# Epic Fantasy with strong female characters?



## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

By which I do not mean leather-bikini-wearing Red Sonja types. Just generally strong women who demand a place in the world in a believable way. And even matched with strong male characters. 

I'd love to find some from newer authors. Any suggestions?


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## Sean Patrick Fox (Dec 3, 2011)

Gotta go with GRRM's _A Song of Ice and Fire_. True, most of the women hold little real power, but that's indicative of the time period more than anything else. And there _are_ a couple of badass females.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Not sure if it fits "epic fantasy" but Christopher Stasheff's Her Majesty's Wizard  has a couple of very strong female characters.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Sean Patrick Fox said:


> Gotta go with GRRM's _A Song of Ice and Fire_. True, most of the women hold little real power, but that's indicative of the time period more than anything else. And there _are_ a couple of badass females.


Well, I am not really a fan of GRRM's treatment of women, but a few of his female characters are strong. But how about someone I haven't read?


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## Sean Patrick Fox (Dec 3, 2011)

JRTomlin said:


> Well, I am not really a fan of GRRM's treatment of women, but a few of his female characters are strong. *But how about someone I haven't read?*


How am I supposed to know who you haven't read?


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## jwest (Nov 14, 2011)

This probably won't help much in narrowing things down for you, but I really cannot think of any epic fantasies I've read in the last twenty years that do not include strong women characters, and most seem to have fairly prominent roles.


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## Guest (Mar 7, 2012)

Why have strong female characters when you can have this?


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

jwest said:


> This probably won't help much in narrowing things down for you, but I really cannot think of any epic fantasies I've read in the last twenty years that do not include strong women characters, and most seem to have fairly prominent roles.


I am actually looking for ones in which there is at least one female main character. I really wasn't clear enough in what I said I was looking for. "Fairly prominent" doesn't do it for me. Of course, we may also have differing definitions of "strong female character". 

@Sean Patrick Fox - I thought it went without saying that a fantasy fan had read SoIaF. 

Foreverjuly, you might notice (in spite of the question about whether the protagonist is male or female) the underlying assumption that the protagonist is _really _male. Yep, I am looking for female protagonists in fantasy. (*gasp of horror*)


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

*raises hand*

hi, my name is scarlet

(hi scarlet)

i'm a fantasy fan who has not read GRR Martin....


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## CoraBuhlert (Aug 7, 2011)

Try Kate Elliott, Jacqueline Carey, Sherwood Smith, Melanie Rawn, Jennifer Roberson, Katherine Kerr, Elizabeth Vaughan, Patricia Briggs' early epic fantasy.

For classics, there's also C.L. Moore's Jirel of Joiry, the ancestress of all sword-wielding epic fantasy heroines. Unlike Red Sonja, she doesn't wear chainmail bikinis either.


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## Laura Lond (Nov 6, 2010)

Have you read _Elfhunter_ and the rest of the trilogy? Excellent fantasy, and Gaelen, the elven main character, is certainly a strong lead.


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## KMA (Mar 11, 2009)

I'm not sure that my list will have anything you haven't read, but off the top of my head:

Tamora Pierce 
Robin McKinley
Patricia McKillip
Pamela Dean
Kristin Cashmore
Lois McMaster Bujold (although she is better known for her space operas)


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## Neo (Mar 30, 2009)

You've probably read it, but the first that popped into my mind was "The Deed of Paksenarrion" - a classic


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

The reason I mentioned 'newer' is that I have read pretty much all the classic stuff. 

Absolutely _The Deed of Paksenarrion_ is excellent. I've read _Elfhunter_. Not so much Carey and Bujold whose work I mostly don't care for (for very different reasons) but pretty much everyone else listed, I've read.

So no one newer is writing strong women protagonists in fantasy? I thought maybe I was just overlooking it.


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## Sean Patrick Fox (Dec 3, 2011)

JRTomlin said:


> The reason I mentioned 'newer' is that I have read pretty much all the classic stuff.
> 
> Absolutely _The Deed of Paksenarrion_ is excellent. I've read _Elfhunter_. Not so much Carey and Bujold whose work I mostly don't care for (for very different reasons) but pretty much everyone else listed, I've read.
> 
> So no one newer is writing strong women protagonists in fantasy? I thought maybe I was just overlooking it.


