reading fantasy (and a little sci-fi)
Mar. 22nd, 2009 04:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sevWhen male protagonists of fantasy novels "get the girl," this does nothing to the genre of the book, but when female protagonists of fantasy novels have (consensual) sex, the book is suddenly relabled "romantic fantasy". This, I suppose, is because men are expected to engage in sexual conquest as a matter of being men, but romance is supposed to be all-consuming for women.
It does, however, make it harder for me to find stuff to read. I am capable of enjoying romantic fantasy but sometimes I want a little meat in my reading material, too. Not a lot, mind you -- I read for pleasure, and while I do chow down on an especially thinky novel now and then, the shape of my life doesn't support books where I have to really pay attention rather than just get swept away in story.
For awhile, I went to sci-fi for my intellectual stimulation and didn't worry about whether my fantasy was all that interesting. Every once in awhile a woman who's the focus of hard sci-fi gets laid, but it happens at the very end, like it's a reward for winning whatever conflict the book was about. (and then I wonder if the author purposely relocated any romantic consummation to the end to avoid being pigeonholed in the romance category.)
However, I periodically run into a fantasy novel with a female protagonist that gets me really engaged, at which point I want more (and am often disappointed).
Any recommendations?
What I've been reading that's getting me excited and interested:
Maria V. Snyder's novels about Yelena Zaltana, Poison Study & its two sequels. Like many trilogies, the first book's the best, but the other two aren't bad, either. I love fantasy politics, gutsy women, real stakes, and world-moving plot arcs.
Michelle Sagara's Chronicles of Elantra, starting with Cast in Shadow. I keep finding this categorized as "urban fantasy" because the city it takes place in is such an important player in the story, but it's not an "elves in LA" kind of urban fantasy. Like Poison Study, it takes place in a fully-realized urban environment in a completely fantastic world. As a reader, I'd like Kaylin to grow up faster; she's overly-belligerent and often self-destructive. But I keep coming back -- I've read the first three and the fourth is on hold at the library. I hadn't realized until just today that this is the same person as Michelle West who did the Sun Sword series (starting with The Broken Crown) which I also enjoyed.
Other things I've read that I enjoyed, but wasn't blown away by:
Patricia Brigg's Mercy Thompson books, starting with Moon Called. I read the first three; the protagonist has guts, but guts aren't quite enough for me. I only have a vague sense of the power relations between the vampires, werewolves, and fae, and that kind of bugs me. And the dominance hierarchy within each of the groups seems a little oversimplistic.
Kim Harrison's Hollows books, starting with Dead Witch Walking. They started to get repetitive, eventually. I can't remember how many I read, maybe 6? Rachel Morgan is another of those ass-kicking heroines with a bit of a self-destructive streak, and the latter trait continues to get on my nerves. And, um, too many people trying to get into her pants at once. I mean, really. But I was drawn in first by the interesting interplay between the different paranormal enforcement agencies (one of which Rachel quits at the beginning of the first book) and that kept me coming back for quite awhile.
C. E. Murphy's Negotiator trilogy, starting with Heart of Stone. I'll start by noting that the chick on the cover is awfully white, and it's relevant to both plot & theme that she's biracial, and the cover art therefore annoys the heck out of me. That said, it's a neat tale of the balance of power among multiple groups of paranormals as well as humans. That sort of thing is something I always find especially engaging when it's done well.
And I'm not likely to revisit:
S. L. Viehl's Stardoc series -- "Cherijo Grey Veil" is Anita Blake for the science fiction world. "I'm so hot, all the aliens want to have sex with me!" Like the Blake books, I actually enjoyed the first one. Then I staggered through several more of these books in somewhat horrified fascination because the premise seemed interesting. Done now.
It does, however, make it harder for me to find stuff to read. I am capable of enjoying romantic fantasy but sometimes I want a little meat in my reading material, too. Not a lot, mind you -- I read for pleasure, and while I do chow down on an especially thinky novel now and then, the shape of my life doesn't support books where I have to really pay attention rather than just get swept away in story.
For awhile, I went to sci-fi for my intellectual stimulation and didn't worry about whether my fantasy was all that interesting. Every once in awhile a woman who's the focus of hard sci-fi gets laid, but it happens at the very end, like it's a reward for winning whatever conflict the book was about. (and then I wonder if the author purposely relocated any romantic consummation to the end to avoid being pigeonholed in the romance category.)
However, I periodically run into a fantasy novel with a female protagonist that gets me really engaged, at which point I want more (and am often disappointed).
Any recommendations?
What I've been reading that's getting me excited and interested:
Maria V. Snyder's novels about Yelena Zaltana, Poison Study & its two sequels. Like many trilogies, the first book's the best, but the other two aren't bad, either. I love fantasy politics, gutsy women, real stakes, and world-moving plot arcs.Michelle Sagara's Chronicles of Elantra, starting with Cast in Shadow. I keep finding this categorized as "urban fantasy" because the city it takes place in is such an important player in the story, but it's not an "elves in LA" kind of urban fantasy. Like Poison Study, it takes place in a fully-realized urban environment in a completely fantastic world. As a reader, I'd like Kaylin to grow up faster; she's overly-belligerent and often self-destructive. But I keep coming back -- I've read the first three and the fourth is on hold at the library. I hadn't realized until just today that this is the same person as Michelle West who did the Sun Sword series (starting with The Broken Crown) which I also enjoyed.Other things I've read that I enjoyed, but wasn't blown away by:
Patricia Brigg's Mercy Thompson books, starting with Moon Called. I read the first three; the protagonist has guts, but guts aren't quite enough for me. I only have a vague sense of the power relations between the vampires, werewolves, and fae, and that kind of bugs me. And the dominance hierarchy within each of the groups seems a little oversimplistic.
Kim Harrison's Hollows books, starting with Dead Witch Walking. They started to get repetitive, eventually. I can't remember how many I read, maybe 6? Rachel Morgan is another of those ass-kicking heroines with a bit of a self-destructive streak, and the latter trait continues to get on my nerves. And, um, too many people trying to get into her pants at once. I mean, really. But I was drawn in first by the interesting interplay between the different paranormal enforcement agencies (one of which Rachel quits at the beginning of the first book) and that kept me coming back for quite awhile.
C. E. Murphy's Negotiator trilogy, starting with Heart of Stone. I'll start by noting that the chick on the cover is awfully white, and it's relevant to both plot & theme that she's biracial, and the cover art therefore annoys the heck out of me. That said, it's a neat tale of the balance of power among multiple groups of paranormals as well as humans. That sort of thing is something I always find especially engaging when it's done well.
And I'm not likely to revisit:
S. L. Viehl's Stardoc series -- "Cherijo Grey Veil" is Anita Blake for the science fiction world. "I'm so hot, all the aliens want to have sex with me!" Like the Blake books, I actually enjoyed the first one. Then I staggered through several more of these books in somewhat horrified fascination because the premise seemed interesting. Done now.
no subject
on 2009-03-23 04:04 am (UTC)