Perhaps its because the majority of beloved fantasy novels feature male protagonists. Tifa is a badass martial artist and one of the series strongest fighters. This book is packed full of strong female characters that its impossible to single out. Otherwise, she could be seen as weak or vulnerable. A look at the strong female character in young adult literature, and why i so often have a problem with her. So heres a list of books with strong heroines who fight against stereotypes of women in the fantasy and science fiction genres. She is perhaps the fiercest female character in all of genre fiction, unapologetically vicious, shaped into a monster by a remorseless society and a heartless worldand her most dangerous opponents tend to be her fellow bel dames, women enhanced with strange, bugbased tech that gives them powers akin to magic. Ellen ripley is the greatest female character in scifi or fantasy, and also one of the greatest movie characters of all time. Female protagonists in science fiction and fantasy the illustrated. Forced to flee her home, she runs off to london to seek her fortune, encountering various interesting characters along the way. Strong female lead character, and one of the more inventive, interesting fantasy environments ive run across in quite a while.
Top ten fantasy novels that have gay people in them. The 20 greatest female characters in scifi and fantasy. When expecting, the first thing one wants is to find the right name for their little one. Names are known to be personality predictors, identifying the kind of shortcomings or successes a. I love to read fantasy books with strong female main characters, i dont like it when the girl is weak, even if she has a strong mind. Just because a female character is strong, doesnt mean she cant have weaknesses, and it doesnt mean she cant have any romance. George miller had the idea for a onearmed female road warrior to play against the mad max character, cowriter brendan mccarthy says of furiosa.
I like it when the books have romance in them, but not it being the main focus. Give your heroine a strong intellect, a sharp wit, or some other quality that will make her a character who has what it really takes to be tough. Sigourney weaver even earned a best actress nomination for aliens 1986, which was groundbreaking as, prior to that point, the academy had given little recognition to. You can also check the tags awesome female leads and female lead or you can go to my goodreads account and look at the shelf strong female characters. Ranking all the final fantasy ladies from worst to best. What are some good science fiction or adventure novels. From warriors to princesses, classic film to new series, weve got some of the strongest and best loved female. Top 10 strong female sciencefiction film characters. Her name was ruphas mafahl, a great woman dreaded as the blackwinged overlord. Fantasy is an amazing genre meant to inspire a sense of wonder and courage and hope. The protagonist kiyotaka ayanokoji is a student of dclass, which is where the school dumps its inferior students in order to ridicule them.
The dos and donts of writing strong female characters i wrote a guest post many moons ago, detailing the dos and donts of creating strong female characters. Speak by laurie halse anderson this ground breaking 1999 young adult novel is written in a diary format with a unique, nonlinear plot. Best strong female fantasy novels list of fantasy novels featuring strong women. The great thing about wellwritten fiction is that even a childrens book can. Especially when they have strong, diverse and interesting characters. This means no silly women who think they dont need help as well. Books with strong female characters over 50 book riot. Shes a diabolic, created for one purpose onlyto protect her person, sidonia. These are stories about women in their 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s who are finding freedom, power, and joy as they age with grace and courage in a variety of circumstances. The book must featurestar a strong main female character. Gone are the days where female characters in novels tended to be simpering, dependent and virtual cardboard cutouts. Tifa is regularly considered one of the greatest female characters not just in final fantasy but in all of gaming, and is regularly compared to the likes of lara croft as an example of a strong and attractive character. Books with strong female characters common sense media.
The girls maintain a strong bond of friendship over the years, despite following different paths. Im saddened, but not one bit surprised that only books written by female authors made this listof course, thats probably because no one can name a really smashing fantasy novel by a male. A strong leading lady can be a hero or a villain with a lot of depth. There are many incredibly strong female characters in chain of gold but personally cordelia is my favorite. After meeting suzune horikita and kikyo kushida, two other students in his class, kiyotakas.
Graphic novels are a great escape into a fantastical world. Id like it to be a fantasyromance book not just a romance book. No matter the battle, these heroic female warriors prove. A leading female character stands out because of her beauty, boldness, and bravery in the face of adversity. What are some good fantasy novels of said subgenres that have either a female lead, or a strong supporting female character. I know its sometimes hard to find good graphic novels that are right for you, so i compiled a list of my 5 favorites. See more ideas about fantasy names, names and names with meaning. Five page turners for fantasy readers who are totally over the boyandhisdragon trope. Weve selected a pile of books with universal appeal for kids of different ages and tastes, from bestselling picture books to young adult. One wrong move can lead to her death, but in the dangerous game she plays, the only certainty is. She was too strong, too fast, and too beautiful however, she was defeated by heroes who opposed her ferocity, and her ambition was brought to an end. Im kind of tired reading all these love triangle ya novels and want something with magic or fantasy like elements in it.
Anime as a genre isnt always known for its strong female characters. This list is exclusively for fantasy, please do not add any science fiction. Note that several of the names below, such aerin and lyanna, appear in multiple. There are, of course, exceptions, and more of them every day, as we celebrate books by more authors, male and female, who truly get that strength in a character doesnt necessarily mean masculine traits. Best fantasy books with strong women characters 538 books.
