Kickass Females in Fiction

Decided to explore my favorite gals who are forces to be reckoned with

Here is the podcast

https://anchor.fm/alchemyofgenres/episodes/Kickass-Females-in-Fiction-egetdh


I don't know how this ended up with so many Graphic Novels.....but *shrugs* am guessing that industry just REALLY likes gals who can kick some butt?  It is what it is.  =)

Found some really cool new comics while on Quarantine; you'll likely see/hear more on the library's manga/comics blog....(hint hint); but here are the ones with strong ladies to represent.  This series, Sleepless, is not only an original (and very cool) concept; but also has beautiful artwork AND features a lovely lady of color.  Lady Pyppenia "Poppy" is the daughter (illegitimate) of the King of Harbeny.  Her mother is a Queen (or lady of quality of some kind, I forget) of a province far away, where presumably most have varying shades of brown and black skin; whereas Harbeny seems to be mostly caucasian derivatives.  Skin color has nothing to do with the story (which is nice); however, I wanted to point this fact out because...well, you just don't see enough comics of the fantasy genres featuring people of color (sadly).   Anyway, Poppy is unable to (and really doesn't want to) inherit the throne given her lack of legitimacy; and thus is subject to the new king.  Her unique status has meant that she has had multiple attempts on her life, and thus has retained a Sleepless for her own protection.  In this world, a soldier (usually) or other designated person can elect to take a magical vow to not sleep in order to make sure someone is always watching.  Usually done for war purposes or guarding purposes, but not always with an end date; but eventually all sleepless lose the battle to sleep, and if they did it for too long, will die when sleep finds them (literally sleep the rest of their lives away).  Cyrenic is the knight Sleepless and is determined to take care of Poppy.  Poppy is trying to figure out a way to expose the person trying to kill her, or outwit them and force them to the king's justice (we all know who it is quickly enough, but there is no proof).  I read both volumes, and they seemed to come to an end with the resolution of the assassination (with a bit of light romance on the side); but I am kind of hoping they do some more.  Poppy is smart, politically savvy, fearless and an all around amazing character; and I didn't see the end resolution coming at all.  So good, definitely a must read for all of you.

These girls kick butt in a different, but equally important way.  They are 4 girls; Abby, Brit, Christine and Sasha, who meet freshman year of high school.  Three of them have been friends since childhood; but one has just moved to school and has the most dreaded of all things happen; she gets her first period AT SCHOOL.  Of course she has no supplies and only knows after embarassingly staining her clothing.  (Seriously, I am pretty sure there isn't a woman alive who hasn't at least one story of stained clothing in public, being caught without supplies in some iteration).  Anyway, the three come to her rescue; and in the bathroom realize that the vending machine in the bathroom supposed to have supplies is out, and indeed ALL the vending machines are out.....but even if they weren't....who carries quarters around just in case.....or could wander (IN SCHOOL ON A PASS) from machine to machine trying to find necessary supplies?  One of the girls makes it her mission to inform the world of this unfairness, and to try and change her school and the other girls agree to help; because, yeah.  Of course administration is not interested, and of course it's a long fight; with sometimes embarrassing moments (because menstruation is a truly shameful thing and no one should ever talk about it).  One of the reasons this book works so well is that it really walks through the lives of all 4 girls, over the course of a school year and all the ways they grow and change.  It isn't trying to preach, just talk and show and be.   I really loved this book.

Heathen is one that sat for awhile on the shelf.  It's kind of an indie feeling comic, with different, very stylized artwork that not everyone will go for; but I decided to take a chance when the second in the series came out.  I am so glad I did.  Aydis is of a Viking style tribe who is excommunicated from her tribe for the crime of being caught kissing a girl.  Technically, she is dead; as her choices for her crime were death or marriage; but her father says he will kill her but instead helps her run away.  Aydis decides to follow a legend, and free Brynhild of the Valkyrie who angered Odin and was cursed to live surrounded by fire until a warrior frees her and marries her.  Aydis figures she is a warrior and smart; so she will do this thing to prove something to herself if to no one else.  Heathen follows Aydis and Brynhild and other Viking gods on this adventure and is really quite interesting.  I love the story.

Magic for Nothing is #6 in the Incryptid series.  This is the first solo adventure of Antimony "Annie" Price.  When her sister (from the first 3 books) outs the Price family as still alive on national tv; the entire family is understandably worried about the consequences.  Since the Covenant of St George is their first (and oldest) enemy, they ask Annie to go undercover and enter as an acolyte to the order.  Annie is successful as a double agent; but then for her first mission is sent to a "suspicious" circus where an unexplained death seems to point to a Cryptid murderer; and Annie is supposed to ferret out who, expose them & kill them.  Annie is now a triple agent (as many are also afraid of the Price family); and as she gets comfortable with the circus; hides her Price heritage, her covenant heritage and somehow also keep the many cryptids secret while solving a murder.  As if this isn't enough; she is falling for a Furi (a monkey like creature who can pass as human if need be; basically a human sized furry person with a tale).  Annie is a kick butt gal who loves roller derby as an outlet for frustration; is good with most martial arts and also expert with firearms & explosives.  This series is amazing, and everyone who likes interesting stories & strong female characters should really check it out.

Born in Fire (#2 Demon Days, Vampire Nights---but also called Fire & Ice trilogy...not sure why), the first book introduced  Reagan; a kick butt mercenary and Darius, the vampire who really really likes her (as well as some other minor but cool characters).  In this adventure she has to try and figure out who is committing murders that are being hushed up by the Mages Guild; while still keeping her identity secret (and still trying to figure out her own magic abilities).  Also, her romance with Darius is getting hotter....and she isn't sure how she feels about any of that.  I like this Buffy-esque universe and character, flaws and all.  I don't think you can buy it except on Amazon (indie author) but you can get it on Kindle Unlimited, which is how I found it; and I really enjoyed it.  What's not to like about a girl who can wield demon fire, weapons and kick butt really well?

Killer of Enemies is a YA book, but really it could (and should) be read by everyone.  Not often you find a Native American (Apache technically) girl who is the hunter/killer for her community as the heroine of an adventure.  But Bruchac gives us this post apocalyptic adventure with exactly that.  Everything fell apart when "the cloud" destroyed all technology; especially since humans had starting augmenting themselves in order to be superhuman (and super-wealthy) and run the world.  When tech fails, many augmented die, and all who survive are horribly scarred.  Worse yet, all the genetic experiments are now loosed on humanity.  Civilization has fractured into a feudal type state.  Lozen is struggling to find an escape from a community who holds her family hostage in exchange for her skills as a hunter/fighter.  Also blended into the story is a young man of Arabic/Muslim origins whom she has feelings for.  You might expect this to mean that the story falls into the trope of the girl giving it all up for the big strong guy; but this guy is a pacifist; and also not physically able to do the fighting.....but he has his own strengths.  I love that Bruchac built an intricate, matriarchal story with so many elements and also manages to show the importance of Native history and culture in this futuristic setting.  So good.  Really.  Go read it now.

Tamora Pierce has a universe she usually writes in; but for this series she went back a few hundred years and started fresh....so it's a fun read even if you know nothing of her books or her characters.  Beka is a street kid, and all she has ever wanted to do is do be a cop (called a Dog in this place); before you can be a dog, you start as a puppy (basically a fresh faced newbie).  This is our introduction to Beka, and her first year as a Dog......and how she earns the nickname Terrier.  Beka has a little magic; she can talk to dust storms (they seem to occupy and sit in place in some cities); she talks to her cat (which is kind of not really a cat, but looks like one), and she can hear the spirits of the dead when they ride on pigeons backs (which is what they do when they have things left to do before moving onto the next life).  Beka is a no-nonsense gal, not afraid to jump into a fight and too stubborn to know when to quit.  I love this character; but then again, I love pretty much all of Pierce's books.  They are all in the YA section; but don't let that stop you....read them!

Zahrah is magical in a world that hates that; she is strong when that is also not appreciated but today, right now.....it will be needed to save everyone.  Okorafor brings us a magical story set in an African diaspora making it even more of an adventure if you are unfamiliar with the legends and stories of the many countries of Africa.  She writes characters who aren't afraid to be themselves and it's one of the reasons I adore all of her books.  You should read them all.  This is another YA book, but nonetheless awesome.

Sometimes it DOES pay to pick a book by it's cover.....that is exactly what I did with with comic series...and trust me, it is not a lie.  Moon Girl is the superhero name of Luneila Lafayette.....and she is a genius unappreciated by her parents or her school (in fact they really don't know what to do with her).  Then someone messes about and calls up a T-rex into the city and she finds out she can mind meld with it.....and well, it's a whole thing; because a genius 9 year old in a dinosaur body is interesting (but really limited because how much can you do when you can't speak and have no thumbs?)  but a dinosaur in a little girl's body is a mess.....really it is.  I adore this series, I love the writing and the artwork so much.  You need to check it out.

I have talked about Jane Yellowrock before, so thought I would jump ahead to #7 in the series.  In this one Jane's best friend Molly is missing, and she has to go digging into the dark history of New Orleans regarding witches and vampires to find her and hopefully she'll be able to save her.  Jane and Molly are strong characters, and there is just something about two strong ladies kicking butt and taking names.  Granted in this adventure Molly has some major issues to overcome, but it's ok....that's what friends are for.

I love Batgirl.  So many versions, so many reasons to love.  This Batgirl, starting with Silent Knight introduces Cassandra Cain.  She is the daughter of two assassins, raised to BE an assassin by her father.  She isn't taught any language as it is believed that depriving her of words will better equip her to read body language and unspoken cues.  She meets Batman (I won't spoil it); and in the end he adopts her as his ward and begins to teach her to speak and communicate while allowing her to wear and be Batgirl and fight crime.  Cassandra likes being a good guy rather than an assassin....but it's a whole lot of story, and you need to read it.

Batwoman is a different iteration; and recently had a tv series adaptation done (I heard varying things about it....really should watch it but I am usually disappointed by adaptations)....sigh.
Anyway Kate Kane wanted to be military like all the men in her family; but sadly she is outed in the time of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and when she is told that they will happily keep her in the military if she would only deny she is a lesbian, she decides not to lie....which costs her that career.  She stumbles onto Batman's identity, and takes it on for herself as a way to still be of service and help others.  Her stories are deep and thoughtful and multi-layered but still fun to read.   Anyone who says comics don't have layered writing & stories hasn't been reading them.

Joanne Walker is a fun, very cool character.  She has a rough past, damage to fix but a determination to do the right thing.  She loves cars, and is a cop but she mainly works as a mechanic...until she stumbles onto the fact that she has magic; and not just one kind but a mix of abilities from her Native American and Irish heritages.  When she sees the Fae Wild Hunt chasing someone, she doesn't understand it, but runs to the rescue....and thus begins her new life, learning magic, finding herself and making new and deeper friendships....maybe even finding a relationship with the hot new Captain? 

A "grace" is a magical power, it can be as silly as being able to smell roses a mile away and as serious as....well....being good at killing someone.  Katsa has the "gift" of killing, and she uses it as she is ordered; but she hates it.   She tries to save an old man, and deciding to do that changes her life....in so many ways.  Cashore did an amazing job with a sneaky, hard to beat villain and a tough but caring heroine as well as a great number of supporting characters.  There are 2 more books that work as companions to this novel, but not sequels (as they focus on other things).  This is another YA book, but so cool! 

This is the first Alice Worth book, and trust me, you won't be able to stop at just one. (Find them on Amazon, free on Kindle Unlimited or for purchase of paperback or ebook).  Alice killed her first person at age 6....but she was never given a choice.  Kept prisoner by her grandfather, who killed her parents when they tried to sneak her away); she gets away only by faking her own death.  Now she works as a magical PI, trying to help people as a way to make up for all she did wrong.  She has major issues due to the 20 years of torture she suffered, and she is determined to stay low key and undercover from the magical community.....unfortunately she falls into a relationship with Sean, a werewolf who adores her, Malcolm a ghost who is tied to her and a Vampire determined to make her his.......all this while trying to solve her latest case......Alice is an amazing character and Edmonds does a great job building up fully realized characters and a compelling story that will keep you enthralled.  (Please do not read if sex offends you, it gets a bit....spicy sometimes).