I don't really consider it "epic" fantasy, but you could try the _Mistborn_ series by Brandon Sanderson. The protagonist is a pretty badass female.


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## sandrasstories (Feb 1, 2012)

I would have to go with Briony Eddon from "Shadowmarch" by Tad Williams. She's by far my favourite female heroine in any book series - fantasy or not.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

sandrasstories said:


> I would have to go with Briony Eddon from "Shadowmarch" by Tad Williams. She's by far my favourite female heroine in any book series - fantasy or not.


Oddly enough, I haven't read that one. I'll see if I can get if for my Kindle. Thanks.

I have read _Mistborn_. I didn't find her badassed but she was a pretty strong character. It's not a bad novel. I would class that as more or less 'epic'. 

Obviously, my problem is that I have READ to much.


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## Bigal-sa (Mar 27, 2010)

Definitely not Red Sonja types of heroine:

Established author: Madouc?

New author: Silence of Medair?


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## Winter9 (Jan 19, 2010)

You are looking for Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel and Naamah-series! 
There is none quite like it, and there's none that match it. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Jedidiah (Mar 7, 2012)

I am reading Kushiel's Dart right now and I agree with Winter. What genre are you intrested in? I love Lee Child and although Reacher is the main character there are several of his books with strong and intelligent female characters that share the spotlight. That is just off the top of my head, but now that I saw this post I am interested in researching it.


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## sandrasstories (Feb 1, 2012)

JRTomlin said:


> Oddly enough, I haven't read that one. I'll see if I can get if for my Kindle. Thanks.
> 
> I have read _Mistborn_. I didn't find her badassed but she was a pretty strong character. It's not a bad novel.
> 
> Obviously, my problem is that I have READ to much.


No problem!


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## Jedidiah (Mar 7, 2012)

HAHA! Perfect!

Well I happen to love powerful warrior women, like Tarriel or Kyrianna (who is on the cover of my book) but they need to be intelligent and special in some other way. 
I also like Nikita types. I'm interested in the new series that is coming out with Ashley Judd


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## Matthew.Iden (Nov 6, 2011)

Not new, but the _*Sanctuary *_series (ed. Robert Aspirin) has quite a few strong females. Lythande will always stick in my mind as a one dangerous female dog.

Robin McKinley, as someone else said, is a good choice.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Winter9 said:


> You are looking for Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel and Naamah-series!
> There is none quite like it, and there's none that match it.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I will admit it. I find the entire concept of the Kushiel series creepy. I know a lot of people love it and that's just me. I couldn't get through the first one. I don't mean that as ANY insult to people who like it. Horses for courses, as they say. (Edit: On the other hand, I very much like Carey's _The Sundering: Banewreaker, Godslayer_ which has some strong female characters although none are the protagonist)

I agree with Jedidiah that I want my strong female protagonist to be intelligent or crafty or something in addition to kick-*ss and she doesn't have to be super-woman strong, just able to take care of herself.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Jedidiah said:


> I am reading Kushiel's Dart right now and I agree with Winter. What genre are you intrested in? I love Lee Child and although Reacher is the main character there are several of his books with strong and intelligent female characters that share the spotlight. That is just off the top of my head, but now that I saw this post I am interested in researching it.


I'm interested in fantasy. 

I think _Kushiel's Dart_ is a love it or hate it novel. Either you can enjoy a novel set in that world or it makes your skin crawl. Lee Child writers thrillers, doesn't he?


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## Neo (Mar 30, 2009)

Not the main characters, but essential to the story: have you tried "In Her Name" (omnibus edition) by Michael Hicks? I would describe it as fantasy even though it has SciFi premises... But some strong female characters in there (to put it mildly), and you have to be ready not to eat, sleep, or live while you are going through it - it's THAT good


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## Sean Patrick Fox (Dec 3, 2011)

JRTomlin said:


> I will admit it. I find the entire concept of the Kushiel series creepy. I know a lot of people love it and that's just me.


