[unfiltered] Follow-up to the urban fantasy post

[elialshadowpine]

A couple links I'd like to share since they are relevant to the discussion being had:

The Danger of a Single Story. I don't generally watch videos. This one is worth watching. Because Ms. Adichie nails it. The examples that she gives in her talk are about race, but they are equally relevant to the problem of one character type being common among urban fantasy heroines.

Along those lines, Tiger Beatdown's post on Strong Female Characters, which includes several links to other posts on the issue that are worth reading. The Cliff's Notes version: "Strong female characters" basically include one archetype, that of the warrior woman, where the heroine is rewarded for behaving in a masculine manner, eschewing femininity, and it is almost entirely limited to physical strength.

Lots of food for thought.

Comments

[elialshadowpine]

I was speaking more in regards to urban fantasy, where the gun-toting kickass member of the boy's club chick reigns supreme. Apologies for not being more specific!

YA is a LOT better about representation! YA has its own set of issues, but I find that the problematic stuff is easier to avoid. Having been in an abusive relationship, I find stuff like Twilight and its lookalikes difficult to read because my brain is screaming red flags. There are tons of issues with these types of books, but they are generally different issues (and I do intend to write a post dedicated to this particular phenomenon).

I have found a lot more books in YA that have a variety of female characters that are strong but not only in the warrior woman sense. I just finished reading a YA book where the heroine is a princess who takes charge of her own life and runs away from what would have been a forced marriage to school herself -- except, she's not learning swordfighting, she's learning politics and tactics and strategy and economics and things that she will need to know when she becomes queen. There are several points in the books where she is at a disadvantage because she is not a well-trained fighter. She knows some amount of self-defense and knife-fighting but a lot of the situations? She gets out of because she's smart and cunning.

Adult fantasy, and particularly urban fantasy, doesn't seem to have the same breadth in character types, which I find really odd. I mean, I loves me some warrior women (Tarma and Kethry and Kerowyn are some of my favorite characters ever) but when that is the overwhelming archetype that is shown for heroines, it is a problem.

I actually have not read those books; I know I read part of Matter of Magic but I don't recall actually finishing it. When my library website is back up (damn maintinence), I will go ahead and put them on hold, cause I am always on the lookout for new books to read :) and let you know what I think later! :)

[greatsword]

Stranger and Blind Waves are both adult fiction. You might find Stranger triggering, but Blind Waves is a fun SF book.

Jack of Kinrowan is the de Lint book I was trying ot remember last night; comprising Jack the Giant Killer and it's sequel. You might like it - the main character is female; it's very similar to his other urban fantasy books, though not as dark as some.

[elialshadowpine]

My library doesn't have A Stranger at the Wedding; I own a copy of A Matter of Magic and will try to acquire a digital copy. Neither our local library nor the Seattle Public Library (which Storme has access to because he works in Seattle) have A Stranger at the Wedding. I'll take a look at it if and it's something I think I might like, I'll pick it up, or else look around for it used. :)

I just was able to put Blind Waves and Sorcery and Cecelia on hold. None of these look particularly like what I would call urban fantasy, but they all look interesting to me, and I definitely don't mind giving you my take on it. Would you prefer I message you directly, or would you like me to go ahead and post it when I'm done?

That sounds like an interesting book, by de Lint. I may have to look for it. :)

[greatsword]

If I get my books unboxed - they're still packed to save space - I could try to loan you the de Lint book. Does Storme come out to the kirkland/redmond area, or just Seattle proper?

Stranger is available as an ebook; it's one of her few standalone fantasies. I just thought of one more along your initial lines, though, also by Hambly. Bride of the Rat God is a fantasy set in Hollywood's silent movie era; despite the cringe-enducing name I quite highly recommend it.

A fair amount of Hambly's backlist has just been re-released as ebooks. While I don't recommend everything of hers, it's close. You would probably like her vampire novels better than I do; I in general don't read vampire books.

[clare_dragonfly]

That YA book you mentioned sounds awesome! What is it?

(Yay for Tarma and Kethry and Kero! ♥)

[elialshadowpine]

It is the Heir series by Cinda Williams Chima. It's not yet complete, which I was kinda annoyed about because I'd been led to believe it was a trilogy. So I got to the end and was "BWUH???" Last book comes out in fall, and I would probably consider waiting and reading them altogether, because it is a very detail oriented book and some things were difficult for me to follow picking up books 2 and 3 when I had read 1 sometime the year before. :)