Women in SF&F Month Banner

As Beth Bernobich said in her eloquent article “The Invisible Woman” toward the beginning of April:

 

Women write SF/F, but if no one talks about us, it only perpetuates the myth we don’t write in the genre. So. Tell your friends about that amazing author you discovered. Write that review on Amazon. Add that author and their books to the next Goodreads list you make. And maybe, with all the talk, the next conversation about books in the genre will include their names.

After the guest posts have all been posted, I usually write one post doing exactly this—talking about science fiction and fantasy by women. I thought a lot about which books to discuss this year. There are some excellent books written by women that I’ve read since this time last year (such as A Taste of Blood Wine by Freda Warrington, Warchild by Karin Lowachee, and The Silvered by Tanya Huff), but I kept coming back to how many great-sounding books are coming out later this year, many of which are written by women, and decided to write about upcoming 2014 releases.

Although there are many upcoming releases written by this year’s participants I’m very excited about (Tainted Blood by M. L. Brennan, Champion of the Scarlet Wolf by Ginn Hale, Gemsigns by Stephanie Saulter, Thief’s Magic by Trudi Canavan, I could go on and on!), I’m going to write about books by authors not participating this month to get some different books and names out there. Some books are by favorite authors or in favorite series and others are by authors I’ve never read before, but they all have one thing in common—they all sound wonderful! In order of release date, here is my list.

Artemis Awakening by Jane Lindskold
Artemis Awakening by Jane Lindskold
Release Date: May 27

I haven’t yet read any of Jane Lindskold’s books, but I’ve heard good things about them and I love the sound of Artemis Awakening. Rediscovery of a forgotten planet of legend and a psych-linked puma companion?! I have to read this book!

 

Artemis Awakening is the start of a new series by New York Times bestseller Jane Lindskold. The distant world Artemis is a pleasure planet created out of bare rock by a technologically advanced human empire that provided its richest citizens with a veritable Eden to play in. All tech was concealed and the animals (and the humans brought to live there) were bioengineered to help the guests enjoy their stay…but there was always the possibility of danger so that visitors could brag that they had “bested” the environment.

The Empire was shattered in a horrific war; centuries later humanity has lost much of the advanced technology and Artemis is a fable told to children. Until young archeologist Griffin Dane finds intriguing hints that send him on a quest to find the lost world. Stranded on Artemis after crashing his ship, he encounters the Huntress Adara and her psych-linked companion, the puma Sand Shadow. Their journey with her will lead Dane to discover the planet’s secrets…and perhaps provide a key to give unimagined power back to mankind.

Unexpected Stories by Octavia E. Butler
Unexpected Stories by Octavia E. Butler
Release Date: June 24

Two new stories by Octavia Butler are going to be released as an e-book next month! I’ve only read her novel Parable of the Sower, but it was excellent and I’d like to read more of her stories.

 

Two never-before-published stories from the archives of one of science fiction’s all-time masters

The novella “A Necessary Being” showcases Octavia E. Butler’s ability to create alien yet fully believable “others.” Tahneh’s father was a Hao, one of a dwindling race whose leadership abilities render them so valuable that their members are captured and forced to govern. When her father dies, Tahneh steps into his place, both chief and prisoner, and for twenty years has ruled without ever meeting another of her kind. She bears her loneliness privately until the day that a Hao youth is spotted wandering into her territory. As her warriors sharpen their weapons, Tahneh must choose between imprisoning the newcomer—and living the rest of her life alone.

The second story in this volume, “Childminder,” was commissioned by Harlan Ellison for his legendary (and never-published) anthology The Last Dangerous Visions™. A disaffected telepath connects with a young girl in a desperate attempt to help her harness her growing powers. But in the richly evocative fiction of Octavia E. Butler, mentorship is a rocky path, and every lesson comes at a price.

Child of a Hidden Sea by A. M. Dellamonica
Child of a Hidden Sea by A. M. Dellamonica
Release Date: June 24

Indigo Springs, A. M. Dellamonica’s debut, is supposed to be very good, and I’m quite interested in her next book and reading about a smart, determined heroine facing the challenges of politics and a conspiracy.

 

One minute, twenty-four-year-old Sophie Hansa is in a San Francisco alley trying to save the life of the aunt she has never known. The next, she finds herself flung into the warm and salty waters of an unfamiliar world. Glowing moths fall to the waves around her, and the sleek bodies of unseen fish glide against her submerged ankles.

The world is Stormwrack, a series of island nations with a variety of cultures and economies—and a language different from any Sophie has heard.

Sophie doesn’t know it yet, but she has just stepped into the middle of a political firestorm, and a conspiracy that could destroy a world she has just discovered… her world, where everyone seems to know who she is, and where she is forbidden to stay.

But Sophie is stubborn, and smart, and refuses to be cast adrift by people who don’t know her and yet wish her gone. With the help of a sister she has never known, and a ship captain who would rather she had never arrived, she must navigate the shoals of the highly charged politics of Stormwrack, and win the right to decide for herself whether she stays in this wondrous world . . . or is doomed to exile

One-Eyed Jack by Elizabeth Bear
One-Eyed Jack by Elizabeth Bear
Release Date: Late June to Mid-August*

Elizabeth Bear is one of my favorite authors, and her Promethean books are special to me because the first of her books I read was Blood and Iron. She had plans for a lot of different books in this setting, and a second pair of books taking place long before the first duology was released fairly soon after I read them. I enjoyed those as well and was sad when I learned no more Promethean books were forthcoming, so I am thrilled a new one is coming out this summer!

* I’m not certain what the release date for this one is since Barnes and Noble says it will have copies on June 25, Amazon says July 8, and the publisher’s website says August 13.

 

The One-Eyed Jack and the Suicide King: personifications of the city of Las Vegas—its history, mystery, mystical power, and heart…

When the Suicide King vanishes—possibly killed—in the middle of a magic-rights turf war started by the avatars of Los Angeles, a notorious fictional assassin, and the mutilated ghost of Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel–the King’s partner, the One-Eyed Jack, must seek the aid of a bizarre band of legendary and undead allies: the ghosts of Doc Holliday and John Henry the steel-driving man; the echoes of several imaginary super spies, decades displaced in time; and a vampire named Tribute, who bears a striking resemblance to a certain long-lost icon of popular music.

All stories are true, but some stories are truer than others

Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews
Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews
Release Date: July 29

Kate Daniels is one of my favorite series and the seventh installment is very high on my list of books I can’t wait for! The authors (Ilona Andrews is actually a husband and wife writing team) have done an amazing job of building up a character it sounds like we might finally meet in this book, and Kate is a wonderfully developed protagonist with a naturally humorous narrative voice. I cannot gush about this series and how fantastic it is enough (especially book 3)!

 

No matter how much the paranormal politics of Atlanta change, one thing always remains the same: if there’s trouble, Kate Daniels will be in the middle of it…

As the mate of the Beast Lord, Curran, former mercenary Kate Daniels has more responsibilities than it seems possible to juggle. Not only is she still struggling to keep her investigative business afloat, she must now deal with the affairs of the pack, including preparing her people for attack from Roland, a cruel ancient being with god-like powers. Since Kate’s connection to Roland has come out into the open, no one is safe—especially those closest to Kate.

As Roland’s long shadow looms ever nearer, Kate is called to attend the Conclave, a gathering of the leaders from the various supernatural factions in Atlanta. When one of the Masters of the Dead is found murdered there, apparently at the hands of a shapeshifter, Kate is given only twenty-four hours to hunt down the killer. And this time, if she fails, she’ll find herself embroiled in a war which could destroy everything she holds dear…

Dust and Light by Carol Berg
Dust and Light by Carol Berg
Release Date: August 5

Carol Berg is a fantastic fantasy author, and I’m always happy to hear about a new book by her. My favorite of her books, Transformation, has both a unique world and wonderful characterization. I also very much enjoyed her Lighthouse Duet, and Dust and Light is the first book in a new duology set in the same world as that one.

 

National bestselling author Carol Berg returns to the world of her award-winning Flesh and Spirit and Breath and Bone with an all-new tale of magic, mystery, and corruption….

How much must one pay for an hour of youthful folly? The Pureblood Registry accused Lucian de Remeni-Masson of “unseemly involvement with ordinaries,” which meant only that he spoke with a young woman not of his own kind, allowed her to see his face unmasked, worked a bit of magic for her….After that one mistake, Lucian’s grandsire excised half his magic and savage Harrowers massacred his family. Now the Registry has contracted his art to a common coroner. His extraordinary gift for portraiture is restricted to dead ordinaries—beggars or starvelings hauled from the streets.

But sketching the truth of dead men’s souls brings unforeseen consequences. Sensations not his own. Truths he cannot possibly know and dares not believe. The coroner calls him a cheat and says he is trying to weasel out of a humiliating contract. The Registry will call him mad—and mad sorcerers are very dangerous….

Fool's Assassin by Robin Hobb
Fool’s Assassin by Robin Hobb
Release Date: August 12

Assassin’s Apprentice was one of the earlier fantasy books I read when I first starting reading the genre. I went on to read the rest of the Farseer novels, then Liveship Traders, and then the first Tawny Man book. This was followed by impatiently waiting for the rest of the books to come out, and I even ordered the last two books from the UK once they were available since they came out there before the US! I love these books, and I’m excited to read a new series that takes place after Tawny Man.

 

Nearly twenty years ago, Robin Hobb burst upon the fantasy scene with the first of her acclaimed Farseer novels, Assassin’s Apprentice, which introduced the characters of FitzChivalry Farseer and his uncanny friend the Fool. A watershed moment in modern fantasy, this novel—and those that followed—broke exciting new ground in a beloved genre. Together with George R. R. Martin, Robin Hobb helped pave the way for such talented new voices as Scott Lynch, Brandon Sanderson, and Naomi Novik.

Over the years, Hobb’s imagination has soared throughout the mythic lands of the Six Duchies in such bestselling series as the Liveship Traders Trilogy and the Rain Wilds Chronicles. But no matter how far she roamed, her heart always remained with Fitz. And now, at last, she has come home, with an astonishing new novel that opens a dark and gripping chapter in the Farseer saga.

FitzChivalry—royal bastard and former king’s assassin—has left his life of intrigue behind. As far as the rest of the world knows, FitzChivalry Farseer is dead and buried. Masquerading as Tom Badgerlock, Fitz is now married to his childhood sweetheart, Molly, and leading the quiet life of a country squire.

Though Fitz is haunted by the disappearance of the Fool, who did so much to shape Fitz into the man he has become, such private hurts are put aside in the business of daily life, at least until the appearance of menacing, pale-skinned strangers casts a sinister shadow over Fitz’s past . . . and his future.

Now, to protect his new life, the former assassin must once again take up his old one. . . .

The Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley
Release Date: August 26

This doesn’t appear to have a cover yet, but I had to include it! I haven’t yet read any of Kameron Hurley’s books even though I’ve heard God’s War is excellent, but I’ve very much enjoyed every single blog post I’ve read by her (she is very deservedly one of this year’s Hugo nominees for Best Fan Writer and Best Related Work). Her upcoming book also sounds fantastic, and it’s been on my list of books I want to read ever since I first heard about it.

 

On the eve of a recurring catastrophic event known to extinguish nations and reshape continents, a troubled orphan evades death and slavery to uncover her own bloody past… while a world goes to war with itself.

In the frozen kingdom of Saiduan, invaders from another realm are decimating whole cities, leaving behind nothing but ash and ruin.

As the dark star of the cataclysm rises, an illegitimate ruler is tasked with holding together a country fractured by civil war, a precocious young fighter is asked to betray his family and a half-Dhai general must choose between the eradication of her father’s people or loyalty to her alien Empress.

Through tense alliances and devastating betrayal, the Dhai and their allies attempt to hold against a seemingly unstoppable force as enemy nations prepare for a coming together of worlds as old as the universe itself.

In the end, one world will rise – and many will perish.

Stories of the Raksura: Volume One by Martha Wells
Stories of the Raksura: Volume One by Martha Wells
Release Date: September 2

The Cloud Roads, the first of the Books of the Raksura, was a book I could not put down. I loved the original world and found the main character’s plight easy to sympathize with, and the other two books in the trilogy were also very good (especially the last one, my favorite of the three). More novels in this world would be great, but I’m just as happy to know I’ll soon be able to read two novellas about the Raksura!

 

In The Falling World, Jade, ruler of the Indigo Cloud Court, has travelled with Chime and Balm to another Raksuran court. When she fails to return, her consort Moon, along with Stone and a party of warriors and hunters, must track them down. Finding them turns out to be the easy part; freeing them from an ancient trap hidden in the depths of the Reaches is much more difficult.

The Tale of Indigo and Cloud explores the history of the Indigo Cloud Court, long before Moon came to Court. In the distant past, Indigo stole Cloud from Emerald Twilight. But in doing so, the reigning Queen Cerise and Indigo are now poised for a conflict that could ruin everything.

Stories of Moon and the shape changers of Raksura have delighted readers for years. This world is a dangerous place full of strange mysteries, where the future can never be taken for granted, and must always be fought for with wits and ingenuity, and often tooth and claw. With two brand-new novellas, Martha Wells shows that the world of Raksura has many more stories to tell…

Summer Moon by Jan DeLima
Summer Moon by Jan DeLima
Release Date: September 30

Jan was my local librarian and is my friend. Of course, I was incredibly excited for her when Ace picked up her first book, the romantic urban fantasy Celtic Moon! I enjoyed it a lot, particularly her resilient “older” heroine Sophie (36 is practically ancient in fantasy heroine years!). I’m very much looking forward to reading Summer Moon and the story of Rosa and Luc.

 

She won’t be ruled again……

Rosa Alban has been obedient her entire life. But when her alpha husband dies, she seizes the opportunity to flee the oppressive Guardians—the rulers of the secret shapeshifter world. Her flight instantly brands her as a pack traitor, and she has no choice but to seek protection from a neighboring tribe by marrying one of their sons.

Known as the Beast of Merin, Luc Black loyally plays the part of unwanted son and devoted brother. He realizes marrying Rosa will strengthen his tribe’s territory, but he has no intention of loving ever again. Still, he’s unprepared for the intense physical need the wild she-wolf awakens in him.

When the Guardians hone in on Rosa, Luc must fight to protect his new bride. And as war descends, the unlikely allies discover their destinies are irrevocably entwined……

The Inheritance Trilogy Omnibus by N. K. Jemisin
The Inheritance Trilogy by N. K. Jemisin
Release Date: December 9

I’ve already read the three novels in this trilogy, but I love them and N. K. Jemisin’s book that was on my list of most anticipated books of 2014 was recently rescheduled for 2015… So I’m including this one instead! The omnibus edition will also include a new novella titled “The Awakened Kingdom” which will also be released separately as an ebook. You can read more about it in the recent announcement on N. K. Jemisin’s blog.

 

In this omnibus edition of N.K. Jemisin’s brilliantly original award-winning fantasy series, a young woman becomes entangled in a power struggle of mythic proportions.

A REALM OF GODS AND MORTALS.

Yeine Darr is an outcast from the barbarian north. But when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, she is summoned to the majestic city of Sky. There, to her shock, Yeine is named an heiress to the king. But the throne of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is not easily won, and Yeine is thrust into a vicious power struggle.

The Inheritance Trilogy omnibus includes the novels: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, The Broken Kingdoms, and The Kingdom of Gods.

I could make a long list of the books released this year out now that I still really want to read like The Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan, Half-Off Ragnarok by Seanan McGuire, Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor, Steles of the Sky by Elizabeth Bear, Turquoiselle by Tanith Lee, Night Broken by Patricia Briggs, The Gospel of Loki by Joanne Harris, and The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison. Also, there are books I’ve read published this year that I really enjoyed like Black Dog by Rachel Neumeier and Iron Night by M. L. Brennan. As mentioned previously, there are also books coming out written by authors who wrote guest posts this year that sound very interesting. These eleven books listed are just a start when it comes to the science fiction and fantasy books by women being released in 2014, and there are many more to be excited about!

For more, check out this list at The Bibliosanctum and this one at Lady Business.

Women in SF&F Month Banner

Even though it’s the first day of May, there is one more guest post and it’s by science fiction and fantasy author Karen Healey! She has written SF&F for young adults, including The Shattering and Guardian of the Dead, the winner of the 2010 Aurealis Award for Best YA Novel. Her latest book is the science fiction novel When We Wake, a finalist for the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy in 2013. A companion to this novel, While We Run, will be released later this month on May 27. I’m thrilled she is here today talking about how her teaching and her books intersect to encourage young women to explore questions about their world!

Karen Healey

Private Universes

“Did you know that you’re all made out of stars?” I asked my Year Nine class, and 25 thirteen-year-old girls lit up.

We’d been discussing a short story that dealt with various beliefs of what happens to humans after death. One girl had asked about mine. I’d told them that I believed our atoms became parts of other things, which I could see they didn’t think was properly solemn. Thus, their origins as star-stuff.

“I knew,” said one girl.

“Really?”

“In fact, what most scientists say is that everything in the entire universe comes from, uh, from something called the Big Bang. There was nothing, and then there was an explosion of all the matter that has ever existed.” I clenched my hands together, then spread them, fingers wide. “That made stars. And then the material in the stars became the material that makes us.”

Another girl raised her hand. “But how did that happen?”

“That’s a good question!” I said. “I don’t think I can tell you properly off the top of my head. You should definitely ask your science teacher, though. Now, back to the story…”

I’m a first-year English teacher at an all-girls’ school in New Zealand, and I write science fiction and urban fantasy for young adults. This year, I’ve discovered just how intersectional my chosen careers are.

My students ask a lot of questions. I want them to find answers, whether from me, or their smartphones, or their science teacher. (For detailed explanations of astrophysics, definitely their science teacher.) I want them to keep asking. How did that happen? Why did she do that? What happens next? And, the question that underlines almost everything I create, what if?

When We Wake, which came out last year, deals with the what ifs of cryonics and climate change. What if you came back to life a hundred years after you’d died? What if the world was dying? What if Australia had closed its borders? What if refugees were criminalized, lied to, used?

What if you stumbled upon a giant government-backed conspiracy?

These are questions that concern my students. They worry about climate change. They’re interested in social justice. They’re connected to the world as it is, and they’re curious about the world as it could be. They want to know what they can do.

For a long time, girls weren’t supposed to do any of that stuff. An interest in the political process? An inquiry into injustice? A will to take action? Heavens, no! These girls will strain their adorable little ladybrains and render their delicate parts unsuitable for childbearing! One of the reasons I looked for work at a girls school is because a terrifying number of people worldwide are still operating under the delusion that girls shouldn’t/couldn’t/wouldn’t want to save the world.

SFF, despite all its flaws, provides some fantastic young women who are willing to do just that. I wouldn’t want to teach my own texts (although a couple of them are being taught in a few classrooms, which is just delightful). But I’d love to teach Alaya Dawn Johnson’s The Summer Prince, which explores the power of revolutionary art. Or Kristin Cashore’s Bitterblue, in which the young Queen struggles with serious questions of power, reconciliation and grace. One day, I will.

But I’m a first year teacher – I’ve also got to work with budget constraints and the texts already available. Fortunately, that’s not hard. This year, my Year Nine girls, all of them made of stars, are studying The Hunger Games .

They’ve all read it, or watched the movie (some of them multiple times), which means we can get right into the ideas. What if our culture involved heavy surveillance of our activities? (It does). What if our lives were mediated by forces more interested in selling a good story than telling the truth? (They are). What if we sacrificed children for our own comfort and investment in the status quo? (We do.)

What if the children fought back? What could they do?

And what happens next?

When We Wake was about Tegan Oglietti and the substance of her choices. While We Run is about Abdi Taalib, and his ability to deal with consequences. When We Wake asks if its protagonist is brave enough to do the right thing when she discovers the truth. While We Run asks what its protagonist will do when he’s no longer sure what the right thing is.

No decent teacher pretends to have all the answers. For me, it’s a privilege and a joy that whether I’m teaching or writing, I get to help young women explore those questions.

When We Wake by Karen Healey While We Run by Karen Healey
Women in SF&F Month Banner

Today’s guest is science fiction and fantasy author C. S. Friedman! I very much enjoyed her first novel, the space opera In Conquest Born, because of its focus on political maneuvering and intelligent, complex characters. I also had a wonderful time reading her fantasy novel Feast of Souls, the first book in The Magister trilogy, for the way it explored the consequences of using magic in that world. She’s also written many other books (that I didn’t single out only because I still need to read them!), including The Coldfire trilogy, This Alien Shore, and Dreamwalker, her most recent novel released earlier this year. Today she’s here to discuss beginning her career with a gender-neutral name and the reason many told her they figured she was a male author before realizing she was, in fact, a woman.

In Conquest Born by C. S. Friedman Black Sun Rising Dreamwalker

What’s in a Name?

In 1968 a new voice appeared in the Science Fiction community. James Tiptree Jr’s stories were powerful and dark, and combined elements traditionally associated with both “female” and “male” writing. Partly due to his never being seen in public, rumors began to circulate that Tiptree was in fact a woman. That led to a genre-wide discussion of whether or not an author’s writing style, by its very nature, must betray its owner’s gender. In Tiptree’s case the answer seemed clear to many, and was best summarized by Robert Silverberg in 1975, in his introduction to Warm Worlds and Otherwise:

 

There is something ineluctably masculine about Tiptree’s writing … his work is analogous to that of Hemingway … that prevailing masculinity about both of them — that preoccupation with questions of courage, with absolute values, with the mysteries and passions of life and death as revealed by extreme physical tests.

He was wrong, of course, as were many others who had come to the same conclusion. Tiptree was not only a woman, but (as she described herself later) “an old lady in Virginia.” That revelation inspired many to question the influence of gender in writing style, and perhaps more importantly, the impact of gender assumptions in reader response.

In 1985, when I launched my first novel, In Conquest Born, the majority of science fiction readers were male, and many had an innate prejudice against works by female authors. This was one of the reasons I chose to use my initials as a pen name, as did many other women at that time: the odds were good that any name with initials represented a woman, and everyone knew that, but it left the matter nebulous enough that maybe a male reader would take your book down from the shelf and look at it, rather than just dismissing it out of hand.

But how much did the gender of a name really impact sales? Enough that writers like Rhondi Salsitz sometimes published books under both male and female pen names. As Charles Ingrid, Rhondi wrote action-packed military novels geared towards a young male audience; as Elizabeth Forrest, she wrote novels that focused more on relationships and character development. She did both quite successfully, and her Sand Wars series sold well. But would her military fiction have been as successful with a woman’s name on the cover? Unlikely. Many readers still shared Silverberg’s assumption that traditional “masculine” themes could not be properly understood or expressed by women.

(I will leave his assumption that “courage” and “absolute values” are inherently masculine qualities for another blog…)

My own first novel was neither male nor female in flavor, but had a protagonist of each gender. In order to make those protagonists believable, I had to be able to get into both their heads and understand what made them tick. In addition, there were aspects of male sexuality that impacted the development of one of my fictional societies. I didn’t perceive it as going against my nature to address such things. I was a writer, and being able to write from a male perspective was part of my job.

We were all curious about how my work would be perceived if the reader had no gender to attach it to, and so, as a kind of experiment, mine wasn’t revealed immediately. Gendered pronouns in my marketing materials were carefully avoided, and no information was offered in any sales meeting that would clarify the issue. It was a short-lived experiment, granted; as I soon started doing book signings the truth became clear. But the results were interesting.

Overall, the split was about 50/50, with slightly more readers guessing I was female, and slightly more marketing people guessing I was male. Since I am indeed a woman, I was most interested in the male side of that statistic. What was there about my writing that revealed my true masculine nature?

I asked.

I expected to hear traditional reasons — such as my use of bloody combat scenes and themes of power and conquest–but the answer I got was quite different…and very interesting.

Many readers thought I was male because I understood how men thought. Women couldn’t usually do that, I was told. Or else I must have had some special gift, or unique experience, that made such a thing possible for me, while most women couldn’t do it.

One fan asked me bluntly at a con. “How do you know so much about how men think?”

I answered, equally bluntly, “I ask them.”

That’s it. The whole secret.

One of my characters in the Magister Trilogy was a prostitute. I’ve never been a prostitute. I needed to know how that might affect one’s self-image, and impact personal sexual relationships. So I found someone who has been a prostitute, and asked about all that. She offered some fascinating insights, and helped shape that character.

I asked.

In The Wilding I wrote a scene in which an attempted rape was interrupted by the victim pulling out a weapon at a climactic moment. Knowing that men and women approach sex differently, I turned to some male friends to advise me. One of them told me to imagine this:

 

A man and a woman are having sex, when suddenly there is an explosion upstairs. A woman would stop what she was doing, and try to get away from danger. The man would finish what he’s doing and then, when it’s over—maybe—notice that the ceiling collapsed on him.

I asked.

IMHO, There are no great secrets in either male or female nature that the other can’t discover. There are no themes of special interest to either gender that a good writer can’t explore. The best works combine both male and female literary tradition, with gripping action and good character development and interesting social commentary. More and more, readers are coming to expect that, and they are open to any author who can provide it…regardless of his or her gender.

Recently a fan asked me, if I was launching my career today, would I use my initials?

Probably not, I told her.  No need.

Though I still do like the way they sound…

Women in SF&F Month Banner

Today’s guest is Chachic from the wonderful book blog Chachic’s Book Nook! Chachic reads and reviews books from a wide variety of genres, including speculative fiction, contemporary romance, and young adult. Her blog is one of my regular reads because it’s a friendly and welcoming place with some great discussions about books. I also really enjoy Chachic’s fantastic book recommendations—which is why I’m thrilled that she is here today to recommend some fantasy and science fiction books containing great love stories!

Chachic's Book Nook

Hello SF&F fans! When Kristen first asked me to do a guest post for her blog event, I had no idea what I should write about. I’ve read and loved so many SF&F novels/novellas written by women that I knew I had to narrow down my list somehow. It got me thinking about what the books that I fell for had in common. Then I realized that I’m fascinated by human interactions – from friendships to familial connections to romantic involvements. All of my favorite books have this common thread of well-written relationships where I was 100% invested in the characters and what they’re going through. Since I’m a sucker for romance that’s done well, I thought I would focus on that. In most SF&F books, the love story is not the main plot thread because the main characters are busy having their own adventures. This is something that actually works for me because I love strong characters who are more than able to face the challenges they’re faced with – which makes it very satisfying for me to see them get together with someone who matches their strengths and accepts their weaknesses (and vice versa). I love it when there’s a slow burn romance between two characters where there’s enough time for them to get to know the other person.

I put together a list of some of my favorite SF&F reads with swoon-worthy love stories that I could totally root for.

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner – Of course I had to include my all-time favorite YA series because it has a romance which is stunning in its subtlety and complexity. I was surprised when it happened but then later realized the author’s brilliance in building up the love story. There’s just so much to admire in the details of MWT’s writing.

Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith

Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith – I think the romance in this one really worked for me because the male lead was such an unreadable character. I enjoyed reading the characters’ interactions because I was never sure if it would lead to something.

The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley

The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley – I feel like Robin McKinley’s beloved book is a good representation of all the epic fantasy heroines that I love. Good example of slow burn romance between two strong and capable characters who admire each other.

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale – I love fairy tale retellings and Shannon Hale’s was the first one I fell in love with. I thought it was just beautiful how she took the bones of a classic fairy tale and remade it into her own story.

Son of the Shadows by Juliet Marillier

Son of the Shadows by Juliet Marillier – This is one of those stories where the romance is gratifying because the characters have to endure so much before they get together. I loved how Juliet Marillier writes emotions that feel so real, I was fully invested in the main characters in this one and I cheering them on through their difficulties.

Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews

Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews – This is my favorite urban fantasy series and it has such a good romance that spans the entire series. The witty banter was something that I really enjoy. I thought it was great that it took several books before the main characters become a couple and that even after they do, their relationship keeps changing and growing.

The Touchstone Trilogy by Andrea K. Höst

Touchstone trilogy by Andrea K. Höst – A recent favorite, I loved the voice of the main character and how she slowly develops feelings for someone even though she thinks they will never be reciprocated. This one also has a stoic and unreadable character, something I wouldn’t mind reading more of.

I like that even though all of these books fall under SF&F, they’re still from various sub-genres – there’s historical fantasy, epic fantasy, fairy tale retelling, urban fantasy and sci-fi. What about the rest of you, what SF&F books or series written by female authors have you loved that also contain a wonderful romance?

Thank you for having me here, Kristen! I had a lot of fun putting this list together.

Women in SF&F Month Banner

Today’s guest is steampunk, fantasy, and horror author Dru Pagliassotti! She is the author of Clockwork Heart, the first book in a steampunk trilogy. The second book, Clockwork Lies: Iron Wind, was released last month. I’m happy she’s here today, and she’s talking about her experience with writing her first female protagonist in this series after growing up reading fantasy stories about boys.

Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliassotti Clockwork Lies: Iron Wind by Dru Pagliassotti

Yes, I’m a woman who writes fantasy stories and novels. But to be absolutely honest, I don’t think I’m very good at being a woman.

When I was a girl, I wanted to be a boy. All the heroes in the fantasy novels I read were boys, and I wanted to be like them. The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings? Anyone who did anything interesting was a boy. Okay, Éowyn got one good line, but that was one line in a 481,103-word trilogy. The heroes in the Chronicles of Narnia were mostly boys. Of the notable girls, Lucy became a healer — why not a warrior? — and Aslan exiled Susan when she started caring about boys and fashion, which was quite the thought-provoking lesson for a little girl to absorb. Earthsea Trilogy? Ged; boy. Riddlemaster of Hed? Prince Morgon; boy. The Chronicles of Prydain? Taran; boy. Harper Hall Trilogy? Menolly starred in the first two books, but she was a musician. Where were the girls with swords? Chronicles of Amber? Corwin; boy. All those Eternal Champions? Boys. The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant? Thomas; boy … who rapes the girl who heals him! That was another eye-opening lesson for me. (In hindsight, I was way too young to have been reading that series….)

At any rate, the message was clear: I’d been cheated at birth. But I did what I could. I shunned dresses, jewelry, cosmetics, and romance — Aslan wasn’t going to kick me out of the promised land. I learned archery and martial arts and wanted a pocket knife; nobody was going to rape this girl.

And whenever I wrote stories, I wrote them about boys.

Gradually, as the years passed, I absorbed enough feminist theory to feel uncomfortable about feeling uncomfortable about being a woman. Yet while feminism suggested that I could be any kind of woman I wanted to be, the kind of woman I should want to be apparently embraced her inner femininity, loved her body, advocated for women and women’s issues, patronized women-owned businesses, bought women-made products, ran her own business, raised her own family, did her own housework, and still looked beautiful and self-confident every morning while she was doing it. And of course, if she were a writer, she would write thoughtful, gender-sensitive, Bechdel-test-passing, stereotype-shattering, woman-empowering fiction.

Squirm.

Writing a series with a female protagonist — Taya — broke new ground for me. And while I wrote, I was uneasily aware of all the ways my character and my novel failed to meet those impossible feminist standards I had imagined and internalized. “I’m writing a romance — isn’t romantic love just a myth glamorizing cultural institutions developed to assert men’s ownership over women’s reproductive freedom? Plus, it’s a heterosexual romance — am I complicitly perpetuating patriarchy and heterosexism? And Taya doesn’t like violence — have I slipped into Victorian “women’s sphere” moral fiction? And sometimes she talks about men with her female friends — Bechdel-test red alert!”

And that was just the feminist critique running through my head. I won’t even tell you about the multicultural and postcolonial critiques whispering in the background while I wrote.

Still, I did my best to create the kind of female protagonist I would have liked to have read about when I was a girl. To be sure, Taya’s not the heroine I would have written about as a girl. For one thing, she doesn’t carry a sword. But today, as an adult, I understand that the hero’s sword (or magic) was simply a symbol of his autonomy — it was the means by which he overcame barriers and protected himself and his loved ones. In the Clockwork Heart trilogy, I gave Taya a set of metal wings, instead. Her flight and her lively interest in other people guarantee her autonomy — they are the means by which she overcomes barriers and protects herself and her loved ones. Taya isn’t afraid of violence, but for her, violence is a failure of communication — it’s a last choice instead of a first.

Is that too girly? Is it a reflection of my privileged postindustrial viewpoint?

If I simply dismiss all these concerns and tell the story I want to tell, will I be silently consenting to my own oppression and the oppression of other women in this field and all others?

I don’t know. I understand more about stereotypes and institutionalized sexism now than I did as a girl, and the times — and the fantasy novels — have changed for the better. No, they’re not perfect, but they’re better. And yet … here I am, the grown-up version of the girl who wanted to be a boy. Womanhood is still not the identity that springs first, or even third, to my mind when I’m asked to describe myself. So I’m pretty sure I’m still bad at being a woman. Maybe it’s just too late for me to learn any better.

But it’s not too late for the little girls who are reading fantasy today. I hope that in some small way, Taya — and the heroines of all the books that have been discussed here this month — will help those girls figure out that there are lots of ways to be a woman.

And they’re all good.

— Dru Pagliassotti

Dru Pagliassotti is the author of the Clockwork Heart trilogy, Clockwork Heart, Clockwork Lies: Iron Wind, and the upcoming Clockwork Secrets: Heavy Fire (EDGE). She’s also written the horror novel An Agreement with Hell (Apex Publications) and various short stories. She’s a professor of communication at California Lutheran University and can be found online at DruPagliassotti.Com and on Facebook and GoodReads.

Women in SF&F Month Banner

Today’s guest is fantasy author Katherine Addison! Her recently-released novel The Goblin Emperor has been receiving rave reviews, and she is also Sarah Monette, the author of Mélusine and its sequels, The Bone Key, A Companion to Wolves and The Tempering of Men (with Elizabeth Bear), and numerous short stories. I have read all the books by Sarah Monette just mentioned and enjoyed them all, but I am particularly fond of her Mélusine books, which are especially notable for the characterization and the voices of the main protagonists. In fact, they are quite easily in my five favorite speculative fiction series of all time, and my favorite book in that series (The Virtu) is one of my five favorite SFF books of all time. I am delighted to have the author of some of my favorite books here today to discuss the women in Tolkien’s books and default-male thinking in fantasy!

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

If you look at the various blog posts, essays, and articles I’ve left scattered across the internet, you’ll see that I pick on Tolkien a lot. You might think this is because I loathe him, but the exact opposite is true. I love Tolkien. I love his stories. I passionately admire his writing. I imitate his world-building to the best of my ability.

And I’m not actually picking on Tolkien qua Tolkien. I’m picking on the consequences of Tolkien, because Tolkien is one of the most admired, copied, and influential Anglophone fantasists of the twentieth century. At this point, I think that even fantasy writers who hate Tolkien, even fantasy writers who have never read Tolkien, are still in conversation with Tolkien and the way that his story and his world-building became the gold standard of the genre.

There are lots of aspects to this: Tolkien’s fiercely anti-technology pastoral nostalgia, his ingrained racism, his equally ingrained adherence to a utopian version of the class structure of pre-World War I England. But I want to talk about his women, and the models they do (or don’t) provide for girls and women who want to imagine their own place in fantasy.

There are no women in The Hobbit. Full stop. But The Lord of the Rings has arguably the bare minimum necessary to acknowledge that women do exist and are not, like the Ent-wives, an absence at the heart of the men’s tragedy. Each of these women represents one of the archetypal niches in which women can be installed in patriarchal fiction.

Lobelia Sackville-Baggins (who–give credit where credit is due–is an intensely memorable, believable, and ultimately even empathizable character) is the Shrew, the comic horror, both monstrous and trivial, from whom men hide. Arwen Evenstar is the Beloved, barely visible and so idealized that (unlike Lobelia) she has no character at all. Even in the Appendices, she merely paces out the measures of a Petrarchan courtship, and her great contribution to the war against Sauron is to make Aragorn a deeply meaningful flag.

Galadriel is magnificent, but she’s also so far above the plane of our viewpoint characters, so idealized, that the only reaction they can have to her is worship. If Arwen is Petrarch’s Laura, Galadriel is Dante’s Beatrice. She is the beloved in the courtly love tradition. Her knights may wear her favor (the clasps of their cloaks, the strand of her hair that Gimli begs), but that’s as close as they’re ever going to come. Where Lobelia is the Shrew and Arwen is the Beloved, Galadriel is the Goddess.

That leaves us with Eowyn, who is the Honorary Boy. She cross-dresses as Dernhelm to follow Theoden to war and she slays the Witch-King of Angmar via a very Macbethian loophole:

 
“Hinder me? Thou fool. No living man may hinder me.”
Then Merry heard of all sounds in that hour the strangest. It seemed that Dernhelm laughed, and the clear voice was like the ring of steel. “But no living man am I! You look upon a woman.”

And then she gets shunted aside again, stuck in the Houses of Healing while the forces of darkness are defeated, turned from a shieldmaiden into a healer and married off to Faramir who here, as in so many other places, is serving as Aragorn Lite. Honorary Boydom revoked with a vengeance.

There are different ways to read the swift and formal courtship of Eowyn and Faramir, depending on how you take Eowyn’s conversion:

 
Then the heart of Eowyn changed, or else at last she understood it. And suddenly her winter passed, and the sun shone on her.
“I stand in Minas Anor, the Tower of the Sun,” she said; “and behold! the Shadow has departed! I will be a shieldmaiden no longer, nor vie with the great Riders, nor take joy only in the songs of slaying. I will be a healer, and love all things that grow and are not barren.” And again she looked at Faramir. “No longer do I desire to be a queen,” she said.

This can be read as a genuine moment on the Road to Damascus, where the scales fall from her eyes and she realizes that she has been lying to herself. Or it can be a recognition–and a relief–that she can never be the best, never be a queen, and therefore she should take the happiness that is offered to her. Or, if you think that the Eowyn we have seen in The Two Towers and The Return of the King is a hawk who can be caged but not tamed, this moment is Tolkien tidying Eowyn and her discontent and her ambition and her fury right the hell out of the story. (I never read Eowyn as being in love with Aragorn; I read her as hungry for the power and recognition that Aragorn represents to her.) It’s literature; you can choose the interpretation you want. I’ll just observe that it’s awfully convenient for Tolkien that Eowyn decides to take what Faramir is offering.

Eowyn is more, though, than an Honorary Boy, because she also offers a critique of her own world that is just as trenchant for epic fantasy today as it was when Tolkien wrote it.

 
“Shall I always be left behind when the Riders depart, to mind the house while they win renown, and find food and beds when they return?”
“A time may come soon,” said he, “when none will return. Then there will be need of valour without renown, for none shall remember the deeds that are done in the last defence of your homes. Yet the deeds will not be less valiant because they are unpraised.”
And she answered: “All your words are but to say: you are a woman, and your part is in the house. But when the men have died in battle and honour, you have leave to be burned in the house, for the men will need it no more.”

Aragorn doesn’t have an answer for her, either, and for all that I’m suspicious that her marriage to Faramir–as with so many marriages at the end of Anglophone novels–happens because Tolkien doesn’t know what to do with her, I respect him for understanding her well enough to let her speak, for acknowledging that she has a subject position and that it’s a lousy place to be standing.

So what do you do, if you’re a woman and you love epic fantasy? If you’re not a Shrew and not a Goddess and you want to be more than just the Girl Back Home, but you don’t want to have to dress up as a boy to do it? If you agree with Eowyn that you’re tired of being good and dutiful and left behind? How do you make a place for yourself in a world to which women are largely incidental?

Well, for one thing, you reject the world-view that can dismiss half the human race as “incidental.” It’s never been true, just as it’s never been true that people of non-white skin colors are animals or that people of lower economic classes are fit only for brute labor or that non-heterosexual people are evil. Real history is far far more complicated than even the most elaborately built fantasy world; there’s plenty of room. And the brilliant thing about fantasy is that you don’t have to cleave closely to historical accuracy–Tolkien certainly didn’t.

The other thing you can do is to try to get away from default-male thinking. This is hard to do, and I say that as someone who fails more often than she succeeds. But it isn’t true that men can do cool things and women can’t. It isn’t true that men are interesting protagonists and women aren’t. It isn’t true that stories about men are better than stories about women. Eowyn’s only way out is to be the Honorary Boy, but that’s because she’s trapped in the world that Tolkien built, which she quite accurately describes as a cage. Imitating Tolkien isn’t the same as repeating Tolkien. We aren’t trapped in that world, and we don’t have to build worlds that are cages.

Katherine AddisonKatherine Addison is the pseudonym of Sarah Monette. She grew up in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, one of the three secret cities of the Manhattan Project, and now lives in a 108-year-old house in the Upper Midwest with a great many books, two cats, one grand piano, and one husband. Her Ph.D. diploma (English Literature, 2004) hangs in the kitchen. She has published more than fifty short stories, two novels (A Companion to Wolves, Tor Books, 2007, The Tempering of Men, Tor Books, 2011) and four short stories with Elizabeth Bear, and hopes to write more. Her first four novels make up the Mélusine fantasy quartet, published by Ace. Her latest novel, The Goblin Emperor, published under the pen name Katherine Addison, came out from Tor in April 2014. Visit her online at www.sarahmonette.com or www.katherineaddison.com