Never heard of this series before, and the Amazon synopsis wasn't enlightening. What's creepy about it?


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## LilianaHart (Jun 20, 2011)

Elizabeth Haydon's Rhapsody series. Fantastic books.


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

I'm enjoying Laini Taylor's main character Magpie in 

Holly Black quote from the cover "Laini Taylor's faeries are whimsical and tiny, but fierce . . ." Sounds like Magpie might be your kind of heroine. Although I haven't read it yet, I'm looking forward to checking out her Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Her writing is lush and beautiful, her stories highly original.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Sean Patrick Fox said:


> Never heard of this series before, and the Amazon synopsis wasn't enlightening. What's creepy about it?


It is my own reaction to the entire theme of sado-masochism. I'm aware that not everyone reacts that way. It's not a judgement, just what I can manage to find enjoyable to read about.


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## lea_owens (Dec 5, 2011)

Ditto the comments by Neo about the _In Her Name_ books. I read the first three in the Omnibus edition and ended up putting lots of other jobs aside so that I could finish the books... loved 'em. So far, this year has been filled with books I couldn't be bothered finishing - ho hum writing, mistakes, incorrect scientific facts as the basis of a flawed plot, bad spelling or editing or something else just not up to scratch, but _In Her Name_ ranks up there as one of the fantasy/sci fi reads ever, with an entire reality created that is both believable and addictive. I couldn't get over how I went from despising those mad war-mongering b**ches to having so much admiration for their culture and finally backing them against my own species. Great work.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Great! A number of things for me to check out. Thanks!


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

If you don't mind going YA with a dose of humor/satire, Terry Pratchett's "Tiffany Aching" books, starting with _The Wee Free Men_ might be of interest. On the more adult side (in terms of not being YA though still suitable for a youngish audience) and with a bit more satire are his "Lancre Witches" books, starting with _Wyrd Sisters_. Are there two stronger female leads than Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg?

On a more serious level, I thought that _The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms_ by N. E. Jemisin was quite well written. It didn't exactly hit my sweet spot in terms of subject matter (I'm not big into royal court intrigue and gods directly acting in a story), but I was still impressed with its execution.


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## Matt Larkin (Sep 27, 2011)

You could try Jennifer Fallon. I loved her Wolfblade series.


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## John Blackport (Jul 18, 2011)

JRTomlin said:


> I agree with Jedidiah that I want my strong female protagonist to be intelligent or crafty or something in addition to kick-*ss and she doesn't have to be super-woman strong, just able to take care of herself.


It's important to do this kind of qualification what you consider a "strong female character" to be . . .

"Strong female characters" are becoming the "high-quality workmanship" of fantasy e-books . . . easy to say, often promised, rarely delivered.

I like the idea of holding out for a female protag. Fantasy doesn't have enough female protags.


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## Coral Moore (Nov 29, 2009)

I know you said you read _Mistborn_, but have you tried _The Way of Kings_ by Sanderson? It's much more in the Epic Fantasy vein and I really love the women in that book. Not much badassery, but smart and thoughtful. I wouldn't say the women are the lead characters though, although there is one (maybe two? it's been a while) female PoV character. Not sure if that makes a difference to you.


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## Jedidiah (Mar 7, 2012)

> I think Kushiel's Dart is a love it or hate it novel. Either you can enjoy a novel set in that world or it makes your skin crawl. Lee Child writers thrillers, doesn't he?


You are correct. Sorry about that. I totally missed the Epic Fantasy part. Now after seeing all this talk about books not having a good female protag, maybe I will add one in my series!

Oo another one I just thought about. Terry Goodkind has had several good BAD GIRLS in his Sword of Truth series. Nikki, the witch chick who's name I can't remember for the life of me right now, and the hedge maiden from his last book, The Omen Machine, was pretty nasty.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

John Blackport said:


> It's important to do this kind of qualification what you consider a "strong female character" to be . . .
> 
> "Strong female characters" are becoming the "high-quality workmanship" of fantasy e-books . . . easy to say, often promised, rarely delivered.
> 
> I like the idea of holding out for a female protag. Fantasy doesn't have enough female protags.


