[monkeydog]

Hello, I am new here. I have truly enjoyed reading here. I have often enjoyed fantasizing about what an informed discussion of the books I loved would be like.

That said, I have been reading in these genres for a while and I have found that I really have a hard time reading Female authors. And I realize this leads immediately into the Warren of Freud. My Dad was a Shrink, lets leave it at that.

That said, I am hoping to get recommendations of what I am missing. I have really enjoyed Elizabeth Bear. In the past I have enjoyed Bujold and Tiptree. I tend toward the long form.

Thanks for any help, and I will always watch this post for interesting stuff, a fan.

[Gem Windcaster]

You have probably read a female writer without knowing it.

dun dun dun DUN!!!

I dunno man, I guess you'll have to do a little research and find a female writer you like, then you can conquer your prejudice.

This post has been edited by Gem Windcaster: 15 February 2010 - 02:54 AM

[Binder of Demons]

There was a thread about recommended female scifi/fantasy authors a while ago which might save some time

http://forum.malazan...showtopic=13283

[monkeydog]

Binder of Demons, on 15 February 2010 - 02:52 AM, said:

There was a thread about recommended female scifi/fantasy authors a while ago which might save some time

http://forum.malazan...showtopic=13283

Thank you for the link.

From the perspective of, say, Kvothe, what would be your favorite?

[Sinisdar Toste]

anne mccaffrey is a good place to start. i love her books, though the level is a little more young adult, they're always intriguing and engaging

This post has been edited by Sinisdar Toste: 15 February 2010 - 03:37 AM

[Aptorian]

I really liked Anne Rice's Vampire and Witch books *cough*

There's also the Far Seer Trilogy by Robin Hobb, all though you need to stop at that trilogy and not read the Liveship Trilogy.

Never ever read Trudi Canavan, she is a blight upon the fantasy scene.

[Use Of Weapons]

Just read the thread -- most entries say why they like a particular author, who is similar, and who should be avoided.

[Tarcanus]

I would say avoid Robin Hobb like the plague, unless you enjoy beating yourself over the head with bland bricks of description and whining angst.

The only other female author I can think of that I've read fantasy-wise is Margaret Weis in her Dragonlance and Deathgate novels(she was a co-author with Tracy Hickman) and those are fun reads, if nothing else.

I've always been curious of Karen Miller(though the covers of her novels remind me of fluff stock fantasy so I'm edgy about wasting time reading them), Anne McCaffery(sp?)(Though the covers of her books reminds me of old-school fantasy(which makes me edgy because I want something new and not something I've probably read a hundred different times in varying forms), and LeGuin(haven't gotten to read her yet as I have plenty of others on my to-read pile =])

[Use Of Weapons]

Karen Miller is awful at the moment, though she might improve with practice. Good ideas, poor execution.

[Salt-Man Z]

Alternately, I'd highly recommend Robin Hobb's Liveship Traders series. Richly textured and well-written, with a number of good plot twists, even if it does drag on a little at the end. And I'd avoid Anne McCaffrey, if you're already at a Steven Erikson reading level. My wife had me read a couple of the Pern trilogies in college, and I couldn't stand them.

Karen Traviss has an excellent 6-book sci-fi series called The Wess'har Wars, with really good characters, fantastic aliens, and tons of mind-blowing plot twists, even if the series does veer toward the eco-preachy on occasion.

[Werthead]

It appears there are posters in this thread who have not tried KJ Parker, one of the few female fantasy authors writing the same kind of gritty fantasy fiction (not so epic though) as the likes of Erikson and Martin. In fact, she's gritter. One sequence in The Belly of the Bow (the second volume of her first trilogy) made me feel physically ill in a way that nothing in Malazan or ASoIaF has ever done. Twisted, but also brilliant.

[Illuyankas]

The Collected Works of Anne McCaffrey

Quote

Female Lead

I secretly love Male Lead. He must never know.

Male Lead

I secretly love Female Lead. She must never know.

