(no subject)

[oyceter]

I've got a friend who recently read Juliet Marillier's Sevenwaters Trilogy and loves Mists of Avalon who's looking for good fantasy, preferably of a Celtic bent, with strong female characters. Any suggestions? Heh, I've found I generally read more Asian and fairy-tale influenced fantasy, so I've probably missed this entire vein.

Comments

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

If she's willing to go for urban fantasy with Celtic faeries, she should try Emma Bull's WAR FOR THE OAKS. Also just about anything by Charles de Lint-- I recommend YARROW, GREENMANTLE, and DREAMS UNDERFOOT. And Terri Windling's BORDERTOWN books.

For more Arthuriana, try T. H. White's THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING (not female-centric, but with at least an attempt at giving Guinevere some depth), Elizabeth Wein's THE WINTER PRINCE (a beautifully written and very dark YA novel narrated by Mordred, in which Arthur has a daughter), and Guy Gavriel Kay's FIONAVAR trilogy.

And then you can give her Michael Swanwick's THE IRON DRAGON'S DAUGHTER, which is Celtic and has a strong female protagonist, and is a beautifully written and savage deconstruction of everything she'll have read so far.

[oyceter]

Thanks! I already recced Fionavar (it being one of the few Celtic-influenced fantasies I've read), but not the rest.

I think I'll snag Swanwick for myself as well.