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nevannaHere are my top five heroines from the fantasy books of my youth. Some of the stories in question contain noticeable "Not Like Other Girls" messaging, at least up to a point, because that is what appealed to me when I first read them.
1. Eilonwy from the Chronicles of Prydain (1964-1968) by Lloyd Alexander
My mom read these books aloud to my sister and me when we were little, and I loved how outspoken and determined Eilonwy was, how she told off our hero Taran whenever he dismissed her or took himself too seriously, and how she chose to go on adventures even when instructed to stay behind. As an adult, I can look more critically at the third book in the series, in which she spent most of the story kidnapped and mind-controlled, as well as her decision to give up her magical powers in order to marry Taran at the end of the series. However, for a female character written by a male author in the 1960s, Eilonwy still had impressive amounts of agency and personality, and set undeniable standards for me as a young reader of the genre.
2. Alanna of Trebond from the Song of the Lioness Quartet (1983-1988) by Tamora Pierce
Pierce’s first fantasy series is also her most uneven: the pacing of the first two books (each of which speeds through four years) is disorienting, and the white-savior themes of the third installment are deeply uncomfortable from a twenty-first-century perspective. There’s still a lot to love and admire about Alanna and her adventures, including how hard she had to work in order to become both a skilled fighter and a skilled healer, and her commitment to trusting her instincts when nobody else at the royal court realized that Duke Roger was dangerous. Although Alanna was gifted with magical powers and the favor of the gods (and a talking cat, and a mystical sword, and a divinely created necklace, and…), many of her limitations and her aspirational traits (including her stubbornness, which was both!) were very human. I also love that she turned up in later Tortall series, showing that her story didn’t end when she defeated the Big Bad and found true love.
3. Cimorene from the Enchanted Forest Chronicles (1985-1993) by Patricia C. Wrede
Like Eilonwy and Alanna, Princess Cimorene chafed against the expectations of her family and society… but she also rebelled against the expectations of her narrative role – an idea that I hadn’t yet seen another story explore when I first entered the fractured fairy-tale world of Dealing With Dragons – and found a new home with a community that recognized and appreciated her intelligence, curiosity, and cooking abilities.
4. Lyra Belacqua from The Golden Compass (1995) by Philip Pullman
I only named the first book in the trilogy because it’s the one I’ve reread the most and for which I have the fondest feelings. I will always be here for Lyra’s scrappy ingenuity and her ability to find and fight for unlikely friends and allies.
5. Ella of Frell from Ella Enchanted (1997) by Gail Carson Levine
Ella’s struggle to navigate and ultimately undo her lifelong “gift” of obedience, as she realized how profoundly it threatened to destroy everything she loved, has remained funny, heartbreaking, inventive, and uplifting no matter how many times I’ve revisited it. The plot beats of a familiar fairy tale provide an enjoyable foundation, but Levine’s own additions (Ella’s skill with languages, the various magical beings that she met on her road trip, her correspondence with Prince Charmont, and the horrifying ease with which her free will was compromised) make the story truly memorable. I had a very snobby “the book was better” reaction to the movie upon my first and only viewing, and I don’t think I’ll ever completely reverse my opinion, but I did appreciate Laura Crone’s attempt at a nuanced analysis in her video essay from a couple of years ago.
If you grew up reading fantasy, who were some of your favorite characters?
1. Eilonwy from the Chronicles of Prydain (1964-1968) by Lloyd Alexander
My mom read these books aloud to my sister and me when we were little, and I loved how outspoken and determined Eilonwy was, how she told off our hero Taran whenever he dismissed her or took himself too seriously, and how she chose to go on adventures even when instructed to stay behind. As an adult, I can look more critically at the third book in the series, in which she spent most of the story kidnapped and mind-controlled, as well as her decision to give up her magical powers in order to marry Taran at the end of the series. However, for a female character written by a male author in the 1960s, Eilonwy still had impressive amounts of agency and personality, and set undeniable standards for me as a young reader of the genre.
2. Alanna of Trebond from the Song of the Lioness Quartet (1983-1988) by Tamora Pierce
Pierce’s first fantasy series is also her most uneven: the pacing of the first two books (each of which speeds through four years) is disorienting, and the white-savior themes of the third installment are deeply uncomfortable from a twenty-first-century perspective. There’s still a lot to love and admire about Alanna and her adventures, including how hard she had to work in order to become both a skilled fighter and a skilled healer, and her commitment to trusting her instincts when nobody else at the royal court realized that Duke Roger was dangerous. Although Alanna was gifted with magical powers and the favor of the gods (and a talking cat, and a mystical sword, and a divinely created necklace, and…), many of her limitations and her aspirational traits (including her stubbornness, which was both!) were very human. I also love that she turned up in later Tortall series, showing that her story didn’t end when she defeated the Big Bad and found true love.
3. Cimorene from the Enchanted Forest Chronicles (1985-1993) by Patricia C. Wrede
Like Eilonwy and Alanna, Princess Cimorene chafed against the expectations of her family and society… but she also rebelled against the expectations of her narrative role – an idea that I hadn’t yet seen another story explore when I first entered the fractured fairy-tale world of Dealing With Dragons – and found a new home with a community that recognized and appreciated her intelligence, curiosity, and cooking abilities.
4. Lyra Belacqua from The Golden Compass (1995) by Philip Pullman
I only named the first book in the trilogy because it’s the one I’ve reread the most and for which I have the fondest feelings. I will always be here for Lyra’s scrappy ingenuity and her ability to find and fight for unlikely friends and allies.
5. Ella of Frell from Ella Enchanted (1997) by Gail Carson Levine
Ella’s struggle to navigate and ultimately undo her lifelong “gift” of obedience, as she realized how profoundly it threatened to destroy everything she loved, has remained funny, heartbreaking, inventive, and uplifting no matter how many times I’ve revisited it. The plot beats of a familiar fairy tale provide an enjoyable foundation, but Levine’s own additions (Ella’s skill with languages, the various magical beings that she met on her road trip, her correspondence with Prince Charmont, and the horrifying ease with which her free will was compromised) make the story truly memorable. I had a very snobby “the book was better” reaction to the movie upon my first and only viewing, and I don’t think I’ll ever completely reverse my opinion, but I did appreciate Laura Crone’s attempt at a nuanced analysis in her video essay from a couple of years ago.
If you grew up reading fantasy, who were some of your favorite characters?