Boy, do I agree with that there aren't enough and the promise is rarely delivered. Elizabeth Moon delivered but the number of other who have... Darn few.


Jedidiah said:


> You are correct. Sorry about that. I totally missed the Epic Fantasy part. Now after seeing all this talk about books not having a good female protag, maybe I will add one in my series!
> 
> Oo another one I just thought about. Terry Goodkind has had several good BAD GIRLS in his Sword of Truth series. Nikki, the witch chick who's name I can't remember for the life of me right now, and the hedge maiden from his last book, The Omen Machine, was pretty nasty.


*cough* Terry Goodkind... *cough* Did I mention I don't like sadomasochism? Besides they aren't protagonists. Well, I didn't read his last book so I am making an assumption that the female isn't a protagonist, because he started annoying me a whole bunch of books ago and I stopped reading him. (Did that idiot ever learn to use that magic sword of his? *rhetorical question*)

I am not sure you can just "add" a strong female protagonist. But that is a discussion for the Writers' Cafe.


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## Jedidiah (Mar 7, 2012)

Yeah I guess your right, Kahlan is not really considered the main character. I was kind of thinking more along the lines of a main villian, which makes my line of thought wrong....in which case I would certainly agree with you on "adding" a protagonist to a series. How do you change the main character? Well if your George R.R. Martin you simply kill them. HAHA.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

as everyone knows, i'm a fan of the In Her Name books, but the original post did ask for Epic Fantasy, and the IHN books are definitely Science Fiction, not fantasy.  But they are epic.


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## CoraBuhlert (Aug 7, 2011)

Seconding the N.K. Jemisin recommendation. She's a fairly new author and writes epic fantasy with non-pseudo-European settings.

Maria V. Snyder might fit the bill as well. Her newer books (the _Glass_ series and whatever the latest one is called) are being marketed as YA fantasy, but the Study trilogy (_Poison Study, Magic Study, Fire Study_) was adult epic fantasy with a female protagonist.

Phillippa Ballantine's _Book of the Order_ trilogy is another newish fantasy series with a female protagonist. Ballantine also has a new book called _Hunter and Fox_ out, which appears to have a female protagonist.

The _Rogue Agent_ series by K.E. Mills is a bit schizophrenic. It starts out as a sort of adult Harry Potter and suddenly takes an extremely dark turn midway through the first book. The protagonist is male, but there are several strong female characters. Not the traditional sexy arsekickers either. K.E. Mills also writes more traditional epic fantasy as Karen Miller. Her Godspeaker series has a female protagonist as well.

If YA is okay, there's always _Graceling_ and _Fire_ by Kristin Cashore.

But in general, epic fantasy seems to have become something of a boys club of late, while all the women migrate to urban fantasy, Steampunk or YA, where the money is better and the fandom less testosterone laden.


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## Colin Taber (Apr 4, 2011)

Sara Douglass' Battleaxe Trilogy (The first three books of what is a six book series in the US called The Wayfarer Redemption) has Azhure, a tough character (not so much in a sword swinging way), from an abusive past. The series is formula epic fantasy, not wildly groundbreaking, but an enjoyable enough read if you like that kind of thing. Battleaxe has sole squentillions of copies (or so the publishers keep telling us). The title was the first Australian fantasy novel released locally to really break records, get picked up internationally, and see the late Sara Douglass held up as Australia's bestselling local fantasy author for many, many years.

While I haven't read the series in years, what I remember about Azhure is her strength of purpose and leadership. She's quite the contrast to Faraday, a female character set to make you queasy with her helplessness and plummet into victimhood, JR.


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## Anjasa (Feb 4, 2012)

I love Lisa Smeadman and Elaine Cunningham's drow series (Forgotten Realms) for strong female characters.

The Lady Penitent and Starlight & Shadows series respectively. My partner is reading the House of Serpents series by Lisa Smeadman right now and said he's enjoying it a lot.

He's also reading Depths of Madness by Erik Scott de Bie and he's enjoying the female characters in that as well.


