Action Heroine Fans discussion

Anita Blake & Mercy Thompson kick butt & take names. They're two of my favorite heroines in this genre. Who are yours?

Rachel Morgan! Anita Blake has gone down hill. Mercy Thompson is awesome as well though.

oh I love Mercy Thompson!!

Yeah, Anita has really hit the skids. She's too busy whining about her relationships now. What a shame. Still, she was great when she was younger.

I do like Rachel. Kelley Armstrong has done a good job with her & it the series has kept it's flavor & quality.

Yes and another one who has kept her flavor is Patricia Briggs and she came out with a new book!

Another in the new werewolf spin-off?

Yup! Hunting Ground ISBN: 044101738X

There are 759 folks ahead of us on PBS that want it. We may have to break down & buy this one!

Joanne Walker from Urban Shaman by CE Murphy. I think she's a great action heroine.

Danielle, I thought I remembered that we already had this thread on urban fantasy heroines! It was started by Jim, but the last previous activity was on Sept. 2. That's okay; people can post about that subgenre on either thread, so there's no harm done. :-) If I could, I'd just combine them; but as near as I can tell, the program won't let me do that.

We can delete the new thread. Sorry about that.

No need to be a bit sorry, Danielle; I'm just glad to see folks posting! It's not always easy to tell what threads we already have, since right now only five of them show on the home page (we have 10). Maybe I ought to create some folders to organize them better. What do you all think? The Goodreads management doesn't recommend creating folders unless a group has at least 100 discussion threads; but some groups I'm in use them (and are glad to have them!) with a lot fewer than 100.

I'd hate to lose any comments from the new thread. But since you suggested deleting it, I think what I'll do is first repeat/summarize here any comments from there that aren't already here. That way, our discussion of this topic will all be in one place.

Danielle wrote: "I'm reading Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews, and I really like it so far. Kate is very down to earth, pragmatic, isn't arrogant, and so far there is no sleaze factor. After getting badly burned by Anita Blake, I can't help but be wary of a series that's going in that direction. From what I've heard, that doesn't happen with this one. Has anyone read the Kate Daniels books? Listed below:

Magic Bites
Magic Burns
Magic Strikes

...The magic is pretty interesting, with the words of power. I like her writing, with noir-esque narrative. The beginning really sucked me into the story. I like how casually she tossed that knife at the vampire. I thought, 'I'm going to like this character.'"

Jim wrote, "I've read the first two and have the third one to read. I like the world. The vampires are a very interesting new take, as is the way the magic/technology comes and goes in waves.... I've read a bunch of [urban fantasies:]. It gets hard for me to remember the differences between them sometimes. This one was fairly easy to remember, though. The idea of a vampire as multipart organism was neat. I really liked the way she extrapolated the original Dracula idea out into that. Very well done and unique."

Danielle and Jim, I haven't read any of this series --but you make it sound really inviting!

Good idea to bring the thread over here, Werner. I am very impressed with Magic Bites. I'd definitely recommend it, if you like a strong, well-written heroine in a fantasy setting.

When I set up the Zelazny group, I used folders immediately because I thought it made more sense the way I organized the group. With only 9 topics, it doesn't make much sense to me unless you add some others to round out some sort of grouping, but I can't think of any, off hand.

True, Jim, nine topics is probably kind of a low number to use folders for. We'll wait awhile, until we've got more than that.

Danielle, I'm going to refrain (with heroic self-control :-)) from adding Magic Bites to my personal to-read shelf, until I get some of the 100+ books there now read. But in the meantime, I'll add it to our group's to-read shelf!

Any of these series has Joe Pitt like female lead, noir+fantasy like story ?

I tend to stay away from female heroes in Urban fantasy because i like Dresen/Pitt type series and not Anita Blake type of paranormal romance stuff.

I made the mistake of buying Anita Blake book thinking it was an action,adventure urban fantasy series....

Which Anita Blake book did you read, Mohammed? The first few were what I'd think you were looking for & the series is definitely best read from the beginning. It wasn't until book 6 that she started getting sappy, IMO.

