Reading male authors

[selinara]

This has been sitting in the back of my mind for some time. Not only have I been talking about it whenever I do reader's advisory, but then I stumbled across this article by a colleague.  And, link follower that I am (thanks Wikipedia!) I read this article too. Now, even though they were written in April, I only read them about a month ago.

You see

Comments

[pedrith]

Robert Jordan is good, but very long. I've been listening to it as audio books and am at book three. I'm currently listening to The Hunger Games and am about 3 hours in and am enjoying that.

Once I'm done writing my novel, I would love you to read through it. OF course my female character is only six so some of the above may apply (mostly sometimes being saved, sometimes being looked after, but she does have one duel using a potato--so far and hopefully spunk). I do have several vague ideas for other novels that would take her from six to well into her thirties if not older.

Then again the main male character is only fifteen and not much better at staying out of trouble. So far, Zahir (a secondary character has done the most saving, but he is only in for a little bit longer).

I heard Elantris by Brandon Sanderson is good, but haven't read it, as it George R. Martin (again been suggested to me.)

David

[selinara]

I've just finished the first of the Hunger Games books. So far, so good. She's allowed to empathize, even while she has to contemplate killing someone.

Show me a 6 year-old who can rescue herself from everything, and I'll show you a Mary Sue. Of course, any kid I know being picked up by a stranger would be kicking up a fuss. :)

[pedrith]

Trust me, she isn't a Mary-Sue. I try not to do Mary-Sue's and the male version. I try and make all my characters feel real (with varying degrees of success).

Anyway, would you be interested in reading it once it's finished?

D :)

Da-da-da-DA!

[tchang]

The Chanur Saga -- The protagonists aren't human, infact, there's only one human and he's treated as a weird anomalous alien that nobody's ever encountered. He starts as the macguffin! The crew of the space ship this all takes place on is crewed entirely by cat-women, and the obvious bad-porn-plot doesn't happen! Also: small crew, all the women are detailed characters and highly competent.

Bonus points: the main characters are from a matriarchal society modeled loosely from how lion society works (They're an uplift species of predator cats) and they actually deal in a later book with the husband of the captain joining the crew (Men are considered too temperamental and irrational to deal with the rigours of interstellar travel)

Re: Da-da-da-DA!

[selinara]

Oooh, I think I will have to check that one out. :)
Thanks muchly!

Re: Da-da-da-DA!

[selinara]

And looking up the author made me realize that I've been meaning to read some of his stuff. He does so much 'outsider' stuff, that I've been wondering what his worlds are like.

*edit* Read the bio, and realized old guard sci-fi writer is a _she_.

Two more multi-book series!

[tchang]

Also: Steven Brust has the Vlad Taltos books -- every female character I can remember from the series is detailed and interesting, from Vlad's mentor (Kiera, a master thief) to his (at this point in the series) estranged wife (a former hitwoman who got involved in a sort of fantasy civil rights movement -- they're estranged because Vlad has great difficulty empathizing with the faceless masses, he only sees that his wife is putting herself into danger for complete strangers, what with being at first a major crime boss and then a fugitive on the run for having burned his organization badly where it counts -- $$). These would be Book of Issola, Book of Jhereg, etc... avoid books from Draegaren POV unless you like a Dumas-sort of writing style.

I was going to recommend the Vorkosigan Saga of novels but arndis is already writing up a recommendation for the author (McMaster-Bujold)

[arndis]

Mostly women but all interesting fantasy/sf: Susan Shwartz, Diane Duane's wizarding and wizarding cats books, Caroline Stevermer, Sharon Shinn, Lois McMaster Bujold, Robin McKinley, and Barry Hughart.

And of course the Monstrous Regiment of Women books by Terry Pratchett.

I always liked Heinlein and Asimov too, but they may be a little too old for comfort. Heinlein put a lot of effort into making his female characters strong, smart, and tough, but by now we can really see the difference between then and now.

[selinara]

I am totally on board with Duane, Shinn, McKinley and Pratchett. The others I'm less familiar with. (More authors to read. Woohoo!)

One that took an interesting look at human/alien relations is Lisanne Norman's Sholan Alliance series. (Cat people!) They've finally released a new book in the series, so I'll have to go back and read them again. :)

I've got to go wandering the shelves at work. There's a series twitching my brain... somthing about Spacedoc? (Doctor, not dock.)

[selinara]

_Star_doc. By Viehl, S. It's amazing what will come back when you're ignoring the idea.

I'd read Blade Dancer, and meant to read more.