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## Winter9 (Jan 19, 2010)

In Her Name is definitely some of the best! Michael R. Hicks is very talented!! Recommend it to every fan of Fantasy!


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## Nicholas Andrews (Sep 8, 2011)

The Eolyn Chronicles by Karin Rita Gastreich:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005BEIGZG
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JDZIO5Q

The publishing company, Hadley-Rille, publishes a lot of fantasy books with strong female protagonists from what I understand.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

I think Brust's Jhaereg books have some pretty strong female characters, the main character is male, but the females are bad*ss
Sethra Lavode is the epitome of bad*ss and Aliera e'Kieron is is on my secret crush list



start with


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

Interesting.  I see a lot of recs that don't really have the female as the main.  Although they may (or may not) have strong female characters (I didn't find the women in Mistborn to be badass at all.  I thought--well never mind.  This isn't the thread for that.  Ditto Terry Goodkind.  )

So let's see.  I do like Patricia Briggs and her When Demon's Walk is more traditional fantasy than her current UF. Excellent read.

I'd also rec Stained Glass Monsters -- two female leads.  Andrea Host is the author. 

Ugly cover and more UF than Fantasy, but "Demon Hunter and Baby" had a very strong lead.  There are things I don't like about the book, but I wanted to mention it because I think the lead fits.

More of a cozy fantasy, but definitely strong female lead Unicorn on Speed Dial.  Great humor, wonderful book.

Lindsay Buroker has the Torrent Series as well as more traditional fantasy (I've only read Torrent--and it's more UF than trad fantasy).  Nice, high-powered, fast paced thriller type reads.  Fun.  I suspect her fantasy has strong female leads based on Torrent.

The Hounds of Ardagh by Laura Underwood -- pretty traditional fantasy with a strong female lead.


I don't particularly like her POV changing writing style except in When Dragons Finish Last (UF) but Rachel Aaron PROBABLY has some female leads.  Not positive because I have only read the Dragon one--her others didn't grab me.  Too many POV, but if she writes a female character, I'd expect them to be strong based on Dragons Last.

There's probably a few more, but those come to mind.


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

Okay, some more authors come to mind:

Mercedes Lackey -  She has more than one series out with strong female mains...the Arrows of the Queen is probably the best series.
Holly Lisle - She has some contemporary setting books and some epic fantasy.  Both are good, although her most modern chick-lit kind of thing isn't her best work.  I liked the work she did while published with Baen the best.  Fire in the Mist, Sympathy for the Devil, The Devil and Dan Cooley were all very good.  Dancing at Midnight was a good romance/suspense.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

Elizabeth Bear is pretty good at badass females, I think the Valkryie book is a mix of fantasy and Sci-fi


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

I really like Diana Pharaoh Francis's CROSSPOINTE series, with The Cipher being my favourite. They aren't badass women. They aren't kickass. They are regular women with jobs and positions, and stand up for what's right. In a weird way, they are stronger than a lot of "strong" women characters because they are more normal.


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## Jim Johnson (Jan 4, 2011)

In some of Katherine Kurtz's Deryni books (_Camber of Culdi, Saint Camber, Camber the Heretic, The Harrowing of Gwynedd_), one of the characters, Lady Evaine, becomes a hugely key character.


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## martyns (May 8, 2014)

I love strong female characters. Reading about and writing about. 

I know it's not your common or garden fantasy, but Terry Pratchett's Discworld has some awesome strong characters. Like Conina from Sourcery, or Susan from the Death Novels!


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## thewitt (Dec 5, 2014)

I have strong female characters in all my books so far. The latest, Prophecy's Queen, has three of them   I think strong female characters are very powerful story elements.  I'll be introducing even more strong female characters in future books.


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## JeanetteRaleigh (Jan 1, 2013)

Warrior and Witch by Marie Brennan have a strong female lead.  It's kind of a cross between old fantasy and the new urban fantasy genre.  (Deed of Paksennarion is still my all-time favorite for strong female character, but that's been mentioned)


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

Barbara Hambly springs to mind for strong females. Strong males as well.


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