Looking for Adult Fantasy Stories Written by Women?

Often when we talk about famous adult fantasy stories, the stories that surface are most likely penned down by male authors. The elaborate worlds of the "The Lord of the Rings" (J R R Tolkien), "The Wheel of Time" (Robert Jordan), "The Stormlight Archive" and "The Mistborn Series" (Brandon Sanderson), and "A Song of Ice and Fire" (George R R Martin) have been conceptualized and created by men. Frankly, I have nothing against male authors and their creations. In fact, I have thoroughly enjoyed most of the fantasy series I mentioned so far and I have quite a few fantasy series penned down by men in my To-Be-Read(TBR) list.

But every once in a while I do crave a story that has been written by women to observe their take on world and character-building. In my quest to read stories created by women, I found some fantastic tales, characters, and worlds. And now I wish to share these stories and characters with everyone so that more people are tempted to pick these authors up and enjoy their works. This blog discusses four such amazing stories (in no particular order) and their creators that I have read and adored.

THE REALM OF THE ELDERLINGS by ROBIN HOBB

I can never speak enough about Robin Hobb and I have written an entire blog listing numerous reasons to begin reading Hobb. She has created this immense and phenomenal world called the "Realm of the Elderlings" and has written 16 novels set in this world. Nevertheless, I will not talk much about Hobb here and would urge you to check out my Robin Hobb blog here.

THE POPPY WAR SERIES by R F KUANG

The Poppy War series by R F Kuang is a grimdark, military fantasy series. It is set in a world inspired by China in the mid-20th century and the Second Sino-Japanese war. In a world where most of the high fantasy worlds are inspired by Western Culture, it is really refreshing to read a story set in the Eastern hemisphere. There are a zillion references to the different aspects of the Asian culture which makes this world a delight for people belonging to the Eastern Hemisphere and a window to the East for people residing in the Western Hemisphere. The main character is a young orphan girl - Rin - who, at the beginning of the story, gains admission to an elite military academy. What follows are the endless trials and tribulations that Rin has to face to prove herself among the elites.

Once Rin is out of her military school, which happens way earlier than expected - around the 40% mark of the first book, The Poppy War, she is plunged straight into the war. The tenor of the story takes a dark turn at this point and it never gets any lighter from here. Both Rin and the readers are now confronted with the horrific reality of wars, the sacrifices that have to be made, and the price that has to be paid. The story and the narration do not portray a glamorous picture of war but instead present the readers with the cost and repercussions associated with every choice and compromise made during the war. I cannot stress enough how dark and gruesome this series gets. From the merciless war politics to the gory action sequences, the story has it all. And they are amazingly well-written. Though these scenes are tough to read, I would never wish to unread them. They are important scenes, they move the story forward, expand the world, and develop the characters and their interpersonal relations. And this is not all that this story has to offer. Kuang does not just focus on the war and military throughout the story. Aspects related to shamanism and drug abuse have also been explored. And again, do not expect pretty pictures but brutal, harsh realities.

I loved how Kuang developed her characters. Every character has their own growth arcs and the characters that you see at the end of the books are very different from what they were at the beginning of the story. Each and every character has multiple layers, and therefore, it becomes quite difficult to peg them. Relationships between different characters also evolve as the story progresses. Another thing that I appreciate in the story is that the characters are honest with each other for the most part and miscommunication is hardly ever used to further the plot or motivate the actions of the characters.

Most importantly, Kuang debuted with The Poppy War at the young age of 21 (turning 22). Even at such young age, Kuang's writing has a lot of maturity and depth, which can be seen throughout the series. Though the pace of the narration is quite rapid, it never feels hurried. Kuang gives the whole picture in a succinct yet wholesome amount of words, and therefore, the readers will never feel lost in this fast-paced world. Her description of the world, the dialouge between her characters, and their dilemmas are written in a simple yet captivating manner. Even while narrating a pretty gruesome story, Kuang writing ensures that the readers stay with the tale. I never felt the need to take a moment back from the story just because I read a really tough scene. Having said that, I recommend that you must look up the trigger warnings before picking up this series. I am absolutely sure that I am going to pick up her books without any hesitation. Fortunately, she is coming out with her new release - Babel - this August, and I am eagerly waiting to read more stories from her.