Independent, strong, and feminist, jane eyre is an unforgettable character in a classic novel exploring social classes, love, sexuality, and morality. I know pierce has other novels with strong female characters but i was wondering if there are some other series or standalone novels. Dover publications jane eyre is a complex, selfaware woman in the victorian age whose work as a governess eventually leads to love. Theres something about a powerhouse female protagonist that makes me happy. Who is the most powerful character in all the fantasy. The first book in a new fantasy series, jenna glass the womans war centers on two women with the power to shatter the glass ceiling. I dont really like it when the plot is set in modern times or on earth. Or, a young ladys illustrated primer by neal stephenson. A top ten of fantasy books with strong female protagonists. If you think girl books are just about princesses, romance, gossipy schoolgirls, and vampires, think again. There are tons of good shoujo, josei, and even shounen manga with very powerful female leads, and here are just a few of my favorites. But if you are a woman who likes strong female characters and books that dont cater to the male mind and yes ladies, most of the fantasy books are written by. Torin is the badass female character standard bearer in my mind. If you like stephensons writing, his earlier novel, snow crash also features a very sm.
Best strong female fantasy novels 3335 books goodreads. Perhaps its because books about women are less likely to win prizes. Alys is a widowed mother with an aptitude for magic in a world. But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and circe.
Set in 18th century england, fanny is none other than fanny hackaboutjones, the beautiful foundling who grew up to be a sensuous woman desired by many. If so the outer gods are just below punpuns level and azathoth is theoneaboveall le. For a discussion of the names and the style they represent and a description of how they were chosen please see the 2part blog, the women of fantasy. A master list of fantasy character names and places. And books with strong female characters over 50 are less than plentiful. The dos and donts of writing strong female characters. Check out this list of ya fantasy books you have to read. Strong female characters in fantasy books magic writer.
If she is in a relationshippartnership with someone, she must not need regular rescuing, be able to take care of herself, and intelligent. Also i totally ship her and femshep from mass effect. Im definitely going to have a year or more of material out of this. But i have been enjoying some wonderful books lately about older women having a great second act in life.
However, that doesnt mean that there arent plenty of incredible badass women in this world. Here are 12 kickass women from scifi and fantasy who are the best kind of strongtheir own. Female manga characters get a bad rep as they are often portrayed as being weak, ditzy, or simply used for story filler. The names below represent 40 of the bestknown or bestloved female characters in fantasy books and films set in nonearth worlds. Major mokoto kusanagi, the lead character of the ghost in the shell franchise, is one of animes bestknown female protagonists. Fantasy is capable of being a reflection of our own world, but with unique and wonderful twists. Their names are not bella, so please stop adding the twilight series. The best new fantasy fiction retells ancient stories with complex female characters. Wishing to rid herself of her magical abilities, a powerful teenage witch named alex accidentally disappears her entire family instead. My favorite reading genre is fantasy and science fiction. Here are some recommendations for tv shows with strong female characters. My brilliant friend is a rich and heartwarming account on female friendships.
For a certain reason, kiyotaka was careless on his entrance examination, and was put in dclass. But circe is a strange childnot powerful, like her father, nor viciously. Characters in any book worth its salt are diverse and complicated, regardless of gender. This list is not for commercial purposes and those books will be removed. She teaches that strength, compassion, bravery, love, and courage are the basis of true strength. The hardest thing sometimes for us to create, isnt great characters, plot ideas, or shocking twists. Stand alone complex follows the major and her team, who work for the public security section 9, as they investigate highly sensitive criminal cases in a world where many people have become cyborgs. Daviss novel is a unique twist on historical fiction and features two generations of strong minded women. Maybe its because i like reading about women i can look up to. Fantasy scifi books with strong female characters when i was growing up, i was shocked by the lack of strong, female leads in the type of books i liked to read. I dont recall thinking much of them being women as a kid, but as i got older, i did notice that there were few strong lead female characters in a lot of literature. Cvs top 100 science fiction and fantasy characters list.
What are some good fantasy novels with strong female. Actually, i tweeted a question to the interwebz yesterday for examples of female lead characters in fantasy novels. Exploring themes of independence and courage, tanita s. An aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960s decides to write a book detailing the african american maids point of view on the white families for which they work, and the hardships they go through on a daily basis. Where are all the strong female characters in childrens films. There are plenty of great books featuring strong female main characters in compelling stories that are sure to appeal to boys as well as girls. Often when we talk about strong female characters were referring to emotional strength, but in this case, nemesis is literally stronger than anyone else. This week, for all you hardworking writers out there, ive created a master list of fantasy names.
This task becomes stressful with over a million options to choose from, finding the one that best fits the requirements. More fantasy books with physically disabled characters. And of course, i love all sorts of female characters who exhibit great resilience and courage. Independent, strong, and feminist, jane eyre is an unforgettable.
To celebrate the strong but also the notsostrong, the complex and vivid women in fiction, this week were talking about 7 great females characters and what they can teach you about better character writing however, before examining the character development of. Your favorite female lead characters in fantasy novels after a rigorous and highly scientific researchbased pollokay, wait. Characters in these manga are weak, but through determination, hard work, and rigorous training, they become strong and masters of their field, whether its martial arts, a job class in a game, or a hobby such as sports. Fantasyscifi books with strong female characters 1029. These kickass female characters from fantasy books wont back down from a fight. In the following list of 50 mustread fantasy books by women, youll find. These protagonists might even become powerful enough to be overpowered main characters.