♥ Recs ♥

[mothwing]

In my quest to find loveplotless books about strong heroines an anon, therealsnape and holyschist came to my aid with these recs: 

• ? Val McDermid: the Lindsay Gordon mystery series (lesbian detective novels), but not A Deadline for Murder, in which there are two love plots woven into the main plot.

• Anne McCaffrey: Dinosaur Planet series (which, according to the Amazon review section seems to be about a male and a female character who do have some sort of romance plot, though, so I'm not sure I found the right book here), Freedom series (I seem to recall that the main point was the love plot between the male and the female lead in some kind of female slave scenario, but it's too long ago since the friend who read the series told me about this one, so I might be mistaken), and the Harper Hall trilogy (the first of which sounds delightful - a musician and dragons! It seems that only the first two of this trilogy are meant to be for the challenge, though, since the third one is about a male character). 

• Katherine Kurtz: The Legends of the Camber of Culdi (Camber being an Earl make this rec somewhat of a puzzler for me, though the Deryni series does sound interesting, being "set in a land analogous to medieval Wales" with magic - though maybe Anon meant a specific volume, like In the King's Service, for example, which appears to be about an Alyce); Legacy of Lehr which I think I remember seeing at some point during my my cat phase. 

• Marion Zimmer Bradley: Darkover novels centered around the Renunciates, basically  -the Renunciates being a group of matriarchic Amazons who revolted against the norms of their feudal society. Not being familiar with the Darkover series I'm not sure I could understand later instalments without prior knowledge, though. I'll try to get hold of the books from one of the MZB completist I know. Anyway, the recs: Hawkmistress!, The Shattered Chain, it's sequels Thendara House and City of Sorcery.

• Ellen Kushner's The Privilege of the Sword - coming-of-age story about Katherine becoming a swordsmistress and coming to terms with the intrigues and plots at her uncle's court.

• ? Tanya Huff's Valor books - military space opera on an infantry division from a staff sergeant's PoV. - Valor's Choice does have the heroine falling in lust with her Lt. at the very beginning of the book in a scene reminiscent of the Grey's Anatomy pilot and keeps having romantic thoughts about the superior under her care throughout the book, so I don't think this qualifies.

• Karen Cushman's medieval YA  (like Midwife's Apprentice - Alys, née Beetle is apprenticed to a midwife )

• Cindy Pon's Silver Phoenix - Ai Ling goes on a quest to free her father and find her destiny after discovering she is telepathic.

• Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan - alternate history version of WWI - fleeing prince Aleksander's and dressed-as-a-boy airman Deryn Sharpe's paths cross and they experience the outbreak of WWI. Not solely about a female character, but the book alternates between their views. 

• Marie Rutkowski's Cabinet of Wonders - Petra Kronos goes on a quest to Prague to get her father's stolen eyes back.

Comments

[holyschist.livejournal.com]

I think the author likes that style of art, but the book's not really like that. The very pink hardbound cover, I suspect, put off some readers who would have enjoyed it.

(Actually, the thing that stood out the most for me was the food description--which is not really my thing, but it was well done and a lot of readers loved that aspect. And it was a nice bit of characterization.)

The thing I did not like about SP--and this is a personal thing--was how much of the threat to the heroine was sexually colored. I really dislike that in a YA novel, even when there's a reason for it, and I'm not so fond of it in adult novels, either. So I would suggest proceeding with caution. Pon is one of those authors (like Malinda Lo) where I liked the potential of the first novel but am really looking forward to the second more.

Leviathan--I think it's a pretty even split--they're on opposite sides of the war, so they give different perspectives on events. Haven't read Behemoth yet, although flipping through, it looks like some more female characters show up, which pleases me. Westerfeld is in love with slang, which can be irritating on occasion. (I have some ambivalence about Westerfeld--I love his ideas, but I don't find many of his characters convincing, and I really wish he just wouldn't write romance at all, since he can't do it. So I am hoping he doesn't go there with Leviathan.)

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

Well, the site seemed to suggest that it wouldn't really do well for my quest to find loveless books, at least, but it's good to know that that aspect is only skin- or rather cover-deep.

Leviathan sounds interesting, regardless of it's challenge potential. I'll try to get hold of it. :)

[holyschist.livejournal.com]

I would not expect the Phoenix books to remain romance-free in the future, but I doubt the romance will dominate the plot. SP is very much a quest/adventure book, with extra food.