I’ve had great success in the past getting book recommendations from this crew, so I figure I’ll try again. But, this time it’s not for me.
My girlfriend is seeking a new book to read on a trip we have planned and mentioned that she’d like to find something in the fantasy genre. A few comments about her tastes: she can be picky when it comes to books and doesn’t have the patience for a really slow starting story, she prefers strong female characters, ideally leads, but ensembles are okay too, and she’d like something with adult themes.
She’s not a fantasy junkie and wouldn’t be considered a purist of any kind. Feel free to use a broad definition of fantasy. She casually mentioned that she’d like something with dragons and princesses, I’m imagining a grittier, more complex version of the Disney princess stories in novel form. I’m guessing that must exist out there somewhere.
I know a couple of her favorite books are Nicholas and Alexandra and The Other Boleyn Girl and a few of the other books by Phillipa Gregory, not sure how much that helps.
It might be kind of obvious, but I’d always recommend His Dark Materials if she hasn’t read those books already. The most prominent character, especially in the first book, is a young girl.
I’m very fond of Katherine Kerr’s Daggerspell series, which has a kickass female lead, and is one of the more historically literate fantasy series’ out there. And if she gets into it, it could keep her occupied a good long time. Has dragons (eventually)
Lois Mc Master Bujold Curse of Chalion/Paladin of Souls - the second book has a female lead, both have good strong female characters, and Bujold just rocks generally.
Gillian Bradshaw’s In Winter’s Shadow - the King Arthur story from Guenivere’s point of view. Third of a trilogy, but the first two are more child/youth oriented.
If you’re happy to go Japanese (in English translation), The Twelve Kingdoms (十二国記) has a strong female character – a Japanese high school student, who becomes king of one of those twelve kingdoms.
Elizabeth Moon’s Paksenarrion series might be worth looking into; it’s got a strong female main character who becomes a soldier. (I think the earlier books were better than the latter ones, but there are some follow-up books if your girlfriend decides she likes the story.)
Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel series is epic fantasy written from the point of view of the female main character - it’s got some relatively graphic sexual content, though, so if that’s a concern, it might be best to avoid that particular trilogy.
Yes, this. Also anything by Robin McKinley (she’s done quite a few reimagined fairytales, and done them well) and Mercedes Lackey. Sharon Shinn is another good one, although she doesn’t have a massive library behind her yet like Lackey and McKinley. Give her time.
Three suggestions from me. On the other suggestions, I’d strongly echo the recommendation for Katherine Kerr! I also really enjoyed the Deed of Paksenarrion, but for me a lot of the joy of it was seeing how she’d interpreted classic D&D rules into a ‘real’ fantasy world, so I’m not sure whether someone who wasn’t familiar with pen and paper RPGs would like it as much.
First, I really enjoyed Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton. It’s a bit of a cross-over novel: the author describes it as Trollope with dragons, but I think it’s more like Jane Austen. Definitely with dragons, though! Ensemble cast of siblings includes one strong female lead and there are several strong supporting female characters throughout.
But in my view the canonical answer to this has to be Empire Trilogy, a collaboration between Raymond Feist and Janny Wurts. It’s a really interesting look at what being a woman in a man’s (fantasy) world would mean. It’s definitely fantasy, but more of the politics and intrigue style than swords and sorcery. The first book is Daughter of the Empire
You might also want to check out Un Lun Dun by China Mieville (teenage female lead) and early Anne McCaffrey, particularly Dragonflight or Dragonsong. The two Anne McCaffrey’s are technically science fiction rather than fantasy, but that only becomes properly apparent later in the series.
Seconded. And don’t forget The Spirit Ring, another Bujold fantasy with a female lead. Although it’s one of her earliest books, I think it’s among her best.
Don’t ignore the classics – Catherine L. Moore’s Jirey or Joirel stories feature a female warrior. Robert E. Howard, too, wrote a couple of femasle swordswoman stories that aren’t bad*
*Not Red Sonya, though. Although he did have a brief appearance by a woman of that name in one of his stories, there’s not much to it, and it was set in something like the 17th century. The Conan-era Red Sonya is a creation of Marvel Comics and Roy Thomas. As originally drawn by Barry (Windsor)-Smith, she wore a chain mail shirt, shorts, and boots, which actually makes sense as a lightweight, maneuverable costume. In the hands of other artists, though, her wardrobe changed to a highly impractical bikini-like thing that appeared to be made out of silver dollars, and she seemed to have acquired breast implants. When Frank Thorne drew her, she also seemed to be wearing eye makeup and lipstick. She looked a lot less probable, but she probably sold more comics that way.
I’ve been enjoying the Chronicles of Elantra series by Michelle Sagara. Also, a number of Terry Pratchett’s books feature strong female leads - the Witches books spring most immediately to mind. The first of those is Equal Rites.
> . . . Catherine L. Moore’s Jirey or Joirel stories . . .
I was going to mention these stories, since I just finished reading them. Let me just point out that the name of the character is Jirel of Joiry and that the name of the author as it appears on the title page of her books is C. L. Moore. They are available in various places:
Justine Graykin, by the way, is a member of Broad Universe, the consortium of female authors who promote female authors in SF and fantasy. I’m sure plenty of their works fit the OP’s bill. Here’s their website: