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Help me find fantasy books with lesbian heroines!Hey, all. First post ever, so be gentle. I love to read. Always have. I've never gotten too heavy into the general fiction, though. No, my cup of tea is more sword-slinging, armor wearing, tough talking heroes fighting evil villains and playing with deep magicks. Unsurprisingly, I've always enjoyed fantasy novels that have had strong female characters as the leads, such as Phedre from Jacqueline Carey's "Kushiel's Dart" books. This got me to thinking. As a lesbian, I love to read about lesbian relationships because I can relate to them or find them interesting. Heterosexual relationships in my fantasy novels seem dry to me - I can't get too interested in them. I've certainly tried: my bookshelves are full of fantasy books of the Dragonlance series, and other assorted series I've picked up along the way. I guess what I'm asking is this: how can I find fantasy books with lesbian heroines? There is a Chapters store in my town, as well as a Coles bookstore, but there's no real way of knowing which novels have lesbians in them without sitting in the aisles and going book-by-book, which'd take hours. Searching on Chapters.ca doesn't give me any further help. Does anyone have any suggestions for fantasy novels with lesbians kicking ass and making girls swoon? Or perhaps you know of websites that have lists of these books? I've not been able to find any of those, either. Any help would be wonderful, as I'm currently rereading silly teen novels from my pre-teen years and I'm quickly growing bored. Thanks! (Please note that I didn't include Science Fiction in my interests! I dislike Sci-Fi novels. I've never really gotten into them at all - and I've certainly tried, with books such as Ender's Game.) Submitted by eternalfire (1 post) on January 20, 2007 - 7:59pm. |
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News, Reviews & Commentary on Lesbian and Bisexual women in Entertainment and the Media
lesbian fantasy book recommendations
I recommend 2 Chris Anne Wolfe books that have been periodically re-printed: They are Shadows of Aggar and Fires of Aggar. While they can lean toward sci-fi a bit because of the life an a planet that isn't ours, I think you may be pleasantly surprised by these. The female "warriors," if you will are stationed on a planet that is akin to our middle ages. Metal is scarce on their world and most people have glass knives.
Try looking for them at alabris.com or bookwoman.com or even amazon. com.
If you could be a bit more specific in defining fantasy, perhaps I can come up with more options. Chris Anne Wolfe's version of Beauty and the Beast was pretty good too.
Best of luck,
bezbyd
L J Maas' The Conqueror Series
Hey a great find is L J Maas' site with, "The Conqueror Series." It consists of 3 books all online at: http://www.art-with-attitude.com/artist/conqueror.html Huge Uber Xena!
Also, "The Mystic Women of the Realm" series by Robbie Collins. I just finished book 3 and it was fantastic!!! Book one was good but books two and three got better and better! Probably the best I've read since Conqueror. Get at amazon.
hummmm
Okay, I can do this...
A couple of very mainstream, and VERY lesbian friendly authors are Marion Zimmer Bradley, and Mercedes Lackey... Some of their books contain actual lesbian relationships, or strong illusions to them, or societies or situations where they are common.
Fantasy/Sci Fi is a very good genre for this, and it was one of the original places where gay and lesbian things flourished as a whole. Chris Anne Wolfe's Shadows Duo, as recommended by the first reply here, are also superb examples of the genre taken to a whole new level, specifically with lesbians in mind, in fact, and published by lesbian publishing houses.
Gun Brooke & Jean Stewart are also specialists in the genre.
Katherine Kurts, writes mainstream Fantasy, but she herself is a lesbian, or I read that somewhere, twenty years ago, I may be remembering that incorrectly. Let me check to make sure I am thinking of the right person. Yes....
Then come anthologies, there are quite a number of very high quality anthologies, which can be used an introduction for many authors, and give you and idea where to look next.
Bending the Landscape, a series of anthologies edited by Nicola Griffith, (who wrote The Blue Place, and Stay) is certainly a sparkling and unusual collection. As I remember... (my bookshelves are in another building) there are three in the series. Fantasy, Sci Fi, and Supernatural or was that Horror?
Karin Kallmaker also helps edit, or edits a series of Anthologies, one of which is called:
I don't own them, but I believe they are more centred on supernatural tendencies, rather than specifically swords and brass bras.
When she was alive, and for a few years after her death, Marion Zimmer Bradley edited a series called: Sword & Sorceress, which were books that contained short stories by a myriad of authors, the main premise being that they stories were about women, and focused on women. These books, which I own, are also places to look for authors who have sapphic content in their work, and they can give you a broad spectrum of ideas and places to look and start from.
