I hope this is pretty self-explanatory: I'm going to pick an author who, in my personal experience, doesn't have a huge following, and then talk about why that's completely unacceptable. Maybe I'm going to be incredibly wrong and discover that this author actually has a huge Internet presence and I'm actually a fool who hangs out with a bunch of uneducated people, but that's a risk I'm willing to take. It wouldn't be the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to me, that's for sure.
(No, Internet, I'm not telling you what the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to me is. At least not right here in the middle of a post.)
My first Author Who Needs More Love (AWNML?) pick is the great Tamora Pierce - more specifically, her Tortall books. (I know she has another universe, too, but I've never read it, so....) There are four series set in this universe so far, with more coming in the future, much to my delight. The series all relate to each other, too, so you never really have to say goodbye to any of the characters.
The first series set in the Tortall universe is the Song of the Lioness quartet. It's not technically the earliest chronologically, but it's the first series Pierce actually wrote, so I'd recommend newbies start there. This series focuses on Alanna of Trebond, a girl who wants to be a knight. Unfortunately for her, girls aren't allowed to do that in Tortall. Instead, she is supposed to go off to a convent school to learn how to become a proper lady and wife. In order to avoid this fate, she and her twin brother Thom decide to switch places, like a medieval Parent Trap. You see, Alanna and Thom have the Gift, a.k.a. magic, and Thom wants to learn how to be a great sorcerer, which is conveniently another subject that's taught at one of the faraway convent schools, even though their father has slated him for knighthood. Alanna promptly disguises herself as a boy, Thom forges new letters for them to give to their teachers, and bada bing bada boom, they're both getting what they want. Not bad for a couple of ten-year-olds.
Alanna has to deal with a lot of unforeseen challenges once she's at Court, such as bullies, keeping her identity a secret, and many unplanned crushes. She spends much of the series working out her feelings for Prince Jonathan, who took her on as a squire even after he discovered she's actually a she, and George Cooper, the leader of Tortall's association of crooks. Before you think that's the major arc of this series, though, note that Alanna also uncovers a plot to kill Prince Jon and his parents and ends up playing a pivotal role in bringing that would-be usurper down. (Also note that this series spans about a decade or so, in case you're wondering why a ten-year-old girl is dealing with so many problems in such a short period of time.)
The Song of the Lioness also devotes a lot of its space to showing that girls can be the equal of boys in whatever situations may arise, though they might develop different techniques to compensate for their weaknesses. Alanna becomes a very quick fighter, for example, since she's smaller but much lighter than the men she's battling. That's a pretty good message to have in a series that's over thirty years old.
The second series set in Tortall is The Immortals, also a quartet. It takes place a few years after Alanna's books end, and focuses on Daine Sarrasri, a thirteen-year-old from the nearby country of Scanra. She's been ostracized from her village after an accident, and meets Onua Chamtong, the horsemistress for Tortall's Queen's Riders. Onua takes Daine as an apprentice after seeing how spookily good Daine is with the horses, which will be useful as they journey back to Tortall.
It turns out that Daine's not just some teenage Horse Whisperer, though - she's got something called "wild magic" that allows her to talk to, heal, and even shapeshift into animals. (I'm so jealous, man.) Daine and Onua meet up with Numair Salmalin, the realm's best mage, as they're traveling home, and he helps Daine focus her powers into something she can actually control.
The rest of the series centers on Daine and Numair's travels, both within Tortall and its neighboring regions as well as in the realms of the gods. They must deal with rebels, unfriendly "allies," and mythological creatures that are crossing back into Tortall after centuries of exile. They also end up falling in love, which skeeves me out slightly when I think about just how big of an age gap there is between them, but it doesn't affect my enjoyment of the novels in the long run. (This also takes place a few years after they meet - she's more like fifteen or sixteen at this point. It's not pedophilia, I promise!) The amount of thought Pierce put into the traditions and religions of Tortall really comes out and shines in this series, too, if that's something that interests you.
The Immortals isn't quite as forceful in its message - Daine isn't a fighter like Alanna, although she's handy with a bow and arrow. (The original Katniss Everdeen?) Daine is incredibly independent, though, and quick to learn how to use her magic to its best advantage. She helps show that skills most people might think are useless or only good for small problems may actually help win wars.
(Dude, how come I couldn't find photos like this for the other two series? You're letting me down, Google.)
