nice list. I don't think HP has a great heroine.... but the golden compass and the hunger games sure does!

The Golden Compass and Tamora Pierce's books do have wonderful heroines.
http://brittanysblogofrandomthings.bl...

I would like to see a list of favorite adult fantasy heroines, since this list is dominated by kids' and YA books.

The fact that Outlander of all things is on hear scares the crap out of me.

Compared to a lot of lists on Goodreads though, this one is pretty decent. Yeah, not all these are fantasy and there isn't a single adult novel in the top 10, but I'm not seeing a lot of pathetic or embarrassing heroines either. (Although with, say, Harry Potter, I wouldn't call Hermione the heroine. She's the most prominent female, but she's a sidekick, not a protagonist.)

Well, my hatred for Outlander is that of a thousand thousand suns. (also, Anne Bishop?, Wizards First Rule? Whaat?). But there are worse lists. I've actually tried to get Outlander fans to explain to me how a girl getting raped until she likes makes for a strong heroine, but no one seems able to do so. :P

Speaking of, I see Sara Douglas on here.

And oh, Robert Stanek! NOW the list is completely devalued!

Eh, there's going to be weird stuff on any list with hundreds of voters. Do notice that the only Sara Douglass book in the top 100 is Enchanter, and while that trilogy is the sort of fantasy that's best enjoyed by 14-year-olds who haven't read much in the genre yet, Azhure is a decent ass-kicking heroine. I think I'm more comfortable with that book's position on the list than with Mistborn's (having voted for neither of them)--Vin reads like she walked straight out of a video game aimed at teenage boys, and there are no other notable females in the cast.

Yeah, Sara Douglas's creep factor doesn't really set in til book 4 or so.

Hunger Games is dystopia, not fantasy! Same about Matilda.

"Rebecca" (632) is not fantasy.

REMOVED FOR NOT BEING 'FANTASY':
Outlander [which is time travel < scifi]
Memoirs of a Geisha [hf]
The Red Tent

M wrote: "REMOVED FOR NOT BEING 'FANTASY':
Outlander [which is time travel < scifi]
Memoirs of a Geisha [hf]
The Red Tent"

Good work!

M wrote: "nice list. I don't think HP has a great heroine.... but the golden compass and the hunger games sure does!"

you don't think hermione counts as a great heroine??? lmao okay

Weighing in on Hermione: I think some readers' dissatisfaction with her isn't so much for her qualities as a character but for her supporting-player status. She may be awesome, but she's still a character in someone else's story rather than the heroine of her own. I did vote for her, but I can understand why some might think she doesn't count.

I wish there were a way to weed "damsel-in-distress" stories out of this list. It's hard for me to imagine that a female character who spends most of the story in a helpless need-to-be-rescued state would be many people's idea of a "best heroine" in any book, fantasy or otherwise.

I don't like ass kickers so I won't vote for them! I prefer women with more class.

A woman can have plenty of class and still not fall into the distressed damsel trap. She might rely on her WITS to get herself out of dangerous situations. Even if she has to get rescued one or even twice, I could deal with that. But if her primary function in a story is to need rescuing, then I have a problem.

Kelley wrote: "A woman can have plenty of class and still not fall into the distressed damsel trap. She might rely on her WITS to get herself out of dangerous situations. Even if she has to get rescued one or eve..."


It would still be nice if they were called something instead of ass kickers as that sounds so crass.

[redacted by S.H.I.E.L.D.] wrote: "The fact that Outlander of all things is on hear scares the crap out of me."

Here not hear! I do agree with you about Outlander!