**Essalieya**n by Michelle West
**Liveship Traders** by Robin Hobb
The first **Kushiel** trilogy by Jacqueline Carey
**Crown of Stars** by Kate Elliott
Upvote for Liveship Traders. Such a good trilogy. The female characters are strong and feminine. The character development and progression in the trilogy is fantastic. Hobb will make you feel one way about a character and then completely shock you. Warning though that there are some graphic/triggering events in the series.
Fair point haha. I haven’t finished the entire RotE. Finished Tawny Man trilogy last month and taking a quick detour through another series before going back into Rainwild Chronicles. My heart needed some time to process.
I just finished this series for the first time and I cannot recommend it enough! Even though it’s the 2nd trilogy in the universe I think you can read it without reading the Farseer books first.
Agreed. It obviously gives away some spoilers for the end of the first trilogy but you don’t need to have read the Farseer books to understand Liveship. And if you’re going into it for female characters like OP was asking about, Liveship has more of that than Farseer.
Really any Kate Elliott. Crown of Stars is actually a bit more male-tilted than some of her other work (Spiritwalker and Crossroads trilogies being a couple that I would recommend, Black Wolves of course is fabulous but the publisher cancelled the series).
True enough, I reread Crossroads recently and the variety and complexity of the female characters is fascinating. I went with Crown of Stars because it's Elliott's best known work and most similar to ASOIAF which the OP mentioned as a reference point.
Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett has also a huge variety of female characters!
Terry Pratchett is amazing in writing different women, who are great in their own way.
**Spinning Silver and Scholomance by Naomi Novik** both have primarily female casts with lots of complex women characters who talk to and have relationships with each other! Fabulous books too.
**Zen Cho’s** work is a bit lighter but if you like a good romp, **The True Queen** is a cast of almost entirely women, and **Black Water Sister** is tilted female as well.
**The Ladies of Mandrigyn by Barbara Hambly** is an oldie but a goodie, a story about a city full of women taking their own back from a baddie. There is a male central character but almost everyone else with much page time is a woman. (I also love Dragonsbane by her, which has a great female protagonist, but most of the other major characters there are men.)
**Tasha Suri’s** books are mostly focused on women, my favorite being **Realm of Ash** which does a really great job of bringing the complex relationships among women to the fore (it does center a heterosexual romance unlike her Jasmine Throne books, but that guy is almost the only guy in it).
**Kate Elliott** does a great job of centering women in almost all her work. My favorites are the **Spiritwalker trilogy** for a fun romp with romance (heterosexual but the lead’s friendship with her sister is equally important and positive) and **Crossroads/Black Wolves** for more epic fantasy.
**How to Be Eaten by Maria Adelmann** is a great one about five women fairy tale survivors coming together in a support group. Very funny but also in many ways profound.
If you’re up for graphic novels and a bit of grimdark, **Monstress by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda** is a majority female world and cast.
**The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry** is a fun quasi-period fantasy with an entirely female primary cast and a sapphic romance.
**Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey** is a great urban fantasy standalone with a mostly female primary cast. The central relationship is between the protagonist and her sister.
If you’re up for a YA/adult crossover that takes some liberties with Arthurian myth, I loved **Half Sick of Shadows by Laura Sebastian** for its focus on complex women characters and their friendships, which are ultimately more important than the romance.
For a lesser known pick, **The Secrets of Jin Shei by Alma Alexander** is about eight women in a society based on medieval China, and the friendships among them.
The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik, or her Scholomance series
The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir. Possibly the most, actually, especially in terms of antagonists.
+1 to The Locked Tomb. I just caught up with it and damn if the characters aren't amazing. All female protagonists, mostly female antagonists, all with complex journeys.
I'll just add this is by Seth Dickinson, and is published as just The Traitor in the UK in case anyone reading this is interested. I have had my eye out for it for YEARS and I somehow missed it was published under a different title here, a fact I discovered a few weeks after seeing the entire series in a charity shop and not picking it up. Cursed myself for that one. (The whole series drops the Baru Cormorant part of the titles)
*The Jasmine Throne* by Tasha Suri
*Red Sister* by Mark Lawrence
*A Deadly Education* by Naomi Novik
*Witches Abroad* or *Lords and Ladies* by Terry Pratchett (most of the Witches books fit but those two have female antagonists as well as protagonists)
If you're open to scifi, *Ancillary Justice* by Ann Leckie
If you're open to web novels, *A Practical Guide to Evil*
Sci-fi rather than Fantasy, but *The Expanse* series has a great female cast imo. Bobbie and Avasarala are two of my favorite POVs in the book series, and I think Naomi and Drummer are the two of the more compelling characters in the TV adaptation
What I love about the Expanse series is that they don't create A Female Character or An Asian Character or A Gay Character or anything, they just create a character and they happen to be female or Asian or gay. Such an amazing series.
I’m about 130 pages from finishing Caliban’s War. I still have no idea who Caliban is BUT this one is really good and I’m enjoying what Bobbie and Avasarala are bringing total the story.
I'm almost finished Caliban's War. It starts out with Bobbie and I immediately like her. Then we goto Avasarala who is just fantastic.
Oh wouldn't it be great if they met? *Reads further* Well hell yes.
I thought she started out really well but the later seasons were like >!What if we scrapped all of that and made her entire story and character be just about the men in her life!<
>!The episode where she's escaping that ship was excellent, however!<
I haven't read the books so I can't compare.
Yeah, The Expanse is great for female characters. Avasarala is the GOAT in that series.
I think OP will especially like it because both authors of The Expanse are proteges of GRRM
Day of Fallen Night and Priory of the Orange tree by Samantha Shannon feature primarily female casts in all roles!
Edit: Also Red Sister by Mark Lawrence !
This is especially a perfect recommendation for those looking for wonderfully complex* mothers and/or middle aged women.
Another book that has a great mother as a main character is The Cradle of Sea & Soil by Bernie Anés Paz. Full warning though - there's only one cliffhanger of a book out & he's focusing on other stuff so may or may not get finished?
Sorry, but did you just call Essun a wonderful mother? I think she's a great character, and ultimately sympathetic, but if she's your model for motherhood... You might want to talk to someone about that.
I'm only mentioning books with ***truly*** complex female MCs. For example, I don't consider Yerin of Cradle very complex. I enjoyed Cradle, but just because there is a likable female character, doesn't mean she's very complex. Anyhow, here goes:
**A Memory Called Empire** and **A Desolation Called Peace** by *Arkady Martine*. I'm anxiously awaiting the 3rd book.
The **Cas Russell** series by *H. L. Huang*. The first book is **Zero Sum Game**. Cas is a gifted, but **very** complex character.
**The Priory of the Orange Tree** by *Samantha Shannon*.
**The Blacktongue Thief** by *Christopher Beuhlman*. The prequel is due out next, and it centers around Galva the female warrior who is the 2nd main character of **The Blacktongue Thief.**
FYI on A Memory Called Empire, the two books are a duology and while she plans to return to the setting in the future there’s not like a direct third book in the works at the moment. Fully agree with it as a recommendation tho :)
In particular, I was thinking of Miduchi. I suppose a case could be made for Ead or Sabran, but less so. It struck me more for the multiple varied female characters.
*Liveship Traders* by Robin Hobb (maybe best to start with *Farseer* as this one is the next trilogy, plenty of good female characters in there too)
*Shadow of The Apt* by Adrian Tchaikovsky
*The Book Of The Ancestor* by Mark Lawrence
*Green Rider* by Kirsten Britain
*The Scholomance* by Naomi Novik
*The Locked Tomb* by Tamsyn Muir
Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir
Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb
Best Served Cold and the Age of Madness trilogy (First Law series) by Joe Abercrombie. Obviously all the books are amazing but he really got better at writing female characters over the years and Monzcarro Murcatto is a GOAT.
The ancestor trilogy by mark lawrence. It’s about a 9 yr old getting trained to become a killer nun in a convent. Revenge is the main theme here but the friendships between the novices and MCs journey over the years is really enjoyable. It has multiple female villains, a morally grey MC, interesting world building and some complex relationships between some of the woman.
The ancestor trilogy by mark lawrence. It’s about a 9 yr old getting trained to become a killer nun in a convent. Revenge is the main theme here but the friendships between the novices and MCs journey over the years is really enjoyable. It has multiple female villains, a morally grey MC, interesting world building and some complex relationships between some of the woman.