The third quartet of novels set in Tortall is the Protector of the Small series, which is far and away my favorite of the four. It takes place a little while after Daine's books end, and focuses on Keladry of Mindelan, another girl who wants to be a knight. This isn't another Alanna situation, though - girls are now allowed to go for their knighthoods, due to a new piece of legislation from Alanna and Jon. Kel would be the first girl to enroll in the program, however, leaving her open to scrutiny from the rest of the realm. (She's also not magical, so the people who claim Alanna only made it because she has the Gift would have their argument ripped out from under them if Kel succeeds.) Kel takes the challenge, though it wins her the disapproval of many. From day one, she's bullied worse than any of the other first-year students, simply because she's The Girl.
Kel doesn't let that bullying harden her, though. Her compassionate nature and strong sense of right and wrong inspires her to end the hazing by standing up to her bullies and fighting back. While she originally does this alone, she soon builds a tight-knit community of friends that all help her take down the last few stubborn boys who believe girls have no place learning how to be knights.
This deep need for justice propels Kel directly into the heart of war as the novels progress, first as the leader of a refugee camp, and then as a deserter of the Tortallan army once she goes after the monster who kidnapped the children in her camp. Her friends back her up for all of these undertakings, showing that the ponies really do have it right when they say friendship is magic.
Kel's story is my favorite for so many reasons. She's Gift-less and wild magic-less, making her the first "normal" protagonist in the Tortall books, but that lack of magic doesn't make her any less powerful or capable as a fighter. She also doesn't end up with a defined partner, like Alanna and Daine do. While I liked the love story elements to their stories, it's always refreshing to read Kel's truly friendship-based saga, especially when her friends are as awesome as Owen and Neal are. Neal's humor is another factor that pushes these books to the top of my list, I'm not ashamed to admit it. The PotS quartet might be the funniest of Pierce's series.
The most recent of Pierce's Tortall books is the Provost's Dog trilogy, though it's chronologically the earliest. It tells the story of Beka Cooper, a city guardswoman and the multiple-times-great-grandmother of George Cooper, who we met in the Song of the Lioness. (No, the irony is not lost on George that he's a thief, while his ancestor was one of the best policewomen in Corus.)
Beka's story begins while she's still a "Puppy," or a guard in training. The guardsmen and -women are known as "Dogs," while the criminals are "Rats" and the Dogs' informants are "Birdies." Beka is paired with a team of near-legendary Dogs, Goodwin and Tunstall, for her final stages of training, and their teamwork plus a few unusual abilities of Beka's help them take down a couple of master criminals that have been terrorizing the city of Corus for years.
What unusual abilies are those? One, Beka can speak to ghosts. The souls of people who died abruptly (say, because they were murdered) can attach to the backs of pigeons and tell their story to those who can understand them, which is pretty useful in Beka's line of work. Beka can also hear snippets of conversation from the dust spinners on Corus's streets - think stationary tornados. If one of the criminals Beka and her partners are looking for spoke about their plans near one of those spinners, Beka can use that information to her advantage.
Beka's skills help her become one of the most renowned Dogs in Tortall, sending her on missions throughout the country to help solve crimes that would cripple the nation if they weren't thwarted. Goodwin and Tunstall both come along for the ride, as does Pounce, a cat that will seem veeeeery familiar to fans of Alanna's story.
Beka's story is interesting on another level because it's set before Alanna's time, but has elements that feel more progressive. For example, men and women can both become Dogs, and there's not much internal sexism in the institution - Clara Goodwin even has a higher rank than Matthias Tunstall, technically. There's also Lady Sabine, a knight who didn't have to hide her sex to achieve her position. There are hints of dissatisfaction with this system, though - in the third novel, there are mentions of "the cult of the Gentle Mother," a group of people who believe that women are naturally more delicate and meek, and thus should not be warriors of any kind. The cult doesn't have many people behind it in Beka's time, but it's easy to piece together how Tortallan society got to their beliefs in Alanna's era from the seeds Pierce sows.
TL;DR: If you've been looking for fantasy series where the girls are more than just wife material or the stereotypical Strong Female Character, then look no further than the Tortall universe, my friends.
ETA: It's been pointed out to me that there are five series set in Tortall, which totally slipped my mind when I was writing this post. The fifth series is the Daughter of the Lioness duo, and it's based on Aly, Alanna's daughter (duh), and her adventures in the Copper Isles. It's not my favorite series, as evidenced by me forgetting about it earlier, but it's got a good political thriller feel and doesn't make Aly the White Savior of All of the Natives. Read it after Kel and before Beka if you're going in the order they're written, or after everything if you're going in chronological order.
also the Daughter of the Lioness duet! not my favorites, but still pretty dang awesome, particularly for fans of political intrigue and spy stories.
ReplyDeleteOh my God, I forgot those /existed/. I don't own copies, because I think they're my least favorite series. But you're right, they're still good spy stories!
Delete