[ SECRET POST #3799 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #3799 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.



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02.
[Death in Paradise]


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03.
[Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.]


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04.
[Hook]


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05.
[Parks and Recreation]


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06.
[Elementary]


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07.
[Persona 5]











Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 31 secrets from Secret Submission Post #544.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

01. http://i.imgur.com/5vZQpKT.jpg

[(Anonymous)]

Hmmm. I've had this series on my reading list for a while now, but your secret has bumped it up closer to the top. Thanks!

[(Anonymous)]

I'll throw my two cents in, since I've read 3 or so of the books and I liked everyone but the main character. OP is very correct. No one is fight against the MC because she's a girl. That is really refreshing. I just couldn't enjoy it because the MC is a megajerk. I'm not just saying that because "Girls who aren't nice are bitches" I saying that because even if the main character was a guy, I'd hate the shit out of him. Overly aggressive and in your face and begging for a face punching. I can't even be mad when people want to punch her face. She totally deserves it. Anyone would.

That said, if you can get over the fact that the MC is a mega jerk (and can only barely really back up her aggression at least in the books I read), then go for it.They really are cool books with a decent plot. It's just that the MC has a really punchable face. And her face gets punched a lot.

I like the Hollows series by Kim Harrison better, even if the MC isn't so overly aggressive and is mostly just trying to avoid going to jail and missing rent. She's an ass-kicker with attitude and most of the time I don't think she deserves to get her face punched, although I do question the sanity of the fights she decides to take on.

[(Anonymous)]

Haven't read this book, but I'm all for more female power fantasy. I don't mind if they face some sexism, but it's practically a trope at this point and gets a little annoying to read. It's a trudge. I also am tired of "Mary Sue" type female fighters who have curves in all the right places and wear high heels and are ninja assassins (why are they never tanks?!) and all the boys love them in their cat suits. I really want to read more legit female power fantasy that isn't about looking sexy, it's about exerting herself, breaking a sweat, and being powerful and killing fucking dragons and shit and who cares if she looks pretty or not.

[(Anonymous)]

Unsolicited Book Rec: Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter. Jane is atypical, has faults, gets freaky jumps in power, but isn't perfect. Faith writes great action. I can listen to her books (usually no shorter than 14 hours), and they just speed by. 10 full length novels now with many novellas and short stories.

[ketita]

That was one of the things that excited me about The Librarians TV show. A female tank! It was so great seeing her in action.

[thewakokid]

I'd recommend the comic Rat Queens. Caveat: The artist is a domestic abuser. They're currently in prison, so I hear, for savagely beating his wife. If you can separate the art from the artist Rat Queens is the exact comic for you.

Cant remember who it was, but I but I think it was someone on here who got me into the Kate Kane series, which is a pulp detective novel, urban fantasy twist, but featuring a lesbian. Just about all the characters are women except an incubus bouncer who doesn't say much, and a lunatic parody of Edward Cullen who she used to date before she realized she was gay. He hasn't moved on and its funny in a creepy pathetic stalker kinda way. Other than that, in fact even in that, and it's all power fantasy.

[darkmanifest]

In the first book, Kate Daniels makes a point to mention how she only wears white tennis shoes she can move quickly and bleach the blood out of them after killing things because she's always getting covered in disgusting gore (and she really does throughout the series), I really liked that.

[(Anonymous)]

I think it's rare partly because such female power fantasies are often seen as "Mary Sue" by a lot of people regardless of whether or not they're well written.

It's really a shame because there should be more stuff like that out there.

[(Anonymous)]

Well, a lot of male power fantasies are Gary Stu. Power fantasy, about 95% of the time, falls into Mary Sue/Gary Stu territory practically by definition. It's the idea of being SUPER FUCKING AWESOME and a self-insert for teens.

Though I'm not sure I understand your logic. It's rare because... authors are afraid to write it because it might be seen as Mary Sue? Pretty sure that's not right..

[(Anonymous)]

This is the answer. That, and people have decided that having a strong female character who doesn't have to deal with sexism is "unrealistic," regardless of setting. Which isn't anywhere near as bad as the "she has to be threatened with rape or it isn't realistic" idea I see get thrown around sometimes, but it's still annoying.

[(Anonymous)]

Srsly. What's wrong with a female James Bond, Batman, Ironman? I've always wanted to see that and I'm tired of the criticism.