Rachel Morgan, by Kim Harrison, is pretty good & tough. She gets tougher as the series goes on, but she's a witch who lives with a fairy & a vampire.

Mercy Thompson, by Patricia Briggs is also pretty tough. She's a mechanic by day. A coyote when the need arises.

Good thats what i want, not romance in fantasy,vampire setting.


About Anitla Blake i got the first book. I lost all interest when i heard about demon sex and all things that would happen.

I wanted another urban fantasy series that is fun,adventure. Not a series like that and waste reading 5 books.

Hmmm... If you didn't like the first Anita Blake, I don't know you'll like either of those I recommended. All of them have romance angles to some extent.

Mohammed, you might like Rob Thurman's Cal Leandros series, very dark, a very masculine sensibility (despite the fact that the author is actually a woman). The first book is Nightlife. It's not the cool detective noir style that Charlie Huston has in the Joe Pitt book I just started, but it is dark and hard-edged, and well written. I liked all 4 books in that series (so far) very much. But it is urban fantasy more than a mystery, so I might be reaching here.

Another favorite is The Devil You Know by Mike Carey. It's a British urban fantasy/mystery and might be right up your alley. Felix, the main character, is a sort-of private detective and it has that PI story feeling. I really like the style of this series and thought the writing was well above norm for the genre.

Also, have you read Simon R. Green's Nightside books? They are all quitee dark but with a dash of humor. The lead character is a detective in London who works in the mysterious Nightside district where all of the dark things in the world go to roost. I like Green's Secret History series as well, starting with The Man With the Golden Torc. They are lighter than Nightside, with lots of fun puns and allusions, but still in the urban/mystery style.

It's a times like this that I really wish we could sort our books my more than one self; I'm sure I have some that are tagged as both mystery and fantasy or urban, but I hate having to search manually through a shelf to find matches!

Jim wrote: "Hmmm... If you didn't like the first Anita Blake, I don't know you'll like either of those I recommended. All of them have romance angles to some extent."

Romanca angle is good if the focus is action,adventure. Not the other way around romance novels with fantasy,action,adventure sides just a little element.

I mean both in Dresden,Joe Pitt im reading currently have romance elements. Trying to handle their girlfriend,love life issues while the supernatural is kicking down their door.

Catherine wrote: "Mohammed, you might like Rob Thurman's Cal Leandros series, very dark, a very masculine sensibility (despite the fact that the author is actually a woman). The first book is Nightlife..."


I knew about Simon R Green,Mike Carey series but not the other guy.

Thanks for the recommendation i will try them a little later.

Right now i'm gonna take a chance on urban fantasy series with a female hero. I dont know how that kind of series would be to read.

I want be unbiased and not read only male heroes by male authors. I want read more balanced.

I see with this group how little i have read of that type of heroine in a subgenre i like reading.

Catherine Crawfield from the Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost is the best!! I've read all the books that have been previously mentioned but i still think that Cat Crawfield reigns supreme!!! Her kick-ass demeanour coupled with her counterpart Bones lethalness and of course hotness is enough to make anyone combust!!!

Cat is pretty cool, although I didn't like the 2d book in the series. I almost didn't get the 3d, but it was better.

Hoping someone can help me out. Read a book awhile back...urban fantasy of course...and the lead was a woman who had spent a lot of time doing evil but then decided to try and atone for it. She was an assasin and when she made up for some of her past evil she aged. Never a set amount of aging done. Can't find the book and was sitting here wondering if there were anymore.

Chrisg wrote: "Hoping someone can help me out. Read a book awhile back...urban fantasy of course...and the lead was a woman who had spent a lot of time doing evil but then decided to try and atone for it. She w..."

lol...found it. Dakota Banks. Good read if you like the genre :)

Never read it, Chrisg. Can you link the book, please?

Dakota Banks is the author of the Mortal Path series, and the antiheroine/heroine there fits Chrisg's description. The first book in the series is Dark Time, and the link to the Goodreads description is: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62... .

