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Books!
I am currently reading two books, both trying something similar -- epic fantasy based on non-European model worldbuilding.
Black Leopard, Red Wolf, by Marlon James. This is, objectively speaking, very good, but I am making very slow progress at it; I was put off at the start because I thought it was going to be a book about a man and his penis -- which to be fair to James, is the category most actual epic falls into, and he is definitely trying to write epic. I am not sure now that it is just that kind of story, but it is still slow going.
The Bear and the Serpent, by Adrian Tchaikovsky. This is the second in a trilogy set in a sort-of-native-American world; it is much more a straightforward narrative and I really enjoyed the first novel, which has a strong coming-of-age narrative for what I thought was its main protagonist. This second book is also good, so far, although I am a little worried about how the great existential threat from across the sea is going to be handled.
What I am realising from both of these is that I have more or less completely lost patience with fantasy sexism and fantasy misogyny in my fantasy narratives. I do not want to read about made-up worlds in which female bodies are intrinsically dangerous and icky, or in which some societies just happen to structurally subjugate women. I wonder if it's particularly striking here because both books are working so hard against fantasy racism, and I know it's unfair to expect these books to do all the things for all the readers -- but this one reader is just really tired of it.
Black Leopard, Red Wolf, by Marlon James. This is, objectively speaking, very good, but I am making very slow progress at it; I was put off at the start because I thought it was going to be a book about a man and his penis -- which to be fair to James, is the category most actual epic falls into, and he is definitely trying to write epic. I am not sure now that it is just that kind of story, but it is still slow going.
The Bear and the Serpent, by Adrian Tchaikovsky. This is the second in a trilogy set in a sort-of-native-American world; it is much more a straightforward narrative and I really enjoyed the first novel, which has a strong coming-of-age narrative for what I thought was its main protagonist. This second book is also good, so far, although I am a little worried about how the great existential threat from across the sea is going to be handled.
What I am realising from both of these is that I have more or less completely lost patience with fantasy sexism and fantasy misogyny in my fantasy narratives. I do not want to read about made-up worlds in which female bodies are intrinsically dangerous and icky, or in which some societies just happen to structurally subjugate women. I wonder if it's particularly striking here because both books are working so hard against fantasy racism, and I know it's unfair to expect these books to do all the things for all the readers -- but this one reader is just really tired of it.
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I think the "overcoming" narrative actually contributes to that sense that sexism is "baked in" -- and of course fantasy sexism can also serve as a narrative shortcut for "this is a bad society" in a lot of constructed universes. This can be true for female authors as well as male -- I've read a lot of overcoming-sexism narratives written by female fantasy suthors. There's nothing wrong with that (although they can get a bit "not like those other girls"), but it isn't the story I always want to read.
Good point about McKillip, and in addition the Riddle-masters and the Traders seem to be male professions. Although Mathom's decision about Raederle's marriage is highlighted as abnormal and potentially unjust within the text. I might re-read the Cygnet books, which I recall having a broader range of female characters; I mentioned Riddle-Master because it's the closest to traditional quest fantasy of McKillip's work, and I think this is an issue in "traditional" fantasy. Thanks for the other recommendations -- I'll keep an eye out for them.