[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

[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.