And the list goes on...
Go to Amazon.com, and start searching, and look for: Customers who looked at this, also looked at that...
or
Customers who bought this, also bought that...
or
Buy this & That together
The linked books are often in the same genre, or field, and subject.
Also, there is plenty of Uber fiction online, be it Xena based, or Star Trek Voyager based, or even X-Files based, which inserts versions of our heroines into chain mail, and has them swinging broadswords....
Then there is me, *wink* when my book is published, that is, now I have to get back to editing, the publisher is impatient.
Hope this helps!
---
"A child of five could understand this, fetch me a child of five..." - Groucho Marx
lesbian fantasy books
Boudica
I would definitely recommend the 'Boudica' books by Manda Scott. There are four in all and the first one is 'Boudica, Dreaming The Eagle'. They're written by a lesbian and have lots of battle scenes, swords, chainmail etc., (alas, no dragons) and heaps of strong female characters. The two main ones have a lesbian relationship. They're also beautifully written.
Fingersmith and Tipping the
I have books on scores of genres, even hundreds, last time I counted, I added up almost 3000 books in my bookshelves, but it is exceptionally hard to find that the original poster is looking for all things considered. I will definitely be looking at this Manda Scott, sounds intriguing...
Also, most people I know who read fantasy and sci fi, read everything else too... fantasy/sci fi is actually a passion, kind of like mysteries, and detective novels, unlike many genres, you have to be specifically interested in it, to read it... It is not a general genre that can be simply picked up and read, you have to want to. Which is not to say that it is not for everyone, and there are not more casual books that would be suited for any interested party, but to read for example, the Dune books by Frank Herbert, you have to want to, and be very interested in them...
I can't stand detective/mystery novels, my idea of torture is even reading a page of them, even the ones with lesbians as main characters, but I have friends who adore them, love them, and consume them at huge volumes.
It takes all kinds...
---
"A child of five could understand this, fetch me a child of five..." - Groucho Marx
thanks, nervcorvo
yeah, nerocorvo, i think i stated in my post that fingersmith and tipping the velvet were NOT fantasy, but thanks for restating that for me...i simply suggested the books as an answer to lesbian content
Indeed...
Never know where someone might be from, so I thought to alleviate any possible confusion... I know people who have never heard of either book, and I am in Europe.
As for lesbian content, that is not especially hard, but finding quality lesbian content is much harder, or at least not as easy, add a very specific genre, and it becomes even harder. I have heard of some lesbian detective called, Scarpetti? Who features in a series of detective/mystery novels, and apparently they are something else, now if only we had an equivalent in fantasy.
Authors I like who specifically write lesbian novels, include: Gerri Hill, Kim Baldwin, Belle Reilly, Sharon Bowers, Kiera Dellacroix, D. Jordan Redhawk, Penny Hayes, Caro Clarke, KG MacGregor, Ronica Black, ad nauseam, and there are constantly more. There are also older authors, from the generation before mine, and who broke the ground for writers like me, by making it even conceivable. From a time before Niad even...
Sarah Waters is certainly a quality writer, absolutely... I just do not like her enough to buy a book by her, when I can loan it, (her writing is simply not what I would seek to fill my bookshelves with, though I do read her, it is just a personal choice) and Sarah Waters has done the unique thing of breaking into the sort-of mainstream, kind of like Imagine Me & You did, which is quite a feat; but none of these authors write in the fantasy genre, though they all write fiction...and even science fiction/sort of apocalytic fiction...
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"A child of five could understand this, fetch me a child of five..." - Groucho Marx
Tamora Pierce
I know that Tamora Pierces Circle series is for young people, it is hinted from start that there is two women living together and being a couple. In book number 9 one of the lead characters is just learning that she doesn't like boys, but girls instead.
If you can get past the youth thing, it is a very good series, i have read all of them numerous times.
Love
Henriette
books
The best lesbian novel by far is Jeanette Wintersons Written on the body
Jane Fletcher and LJ Baker
I would like to recommend two authors, Jane Fletcher and LJ Baker.
Jane Fletcher has written two series, Celaeno World and Lyremouth Chronicles. The former is set in a world with woman only and the other isn't. Lyremouth Chronicles up to now has three books, and all have some mystery to solve. It is also better to read it from the first, even though one can pick up Book 3 first to read without any problem. In Celaeno Series, each book can be counted as a standalone installment, with different focus of protagonists. One of good things in Jane's books is that you won't be annoyed by the writer's recount of previous plots.