(They find out.)



THE END

[Aptorian]

Werthead, on 16 February 2010 - 08:51 PM, said:

It appears there are posters in this thread who have not tried KJ Parker, one of the few female fantasy authors writing the same kind of gritty fantasy fiction (not so epic though) as the likes of Erikson and Martin. In fact, she's gritter. One sequence in The Belly of the Bow (the second volume of her first trilogy) made me feel physically ill in a way that nothing in Malazan or ASoIaF has ever done. Twisted, but also brilliant.

I was not aware that KJ Parker was a woman.

Let me then be the one to warn you against her. If the first book in the Engineer trilogy is an indication of what the rest of her work is like, then stay the hell away.

Devices and Desires is not the worst fantasy book I have ever read, the charactization is okay, the dialogue and interaction between characters is passable, but my god that book is boring. NOTHING HAPPENS. It's the least satisfying read I've ever been through. I had to force myself to finish it but it was certainly not worth it.

I'd rather read Goodkind, which is bad.

[caladanbrood]

 

Gem Windcaster, on 15 February 2010 - 02:51 AM, said:

I dunno man, I guess you'll have to do a little research and find a female writer you like, then you can conquer your prejudice.

Woah there. There's a prejudice that needs conquering? Personally, none of the genre authors I consistently enjoy are female. Doesn't mean I'm some sort of degenerate pig who needs educating...

[Aptorian]

Well, clearly, even in litterature, women are inferior to men, hurf durf, I have a penis.

[stone monkey]

Personally I'm rather fond of the writing of Ursula Le Guin, Margaret Atwood, Connie Willis, Pat Cadagan, Lisa Tuttle, Pat Murphy and Elizabeth Hand; to name but a few. The James Tiptree Jr. issue comes to mind here, a lot of people liked "his" writing on face value before they knew about "him" actually being a her; is it that you've succeeded in convincing yourself that you dislike the writing of women and therefore go into reading works by female authors with the preconception that you're not going to like it?

[Dolorous Menhir]

Werthead, on 16 February 2010 - 08:51 PM, said:

It appears there are posters in this thread who have not tried KJ Parker, one of the few female fantasy authors writing the same kind of gritty fantasy fiction (not so epic though) as the likes of Erikson and Martin. In fact, she's gritter. One sequence in The Belly of the Bow (the second volume of her first trilogy) made me feel physically ill in a way that nothing in Malazan or ASoIaF has ever done. Twisted, but also brilliant.

KJ Parker is excellent. Maybe not to everyone's taste. Do you enjoy stories where medieval swordsmen ride carts across wartorn countryside while discussing the finer detail of a blacksmith's work at great length?

[HoosierDaddy]

That sounds boring as hell. But then again, so do many Recluce books if you actually write down the plots, and I love Recluce.

[Werthead]

Dolorous Menhir, on 16 February 2010 - 09:59 PM, said:

KJ Parker is excellent. Maybe not to everyone's taste. Do you enjoy stories where medieval swordsmen ride carts across wartorn countryside while discussing the finer detail of a blacksmith's work at great length?

Surely a better question is if people enjoy reading books where lawyers sort out their legal disagreements by trying to cut each others heads off whilst a barbarian horde launches a massive artillery assault on the walls of a city that makes Minas Tirith look like a rude country village?

I have no idea if the ENGINEER or SHADOW trilogies are any good or not, but the FENCER trilogy is pretty much kickass and not dull in the least.

[Yellow]

I'm not a major fan of female authors myself, though there are a few that I've enjoyed reading in the past. There's only a few female singer/songwriters that I listen to as well, though Emmy the Great and Lisa Hannigan are two of my favourites of either sex.

That may be prejudiced, but meh. I tend to find that I connect more with male authors' characters, themes and stories (songs, whatever). Interestingly (or not), my wife and mother in law tend to read books mostly by female authors. I tend not to worry about whether that's prejudiced and just continue to hack away at the "to read" pile - which currently does include one book by a female author