Quote:
Originally Posted by GlenBarrington
I don't have a preference, but I think there is a trend to "kick ass" female leading characters in 'space Opera' SF right now. But I really dislike where the character is just a guy in drag and with a feminine name.
I want to see the character trying to reconcile her 'kick ass' heroics with the day to day realities of being a woman and responding in a womanly way. The character doesn't have to be a traditional female, but the universe the author creates has to allow room for her to logically exist as a woman. I give points if the author tries, plus extra points for being believable.
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The definition of femininity varies widely across human societies. There is no such thing as one true way to be a woman or a single womanly way to respond to events. That goes doubly when the woman in question is a dimensional traveler or flying lizard person from a matriarchal hive society.
Also - the whole point of fantasy and science fiction is to imagine other societies and other ways for people and the world to be.
To get back on topic, I've found myself reading more and more female authors because I find they generally do a better job of characters in general. This has meant that I wind up reading more books with female leads.
I do somewhat prefer female leads just because so many books tend to get written with the default male protagonist and that gets boring, but so long as the main character(s) are written well I don't mind all that much.