![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
princesselwen So this was inspired by the spork of Mists of Avalon over at das-sporking2, and the community's disgust with its portrayal of women. So I thought I'd give a list of some better heroines, particularly ones who have good relationships with other girls or women. Some spoilers below!
Stephanie Harrington and Jessica Pherris --Honor Harrrington spin-off The Star Kingdom trilogy, by David Weber and Jane Lindskold. While the main Honor Harrrington series is also great, and I highly recommend at least the first nine books, the long technical descriptions could make it harder to get into for some readers. (However, it also has great friendships, especially with Honor and her best friend Michelle, or "Mike.") This YA spin-off doesn't have the super-long descriptions, and is a neat story about Honor's ancestor Stephanie forming a bond with a sentient cat-like alien who she names Lionheart. The rest of the story revolves around her trying to protect his people (who she calls 'treecats') and their growing relationship with humans. Jessica is introduced in the second book, as a newcomer to the planet who is quickly drawn into the treecatsx world and becomes fast friends with Stephanie. These books also have a very refreshing take on teenage relationships, especially in the third one.
Miri and Dashti--Princess Academy and Book of A Thousand Days, by Shannon Hale. The plot of the first of these, where a prince has to pick a wife from among a group of girls from the same village, means that there will be a lot of female characters in the story. Miri stands out for her cleverness and quick thinking, but her friends are also important, and they work very well together once they learn to do so. There is also a nice romance. Book of a Thousand Days has Dashti who's kind of the opposite of a 'typical' heroine--she's a servant to a princess, and she's not very pretty. But she turns out to be very determined and resourceful, even when her world is falling apart.
This is all I have time for now, but I will post some more awesome heroines later.)
Stephanie Harrington and Jessica Pherris --Honor Harrrington spin-off The Star Kingdom trilogy, by David Weber and Jane Lindskold. While the main Honor Harrrington series is also great, and I highly recommend at least the first nine books, the long technical descriptions could make it harder to get into for some readers. (However, it also has great friendships, especially with Honor and her best friend Michelle, or "Mike.") This YA spin-off doesn't have the super-long descriptions, and is a neat story about Honor's ancestor Stephanie forming a bond with a sentient cat-like alien who she names Lionheart. The rest of the story revolves around her trying to protect his people (who she calls 'treecats') and their growing relationship with humans. Jessica is introduced in the second book, as a newcomer to the planet who is quickly drawn into the treecatsx world and becomes fast friends with Stephanie. These books also have a very refreshing take on teenage relationships, especially in the third one.
Miri and Dashti--Princess Academy and Book of A Thousand Days, by Shannon Hale. The plot of the first of these, where a prince has to pick a wife from among a group of girls from the same village, means that there will be a lot of female characters in the story. Miri stands out for her cleverness and quick thinking, but her friends are also important, and they work very well together once they learn to do so. There is also a nice romance. Book of a Thousand Days has Dashti who's kind of the opposite of a 'typical' heroine--she's a servant to a princess, and she's not very pretty. But she turns out to be very determined and resourceful, even when her world is falling apart.
This is all I have time for now, but I will post some more awesome heroines later.)