[(Anonymous)]

I like Ilona Andrews. I've not read their Kate Daniels series, but I like their Innkeeper Chronicles. I think the husband-wife team really gets an interesting balance in their writing.

[(Anonymous)]

I'm not sure I understand this secret. I've read a lot of Urban Fantasy that is female characters kicking ass without being told they can't because they are a girl. I'm really surprised that anyone hasn't been able to come across it? Maybe it's because I've read a ton of it because it is my preferred genre of late? Or because I tend to read mostly ebooks, so they aren't as mainstream? I just really haven't seen the prevailing attitude that apparently you've seen. I mean, I've seen it, but it isn't the dominating view by far.

[(Anonymous)]

I'd chime in that I don't think female fighters usually face sexism in sci-fi, either. Sci-fi, being post-modern and all - and using technologies that equalize men and women physically - often uses women as fighters.

Granted, I think sci-fi as a genre still falls into a lot of sexist pitfalls, but having sexism is different than being about sexism, which sci-fi rarely is.

[(Anonymous)]

I was thinking maybe the secret-maker isn't aware that urban fantasy is a genre and that there are several book series like this out there.

[darkmanifest]

There's definitely a lot of Exceptional Woman tropes in urban fantasy, where yeah, this woman can kiss ass but she's literally the only one around who can (or is allowed to) because sexism played straight. Kate is one of the few urban fantasy heroes surrounded by tough women she likes and who like her, too.

[randomdrops]

If you like elves and fantasy genre I'd recommend the Shadow series by Anne Longston. It's a fun fantasy series with the lead character being a female elf doing lots of traditional "male" things, but her gender is never once brought up in the whole story. I'll be honest and say the story is nothing super original, your basic fantasy world, but it is fun and I distinctly remember having the same feeling you're describing here after finishing it. And thinking about how refreshing it was.

[(Anonymous)]

If you like video games and sci-fi, you should give the original Mass Effect a try. They didn't change much of anything between male and female Shepard's scripts, so aside from...two? sexist remarks that you get to shut down, FemShep gets to be complex and relentlessly badass over, like, 50+ hours of gameplay.

[cakemage]

I read the first book of the Kate Daniels series not long ago, and while I did enjoy it for the most part, like the Jane Yellowrock series I had a hard time with the gory scenes, for I am a complete wuss when it comes to gore, even in literary form. Can anyone tell me whether the amount of gore in Magic Bites is about par for the course for the series as a whole? 'Cause that'll influence my decision whether to continue reading the series or not.

I may just be better off sticking to Seanan McGuire, Chloe Niell, Jim C. Hines and their ilk for getting my urban fantasy fix...

[darkmanifest]

The whole Magic series has unusually intense gore and violent description for its genre in my experience. I remember being pretty unsettled by the extremes the first book went to, as well, and while it doesn't get much worse, that book's tone is maintained throughout the series. I think it's a great series, but you have to have the stomach for the heroine getting drenched in awful substances all the time.

[thewakokid]

You know, I that's the thing I Hated about Gaul Simon's Wonder Woman.

She didn't ever fight Villains, she fought misogyny. He every single issue was the same fight, just different bodies and different mouths spouting the same shit "I will beat you, whore" and "How dare a female talk back to me" I and on and on and on.

You know who did the power fantasy well - I'm not saying female power fantasy because it fit me quite nicely as a power fantasy despite my obvious condition - Greg Rukas Wonder Woman. No gender shit just pure asskicking.

[(Anonymous)]

Man, I need to catch up with those books. They also had a great supporting cast.

Secret poster, may I recommend the urban fantasy of Seanan McGuire (she has two series you might like, the October Daye series and the InCryptid series. InCryptid does switch narrators among the Price family, so sometimes Alex has the reigns instead of his sisters or cousin).

I don't read as much urban fantasy as I used to, sadly.

[darkmanifest]

The supporting cast, both villains and heroes, gets better and better with each book. They're always busy developing and doing shit that has nothing to do with Kate, while still interacting with her well when they pass through her life and she passes through theirs.

[lazchan]

Unsolicited book rec: If you're into that sort of genre, try the October Daye series by Seanan McGuire. Main character kicks ass and is amazing with it.