Women have written some of history’s most enchanting and inventive fantasy books, with many works growing beyond the fantasy subculture to become household names.
If you’re beginning your journey to find the best female fantasy writers, here are three incredible books to get you started:
1) Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Howl’s Moving Castle may be extra famous for its incredible Studio Ghibli film adaptation, but before that it was a stunning, award-winning novel from the wonderful Dianna Wynne Jones.
Jones creates a fun and imaginative world where a timid girl is dragged into an adventure of walking castles, fire demons and wizards (just to name a few). The protagonist is a testament to the fact that female fantasy leads don’t have to be battle-hardened warriors, and instead can be quite the opposite, which is great, really!
2) Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb
Assassin’s Apprentice, a long-time fan favorite, is the first installment in Hobb’s incredible Farseer trilogy. This formidable work in the fantasy genre has earned the respect of other fantasy literary giants like George R.R. Martin and Orson Scott Card, as well as being a favorite across the world.
Whilst Assassin’s Apprentice is, in many ways, traditional fantasy, with the likes of warring kingdoms, sword fighting and dragons all playing part in the work, it also strays away from the genre in its own right.
How? Through the simple execution of a stunning plot with equally-impressive characters to boot. Assassin’s Apprentice is almost in a league of its own when it comes to taking those traditional plot elements to new levels, with a fascinating storyline giving way to a wondrous trilogy that has won a whole legion of fans in every corner of the globe.
3) The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
The Mists of Avalon takes the legendary tale of King Arthur and reimagines it through the eyes of a female protagonist, Morgaine. It was an instant classic for lovers of feminine fantasy literature, taking such an age-old tale and envisioning through the eyes of a woman, but it is also a general genre classic.
Morgaine is a priestess and sorceress that is found in typical legends, though her character is often painted as a villain. However, in The Mists of Avalon, Morgaine is reimagined as a misunderstood priestess who represents older belief systems being threatened by the new.
This is a wonderful book in the female fantasy genre that departs from the standard favored male heroes. What’s more, it is an incredibly engaging work that received the Locus award as well as praise from some of the biggest names in fantasy as well as sci-fi writing (think the formidable Isaac Asimov, for one!).
These are three great works to get you started
As you can see, women have a certain knack for creating beguiling worlds with rich characters, themes, settings and all the bizarre goodness that makes fantasy such a beloved genre.
The above works from Jones, Hobb and Bradley are the best place to get started, with each work being as compelling and diverse as the other, and all three with fascinating worlds that reinvent the way we view the fantasy genre.
Pick up one, or all, of these incredible fantasy books as a great way to start your journey into the amazing world of female fantasy literature!