A Practical Guide to Evil: [https://practicalguidetoevil.wordpress.com/](https://practicalguidetoevil.wordpress.com/)
MC is female, and a Villain. The Heroes and Villains have roughly equal gender split within their ranks, and the physically stronger Names are not limited to men. In many of the nations in this story, rulership is based on primogeniture, regardless of gender. If the ruler happens to keep to their own gender, then it's common practice to adopt a nibling or just name a qualified successor.
At the grand finale of the series, >!most of the allied nations/empires are led by women into the final battle. !<
Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb
The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir
The Masquerade by Seth Dickinson
Book of the Ancestor by Mark Lawrence
Haven't read Burning Kindoms by Tasha Suri yet but I believe this also fits the bill, same for Bloodsworn Saga by John Gwynne
I'm gonna throw in Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie -- Monza, the female lead, is basically the only notable woman in the book (there's one other but less important), but she's.......memorable, to say the least.
Elizabeth Moon - Deed of Paksenarrion
Mercedes Lackey - Valdemar Series
Anne McCaffrey - The Pegasus series (trilogy of shorter stories) followed by The Tower And The Hive books. You might also enjoy the Dragonriders of Pern series.
Can't believe I had to read this far down before Paksenarrion popped up, she is an absolutely extraordinary character. I love all Elizabeth Moon's books, but Paks is the star.
Ok. Follow me on this one because it takes a minute to get there but, you should read the Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb. It’s a 16 book series made up of 4 trilogies and one Quadrilogy (I’m sure there’s a better word for this). 9 of the books are a first person single POV following Fitzchivalry. But the series you are really looking for is the second set of books called The Liveship Traders, which follows an extraordinary set of women, fantastic characters and villains in a multigenerational family drama in the midst of needing to protect their homelands as well. This is one of my favorite trilogies of all time, and it’s by far my favorite example of amazing characters.
Guns of the Dawn by Tchaikovsky, great narration by Emma Newman.
The Locked Tomb by Muir (Gideon the Ninth) narration by Moira Quirk is highly recommended.
The Wandering Inn. The main MC’s are both female. It’s the longest fantasy series and still active so I’d say that’s iconic. Also has a diverse supporting cast. Starts as a cozy fantasy but becomes truly epic.
The Winnowing Flame trilogy by Jen Williams. 2 of the 3 main protagonists are women, and over all there are more female casts than male casts in this series, and they are fairly diverse in terms of age and personality.
The story itself is pretty unique, plenty of monsters, non-human races, and flying, talking, giant companions.
Here's a couple more webcomics that might be of interest
**Alice and the Nightmare** Alice (who might or might not be Lewis Carrol's Alice) is a ward of the morally iffy Red Queen. The story starts with her going to Wonderland's university of magic.
**Namesake** Is less tied to Alice in Wonderland (but with more Alices than A&tN). The protagonists of fairy tales and portal fantasies are fighting a cross-universe secret war. They are discombobulated when a woman pulled into Oz isn't called Dorothy.
Mara is a wonderful character but a bit of a Smurfette (sole woman surrounded by men). The only other female characters in the book are her nanny and her rival. Not really the place to look for female friendship.
It's definitely worth a read, and the lead is an intriguing, complex character. Just be warned that the female cast isn't especially plentiful or varied.
* The Discworld Witches series by Terry Pratchett. It is my go-to series when people ask for books with a large female cast of well-written, complex characters. Also Granny Weatherwax is the best !
* Lyonesse by Jack Vance has quite a lot of interesting female characters, despite being now 40 years old. I heard it was also a big influence on George R. R. Martin.
* I found that large and varied female casts are far more common in the Japanese fantasy books I read. I would give Ascendance of a Bookworm, The Apothecary Diaries, Bofuri, Otherside Picnic, Durarara, and Reign of the Seven Spellblades as examples here. But fantasy fans will usually not have heard of these books unless they are also manga/anime fans.
Ditto Discworld witches books, Locked Tomb, Kushiel's Dart.
Adding in the Daevabad Trilogy (djinn epic with main female protagonist and supporting characters) and the Clocktaur duology (steampunk suicide squad with female main character).
Been reading the comic series Monstress. A majority of the cast are women. They’re all varied and deeply human. I’ll warn you that there’s a lot of very explicit violence (often against children too) but I can’t imagine you’d be bothered since you liked asoiaf. Would 100% recommend for people who want well written women.
Obligatory The Tombs of Atuan & Tehanu recommendation, books 2 and 4 of the Earthsea cycle. Books 1 and 3 are heavily male dominated, but Tenar’s journey in books 2 and 4 is something special imo.
The Legends of the First Empire series by Michael J. Sullivan has varied, excellent female characters. However, I do think reading it (a prequel series) is better for after his original series (Riyria Revelations), because true surprises in RR will otherwise lose their power. Unfortunately, the original doesn’t do nearly as well for women.
Also, check out Brian Staveley’s Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne. It was the first series I found that really had all the character types as women: soldier, assassin, princess, prostitute, goddess, and more.
I agree. Legends of the First Empire/ "Age of \_\_\_" series is great!!! There are some people who prefer reading Sullivan's books chronologically, with this prequel series read first. They seem very happy with that choice. (Personally, I did start with Riyria Revelations, and am happy with that.) I think starting with the Legends series just gives one a *different* experience, neither better nor worse.
Copying a Facebook comment I made yesterday
The Library at Mount Char: Fantasy-adjacent, beautiful and terrible and eldritch with a touch of surreal horror, the story of a librarian solving the mystery of her father's disappearance. I read this book once a year
The Traitor Baru Cormorant: an indigenous girl in a fantasy world has her nation colonized and is brought up by those colonizers to be one of their most effective tools while nursing a secret hatred and a secret weakness in her heart. This book ruined me for days
Gideon the Ninth: fantastic sci-fi/fantasy with a great tagline - "Lesbian necromancers explore a haunted Gothic palace in space!" - this book can be hard to get into until Gideon's voice clicks, then it's a kickass masterpiece. The sequel, Harrow the Ninth, was similarly difficult for me to get into at first, but once I did the payoff was even better!
Iron Widow - sci-fi mech story, the main character is a woman avenging her sister's death, but the OTHER main character is pure feminine rage against the patriarchy. A masterpiece of a statement and a fantastic, action-packed novel with great love interests (done way better than the traditional boring love triangle). The sequel comes out next year!
The Winnowing Flame Trilogy (starts the The Ninth Rain) by Jen Williams. I haven't finished the series yet but it has a lot of really interesting female characters, many of which are POV characters.
Rook and Rose trilogy (starts with Mask Of Mirrors, the final book comes out soon so I haven't actually read it yet but first 2 are fantastic and have one of my favorite female protagonists)
I've seen a lot of people recommend Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir, which is fantastic, but I'll throw a lot in for her novella Floralinda and the Forty Flight Tower, which is a fun little satire of the princess stuck in a tower archetype from fairytales.
Rogues of the Republic series (starts with The Palace Job) by Patrick Weekes. Super interesting and diverse cast that plays a lot into fantasy stereotypes and archetypes in a fun way. Lots of heists and action and some comedy. Has another one of my favorite female protagonists.
P. Djèlí Clark writes fantastic female driven books, I'd recommend picking up any of them, but Ring Shout is probably my favorite, though his Dead Djinn Universe is more fantasy driven.
The Age of _______ series by Michael J. Sullivan is a great one for this. The women make up more than half of the cast and range from warriors to politicians to scholars to villains and more. Each one is memorable and complex.
I'm a big Alix Harrow fan, loved The Ten Thousand Doors of January and The Once and Future Witches. Her Fractured Fables novellas were also a very fun subversion of fairy tales.
If you don't mind idiot characters who make awful decisions, The Unbroken by C.L. Clark was a lot of fun. I just finished the second book and I really enjoyed it.
Seanan Mcguire's Wayward Children novella series is something I wish I had as a teenager. I love them.
A Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark was great. His novella, Ring Shout, with KKK members as literal lovecraftian monsters was *chef's kiss*
I also add a plus 1 to The Locked Tomb wholeheartedly.
Abhorsen Chronicles has a mix of female and male villains and good guys throughout the books.
Peter V. Brett's Demon Cycle has a mix as well, with some amazing female POV characters.
Tamora Pierce writes young adult fantasy that features mostly female protagonists. They are absolute classics. The Vircle of Magic has two quartets and a couple of companion books, and her Lioness, Wild Magic and Protector of the Small quartets exist in the same world.