Celaena was an assassin, and an excellent one; until she was sent to the salt mines as a punishment for killing someone the king didn't want dead.  Then, for an unknown reason, just as she is resigned to dying there, she is released and taken to the King.  He says that he has decided to choose an official royal assassin, and is running a contest.  The winner will be given the position and the losers....well, they die.  Celaena is determined to win, even though she hates the king; and once she is the official assassin, she will be able to figure out how to dethrone the king.  If she survives the contest, and the cheating opponents competing against her.....
This is a YA series that almost reads as adult, but works well for older teens and anyone who enjoys fantasy adventure stories.

I have already stated multiple times that I love Mercedes Lackey.  I decided for this list (because there were SO many choices) to pick this one stand alone book set in the Valdemar universe.  Kerowyn is always being told she is terrible at being a "proper girl"; but when bandits kidnap her new sister-in-law on the wedding day, and kill or maim all the men in the house; there is no one else who can rescue all the women but her.  She goes to her grandmother for help, and finds that her grandmother actually has tools to help; she is given a magic sword, and some proper gear and she is off to rescue everyone.  She succeeds and finds that no one really is comfortable with this ...so back to grandmother who sets her up for mercenary training and a life of adventure, after revealing that she herself used to be a mercenary mage back in her youth...and that "proper" women can do whatever they like. 
Kerowyn is a great character, smart, tough and moral....and a stand alone book is a great way to introduce you to my fav fantasy universe, so go on...try it!

 
I know I usually stick to speculative fiction, but sometimes it is good to go out of your comfort zone....and for this focus of brave & kickass women, I have to include this historical fiction YA novel.  It's based in WWII and features a female British pilot and a female spy.  The spy is in a Nazi prison and is writing her memoirs to give away her secrets as a spy to her jailors.  The pilot is trying to escape France where she dropped the spy for a mission and then got shot down.  Both girls get to tell their stories but not everything they say is what it seems......and both just want to survive, though one of them is pretty sure that isn't possible.  This story gave me goosebumps, made me cry and also go research women in WWII.  So good and historically based in fact.

The "In Death" books aren't usually mentioned with SF literature, and that's because they are in that in between space for people who write a bit of everything.  Since JD Robb is also Janet Evanovich, you can see why they don't talk about her as hardcore SF.....and to be honest, she isn't....yes, this series is set in the future; but not far enough to be as "futuristic" as she set it (oops!)  Nonetheless, it is a great series and a fun read if you enjoy suspenseful cop books set in a nebulous future that is obviously in a parallel universe (because some of the past events we have already lived past).  Eve Dallas is the definition of a gal who likes to kick butt and dispense justice.  She is a homicide detective and is also kind of burned out.  She has no life, just solving crimes; and she only has bad dreams of a childhood she is glad not to remember.  Then she is called in for the murder of a Licensed Companion (legal prostitute) who happens to be the grand-daughter of a prominent Washington political figure.  One of the suspects is Roarke, and though she hopes he didn't do it; she can't deny she is attracted to this mysterious man who knows crime but is also a billionaire businessman.  Roarke & Eve are the main characters throughout the series, and watching both of them grow and develop as characters is one of the main draws for me...yeah the suspenseful stories are great; but it's also awesome to watch their stories unfurl and see how far they go.   I blew through this series like a donut addict at a bakery .....just pure mindless escapism.  I am not ashamed. 

I have definitely mentioned this series before, but I will mention it again because all the gals at the camp are unafraid of dong what needs doing; nor are they boring in any way.  I love this series and it works for tweens, teens and adults.  Honestly, I don't even like camping and would go to this camp given half a chance. 