THE DAEVABAD TRILOGY by S A CHAKRABORTY

I was very skeptical before picking up this series by S A Chakraborty. Though I had heard many great things about this series, I didn't trust the hype around it. So, I had a lot of qualms while picking this series up, and honestly, I was utterly surprised by the world and its nuances. The world and the characters are beautiful and alarming at the same time. Chakraborty has built an enormous world and has developed a wide variety of characters - some good, some bad, and several who are somewhere in between.

The City of Brass, the first book in the series, begins when one of our main characters - Nahri - accidentally summons a djinn warrior and sets out on a journey that challenges every single one of her beliefs. From here on, we are plunged into a world filled with magic, spirits, monsters, and intense political intrigue. The world has so much to offer that it is hard to wrap our heads around all the information. Just like us, Nahri also spends most of the first book learning about the intricacies of this new world that has been presented to her. Through the rest of the series, we follow Nahri as she navigates this world and deals with the numerous revelations and challenges coming her way.

Characters and their interpersonal relations are so well fleshed out that we can easily grasp the motivation behind the actions of each and every character. Chakraborty allows the readers to witness both the downfall and the growth of her characters in the most gratifying manner. The dialogue between characters at different instances throughout the story also depicts the changes and growth the characters have gone through.

Chakraborty has created this immense fairy-tale-like world but has not forgotten about real-world issues and has taken great care to imbibe her stories with conflicts rooted in our world. This makes the whole reading experience much more realistic. And to think that Chakraborty achieved this and much more in this series which is her debut series conveys a lot about her skills as a writer and a storyteller.

THE BROKEN EARTH TRILOGY by N K JEMISIN

The Broken Earth Trilogy is truly one of its kind in terms of the story and the narration. The story is set on a "futuristic" Earth, where the Earth itself has turned violent towards its inhabitants. Setting up civilizations is not possible as frequent earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and violent storms destroy everything. So, humans live nomadic life. To cope with the harsh living conditions, the society has been strictly structured into different groups of people, each of whom is responsible for a certain set of tasks that ensure the survival of the entire settlement. Among these many groups are the "Orogenes" who are people who can control the earth's energy. Unfortunately, these people are universally hated as they are considered unreliable and violent. Even though they have the power to quell earthquakes, it is generally believed that their meddling with the earth's power can lead to disastrous ends.

The first book in the series starts with the onset of the "Fifth Season", which occurs every few centuries and the earth goes through a series of catastrophic climatic events. Then the narration splits into different timelines and we follow three orogenes - Essun, Damaya, and Syenite - and their journey across the earth at different periods of time. Each of these stories is equally gripping and allows you to get attached to the characters without any significant effort on your part.

Jemisin has a writing style that is unlike any other. One of the timelines in the first book has been narrated in the second person, which I thought was an interesting choice. Because of this unusual choice of narration, it does take a while to adjust to the narration and the writing style. But trust me, if you can persevere through the initial adjustment, you are in for the ride of your life. Every book in this series has won the prestigious Hugo Award, which in itself advocates Jemisin's writing and story-telling prowess. Jemisin's characters invoke a multitude of emotions in their readers and nothing ever seems unrealistic or over-the-top.

I think all of Jemisin's work can be considered a product of "out-of-the-box" thinking. All of her works are critically acclaimed and their concepts are as diverse as diverse can be. The Inheritance Trilogy is a fantasy story about Gods, godlings, humans, and demons. In contrast, The City We Became is an urban fantasy novel that takes place in a version of New York City that has come alive and is as sentient as humans. With such a mixed bag of stories under her belt, it is only natural that Jemisin will attract your attention.

The amazing adult fantasy worlds created by women authors are not bounded by the stories mentioned here. There are a plethora of enticing stories that have amazing world-building and character development that will keep you hooked. The Sword of Kaigen by M L Wang, The Priory of the Orange Tree and The Bone Season series by Samantha Shannon, The Greenbone Saga by Fonda Lee, and A Chorus of Dragons by Jenn Lyons are but a few of the very many modern adult fantasy series composed by women. I hope that this blog has introduced you to a few of them and has managed to urge you to pick one of these extremely talented authors.