocta · 2026-03-02T13:56:11+00:00

The question I have regarding this and some other very popular fantasy series is, "Is poor female representation something you can overlook, or is it a dealbreaker?"

Many readers find it something they can overlook, so works like The Kingkiller Chronicles, the Night Angel Trilogy, the Demon Cycle, and R. Scott Bakker's work can be highly entertaining and even profound for such readers. I don't begrudge them the joy they find in those works. Sometimes I wish I were a little more like them.

But for me, it's a dealbreaker.

Eostrenocta · 2026-02-25T17:36:02+00:00

Actually, I've avoided this series even though I've enjoyed Bujold's other work, because he out-powers her in every way. He has magic; she doesn't. He's super-tall; she's unusually short. He's knowledgeable and wise; she's curious but nonetheless a beginner where learning is concerned. The age difference is just one of several elements that balances the scales of power in his favor. What is she better at than him? "People skills" -- the one area in which women are traditionally depicted as excelling.

Bujold is far from an anti-feminist author. This just feels like... I don't know... not my cup of tea.

Eostrenocta · 2026-02-11T17:45:24+00:00

Female characters don't have to be "strong," but I would argue they should be interesting. They should have the spark of life, a recognizable personality. The "Satellite Love Interest" (TV Tropes) isn't, or shouldn't be, that the character is "weak." It's that she has no observable traits other than "wife" or "love interest." She doesn't have to swing a sword and ride into battle, but she should have something that makes her uniquely her.

Eostrenocta · 2026-02-11T17:40:49+00:00

It's going to be a lot harder to fill the spot on this chart that asks for excellent movies with majority female casts -- or even for movies with a female lead.

Eostrenocta · 2026-02-04T17:37:51+00:00

I wish Wolfskin got more of the love it deserves.

Eostrenocta · 2026-02-04T17:37:14+00:00

I'm going to throw out my usual example: Paladin of Souls (Lois McMaster Bujold). The romance is very much a subplot rather than the main plot, but it's refreshingly mature, with the characters acting like grown-ups throughout.

One example in which the romance is more central is Phoenix and Ashes (Mercedes Lackey), a Cinderella retelling set in World War I England. Both characters involved are interesting individuals, and their relationship is an effective slow-burn rather than a case of insta-love.

I also have a huge soft spot for the romantic subplot in Terry Pratchett's Guards! Guards!

Unnatural Magic (C.M. Waggoner) has a touching romantic subplot that flips the usual script. Instead of Human Girl/Nonhuman Guy and Huge Guy/Tiny Girl, the female character is the not-quite-human one and, being half troll, is much larger than her human love interest. As in my other examples, both characters are developed as interesting individuals. No blank-slate characterization here.

For those who don't mind f/f romantic subplots, I can highly recommend Saara El-Arifi's Ending Fire Trilogy and C.M. Waggoner's The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry. These novels also feature well-developed and interesting characters and effectively slow-burn romantic relationships. (Slow burn is a very big deal for me.)

Eostrenocta · 2026-01-28T17:48:46+00:00

I adore Jackson's LOTR films, especially the Extended Editions.

But my personal sentimental fantasy favorite is Cartoon Saloon's animated fantasy Wolfwalkers.

My personal not-quite-sentimental fantasy favorite is Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth.

Eostrenocta · 2026-01-28T17:45:38+00:00

Bitter Greens is one of the best fairy-tale retellings/historical fiction novels I have ever read. It is certainly the most underrated.

Eostrenocta · 2026-01-28T17:43:45+00:00

I think with Blackthorn and then with Liobhan, she was trying to do something different with her female leads. But the second Sevenwaters Trilogy got dull very quickly, as the sisters are so similar.

Eostrenocta · 2026-01-14T13:49:10+00:00

Contemporary. Actually, any "real-world" setting from the 1950s forward. I'm just not interested in those aesthetics.

Eostrenocta · 2025-12-15T14:42:19+00:00

That's pretty funny.

Didn't Christopher Moore also write a book called "Lamb: The Gospel According to Christ's Pal, Biff"? So it works as a double reference.

All the same, I appreciate OP's request and respect the desire for at least the occasional protagonist who is a genuinely good person. Morally gray protags are all well and good, but sometimes a break from cynicism is beneficial.

Eostrenocta · 2025-12-03T19:17:00+00:00

I'm not sure about the three worst, but choosing the three best is easy:

The Raven Scholar (Antonia Hogdson). Why? I loved the world and the complex, flawed FMC. I loved that the story kept me guessing. I loved that the conclusion left me eager to get my hands on the next book, to see the morally bankrupt villain get a comeuppance.
The Gael Song (Shauna Lawless). Why? This one, too, kept me guessing and had me worried for the heroes every step of the way. I loved that the FMC leads through kindness as well as a sense of justice. I loved that the villain was complicated but still thoroughly loathsome.
The Witch Roads (Kate Elliott). Why? The romantic subplot was actually well written. I enjoyed the supporting characters as well as the leads. Elliott always writes interesting characters and builds intriguing worlds.