Dread Nation is a darker kind of alternate history SF, it's also believe it or not YA (there is all kinds of good stuff in this area, right?)  So, this is a history where zombies exist and came into being during the Civil War. Needless to say, zombies messed up the war and the U.S. in many ways.  It also meant that while there are no more slaves, there are still very strict designated roles for people of color.  Jane is studying to be an Attendant.  She has no choice as the Native & Negro Reeducation Act says that everyone of non-white heritage needs to train to protect while the "ladies" and "gentlemen" of proper breeding take care of business and politics and such as all white folks should.  Reading this story (as it's set in the 1800's ) brings racism into the light to see what is, what was and what might have been but all while reading a suspenseful zombie story.  I can't say too much without risking giving away plot twists, but I will say it's a really good story...and I cannot wait to read the sequel.....just as soon as I can read darker books again....but remembering this book, I think I shall make myself read it anyway.  It really is good.

This is Kate Daniels #10, and I have read this series multiple times, so trust me, Kate Daniels always kicks butt.  In this one though, we see her as a new mom with an almost 2 year old.  Her husband, Curran, is a werelion but her son has shown no signs of shifting.  She is from a magical family, but her son also shows no signs of magic.  Then she is pulled into a mess, with a magical entity killing entire towns, a mystery box and finding that her family has some old enemies that want her power.....or her son's.   Conlon of course chooses this time of chaos to suddenly begin showing magic abilities as well as demonstrating advanced were abilities......what I love is that at first Kate is determined to keep Conlon safe from everything ......but as things go along, she realizes she can't keep her son in the dark and he needs to know that there are bad people; but also that mommy and daddy will kill anyone who hurts him....ah, parental love at it's finest. 

Again, I have talked about how much I love Hamilton's books.....so here is Anita Blake #18.  In this one, Anita says no to a guy who wants his wife back from the dead; so he kidnaps her and threatens her men (Nathaniel, Micah & Jason) while also cutting her off from Jean-Claude, her vampire master.....but what he doesn't know is that Anita has plenty of her own powers; and also that threatening the men she loves just makes her more dangerous.  This is an exciting book, and also introduces a new longstanding character for the series. 

This is book 2 in the Abhorsen Trilogy; but honestly you can read it without knowing much about the series.  Lirael is a Daughter of the Clayr, but she doesn't look like them (taking after her unknown father), nor does she have their ability to see into the future.  So, she decides to make a life for herself, becoming a librarian (you can see why I love it!); but this magical library has many dangerous objects and is not a place to be taken lightly.  She discovers the Disreputable Dog, who helps train her by leading her to magical books, and helping her test herself against artifacts in the library; but then, she is told by a seer that she is the only one who can save the world; by leaving the library and going out into the world.  I love the character building Nix does, and also, Tim Curry does all the narrating and voices; so....yeah.....read/listen/enjoy.  These aren't simple fantasy books, a lot of complicated world building going on; but it's worth it.  You'll find these in the YA section of the library or book store. 

Bonus book!  This first book in the Familiar and the Mage series is in the gray zone between teen & adult....especially since it's from a self published/indie author and the books are only available from Amazon/Kindle Unlimited.  However, they are very cool, no graphic craziness but a very gentle love story in the background.  Bannen wants to sneak off to see the world, but never expects to be magically kidnapped and turned into a human magical familiar to a mage.  Rena is most upset as her magic is always all wrong, and here is just another thing to add to that list.  Everyone knows you can't have a human familiar.....but while they wait to figure it all out, the two get to know each other.  Rena is in very ill health (no one knows why); and has had to learn magic on her own because she is better at destroying things than at building them; and everyone else's magic is all about building (spells, enchantments, etc).  I like that Rena is strong willed while not actually physically strong.  So many equate physical and mental health as the same; but the fact that she has issues with breathing and her body but still is determined to prove herself made me love this character.  Raconteur is also not afraid to talk about mental health (comes up in other books in the series).  This is a very good series to read if you have access to Amazon Kindle books, (either via Kindle Unlimited or by buying items for your device).