Girls With Swords

I posted today on The Privilege of the Sword at The Hathor Legacy Book Blog. It was probably in my Top 3 books for last year, if not #1. (What were my Top 10 books of last year? That would be a great post...)

Ellen Kushner's The Privilege of the Sword is unique for its explorations of gender and sexuality in a fantasy setting. Its nominations (Nebula Award nominee, Locus Award Finalist, Tiptree Honor Book) certainly go a long way to recommend it. If you're not into fantasy, this book might still be a good read. It's definitely a genre-crosser, set in a pseudo-historical fantasy setting where there is no magic at all. It's part Jane Austen comedy of manners and part swashbuckler. It's very smart, and the prose is lovely. And it's got one of the best female protagonists to grace the pages of a fantasy novel this decade.

Read more here...