The reading order of Celaeno World, as mentioned by the author, is The Temple at Landfall, The Walls of Westernfort, Rangers at Roadsend. But in my opinion, the order is best like this: RaR, TaL, WoW. The new installment is coming in March.
L J Baker's Broken Wings is a book whose protagonist is a fairy. OK, please don't go away because of "fairy". This book isn't like fairy tale; in fact, the story is full of imagination and "human"-like emotions. It's well written, and when I started it and almost couldn't put it down.
Baker's next book is set in a medieval world of magic and misogyny, called Lady Knight.
Websites: Jane Fletcher and LJ Baker
Okay, so in terms of fantasy
Hear is some Sci fi...
For Sci-fi stuff try http://www.lesbiansciencefiction.com/index.html. A few of the books could also be called fantasy.
Laurie J. Marks
Fire Logic and Earth Logic by Laurie J. Marks. The writing is fantastic, lesbian and gay main characters abound, and the cover art is outstanding. I've just discovered that the third in the series, Water Logic, will be coming out this summer and I can't wait!
Here's a couple excerpts from reviews of Fire Logic to whet your appetite:
"Marks is an absolute master of fantasy in this book."--Booklist (starred review)
"A work that is filled with an intelligence that zings off the page."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
And from the Booklist review of Earth Logic:
"The powerful but subtle writing glows with intelligence, and the passionate, fierce, articulate, strong, and vital characters are among the most memorable in contemporary fantasy, though not for the faint of heart. Definitely for the thinking reader." Paula Luedtke
Gun Brooke here! :-)
great suggestions - (though I did suggest you earlier)
Why is it hard to find?
You can find these books in Amazon and in SCP (specialized in lesbian books).
I like Gun's SF books too. Already got Rebel's Quest.
ok well
Expensive to import?
I do have access to English language books in my country, but relativelly speaking, accessto lesbian themed books is not as easy at all... I get most of my books from Amazon, but for each book I get, I could buy two or three in a store, after paying to have the shipped to me... So, hard to find...
Obviously, I can read a lot of stuff online, but one wants paper when it comes to some books, and online books, and eBooks only fill the gaps to an extent, though thank goodness for them, or I might go mad.
Same here
I also have to pay lots of money for shipping; usually more than 50% of the total in book price (e.g. via Amazon).
But I don't read many online fiction (e.g. pdafiction or academyofbards) as I did before. Mainly it's because most published authors don't post their full-length novels online any more. At most, one can get excerpts.
this is true
sadly...one of my best riends has recently published a book, and now her stories will be removed... but in many ways, i thin the online scene helps Authors get off the ground, or at least encourages them to keep writing... feedback is precious...
Been a donkey's age since I wrote anything for mass consumption, but my artistic lights are in original fiction and other things right now, instead of Uber or even regular fanfiction...
The Sci-Fi
Ursula K. Leguin
Ursula K. Leguin has many lesbian characters (The Telling, The Left Hand of Darkness), but I'm afraid she's more on the Sci-Fi side. I'd give it a try anyway, Ender's Game is probably not the best book to get started on Science Fiction.
Over the centuries, mankind has tried many ways of combating the forces of evil... prayer, fasting, good works and so on. Up until Doom, no one seemed to have thought about the double-barrel shotgun. Terry Pratchett.
Katherine V. Forrest
I can't believe no one has mentioned Katherine V. Forrest's 'Daughters of a Coral Dawn', which is the first in a trilogy. It's fantasy and somewhat sci-fi, but the two seem to go hand in hand. And with the exception of a handful of male characters, and ONE woman, every other woman in the trilogy is a lesbian and there are plenty of lesbian relationships. The first book in particular is a classic and described as a 'lesbian utopia'
You know how people are always saying how great it would be if there was a world of women only? Enough said. I recommend this, as I love it and you may enjoy it also. It can be hard to locate, particular the first, but amazon.com will have all three, if you're looking to purchase and keep!
fiction with women that kick ass
Hi eternalfire ,
this is also my first post ever anywhere. Took me some time to figure it out.....! Anyway , in reply to your question , here are some not so literary tips for a great read.
I would advice reading the series 'The deeds of Paksenarrion ' by Elizabeth Moon ( 1 Sheepfarmers Daughter , 2 Divided Allegiance 3 Oath of Gold ) The main character is not openly a lesbian but there is a lot of subtext. This series is one of my all time favorites. Be forewarned : contains a lot of violence !
The writer Mary Gentle is also worth checking out. I would also like to point you in the direction of the following writers :
- Michelle Shirey Crean ( ' Dancer of the Sixth ' )
- Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Moon ( 'Sassinak ', 'The death of sleep ' , 'Generation Warriors ')
- David Weber ( 'Path of the fury '). Also the Honor Harrington series might be ok for you.
