After a slight interlude, here is the promised Part Two, to follow my recent post entitled WorldCon 2022 Non-Conforming Women.
Whereas the first post looked at some favourite women on screen, there are some wonderfully inspiring books out there that go a long way to challenge the gender status quo and free all our characters up to be who they want to be. Representation matters and I’m all for subverting expectation to give unique stories and characterisation.
As for the question of how I explore gender in my own epic fantasy series, Blood Gift Chronicles …
The answer is multi-fold and it’s fun to play around. Set in a world where many worlds fit, Book One, Return of the Mantra, is essentially the story of a young woman’s fight back against oppression, and subsequent search for justice and her own identity. The MC, Suni, is many things: daughter, survivor, friend, nurturer, warrior, lover, leader; experiencing a range of emotions including courage, self-doubt, fear, despair, same sex love and overall awe and wonder. She’s raised by her mother, Mata, which is what Suni calls her, by her name, ‘Mata’, as opposed to ‘mother’. It was a deliberate detail, since, whilst Mata loves her daughter, she’s not overly motherly. Rather, Mata’s strength of conviction lies in her beliefs and what she wants for her homeland. Mata and Suni both possess the gift of dreamwalking, which in the beginning Suni feels is a connection to her mother. It is a gift that manifests in a place I call the ‘mists of Serafay’, which is cool in temperature, which again played into Mata’s focus not being an entirely maternal one.
Men and boy characters also play a role in subverting expectation around gender. We follow one boy’s journey into manhood, exploring how childhood abuse has impacted him and his mental health. And in a relationship between a man and woman with a child to raise, it is clearly the man who is the nurturer. Both of these storylines contribute to the lens of gender equality.
As for the women, the range is broad, many of whom Suni meets through a series in which we see her, and other prominent figures, age and grow; not forgetting some fabulous older characters we meet early on, who possess power and agency. With book 3 on the horizon, and a new land introduced, prepare for a landscape creating new norms.
Now onto other stories to inspire, and my list is long. Here are just a few standouts:
A Natural History of Dragons – A Victorian woman, Lady Isabella Trent, defies societal convention to venture out on her first dragon-spotting expedition.
An Unkindness of Ghost – scifi on board a generation ship organised like the antellum south, led by the main character, Aster and her story of survival and ultimately revolution.
Forgotten Beasts of Eld – a woman living alone on Eld mountain in the company of a swan, a dragon, a lion and a boar – creatures that reflect her own wild nature.
Ivory’s Story – Ivory, a detective in a murder investigation in Sydney, is forced to face the emotional vulnerability of her own past.
Who Fears Death – in a post-apocalyptic Sudan, a powerful young woman, loyal, flawed and courageous is fiercely determined on focused revenge.
Fire Logic – against a backdrop of this epic war fantasy and gender egalitarian world, Zanja, a lesbian woman of colour, finds love with Karis, a half giant and smoke addict.
The Fifth Season – 42-year-old Essen will literally tear the world apart to find her kidnapped daughter.
The City We Became – Among a hugely diverse NYC cast is Bronca, a lesbian grandmother, impassioned, bad-ass and deeply flawed. She becomes the victim of a white supremacist smear campaign, and after rallying those around her, demonstrates the importance of community.
The Jasmine Throne – Indian inspired epic fantasy with morally grey lesbian main characters and a feminist edge. Amid a sapphic romance, two women retain their individual agency and political conviction.
Parable of the Sower – In a world descending into madness and anarchy, Lauren is forced to embark on a dangerous journey, where she develops her ability to lead, and her own philosophy, Earthseed.
The Water Bailiff’s Daughter – on the shores of Loch Duie, the extraordinary tale of Helena Hailstanes, part witch, part otter, part human.
Gideon the Ninth – akin to a gothic Alice in Wonderland-esque creepy world filled with lesbian necromancers.
What are you reading?
