I finished The Power by Naomi Alderman a couple of days ago, and I just had some thoughts I'd like to share about it and this list more generally. First, this is something that’s very close to my heart, having grown up with confident, brave, smart, complicated female characters. Fantasy has had a history of strong females, (though some notable examples of the opposite,) and I’d like to represent the broadest range of female strength possible with this list. As such, while they are all speculative fiction, they vary in genre from horror to fantasy. This list is sorely lacking sci-fi, as I’m less familiar with the genre, so if you have any recommendations, please let me know. Below is my reasoning for why I included some titles, as while as who I think it would appeal to. -The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White: This is for all you horror lovers out there (I’m one of you,) and is also YA. That being said, it deals with a lot of mature themes and topics, in a sometimes-graphic manner, so please check the content warnings. While the main character Silas is a trans man, he is viewed by the world in Victorian England as a woman. This deals with a lot, but the biggest issue discussed is what happens to women and girls who aren’t “normal.” -The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin: Classic fantasy, the second book in the Earthsea series. Le Guin’s author’s note in the back was really illuminating, in my edition, as she makes the case that men and women both need each other equally. -Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb: Again, classic fantasy, and while I only put Ship of Magic on here, it goes for the entirety of the liveship traders trilogy. Some of the best, most diversely strong women I’ve ever read. Robin Hobb is a fantastic character writer, and she really brings to life strong females in this trilogy, be they liveship, dragon, or human. -The Power by Naomi Alderman: Dystopian where women have the power to inflict great harm or death on others. While this is an interesting concept, I didn’t love how it was explored in the text and debated removing it from this list. However, there is still some valuable discussion, and I think it’s worth leaving in. -The Return of the King by JRR. Tolkien: THE classic fantasy. As the title and the description suggest, this was included for Éowyn's iconic line “I am no man,” and although it’s very male centered, still has one of the most iconic female empowerment scenes in speculative fiction. For a book written by a white Christian man in the 1930s to 40s, it has some amazing women, Éowyn, Galadriel and Arwen to name a few. I hope this helps, and please feel free to leave any recommendations!

I have to suggest The Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce for your consideration. It was my first brush with both fantasy and feminism, and I think a pioneer of the ‘genre’.

Love to see this 💖💖💖