# Scifi/Fantasy books with strong female characters **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 10, 2013, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scifi-fantasy-books-with-strong-female-characters/657986 "2013-05-10T12:36:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sario/32/18580_2.png) [@Sario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sario)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scifi-fantasy-books-with-strong-female-characters/657986/1 "2013-05-10T12:36:45Z")
There’s was a comment in the [Pit](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=16274905&postcount=150) about how most scifi/fantasy books seem to treat their female characters as a bit window dressing. I’m looking for some books that actually have women with personality. For example, I’m currently reading the Malazan Book of the Fallen series by Steven Erikson. Also the Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher has several great female characters. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scifi-fantasy-books-with-strong-female-characters/657986/2 "2013-05-10T12:47:21Z")
For books with good female characters, choosing a book written by a woman is a pretty good rule of thumb. Doesn’t always work (Ursula LeGuin, despite being a very fine writer, comes to mind) but if I consider all the books with female characters I really dig, most of them are written by women. CJ Cherryh, Lois McMaster Bujold, Katherine Kerr, Robin Hobb, Connie Willis, Julian May. I’m sure a few more will come to mind as soon as I’ve hit reply. As far as male writers go - a lot of good male writers write strong female characters, but often they’re kinda _masculine_ strong female characters. IMO the test is to look at stretches of dialogue between two women - if a male writer can do that, he’s really got it made. Dave Duncan is good at this. There are some other of my faves like Vernor Vinge or Iain Banks who have good female characters, but as soon as they start talking to another woman you notice the cracks. At least, I notice them. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scifi-fantasy-books-with-strong-female-characters/657986/3 "2013-05-10T12:55:33Z")
Just a couple off the top of my head: Cirocco “Rocky” Jones from Varley’s Titan Series (and other ladies from Varley’s books) Friday from Friday by Robert Heinlein ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Imp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Imp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Imp)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scifi-fantasy-books-with-strong-female-characters/657986/4 "2013-05-10T13:01:47Z")
Everything by Sheri Tepper! ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scifi-fantasy-books-with-strong-female-characters/657986/5 "2013-05-10T13:03:55Z")
Pretty much everything from Mercedes Lackey. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scifi-fantasy-books-with-strong-female-characters/657986/6 "2013-05-10T13:07:24Z")
Barbara Hambly has some great female characters. I’m not fond of her Benjamin January series or the Dragonsbane sequels (Dragonsbane itself was great), but otherwise, I’m very fond of her work. Elizabeth Moon’s fantasies are wonderful. She’s put out at least one and possibly two more books in the Paksennarion series recently. I’m not into her science fiction as much. John Scalzi can write believable female characters that aren’t stereotypes or tokens. James H. Schmitz was using female characters half a century ago, such as Telzey Amberdon and Trigger Argee. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scifi-fantasy-books-with-strong-female-characters/657986/7 "2013-05-10T13:09:59Z")
Terry Pratchett ---
**Author:** ![StJoan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@StJoan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StJoan)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scifi-fantasy-books-with-strong-female-characters/657986/8 "2013-05-10T13:14:26Z")
Terry Pratchett, seconded. His Granny Weatherwax is one of the most inspiring female characters I have ever come across, as far as the fantasy genre goes. Nanny Ogg is not too bad either… ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scifi-fantasy-books-with-strong-female-characters/657986/9 "2013-05-10T13:19:17Z")
David Weber’s _Honor Harrington_ books come obviously to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scifi-fantasy-books-with-strong-female-characters/657986/10 "2013-05-10T13:19:26Z")
> [@StJoan](#): > > Terry Pratchett, seconded. His Granny Weatherwax is one of the most inspiring female characters I have ever come across, as far as the fantasy genre goes. Nanny Ogg is not too bad either… And Death’s granddaughter, Susan Sto Helit, is also a force to be reckoned with. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scifi-fantasy-books-with-strong-female-characters/657986/11 "2013-05-10T13:24:15Z")
_Hyperion_ and _The Fall of Hyperion_ has a couple of “strong” female characters in Brawne Lamia and Meina Gladstone. ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scifi-fantasy-books-with-strong-female-characters/657986/12 "2013-05-10T13:35:49Z")
Seconding Barbara Hambly and Terry Pratchett. Also, Robin McKinley has very strong, very feminine characters, and she tends to do retakes on standard fairy tale fare. Anne MacAffrey has some strong female characters, but they’re written through a lens of 60s and 70s culture, so things like domestic abuse and spousal rape are taken as normal and not particularly objectionable. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scifi-fantasy-books-with-strong-female-characters/657986/13 "2013-05-10T13:44:08Z")
Weber, Pratchett, Heinlein on a good day. Nanny Ogg rocks! ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scifi-fantasy-books-with-strong-female-characters/657986/14 "2013-05-10T13:47:16Z")
David Drake’s RCN series has several strong female characters, the top two of which are Adele Mundy, and her servant Tovera. They aren’t what you’d call normal though - Tovera is a flat out sociopath who enjoys killing people, and Adele is an anti-social genius. Each has killed more people than they can count. Given that they’re flat-out action novels, the sex of the participants isn’t too relevant. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scifi-fantasy-books-with-strong-female-characters/657986/15 "2013-05-10T14:02:53Z")
> [@StJoan](#): > > Terry Pratchett, seconded. His Granny Weatherwax is one of the most inspiring female characters I have ever come across, as far as the fantasy genre goes. Nanny Ogg is not too bad either… The Tiffany Aching books have barely any male characters in them at all. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scifi-fantasy-books-with-strong-female-characters/657986/16 "2013-05-10T15:46:00Z")
It’s probably harder to find a recent sci-fi/fantasy story without a strong female character. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scifi-fantasy-books-with-strong-female-characters/657986/17 "2013-05-10T15:59:24Z")
> [@](#): > > The Tiffany Aching books have barely any male characters in them at all. Well, aside from the Baron’s son, and the other love interest in the last one, and 99% of the Nac Mac Feegles, and her kid brother, and her father, and the Wintersmith, and… Yeah, I’m not seeing that one. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scifi-fantasy-books-with-strong-female-characters/657986/18 "2013-05-10T16:16:17Z")
Several Charles Stross novels have strong female protagonists: the _Merchant Prince_ series; _Singularity Sky_ and _Iron Sunrise_; and _Saturn’s Children_ (arguably). ---
**Author:** ![Aizle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Aizle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aizle)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scifi-fantasy-books-with-strong-female-characters/657986/19 "2013-05-10T16:17:29Z")
Tanya Huff - The Confederation Novels - Valor’s Choice - The Better Part of Valor - The Heart of Valor - Valor’s Trial - The Truth of Valor ---
**Author:** ![Airk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scifi-fantasy-books-with-strong-female-characters/657986/20 "2013-05-10T20:35:44Z")
Lois McMaster Bujold with both the Sharing Knife series (Fantasy), and Cordelia’s Honor (Sci-fi.). Cordelia may be my favorite heroine ever. Also, Garth Nix with Sabriel. Not so much Lyrael from the following books though, IMHO. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scifi-fantasy-books-with-strong-female-characters/657986.md?page=2)