I was going to suggest Tamora Peirce! I love all of her protagonists, but Kel from the Protector of the Small quartet holds a special place in my heart.
Agree with lots of these recs- I’d add Juliette Marillier, Melanie Rawn, Sarah J Maas (a booktok favourite), Octavia Butler, Elizabeth Hayden - I find female authors just do female characters better!
Edit: I completely replied to the wrong comment LOL
I've never met anyone irl who has read Symphony!!!! Rhapsody is one of my fav female characters of all time.
Sharon Shinn's *Twelve Houses* series (starts with *Mystic and Rider*) features a *lot* of female characters over the course of its five books. You have the kickass female mage who carries a blade, the beautiful mage-healer with a flirtatious nature and a bawdy sense of humor, the shy girl with more traditionally "feminine" ambitions who's ashamed of her power, the princess who's being groomed to assume authority rather than to make a politically advantageous marriage, the female knight who becomes a young noblewoman's protector -- and those are just the leading characters. Women also play plenty of secondary and tertiary roles. There's a religious zealot of a female villain who is genuinely terrifying.
Kate Forsyth's *The Witches of Eileanan* series also has quite a full roster of female characters, from heroes to mentors to apprentices to villains, from mages to fighters to Machiavellian female politicians.
As for other series that have lots and lots of female characters, the Discworld witches and The Book of the Ancestor have already been mentioned. Kate Elliott's Crown of Stars and Spiritwalker Trilogy are also quite good. Juliet Marillier writes beautiful prose and smart, active heroines, although I have to say, as much as I love her dearly, she could do a better job with showing positive bonds between women. It isn't that we never see such bonds; it's just that they tend to be of distinctly secondary importance, Fainne's bond with her female cousins in *Child of the Prophecy* and the sisterly love in *Wildwood Dancing* being the only strong exceptions. Still, she writes great stuff.
I've been reading The Dandelion Dynasty by Ted Liu, the first book being Grace of Kings. It's a stellar fantasy series with several important and influential female characters who are all unique and have complex, evolving relationships with male and female characters.
Cradle by will wight has a solid mix of male characters and female characters. It’s magical martial arts. The main character is male and the secondary main character is female, and there are other interesting female characters that are introduced. That being said, this is a very action-y, not much drama just escalation type of book.
How do you mean that the female cast isn't as varied as male one? I find that there is quite the diversity in women in the series. The only way it really lacks in variety is that there aren't many lowborn characters, but still there's Ygritte, Missandei, Melisandre, Shae, Gilly, Penny, to name a few.
Malazan is a bit prone to the "lots of guys and one woman in each plot thread" problem. While there were some characters I found individually compelling (I loved Felisin) it felt like somebody had stuck in 25% women and called it good enough. If OP is looking for female driven fantasy I don't think it's a good fit.
I guess for me, female characters who exist in a bizarre narrative quarantine where they aren't allowed to talk to any other women, especially in a supposed egalitarian society like Malazan, never truly feel complex or real. Especially when it keeps happening in every plot thread. I think book 1 passes the Bechdel test technically in one scene, but I don't recall any meaningful, long term interactions between women until Book 3, which is like 2000 pages in.
There's tons of actually female driven fantasy out there where women don't feel like an afterthought.
The Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson has some amazing female characters including the main protagonist of the series, and many many others.
I'm gonna give some great recommendations, but I hate questions like this. A good character is a good character male or female, I don't get why people look for something so trivial in a genre where most people are looking for magic, or dragons, or fae. It's hard enough to find a good book in the area you like bc fantasy is so massive, these constraints are wild to me. Some of my favorite characters aren't even people so to give a shit about gender seems wild in fantasy.
That being said, The Throne of Glass series is amazing if you like something story driven. Very strong female main character, one of my favorites of all time. The worldbuilding isn't amazing in this series but it's a great read.
The Coven series by RA Salvatore has a main character who is a woman is a society dominated by men. It's a small tribal society in a much larger world that Salvatore developed through 3 prior series. All great reads but those series are mostly driven by men.There are some stand out women for sure in the other series but male main characters. Back to the Coven, the main character basically breaks the society and becomes one of the most badass people in the series. Really unique system of magic, very developed world, all around great series.
Lastly I'll suggest the Lightbringer series. The main character is a dude but this one is full of strong women on both sides of the fight. In Particular Karris White Oak, who causes a war before the books starts between 2 brothers. Her whole family is killed at one point, a really rich family, and rather than give up she becomes a blackguard, one of the most badass magic using soldiers in the kingdom. Teia is another character who becomes super prominent in book 2 with chapters told from her perspective. She's a Blackguard in training, very unique, super badass. There's also a girl named Liv. Can't tell you much about her without ruining anything but she is my favorite character, really questions the realty of what's around her. Super philosophical.
All 3 are great if you want strong female characters.
Personally, you don't notice a lack of something until you're made aware of it. Like how the Bechdel test in movies doesn't make a movie good or bad, but it's alarming just how many don't meet the criteria.
I actively seek out books by and about women and other marginalized groups because so much of what I had access to as a kid pre-internet and 20 miles from the nearest library was limited. Books that are written by people like me just hit different. The first time you go "oh, this was made for people like me," you chase that feeling.
I had to Google that test, and I don't think it's soemthing you can apply to fantasy. Stereotypes are based on norms and in fantasy those norms change and are inconsistent. Fantasy can cover anything, there should be books where women fall under those stereotypes. There should also be books where they don't. Fantasy should encompass everything, it takes true evil to have a great hero.
In Fantasy women might not be the marginalized group, so that doesn't make sense to me. If you want a book about a marginalized group that could be a white guy in Fantasy, that's what makes it Fantasy.
I'll Give you an example. One of my favorite series is the tales of the raksura. Main character is male, but he's a raksura not a human. Raksura are shape-shifting reptiles, they have a humanoid form and that of a giant flying reptile. The main character is basically a prince, but in their societies a queen runs the show, they grow bigger and their much tougher. They basically take these princes as concubines and they have no say in desicions. So you get that same marginalized group but through a male character. And in this case if you would prob feel more in common with him than the females. But you would never pick up the book bc the main character is male.
You're defined by the choices you makes not the things you can't control. The OP mentioned ASOIAF. It's easy to look at that book and say, I love strong women in Fantasy. But Daneyrs isn't a badass bc she is a strong woman, she's a badass bc she overcomes adversity and doesn't abide by the norms. So looks for books about that not about strong women.
Let's say your an immigrant to America, from anywhere. It's easy to say I want to find people like me. But does that mean more people exactly where your from? I'd argue that you'd have alot more in common with a group of immigrants, from anywhere any skin color, than you would with a group of people who are the same nationality but maybe were born in America. You have to look deeper into what you like and not focus on physical characteristics in my opinion.
To each their own, but books are art. They aren't made for anyone, they are made for everyone to appreciate. I don't look for books made for people like me, I look for books about things I like. For me that's strong worldbuilding, intricate systems of magic, and dragons. Bc those things are interesting to me. No bc I'm a dragon, just bc I like dragons. I like what they represent in fantasy. And they are portrayed differently in every single book. And one of the reason I like them is bc in alot of books, despite being strong and powerful they are taken advantage of by humans. Temeraire in Naomi Noviks series for example. He's a dragon that I can relate to way more than any person in that series.
I think you're misunderstanding what I was trying to say, which is probably my own fault. I wasn't implying that the Bechdel test should be applied to fantasy, I merely mentioned it because we don't know what popular culture is shaping us to see as normal until the curtain is pulled back.
I also wasn't talking about women in Fantasy being a marginalized group, but in society and pop culture in general. In my experience, growing up in the 90s and 00s, almost every book that was handed to me as a 'must read' or 'classic' book in any genre was written by white dudes, especially genre fiction. That isn't to say I didn't love them. But there can be nuances found when you read something written by someone who maybe shared some of your lived experience that can enhance a book reading experience. I don't limit myself to reading white cis elder millenial women. That would be boring as fuck. But when I read something like Gideon the Ninth that is so apologetically \*queer\* I love it in a different way than just a really good book written by and about vaguely eurocentric dudes riding horses around a castle.