Yes, I know , you said that you didn't like SF. Me neither , for that matter. These books mentioned might be the exception to the rule ,though. They are for me. They all have an ass-kicking woman as their main character.
You can also find a lot of alt fiction on the web. I'd like to mention these websites :
- www.academyofbards.org
- www.xenafiction.net
- www.ausxip.com
- www.faultsofhelicon.com
- http://www.dykesvision.com/en/femslash/
- www.tuckerglenn.com
This will give you a wide range of short stories/novels ( romance/ fantasy/thrillers ). There are also quite a lot of published writers putting their stuff on these sites, so well worth checking out! When I first came across these sites I thought I had died and gone to heaven !
Go check it out and have fun , like I'm having !
paksenarrion
Paksenarrion
It's not the best book/series out there, but it's not horrible! Sure, there were some mundane parts with her training and such, but that really could not be excluded.
_________
"If you go flying back through time, and you see somebody else flying forward into the future, it's probably best to avoid eye contact." - Jack Handey
Fantasy/Sci-Fi Women Warriors
First, I agree about Katherine Forrest - wonderful author/great series. Wish she wrote more in the series.
Secondly, there's a new fantasy/Sci-Fi i read that i fell in love with - Women of Woden, by Robbie Collins. It seems to be the first in a series of six, from what the advertisement says, and Book II - Women of the Valley just came out, and i can't wait to read it.
These are way-cool lesbian warriors in a very mystical world, and i would love to live in Woden.
And you could also try going to artemispress.com.
As much as I dislike making
As much as I dislike making my second post here one of shameless self-promotion, if you don't mind reading amateur fics you could give mine a go if you want. It's here: http://www.fictionpress.com/s/2371237/1/
Other than that, I have to admit I've been looking for stuff too! *reads page with interest and makes notes*
Lorimal's Chalice is a quite
Lorimal's Chalice is a quite good fantasy story with a lesbian heroine and plenty of lesbian and gay content. And it's freely avalible online.
http://oxymoron.reprobate.se/lorimalschalice/
Same thing Here
l As a lesbian, I love to read about lesbian relationships because I can relate to them or find them interesting. Heterosexual relationships in my fantasy novels seem dry to me - I can't get too interested in them l
i got the same feeling ..... thank you for the interesting topic
To Druj
THANK YOU FOR THE LINK U PUT
I CHECKED IT OUT AND IT WAS REALLLLLLLLLLLLLLY FANTASTIC....Thanks again
Save some time
Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
BOTH BOOK ARE MOVIES....... JUST WATCH THE BBC ADOBTATION MOVIES
lesbians in my fantasy library...
I have the following books in my fantasy library that feature lesbians:
Gael Baudino's Gossamer Axe: This gem is out of print, but if you can find a copy, you won't be disappointed. It has a lesbian hero, magic, elves and rock & roll. A lesbian relationship is one of the major plot points.
Tanya Huff's Quarters Series: The first novel, Sing the Four Quarters features a character who is bisexual, but in a long term romantic relationship with another woman. The next two deal with an ass-kicking bisexual assassin, but is not as explicitly lesbian as the first book. As with all of Ms. Huff's work, it is extremely gay friendly if not gay explicit.
Tanya Huff's Keeper's Chronicles: Again, gay friendly, but does not contain lesbian romance per se. One of the major characters (in books #2 & #3) is a lesbian 'Keeper' (sorceress?) but she doesn't get any romance and her partner is her straight sister.
Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover - Renunciates: MZB's Darkover universe contains numerous (13? 14?) novels, but the ones dealing with the Renunciates are subtexty. The Renunciates are an all-woman group on the patriarchal world of Darkover. You don't have to read other Darkover novels to make sense of these Renunciate novels.
All of these were mainstream novels at one point, and if they are not in your local library, should be available through an interlibrary loan.
Good Luck and happy reading!
Wildeny is right...
I've read nearly every one of the sci fi/fantasy books and authors listed here... and have to agree that Fletcher and Baker handle the genre best. Walls of Westernfort ROCKS. I dig that there isn't that whole "justify my lesbian existence" portion of the book. It is what it is and nobody has to explain their "otherness" in these books. They just get right down to it. (By "it" I mean storyline!!)
And Baker's stories remind me exactly of the chivalric tales we read in lit class in high school... only with the obvious twist. Dialogue is clever and sexy.
Thanks
Thank you, thank you