| djkester |
Dag-gum, I love me some Cherryh.
Dreaming Tree.
Faded Sun.
Most of the Foreigner books.
Recently read Brothers of Earth. Very interesting, and you can totally see a burgeoning tone in them, though ultimately they're a little... I don't know... "fluffy?"... for her style.
Speaking of Foreigner, Bren is actually really awesome, even though occasionally he "feels" like a female in the way he thinks and acts sometimes, a bit more so in the later books. I can't really explain it, except to say, "that's like something my mother would say or think." It's never my father. I suppose that makes sense, considering Cherryh's a woman, but it's juuuuuuuust a little odd when every once in a while, I think (about the male protagonist), "Hey, my mom would say that."
I still love it and her style.
I wish I'd read everything by her, but I've just never had enough time.
Other female fantasy writers:
LeGuin is pretty much mandatory reading for fantasy fans, whether you end up enjoying it or not. I did, but she's like a defining fantasy author.I love Friedman, though her work is always kind of dark and gothic. (And, though I hate to, I actually recommend against The Wilding, as it creates a potent tonal-dissonance to the first work, In Conquest Born, and fails to really capture, instead just coming off as cheap and gimmicky. Sad, really.) Also, expect vampires. Weak ones, sure, but vampires. Also magic. 'Cause there's totally almost always vampires and/or magic (or psionics/psychic powers) regardless of how "sci-fi" the topic (which it always is at least kind of sci-fi).
Norten's pretty good, from what I've read, but I'm not a super-fan (just a decent fan).
I enjoyed the first two books of Barbara Hambly's Winterlands series a great deal, although I haven't finished it (I got stalled out in acquiring and reading Knight of the Demon Queen, and have never gotten past that.) I really need to read it. I also enjoyed her Star Wars stuff.
While that's all I can think of now, I might add more...
I agree with that Cameron's personality is a bit "worry" oriented. While i'm not sure he fits a stereo type of a woman, i do get the idea that he was raised by a woman who always had emergencies and he must have learned to orient his thinking as a child around her need to be rescued.
While Cherryh doesn't lay out her character development directly you do get the idea that he is the result of two things:
1. The result of living with a mother who always needs to be rescued. His father has left the scene leaving her sons to take care of her. They neither one could free themselves of the guilt of not coming to her rescue. Something that drives Bren into self deprecating analysis when he can't come to her rescue and destroys his brother's marriage.
2. The result of a multi generational fear that if they aren't perfect in their interacations with the atevi it will end in their destruction. Which is obviously a big part of what personally motivates him to go into diplomacy (to save everyone from this.)
With this analysis I can better understand him. But I agree that he does react to drama in ways that don't fit the machismo we often associate with storng male leads. Sometimes in the story i want him to just realize he is liked and cared for and he just keeps thinking everyone is going to hate him. I think its his daddy issues. :)