S&S with female protagonists?

[UitvlugtDJ]

Given a couple of writing projects I have in mind, I'm looking to read a number of Sword and Sorcery stories with female protagonists. I am aware of the Sword and Sorceress series. While I am interested in recent works, I'd especially like to generate a reading list of classic titles.

So far I just have C. L. Moore's Jirel of Jorey stories and Joanna Russ's Alyx stories. Would Jane Gaskell's Atlan Saga count too?

I appreciate any help you can give and look forward to your recommendations!

Donald

[erazmus]

How old is classic?
Black Agnes by REH? Check out "Amazons"edited by Jessica Amanda Salmonson (DAW 1979) which has an excellent reading list for Amazon Heroic fantasy in the back of it, current to 1979 of course. (I happened to have a copy at my elbow as I wrote this.) Don't discount Esther Freisner's Chicks in Chain Mail series, though humorous. I'm pressed for time but am sure of many other resources.

Mike

[che2000]

There's a few I can think of - the Raven Swordmistress of Chaos series by Richard Kirk, which came out in the 1970's, they're light but fun. The Tomoe Gozen series by Jessica Amanda Salmonson (The Disfavoured Hero, The Golden Naginata and Thousand Shrine Warrior) and The Swordswoman, also by JAS. And there's David Gemmell's Hawk Queen novels (Ironhand's Daughter & The Hawk Eternal). Tanith Lee's The Birthgrave is also pretty fine as is Charles R Saunders' Dossouye.

[UitvlugtDJ]

Good question, what defines classic... To choose a more or less arbitrary cutoff... Pre-1980? (Before the Leigh Brackett Del Rey reissues???)

Let me give the matter more thought! LOL As I said, modern recommendations are welcome too!

[JoshBrown]

Red Sonja...an obvious one

...and if you are open to comic books check out Sojourn
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sojourn...book_series%29

[erazmus]

Or to the point, marvel comic's Red Sonja, only loosely based on a Howard Character. The comics presented female S&S heroes more than print fiction, Frank Thorne's Ghita was another good one.

Mike

[JoshBrown]

Yes yes....there is also a current Red Sonja comic series based on the Howard character from a company called Dynamite Entertainment (who are also adapting Wheel of Time, btw), though I would say the Marvel comic series was better.

[che2000]

An excellent one-stop-shop for all things S & S is G.W Thomas' Reader's Guide to Sword and Sorcery. If you're interested you can find it here:
http://www.gwthomas.org/readersguide.htm

[ScrewMoonshine]

Or to the point, marvel comic's Red Sonja, only loosely based on a Howard Character. The comics presented female S&S heroes more than print fiction, Frank Thorne's Ghita was another good one.

Yeah, two more that come immediately to mind are Harrier Comics's Ram: Assassin(never had her own series, but appeared frequently in the anthology series Swiftsure) and Redfox. Mind you, I wouldn't recommend either of them. Ram: Assassin was bland and predictable, whereas Redfox was little more than a cheesecake title which quickly descended into misogyny by having the main character captured by two-bit city guards, sold off as a sex slave, being reduced to the intelligence of an infant for an entire issue, and generally having no control over her fate.

Wish I could think of some good S&S with female protagonists, but right now the only good ones I can think of are short stories. ...Guess I'm kind of useless here, but I'll post again if I think of something.

Robert Orme

[camille]

I remember loving Red Sonja too as a kid, but also Swords of Shannara by Terry Brooks. I adored Maia, by Richard Adams (though it may be slightly off what you were thinking, and is far from politically correct by modern standards) and for a newer (but equally awesome) tale, I really enjoyed N. K. Jemisin's The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms.

[The Griot]

I'll reiterate che2000's suggestion of Doussouye by Charles Saunders. He originally created the character for The Amazons anthology. Book one is available; Book two is on the way.

[crystalwizard]

Given a couple of writing projects I have in mind, I'm looking to read a number of Sword and Sorcery stories with female protagonists. I am aware of the Sword and Sorceress series. While I am interested in recent works, I'd especially like to generate a reading list of classic titles.

So far I just have C. L. Moore's Jirel of Jorey stories and Joanna Russ's Alyx stories. Would Jane Gaskell's Atlan Saga count too?

I appreciate any help you can give and look forward to your recommendations!

Donald

If by classic, you mean published so long ago it's probably no longer in print, I can't help you there.

If you mean good or an excellent example, then I recommend Mike Ehart's book, The Tears of Ishtar.

[cussedness]

Wildside brought out my reprint collection In The Darkness, Hunting: Tales of Chimquar the Lionhawk in 04. The stories are from the late 70s and early 80s. I think you can still find copies on the web. Chimquar's first appearance was in the pages of Amazons, edited by Jessica Amanda Salmonson.

[H.P. Lovesauce]

If you mean good or an excellent example, then I recommend Mike Ehart's book, The Tears of Ishtar.

Seconded. While the work is fairly recent, Ehart himself is pretty old.

[cussedness]

Lovesauce! You're back! *happy dance*

[Scott M. Sandridge]

Seconded. While the work is fairly recent, Ehart himself is pretty old.

Hey. He doesn't look THAT old. lol!

[ScrewMoonshine]

Seconded. While the work is fairly recent, Ehart himself is pretty old.

Really? Mike Ehart, old?

Haven't read The Tears of Ishtar, but I can tell from his short stories that Ehart is a heck of a sword and sorcery writer.

Robert Orme

[H.P. Lovesauce]

Mike isn't old. He's just old enough that I can twit him about being "old".

He has, insh'allah, many more years in which to entertain us.

[MichaelEhart]

I'm hurt, hurt I say. Old indeed! Why back in my day...

Michael Ehart

[hitmahip]

Have you read 'The Deeds of Paksenarrion' by Elizabeth Moon? I suppose that's a little more recent.

Also Juliet E McKenna 'The Tales of Einarinn'

[The Griot]

Well, I'm working on one. Maybe in twenty more years it may be worth something.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/39470189/T...n-of-the-Woods

[cussedness]

Love the picture. The writing needs a bit more polish, but otherwise it works. I found a couple of typos and words that were too frequently repeated in the first few paragraphs, but other than that I liked it.

[The Griot]

Thanks for reading. Editing is my downfall. I'm working on it.

[The Wizard Gethwin]

I've written six S&S-esque novels with a female protagonist. The first one has been submitted, so maybe there'll be something new to read.

I found it difficult at times to write realistically about a woman, as I am a man. I've been sure to run things past my wife and some female friends, so that I was not including stereotypes in my work.

Interesting what she chose as the sword she's have, if she was my protagonist. Simple, non-ornamental and imposing. A workman-like weapon. She reckoned a female duellist/adventurer would probably want to be taken seriously by men, and therefore would shy away from "girly" things. That was the sort of advice that was really helpful.

[Jaqhama]

What made you pick a female sword slinger?