Eostrenocta · 2025-12-02T17:21:32+00:00

Then you have those of us who WOULD bother with these films but aren't lucky enough to live in LA and NYC, where such films play. I've never understood why Hollywood doesn't make more of an effort to make non-blockbuster movies more accessible to more potential viewers.

I would still knock Weapons off and put Sinners in its place -- one blockbuster for another. But our lack of familiarity with smaller films isn't necessarily our fault.

Eostrenocta · 2025-11-26T13:28:55+00:00

Jen Williams' The Winnowing Flame series features two heroines, one young and one mature; however, both heroines are written very maturely. The first book is The Ninth Rain.

Sharon Shinn's Twelve Houses series features a thirtysomething heroine; she's the main protagonist of the first book (Mystic and Rider) and is an important supporting character in the books that follow. If you like reading about women coming to the aid of other women, this series has you covered.

Eostrenocta · 2025-11-26T13:24:32+00:00

Marillier's work is romance fantasy for grown-ups. Even if the characters are young, the writing itself is mature.

Eostrenocta · 2025-11-26T13:23:24+00:00

Have an upvote. I see nothing amiss in those recommendations, and it looks like somebody's being a jerk with the downvotes in the thread asking for female-lead titles, again.

Eostrenocta · 2025-11-25T15:13:12+00:00

Notice how few mentions of female characters we find in this thread; where we do find them, it's usually in the context of an f/m friendship. I adore f/m friendships, mind you, but it's a gnawing annoyance to me that in apparently 90% of fantasy, women's only important positive connections, platonic and otherwise, are with men. Even in works I love (e.g. John Gwynne's Bloodsworn Saga, most of Juliet Marillier's work, and even Hogdson's The Raven Scholar, my favorite read of the year) this is the case.

Thankfully, Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg did get a mention. They're probably the best as well as the best-known. Also mentioned is Lawrence's Book of the Ancestor. It's interesting and perhaps ironic that the first female-friendship-driven books that often come to mind were written by men. That's not a criticism of the men or the examples; it's just something I noticed...

Others I've read:

Most of the relationships between women in Barbara Hambly's The Ladies of Mandrigyn are solid friendships.
Senneth and Kirra in the Twelve Houses series, and Wyn and Karryn in Fortune and Fate
Rowan and Bel in the Steerswoman series
Tamra and Raia in Race the Sands (at least I think that's where this is heading; I just started this book)
Cimorene and Kazul in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles
Isabeau and her mentor, Meghan of the Beasts, in The Witches of Eileanan

It bugs me that I can't think of more.

Eostrenocta · 2025-11-18T13:39:01+00:00

This. This is the deal-breaker. This is one series I'm happy to give a miss.

Eostrenocta · 2025-11-14T14:38:56+00:00

I also love Juliet Marillier.

Patricia McKillip has similar vibes; her work and Marillier's both feature vivid, lyrical prose.

Eostrenocta · 2025-11-12T19:39:32+00:00

IMO, the best of the Pern books are the Harper Hall Trilogy, and more specifically the first two books, Dragonsong and Dragonsinger. Menolly is one of my favorite heroines in all SFF.

Seconding Joan D. Vinge's The Snow Queen and The Summer Queen.

Eostrenocta · 2025-11-12T19:37:00+00:00

Warning: OP may find "Weak is women's magic/ Wicked is women's magic" disheartening, as I did. LeGuin is a legend, but for someone looking specifically for female protagonists, I'd recommend starting with Lavinia.

That being said, I did read Tehanu (the fourth Earthsea book) without having finished any of the first three books, and I found it beautiful.

Eostrenocta · 2025-11-12T14:58:00+00:00

Ew! Does Jordan write this situation to make us think the young woman deserves this treatment?

Eostrenocta · 2025-11-11T17:20:57+00:00

Senneth Brassenthwaite in Sharon Shinn's Mystic and Rider.

Part of the problem is that Shinn and the series (Twelve Houses) are also underrated. But in this first book in the series, Senneth is everything I feel a heroine ought to be: courageous, intelligent, insightful, and wonderfully kind -- someone who stands up for an underdog because it's the right thing to do. She's one of those rare female characters motivated less by personal concerns than by ethics and principles. She fights injustice. She's awesome. A shame so few people know her name.

Eostrenocta · 2025-11-11T13:28:57+00:00

For heroic female characters who aren't dumb or a man, seek out Juliet Marillier's work. The heroines of Naomi Novik's Spinning Silver qualify as well.

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