Some time ago, I was reading Kat Goodwin’s blog. It’s a treasure trove of information and inspiration. You should check it out.
Anyway, I was reading this particular post regarding women in films and it got me thinking about female characters in general. More specifically, it got me thinking about fictional women I’ve read that have inspired me to do or be better.
And guess what, WONDER WOMAN is here! I can’t wait to go see it. Enjoy the trailer until you can go, too.
Anyway, here are my favorite five female characters in Fantasy/Science Fiction (literature):
- Damaya/Syenite/Essun from The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin
- Sabriel from The Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix
- Juliette from Hugh Howey’s Silo series
- Shenza Waik from The Magister’s Mask by Deby Fredericks
- Lorena Tesserak from my own Ghost Stories
That’s my list. What’s yours?
N. E. White 
Wonder Woman! Always the go to. 🙂
Absolutely!
Good list! I still have to read four of the five. 🙂
My list (and seconding your vote for Juliette):
Nita from Diane Duane’s Young Wizards series
Joanna from Barbara Hambly’s Windrose Chronicles
Karrin Murphy from the Dresden Files
Max from Jodi Taylor’s Chronicles of St. Mary’s
Jenny Waynest from Barbara Hambly’s Winterlands series (pretty much anyone Barbara Hambly has written is my hero and role model)
That was harder than it ought to have been. The first two I thought of, Lessa of Pern and Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs, are great characters, but not necessarily inspiring (especially Lessa – maybe Menolly…)
I know! It was hard for me to come up with my list, too. Why is that?
Awww, thanks so much for remembering Shenza! I learned a lot from writing her story.
A few of my favorites are Tenar/Arha from LeGuin’s Earthsea series and both Lessa and Menolly from the Pern books. In more recent work, I admired Agnieska, heroine of Naomi Novik’s Uprooted.
I’m not sure I’ve read anything by Naomi Novik. I’ll have to add her to my reading list.
She’s best known for her Temeraire series, but I found Uprooted to be a lot more focused.
Only five?
1. Corey Anderson, The Families War, Bruce Bretthauer
2. Emily Kane, Girl Series, Jacques Antoine
3. Ell Donsai, Ell Donsai series, Laurence Dahners
4. Emily, Schooled in Magic series, Christopher Nuttall
5. Jenetta Carver, A Galaxy Unknown series, Thomas DePrima
Lessa from Pern
Pyanfar from Chanur
Bobby Drapper from the Expanse
Vin from Mistborn
Morgaine from Gate of Ivrel