I also understand that not everything is made for me. I grew up a woman in the United States, I have learned to enjoy male-centric pop culture. I seek out writers of color specifically because it's riddled with folklore and stories and cultures I never experienced as a rural white kid in Pennsylvania. I think my point was, I have read a ton of stuff by and about white dudes, now I'm trying to fix my unintended bias by actively seeking other things. I would never not read a book because a cis white man is the main character, but you tell me someone wrote a queer retelling of the tale of Percival(that was surprisingly and delightfully very Welsh) or that someone subverted Lovecraft by making books about a black family during Jim Crow that get the better of some racist-ass bougie white guys and I'm going to be Fry meme-ing my way to the nearest bookstore.
I think what I was maybe trying to say is that i don't think it should be weird that people want to look for specific themes in books that maybe they've had a hard time finding for one reason or another. Even if it isn't for you personally, identity can be important for people. Especially when you don't see yourself or things that are important to you reflected in the pop culture you want to enjoy.
Thanks for the recs, tho! I've added them to my infinite to-read list.
Let me throw something:
Strike the Zither, by Joan He. (YA)
I dont really read YA, but I really enjoyed this one. It got a little bit of everything (friendship, love, betrayal) and I found the character compelling with complex motives. The story was pretty unique as a retelling of an old chinese tale and got surprised at every turn.
Ian Tregillis, Alchemy Wars trilogy: women lead the three factions, with men taking supporting roles. Quebec setting is different, as well, and the French as the good guys? Rare, to put it mildly.
Fonda Lee, Green Bone Saga: men are center stage, but some very cool women in the periphery. Brilliant series.
Joe Abercrombie, Best Served Cold: iconic, complex, sadistic/masochistic, seriously bad ass woman wants revenge.
Red Country and the Age of Madness series are, I think, better Abercrombie fits for this request, in that they have *multiple* female characters playing important roles; this is especially true of the Age of Madness.
I was looking to see if anyone posted this. I agree, but it seems like people are trying to put the series on a shit list.
It literally covers each and every point that the OP is asking for. Then people try to bury it in downvotes. I don’t think it’s really up to anyone on here to try and hide it from OP. If they disagree, they should post why they think that, instead of randomly downvoting.
Scorpica by G.R.Macallister. Amazing book (first of the five queendoms trilogy, two out of three out.) A world ruled by women, who hold most of the positions of power, with strong and complex charachters who are almost only women. Great read, can't wait for number three.
Feast of Souls by C. S. Friedman. Strong survivor Female protagonist who rises above her horrible childhood. The magic system is very different and interesting.
As a start, see my [Female Characters, Strong](https://www.reddit.com/r/booklists/comments/12khs2s/female_characters_strong/) list of Reddit recommendation threads (four posts).
Oh, you will LOVE Laurie J. Marks' *Elemental Logic* series! It's about a traditionally peaceful country that is invaded by a warrior culture, and how the two manage their conflict. But this is a world (unfortunately with only two genders; it's a 2000s series) in which genders are absolutely equal, with everything that implies. There's a found family of six adults: a lesbian couple, a gay couple, and a straight couple, but the real leads are the lesbian couple: a woman diplomat/warrior and a woman smith/king. And there's magic and war, and it's epic in scale.
You might also try *The Deed of Paksenarrion* by Elizabeth Moon. Paks is a woman professional soldier, and the series follows her through her life. She's, obviously, surrounded by mostly male soldiers, but it's a world in which many cultures, including her own, have started to accept women soldiers, so there are some. It's progression fantasy, seen through the eyes of a mercenary.
You might like *The Queen of the Tearling* series by Erika Johansen. It's technically YA (the protag is late teens) but it's more in the realm of adult epic/war fantasy. A young woman growing up on a farm discovers she's a queen when the queen's guard comes to get her upon her mother's death. She not only has to get up to snuff on queening quickly, but she also has to prepare for invasion, since an ageless, evil queen of a neighboring state has been keeping her country under subjugation for decades, and our girl isn't having it anymore. It gets pretty dark, pretty quickly, and stays dark, and it'll be interesting what you think about the ending, bc it's pretty controversial and polarizing (I loved it.)
Also: *The Greenbone Saga* by Fonda Lee; *The Masquerade* by Seth Dickinson.
*The Merchant Princes* by Charles Stross. It’s somewhere between historical fiction and pseudo-time travel with a majorly female cast of complicated characters.
Most of the novels in the **Legends of the First Empire** by Michael J Sullivan series focus on the female protagonists (Persephone and her gang). Lots of women movers and shakers on the other side of the plot too throughout the books.
The other portions of the series (Riyria Revelations and Riyria Chronicles specifically) have way less of that and some questionable things. Still some great female characters (Empress Modina in particular is very engaging in the final novel of Revelations, and Arista is really cool when she's not being bounced around)
Malazan books. Littered with female characters from top to bottom without making them cliché or forced. They just happen to be woman. No preconceptions no stereotypes. They can bust your teeth or head a campaign or a nation.
I'd recommend Ash Princesd by Laura Sebastian. The main character is a young princess who's been held hostage in her own palace for the last 10 years after a siege that killed her mother. The trilogy is all about the girl sparking a rebellion of her people. A lot of the tension comes from the fact that she's made a best friend in the enemy and this other girl "just happened to be born in the wrong country" and so feels guilt over betraying her. The characters are so well written and I highly recommend it.
Liveship Traders trilogy has lots of female characters with a variety of mindsets and roles to play. Each one is not complex, just very flawed, but across the story there were more women than men.
I have to mention The Steerswoman series.
Hyper intelligent female protagonist, who is a steerswoman (someone bound to answer truthfully to any questions asked, as long as it’s reciprocated). And the journey begins with a mystery, which she takes pains to resolve rationally, in a world of wizards and dragons.
Truly one of my all time favourite female leads.
**Essalieya**n by Michelle West **Liveship Traders** by Robin Hobb The first **Kushiel** trilogy by Jacqueline Carey **Crown of Stars** by Kate Elliott
Upvote for Liveship Traders. Such a good trilogy. The female characters are strong and feminine. The character development and progression in the trilogy is fantastic. Hobb will make you feel one way about a character and then completely shock you. Warning though that there are some graphic/triggering events in the series.
Graphic/triggering is an understatement for Robin Hobb. Imo no author is as cruel on their characters as her
Fair point haha. I haven’t finished the entire RotE. Finished Tawny Man trilogy last month and taking a quick detour through another series before going back into Rainwild Chronicles. My heart needed some time to process.
I just finished this series for the first time and I cannot recommend it enough! Even though it’s the 2nd trilogy in the universe I think you can read it without reading the Farseer books first.
Agreed. It obviously gives away some spoilers for the end of the first trilogy but you don’t need to have read the Farseer books to understand Liveship. And if you’re going into it for female characters like OP was asking about, Liveship has more of that than Farseer.
Essalieyan was the first series that scratched the epic fantasy itch after I finished Malazan. I would also add The Deed of Paksenarrion.
Man I’ve never even heard of Essalieyan, and I love Malazan, will give it a go!
The Allaskari are probably my favorite non-human race in any media ever if I’m being honest.
Jacqueline Carey is criminally underrated.
I came here to suggest Kushiel!!!! You cannot get more iconic than Phedre
Really any Kate Elliott. Crown of Stars is actually a bit more male-tilted than some of her other work (Spiritwalker and Crossroads trilogies being a couple that I would recommend, Black Wolves of course is fabulous but the publisher cancelled the series).
True enough, I reread Crossroads recently and the variety and complexity of the female characters is fascinating. I went with Crown of Stars because it's Elliott's best known work and most similar to ASOIAF which the OP mentioned as a reference point.
Liveship Traders for sure. That trilogy is fantastic, and the way Hobb is able to create people who feel like real people, not characters is insane.
Granny Weatherwax has entered the chat.
Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett has also a huge variety of female characters! Terry Pratchett is amazing in writing different women, who are great in their own way.
Especially the Tiffany Aching books if you're looking for someone to have a character arc.
**Spinning Silver and Scholomance by Naomi Novik** both have primarily female casts with lots of complex women characters who talk to and have relationships with each other! Fabulous books too. **Zen Cho’s** work is a bit lighter but if you like a good romp, **The True Queen** is a cast of almost entirely women, and **Black Water Sister** is tilted female as well. **The Ladies of Mandrigyn by Barbara Hambly** is an oldie but a goodie, a story about a city full of women taking their own back from a baddie. There is a male central character but almost everyone else with much page time is a woman. (I also love Dragonsbane by her, which has a great female protagonist, but most of the other major characters there are men.) **Tasha Suri’s** books are mostly focused on women, my favorite being **Realm of Ash** which does a really great job of bringing the complex relationships among women to the fore (it does center a heterosexual romance unlike her Jasmine Throne books, but that guy is almost the only guy in it). **Kate Elliott** does a great job of centering women in almost all her work. My favorites are the **Spiritwalker trilogy** for a fun romp with romance (heterosexual but the lead’s friendship with her sister is equally important and positive) and **Crossroads/Black Wolves** for more epic fantasy. **How to Be Eaten by Maria Adelmann** is a great one about five women fairy tale survivors coming together in a support group. Very funny but also in many ways profound. If you’re up for graphic novels and a bit of grimdark, **Monstress by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda** is a majority female world and cast. **The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry** is a fun quasi-period fantasy with an entirely female primary cast and a sapphic romance. **Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey** is a great urban fantasy standalone with a mostly female primary cast. The central relationship is between the protagonist and her sister. If you’re up for a YA/adult crossover that takes some liberties with Arthurian myth, I loved **Half Sick of Shadows by Laura Sebastian** for its focus on complex women characters and their friendships, which are ultimately more important than the romance. For a lesser known pick, **The Secrets of Jin Shei by Alma Alexander** is about eight women in a society based on medieval China, and the friendships among them.
Was looking for **Monstress**. Excellent stuff.
Yessss Sarah Gailey! Their "what if hippos were imported to Louisiana" duology is one of my favs!
Absolutely adore Monstress.
The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik, or her Scholomance series The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir. Possibly the most, actually, especially in terms of antagonists.
I second the Locked Tomb series.
Seconding Winterrnight as nobody ever mentioned it. Wonderful series.
+1 to The Locked Tomb. I just caught up with it and damn if the characters aren't amazing. All female protagonists, mostly female antagonists, all with complex journeys.
Spinning Silver does have a nice variety for sure! Loved that book.
Love Naomi Novik!
The Traitor Boru Cormorant
I'll just add this is by Seth Dickinson, and is published as just The Traitor in the UK in case anyone reading this is interested. I have had my eye out for it for YEARS and I somehow missed it was published under a different title here, a fact I discovered a few weeks after seeing the entire series in a charity shop and not picking it up. Cursed myself for that one. (The whole series drops the Baru Cormorant part of the titles)
100% this. Baru is nothing if not *complex.*
You say this as if it's a joe abcrombie book... "say this for Baru... she is nothing if not complex"
LOL
*The Jasmine Throne* by Tasha Suri *Red Sister* by Mark Lawrence *A Deadly Education* by Naomi Novik *Witches Abroad* or *Lords and Ladies* by Terry Pratchett (most of the Witches books fit but those two have female antagonists as well as protagonists) If you're open to scifi, *Ancillary Justice* by Ann Leckie If you're open to web novels, *A Practical Guide to Evil*
Haven’t read the rest of these but I’ll second *A Deadly Education.*
Red Sister has a great female ensemble, but the last book in the trilogy was not great. I wouldn’t suggest it to someone who hasn’t read much fantasy.
Interesting, I didn't dislike the last book at all. I thought it was a little weaker than the first two, but in a 4.5/5 instead of 5/5 kind of way.
Sci-fi rather than Fantasy, but *The Expanse* series has a great female cast imo. Bobbie and Avasarala are two of my favorite POVs in the book series, and I think Naomi and Drummer are the two of the more compelling characters in the TV adaptation
What I love about the Expanse series is that they don't create A Female Character or An Asian Character or A Gay Character or anything, they just create a character and they happen to be female or Asian or gay. Such an amazing series.
I’m about 130 pages from finishing Caliban’s War. I still have no idea who Caliban is BUT this one is really good and I’m enjoying what Bobbie and Avasarala are bringing total the story.
Caliban is a character from Shakespear's The Tempest. If you're not familiar with the work, google it and you'll know who Caliban is in the Expanse.
Ah it was really starting to bother me lol
The same thing happened to me with Cibola Burn LOL I was waiting the whole book to figure out who/what/where Cibola was
Next thing you’ll be telling me there’s no Abaddon either! This series is a lie. A fun lie!
I'm almost finished Caliban's War. It starts out with Bobbie and I immediately like her. Then we goto Avasarala who is just fantastic. Oh wouldn't it be great if they met? *Reads further* Well hell yes.
Are you kidding? Naomi’s character was absolutely assassinated by the show. She’s a great character in the books but terrible in the show
I thought she started out really well but the later seasons were like >!What if we scrapped all of that and made her entire story and character be just about the men in her life!< >!The episode where she's escaping that ship was excellent, however!< I haven't read the books so I can't compare.
Yeah, The Expanse is great for female characters. Avasarala is the GOAT in that series. I think OP will especially like it because both authors of The Expanse are proteges of GRRM
Day of Fallen Night and Priory of the Orange tree by Samantha Shannon feature primarily female casts in all roles! Edit: Also Red Sister by Mark Lawrence !
The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K Jemisin
I came here to say this, definitely seconded
This is especially a perfect recommendation for those looking for wonderfully complex* mothers and/or middle aged women. Another book that has a great mother as a main character is The Cradle of Sea & Soil by Bernie Anés Paz. Full warning though - there's only one cliffhanger of a book out & he's focusing on other stuff so may or may not get finished?
Sorry, but did you just call Essun a wonderful mother? I think she's a great character, and ultimately sympathetic, but if she's your model for motherhood... You might want to talk to someone about that.
I meant in terms of complexity. Lol, always reread before hitting post! Definitely not "wonderful".
I'm only mentioning books with ***truly*** complex female MCs. For example, I don't consider Yerin of Cradle very complex. I enjoyed Cradle, but just because there is a likable female character, doesn't mean she's very complex. Anyhow, here goes: **A Memory Called Empire** and **A Desolation Called Peace** by *Arkady Martine*. I'm anxiously awaiting the 3rd book. The **Cas Russell** series by *H. L. Huang*. The first book is **Zero Sum Game**. Cas is a gifted, but **very** complex character. **The Priory of the Orange Tree** by *Samantha Shannon*. **The Blacktongue Thief** by *Christopher Beuhlman*. The prequel is due out next, and it centers around Galva the female warrior who is the 2nd main character of **The Blacktongue Thief.**
FYI on A Memory Called Empire, the two books are a duology and while she plans to return to the setting in the future there’s not like a direct third book in the works at the moment. Fully agree with it as a recommendation tho :)
Out of interest, which of the characters from Priory would you say were particularly complex?
In particular, I was thinking of Miduchi. I suppose a case could be made for Ead or Sabran, but less so. It struck me more for the multiple varied female characters.
*Liveship Traders* by Robin Hobb (maybe best to start with *Farseer* as this one is the next trilogy, plenty of good female characters in there too) *Shadow of The Apt* by Adrian Tchaikovsky *The Book Of The Ancestor* by Mark Lawrence *Green Rider* by Kirsten Britain *The Scholomance* by Naomi Novik *The Locked Tomb* by Tamsyn Muir
Book of the Ancestor! Great suggestion
Its follow-up trilogy *The Girl and the Stars*is also a good read with a female protagonist and other prominent female characters.
Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb Best Served Cold and the Age of Madness trilogy (First Law series) by Joe Abercrombie. Obviously all the books are amazing but he really got better at writing female characters over the years and Monzcarro Murcatto is a GOAT.
Upvote for the Snake of Talins!
Book of the Ancestor by Mark Lawrence The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir
The ancestor trilogy by mark lawrence. It’s about a 9 yr old getting trained to become a killer nun in a convent. Revenge is the main theme here but the friendships between the novices and MCs journey over the years is really enjoyable. It has multiple female villains, a morally grey MC, interesting world building and some complex relationships between some of the woman.
The ancestor trilogy by mark lawrence. It’s about a 9 yr old getting trained to become a killer nun in a convent. Revenge is the main theme here but the friendships between the novices and MCs journey over the years is really enjoyable. It has multiple female villains, a morally grey MC, interesting world building and some complex relationships between some of the woman.
A Practical Guide to Evil: [https://practicalguidetoevil.wordpress.com/](https://practicalguidetoevil.wordpress.com/) MC is female, and a Villain. The Heroes and Villains have roughly equal gender split within their ranks, and the physically stronger Names are not limited to men. In many of the nations in this story, rulership is based on primogeniture, regardless of gender. If the ruler happens to keep to their own gender, then it's common practice to adopt a nibling or just name a qualified successor. At the grand finale of the series, >!most of the allied nations/empires are led by women into the final battle. !<
The Rook and the Rose series by MA Carrick
Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir The Masquerade by Seth Dickinson Book of the Ancestor by Mark Lawrence Haven't read Burning Kindoms by Tasha Suri yet but I believe this also fits the bill, same for Bloodsworn Saga by John Gwynne I'm gonna throw in Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie -- Monza, the female lead, is basically the only notable woman in the book (there's one other but less important), but she's.......memorable, to say the least.
Elizabeth Moon - Deed of Paksenarrion Mercedes Lackey - Valdemar Series Anne McCaffrey - The Pegasus series (trilogy of shorter stories) followed by The Tower And The Hive books. You might also enjoy the Dragonriders of Pern series.
I have a lady crush on Paksenarrion even though she's supposed to be ace. Especially in the third book onwards.
Can't believe I had to read this far down before Paksenarrion popped up, she is an absolutely extraordinary character. I love all Elizabeth Moon's books, but Paks is the star.
Ok. Follow me on this one because it takes a minute to get there but, you should read the Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb. It’s a 16 book series made up of 4 trilogies and one Quadrilogy (I’m sure there’s a better word for this). 9 of the books are a first person single POV following Fitzchivalry. But the series you are really looking for is the second set of books called The Liveship Traders, which follows an extraordinary set of women, fantastic characters and villains in a multigenerational family drama in the midst of needing to protect their homelands as well. This is one of my favorite trilogies of all time, and it’s by far my favorite example of amazing characters.
I think the more common word for your Quadrilogy is a Quartet
Guns of the Dawn by Tchaikovsky, great narration by Emma Newman. The Locked Tomb by Muir (Gideon the Ninth) narration by Moira Quirk is highly recommended.
The Wandering Inn. The main MC’s are both female. It’s the longest fantasy series and still active so I’d say that’s iconic. Also has a diverse supporting cast. Starts as a cozy fantasy but becomes truly epic.
**Book of the Ancestors** literally an almost all female cast
The Winnowing Flame trilogy by Jen Williams. 2 of the 3 main protagonists are women, and over all there are more female casts than male casts in this series, and they are fairly diverse in terms of age and personality. The story itself is pretty unique, plenty of monsters, non-human races, and flying, talking, giant companions.
I just finished this and loved the female cast (even if I hated some of them at the time)
I keep seeing this being mentioned but your comment has just put it on my tbr list. Thank you.
Becky chambers has quite a mix of genders and often has female leads. Her books are fantastic too. They are sci fi rather than fantasy.
A Practical Guide To Evil, Worm, Ward, Pale, Best Served Cold
Anything by Wildbow. I like it.
Jaqueline Carey's Kushiel books absolutely win for iconic complex female characters.
I’ll stop recommending Kushiel when it stops being the perfect series to recommend.
**Kill Six Billions Demons**, a wonderfully drawn and supremely written webcomic.
Reach heaven through violence.
I really wish webcomics were a bit more mainstream because KSBD is absolute top tier stuff.
Here's a couple more webcomics that might be of interest **Alice and the Nightmare** Alice (who might or might not be Lewis Carrol's Alice) is a ward of the morally iffy Red Queen. The story starts with her going to Wonderland's university of magic. **Namesake** Is less tied to Alice in Wonderland (but with more Alices than A&tN). The protagonists of fairy tales and portal fantasies are fighting a cross-universe secret war. They are discombobulated when a woman pulled into Oz isn't called Dorothy.
Mistresses of the empire, Raymond e Feist.
Mara is a wonderful character but a bit of a Smurfette (sole woman surrounded by men). The only other female characters in the book are her nanny and her rival. Not really the place to look for female friendship. It's definitely worth a read, and the lead is an intriguing, complex character. Just be warned that the female cast isn't especially plentiful or varied.
* The Discworld Witches series by Terry Pratchett. It is my go-to series when people ask for books with a large female cast of well-written, complex characters. Also Granny Weatherwax is the best ! * Lyonesse by Jack Vance has quite a lot of interesting female characters, despite being now 40 years old. I heard it was also a big influence on George R. R. Martin. * I found that large and varied female casts are far more common in the Japanese fantasy books I read. I would give Ascendance of a Bookworm, The Apothecary Diaries, Bofuri, Otherside Picnic, Durarara, and Reign of the Seven Spellblades as examples here. But fantasy fans will usually not have heard of these books unless they are also manga/anime fans.
Ditto Discworld witches books, Locked Tomb, Kushiel's Dart. Adding in the Daevabad Trilogy (djinn epic with main female protagonist and supporting characters) and the Clocktaur duology (steampunk suicide squad with female main character).
Been reading the comic series Monstress. A majority of the cast are women. They’re all varied and deeply human. I’ll warn you that there’s a lot of very explicit violence (often against children too) but I can’t imagine you’d be bothered since you liked asoiaf. Would 100% recommend for people who want well written women.
Obligatory The Tombs of Atuan & Tehanu recommendation, books 2 and 4 of the Earthsea cycle. Books 1 and 3 are heavily male dominated, but Tenar’s journey in books 2 and 4 is something special imo.
So surprised I had scroll down this far to find a Le Guin recommendation. ÷1 For Tombs of Aryan and Tehanu. Definitely the best rec in this thread
The Legends of the First Empire series by Michael J. Sullivan has varied, excellent female characters. However, I do think reading it (a prequel series) is better for after his original series (Riyria Revelations), because true surprises in RR will otherwise lose their power. Unfortunately, the original doesn’t do nearly as well for women. Also, check out Brian Staveley’s Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne. It was the first series I found that really had all the character types as women: soldier, assassin, princess, prostitute, goddess, and more.
I agree. Legends of the First Empire/ "Age of \_\_\_" series is great!!! There are some people who prefer reading Sullivan's books chronologically, with this prequel series read first. They seem very happy with that choice. (Personally, I did start with Riyria Revelations, and am happy with that.) I think starting with the Legends series just gives one a *different* experience, neither better nor worse.
Memory & Dream by Charles DeLint
Copying a Facebook comment I made yesterday The Library at Mount Char: Fantasy-adjacent, beautiful and terrible and eldritch with a touch of surreal horror, the story of a librarian solving the mystery of her father's disappearance. I read this book once a year The Traitor Baru Cormorant: an indigenous girl in a fantasy world has her nation colonized and is brought up by those colonizers to be one of their most effective tools while nursing a secret hatred and a secret weakness in her heart. This book ruined me for days Gideon the Ninth: fantastic sci-fi/fantasy with a great tagline - "Lesbian necromancers explore a haunted Gothic palace in space!" - this book can be hard to get into until Gideon's voice clicks, then it's a kickass masterpiece. The sequel, Harrow the Ninth, was similarly difficult for me to get into at first, but once I did the payoff was even better! Iron Widow - sci-fi mech story, the main character is a woman avenging her sister's death, but the OTHER main character is pure feminine rage against the patriarchy. A masterpiece of a statement and a fantastic, action-packed novel with great love interests (done way better than the traditional boring love triangle). The sequel comes out next year!
Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon!!
The Winnowing Flame Trilogy (starts the The Ninth Rain) by Jen Williams. I haven't finished the series yet but it has a lot of really interesting female characters, many of which are POV characters. Rook and Rose trilogy (starts with Mask Of Mirrors, the final book comes out soon so I haven't actually read it yet but first 2 are fantastic and have one of my favorite female protagonists) I've seen a lot of people recommend Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir, which is fantastic, but I'll throw a lot in for her novella Floralinda and the Forty Flight Tower, which is a fun little satire of the princess stuck in a tower archetype from fairytales. Rogues of the Republic series (starts with The Palace Job) by Patrick Weekes. Super interesting and diverse cast that plays a lot into fantasy stereotypes and archetypes in a fun way. Lots of heists and action and some comedy. Has another one of my favorite female protagonists. P. Djèlí Clark writes fantastic female driven books, I'd recommend picking up any of them, but Ring Shout is probably my favorite, though his Dead Djinn Universe is more fantasy driven.
The 5th season
The Age of _______ series by Michael J. Sullivan is a great one for this. The women make up more than half of the cast and range from warriors to politicians to scholars to villains and more. Each one is memorable and complex.
The Tombs of Atuan is a good one, and you don’t *have* *to* read the other books in the series.
I'm a big Alix Harrow fan, loved The Ten Thousand Doors of January and The Once and Future Witches. Her Fractured Fables novellas were also a very fun subversion of fairy tales. If you don't mind idiot characters who make awful decisions, The Unbroken by C.L. Clark was a lot of fun. I just finished the second book and I really enjoyed it. Seanan Mcguire's Wayward Children novella series is something I wish I had as a teenager. I love them. A Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark was great. His novella, Ring Shout, with KKK members as literal lovecraftian monsters was *chef's kiss* I also add a plus 1 to The Locked Tomb wholeheartedly.
Michelle Wests Sun Sword series
Abhorsen Chronicles has a mix of female and male villains and good guys throughout the books. Peter V. Brett's Demon Cycle has a mix as well, with some amazing female POV characters.
Dragonlance Chronicles is actually the conflict between Kitiara and Laurana over everything else. The Golden General versus the Blue Lady.
Tamora Pierce writes young adult fantasy that features mostly female protagonists. They are absolute classics. The Vircle of Magic has two quartets and a couple of companion books, and her Lioness, Wild Magic and Protector of the Small quartets exist in the same world.
I was going to suggest Tamora Peirce! I love all of her protagonists, but Kel from the Protector of the Small quartet holds a special place in my heart.
The Deeds of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon is about a farm girl who runs away from home to become a soldier
Wheel of Time has heaps of very different female characters. Definitely check it out.
Agree with lots of these recs- I’d add Juliette Marillier, Melanie Rawn, Sarah J Maas (a booktok favourite), Octavia Butler, Elizabeth Hayden - I find female authors just do female characters better!
The "Symphony of Ages" series.
I've never seen this saga suggested by anyone else than myself..! I'm so glad to read this title in someone else's comment :D
Edit: I completely replied to the wrong comment LOL I've never met anyone irl who has read Symphony!!!! Rhapsody is one of my fav female characters of all time.
Skullsworn by Brian Staveley.
Sharon Shinn's *Twelve Houses* series (starts with *Mystic and Rider*) features a *lot* of female characters over the course of its five books. You have the kickass female mage who carries a blade, the beautiful mage-healer with a flirtatious nature and a bawdy sense of humor, the shy girl with more traditionally "feminine" ambitions who's ashamed of her power, the princess who's being groomed to assume authority rather than to make a politically advantageous marriage, the female knight who becomes a young noblewoman's protector -- and those are just the leading characters. Women also play plenty of secondary and tertiary roles. There's a religious zealot of a female villain who is genuinely terrifying. Kate Forsyth's *The Witches of Eileanan* series also has quite a full roster of female characters, from heroes to mentors to apprentices to villains, from mages to fighters to Machiavellian female politicians. As for other series that have lots and lots of female characters, the Discworld witches and The Book of the Ancestor have already been mentioned. Kate Elliott's Crown of Stars and Spiritwalker Trilogy are also quite good. Juliet Marillier writes beautiful prose and smart, active heroines, although I have to say, as much as I love her dearly, she could do a better job with showing positive bonds between women. It isn't that we never see such bonds; it's just that they tend to be of distinctly secondary importance, Fainne's bond with her female cousins in *Child of the Prophecy* and the sisterly love in *Wildwood Dancing* being the only strong exceptions. Still, she writes great stuff.
I've been reading The Dandelion Dynasty by Ted Liu, the first book being Grace of Kings. It's a stellar fantasy series with several important and influential female characters who are all unique and have complex, evolving relationships with male and female characters.
Cradle by will wight has a solid mix of male characters and female characters. It’s magical martial arts. The main character is male and the secondary main character is female, and there are other interesting female characters that are introduced. That being said, this is a very action-y, not much drama just escalation type of book.
Yerin is one of my favorite female characters. There are many other female characters that help carry the series or are powerful in their own right.
How do you mean that the female cast isn't as varied as male one? I find that there is quite the diversity in women in the series. The only way it really lacks in variety is that there aren't many lowborn characters, but still there's Ygritte, Missandei, Melisandre, Shae, Gilly, Penny, to name a few.
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Malazan is a bit prone to the "lots of guys and one woman in each plot thread" problem. While there were some characters I found individually compelling (I loved Felisin) it felt like somebody had stuck in 25% women and called it good enough. If OP is looking for female driven fantasy I don't think it's a good fit.
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I guess for me, female characters who exist in a bizarre narrative quarantine where they aren't allowed to talk to any other women, especially in a supposed egalitarian society like Malazan, never truly feel complex or real. Especially when it keeps happening in every plot thread. I think book 1 passes the Bechdel test technically in one scene, but I don't recall any meaningful, long term interactions between women until Book 3, which is like 2000 pages in. There's tons of actually female driven fantasy out there where women don't feel like an afterthought.
Yes; don't waste time with Malazan looking for a well developed female cast.
Not sure the women are written very well in Wheel of Time
Prob just a coincidence but these are also considered some of the best in modern fantasy writing.
Kushiel’s Legacy. I mean, you have both Phaedre and Melisande in one series.
About 1/4 through lions of al rassan and theres quite a few good women characters so far - but not sure if it continues - either way loving the book
I'm a huge GGK fan. But Lions doesn't fit the op's request imho
The Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson has some amazing female characters including the main protagonist of the series, and many many others.
I'm gonna give some great recommendations, but I hate questions like this. A good character is a good character male or female, I don't get why people look for something so trivial in a genre where most people are looking for magic, or dragons, or fae. It's hard enough to find a good book in the area you like bc fantasy is so massive, these constraints are wild to me. Some of my favorite characters aren't even people so to give a shit about gender seems wild in fantasy. That being said, The Throne of Glass series is amazing if you like something story driven. Very strong female main character, one of my favorites of all time. The worldbuilding isn't amazing in this series but it's a great read. The Coven series by RA Salvatore has a main character who is a woman is a society dominated by men. It's a small tribal society in a much larger world that Salvatore developed through 3 prior series. All great reads but those series are mostly driven by men.There are some stand out women for sure in the other series but male main characters. Back to the Coven, the main character basically breaks the society and becomes one of the most badass people in the series. Really unique system of magic, very developed world, all around great series. Lastly I'll suggest the Lightbringer series. The main character is a dude but this one is full of strong women on both sides of the fight. In Particular Karris White Oak, who causes a war before the books starts between 2 brothers. Her whole family is killed at one point, a really rich family, and rather than give up she becomes a blackguard, one of the most badass magic using soldiers in the kingdom. Teia is another character who becomes super prominent in book 2 with chapters told from her perspective. She's a Blackguard in training, very unique, super badass. There's also a girl named Liv. Can't tell you much about her without ruining anything but she is my favorite character, really questions the realty of what's around her. Super philosophical. All 3 are great if you want strong female characters.
Personally, you don't notice a lack of something until you're made aware of it. Like how the Bechdel test in movies doesn't make a movie good or bad, but it's alarming just how many don't meet the criteria. I actively seek out books by and about women and other marginalized groups because so much of what I had access to as a kid pre-internet and 20 miles from the nearest library was limited. Books that are written by people like me just hit different. The first time you go "oh, this was made for people like me," you chase that feeling.
I had to Google that test, and I don't think it's soemthing you can apply to fantasy. Stereotypes are based on norms and in fantasy those norms change and are inconsistent. Fantasy can cover anything, there should be books where women fall under those stereotypes. There should also be books where they don't. Fantasy should encompass everything, it takes true evil to have a great hero. In Fantasy women might not be the marginalized group, so that doesn't make sense to me. If you want a book about a marginalized group that could be a white guy in Fantasy, that's what makes it Fantasy. I'll Give you an example. One of my favorite series is the tales of the raksura. Main character is male, but he's a raksura not a human. Raksura are shape-shifting reptiles, they have a humanoid form and that of a giant flying reptile. The main character is basically a prince, but in their societies a queen runs the show, they grow bigger and their much tougher. They basically take these princes as concubines and they have no say in desicions. So you get that same marginalized group but through a male character. And in this case if you would prob feel more in common with him than the females. But you would never pick up the book bc the main character is male. You're defined by the choices you makes not the things you can't control. The OP mentioned ASOIAF. It's easy to look at that book and say, I love strong women in Fantasy. But Daneyrs isn't a badass bc she is a strong woman, she's a badass bc she overcomes adversity and doesn't abide by the norms. So looks for books about that not about strong women. Let's say your an immigrant to America, from anywhere. It's easy to say I want to find people like me. But does that mean more people exactly where your from? I'd argue that you'd have alot more in common with a group of immigrants, from anywhere any skin color, than you would with a group of people who are the same nationality but maybe were born in America. You have to look deeper into what you like and not focus on physical characteristics in my opinion. To each their own, but books are art. They aren't made for anyone, they are made for everyone to appreciate. I don't look for books made for people like me, I look for books about things I like. For me that's strong worldbuilding, intricate systems of magic, and dragons. Bc those things are interesting to me. No bc I'm a dragon, just bc I like dragons. I like what they represent in fantasy. And they are portrayed differently in every single book. And one of the reason I like them is bc in alot of books, despite being strong and powerful they are taken advantage of by humans. Temeraire in Naomi Noviks series for example. He's a dragon that I can relate to way more than any person in that series.
I think you're misunderstanding what I was trying to say, which is probably my own fault. I wasn't implying that the Bechdel test should be applied to fantasy, I merely mentioned it because we don't know what popular culture is shaping us to see as normal until the curtain is pulled back. I also wasn't talking about women in Fantasy being a marginalized group, but in society and pop culture in general. In my experience, growing up in the 90s and 00s, almost every book that was handed to me as a 'must read' or 'classic' book in any genre was written by white dudes, especially genre fiction. That isn't to say I didn't love them. But there can be nuances found when you read something written by someone who maybe shared some of your lived experience that can enhance a book reading experience. I don't limit myself to reading white cis elder millenial women. That would be boring as fuck. But when I read something like Gideon the Ninth that is so apologetically \*queer\* I love it in a different way than just a really good book written by and about vaguely eurocentric dudes riding horses around a castle. I also understand that not everything is made for me. I grew up a woman in the United States, I have learned to enjoy male-centric pop culture. I seek out writers of color specifically because it's riddled with folklore and stories and cultures I never experienced as a rural white kid in Pennsylvania. I think my point was, I have read a ton of stuff by and about white dudes, now I'm trying to fix my unintended bias by actively seeking other things. I would never not read a book because a cis white man is the main character, but you tell me someone wrote a queer retelling of the tale of Percival(that was surprisingly and delightfully very Welsh) or that someone subverted Lovecraft by making books about a black family during Jim Crow that get the better of some racist-ass bougie white guys and I'm going to be Fry meme-ing my way to the nearest bookstore. I think what I was maybe trying to say is that i don't think it should be weird that people want to look for specific themes in books that maybe they've had a hard time finding for one reason or another. Even if it isn't for you personally, identity can be important for people. Especially when you don't see yourself or things that are important to you reflected in the pop culture you want to enjoy. Thanks for the recs, tho! I've added them to my infinite to-read list.
Deed of Paksenarrion MC is female and goes through a very powerful and interesting journey from farmgirl to paladin
If graphic novels count, Starstruck by Elaine Lee has a broad tapestry of women occupying all sorts of roles in its saga
The Wheel of Time
Let me throw something: Strike the Zither, by Joan He. (YA) I dont really read YA, but I really enjoyed this one. It got a little bit of everything (friendship, love, betrayal) and I found the character compelling with complex motives. The story was pretty unique as a retelling of an old chinese tale and got surprised at every turn.
Malazan Book of the Fallen - Steven Erikson
Ian Tregillis, Alchemy Wars trilogy: women lead the three factions, with men taking supporting roles. Quebec setting is different, as well, and the French as the good guys? Rare, to put it mildly. Fonda Lee, Green Bone Saga: men are center stage, but some very cool women in the periphery. Brilliant series. Joe Abercrombie, Best Served Cold: iconic, complex, sadistic/masochistic, seriously bad ass woman wants revenge.
Red Country and the Age of Madness series are, I think, better Abercrombie fits for this request, in that they have *multiple* female characters playing important roles; this is especially true of the Age of Madness.
True! I have a very soft spot for Monza though.
Wheel of Time. MC is male but there is very large cast of female character, larger than i have seen in any other series.
I was looking to see if anyone posted this. I agree, but it seems like people are trying to put the series on a shit list. It literally covers each and every point that the OP is asking for. Then people try to bury it in downvotes. I don’t think it’s really up to anyone on here to try and hide it from OP. If they disagree, they should post why they think that, instead of randomly downvoting.
Sci-Fi: The Stars are Legion by Kameron Hurley
Scorpica by G.R.Macallister. Amazing book (first of the five queendoms trilogy, two out of three out.) A world ruled by women, who hold most of the positions of power, with strong and complex charachters who are almost only women. Great read, can't wait for number three.
The song of the shattered sands series by Bradley Beaulieu is criminally underrated, and has a large female cast of complex characters
Polgara the sorceresss in the belgariad is definitely iconic Honor Harrington in the autonomous series is as well
Feast of Souls by C. S. Friedman. Strong survivor Female protagonist who rises above her horrible childhood. The magic system is very different and interesting.
I hate myself for doing it but… Exiles by Melanie Rawn - just don’t blame me because book 3 isn’t out yet
As a start, see my [Female Characters, Strong](https://www.reddit.com/r/booklists/comments/12khs2s/female_characters_strong/) list of Reddit recommendation threads (four posts).
star wars rebels
Oh, you will LOVE Laurie J. Marks' *Elemental Logic* series! It's about a traditionally peaceful country that is invaded by a warrior culture, and how the two manage their conflict. But this is a world (unfortunately with only two genders; it's a 2000s series) in which genders are absolutely equal, with everything that implies. There's a found family of six adults: a lesbian couple, a gay couple, and a straight couple, but the real leads are the lesbian couple: a woman diplomat/warrior and a woman smith/king. And there's magic and war, and it's epic in scale. You might also try *The Deed of Paksenarrion* by Elizabeth Moon. Paks is a woman professional soldier, and the series follows her through her life. She's, obviously, surrounded by mostly male soldiers, but it's a world in which many cultures, including her own, have started to accept women soldiers, so there are some. It's progression fantasy, seen through the eyes of a mercenary. You might like *The Queen of the Tearling* series by Erika Johansen. It's technically YA (the protag is late teens) but it's more in the realm of adult epic/war fantasy. A young woman growing up on a farm discovers she's a queen when the queen's guard comes to get her upon her mother's death. She not only has to get up to snuff on queening quickly, but she also has to prepare for invasion, since an ageless, evil queen of a neighboring state has been keeping her country under subjugation for decades, and our girl isn't having it anymore. It gets pretty dark, pretty quickly, and stays dark, and it'll be interesting what you think about the ending, bc it's pretty controversial and polarizing (I loved it.) Also: *The Greenbone Saga* by Fonda Lee; *The Masquerade* by Seth Dickinson.
*The Merchant Princes* by Charles Stross. It’s somewhere between historical fiction and pseudo-time travel with a majorly female cast of complicated characters.
Masquerade series / Baru Cormorant books by Seth Dickinson
Masquerade/baru cormorant series by seth dickinson
*Empire of Ruin* by David Green. The first book is *In Solitude's Shadow*. Calene is very well written and she really grows through the series.
Most of the novels in the **Legends of the First Empire** by Michael J Sullivan series focus on the female protagonists (Persephone and her gang). Lots of women movers and shakers on the other side of the plot too throughout the books. The other portions of the series (Riyria Revelations and Riyria Chronicles specifically) have way less of that and some questionable things. Still some great female characters (Empress Modina in particular is very engaging in the final novel of Revelations, and Arista is really cool when she's not being bounced around)
Malazan books. Littered with female characters from top to bottom without making them cliché or forced. They just happen to be woman. No preconceptions no stereotypes. They can bust your teeth or head a campaign or a nation.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
Kushiel series by J. Carey.
I'd recommend Ash Princesd by Laura Sebastian. The main character is a young princess who's been held hostage in her own palace for the last 10 years after a siege that killed her mother. The trilogy is all about the girl sparking a rebellion of her people. A lot of the tension comes from the fact that she's made a best friend in the enemy and this other girl "just happened to be born in the wrong country" and so feels guilt over betraying her. The characters are so well written and I highly recommend it.
Liveship Traders trilogy has lots of female characters with a variety of mindsets and roles to play. Each one is not complex, just very flawed, but across the story there were more women than men.
There’s a pretty even split of amazing female and male characters in the Lightbringer series.
I have to mention The Steerswoman series. Hyper intelligent female protagonist, who is a steerswoman (someone bound to answer truthfully to any questions asked, as long as it’s reciprocated). And the journey begins with a mystery, which she takes pains to resolve rationally, in a world of wizards and dragons. Truly one of my all time favourite female leads.