Thanks, Werner. It seems to have gotten mostly high reviews.

Jim, can I skip the 2nd Night Huntress book? I don't want to read that one either. A lot of my friends love this series, but I haven't mustered up the enthusiasm to read it, and knowing I won't like book 2....

Since I can't resist assassin heroes/heroines, I bought the Mortal Path books. I'm looking forward to reading them.

Night Huntress? Is that the one with the English vampire named Bones? If so, I thought the first was the best in the series. I can't recall, but I think I almost quit reading with the 2d or 3d - I believe the latter & then the 4th was a little better, still not great, though.

I'm partway through the first of the Mortal Path books. Unfortunately, I forgot to read a book for a new author & put it down to read it. Both are pretty good, so far.

Yes, that's the one by Jeaniene Frost. I might just stick with the first book.

I know several people that like that series, Lady D. Check my reviews - there aren't any spoilers. As I recall, there was some hope for the series, but it hit a serious low point on book 3 by running into pet peeves of mine. YMMV, of course.

Jim, I've gotta ask: what does YMMV stand for? (I know I'll kick myself when you tell me, but I'm lousy at deciphering abbreviations by myself! :-) )

Your Milage May Vary, if Jim doesn't mind me answering the question.

Jim, I'll check out your reviews. I admit I am picky about UF, and most of my friends seem to like the Night Huntress books b/c they are romancey. That's usually not why I fall in love with an UF series.

Lady D is correct & that's fine to answer. Sorry, Werner. I get lost in alphabet soup pretty often myself. YMMV happens to be one of the few I like.

I didn't mind the romance, but I have a thing about the proper use of guns & para-military operations. Book 3 in that series had about the worst of both in it, as I recall. If you've never dealt with either, it might not bother you. It blew my suspension of belief, though.

Of course; that makes sense! DUH! (Werner slaps his forehead sheepishly. :-) ) Thanks, Danielle and Jim.

I like the ammo/ordnance/military stuff to be as accurate as possible. I am really into that sort of thing, so thanks for the warning, Jim.

No problem, Werner. I don't think it was obvious at all.

I think the ordnance was fine, it was just poor logic or situation. I just remember thinking it was like a poor action movie. It might have been that they went into detail about the type of guns or something. I really hate it when there is a detailed description of a gun & then it winds up not making a difference. If you're going to use a pistol to hit someone, who cares what kind of ammo it fires or sighting system it has?

Werner, mileage doesn't really fit, although I think the phrase fits well enough, so not picking up on what it was is completely understandable.

Oh, got you.

Thanks, Jim. (I'm probably less apt to pick up on car- related metaphors, because I don't like to drive. :-) )

In the Fantasy Affectionados group, there's currently an active discussion, on the thread http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5... , of the trend in urban fantasy cover art, where the main character is female, to show her holding a sword or knife (whether or not she actually uses one in the book). Some members of this group might be interested in that thread as well --of course, you have to belong to the Fantasy Affectionados group to comment on it.

I didn't see anyone mention Stacia Kane yet. Her UF series with Chess Putnam as the female lead is really good. Kind of gritty AND she is a challenging heroine. By that I mean, she is not someone you can instantly admire. I was so surprised by how much I liked these books because Chess is really kind of a mess. She has a drug problem and lots of baggage. I like that fact that this author can paint less than perfect characters who still have a an ethical core.
Check them out if you're interested :-)
Unholy GhostsUnholy MagicCity of Ghosts

Anyone read this one? Stumbled across it on amazon, and it looks kind of fun...

A Girl's Guide to Guns and Monsters

I really liked the heroine in this one

Derrick, I haven't read A Girl's Guide to Guns and Monsters, but I've heard of it, and had added it to our to-read shelf. Martin Greenberg is a pretty able editor of anthologies, so any collection with his name on it is apt to be worth checking out!

Zee, you can add Ascension to our "read" shelf, if you want to. From the Goodreads description, the protagonist definitely seems to be our type of heroine.

Will do, Werner! I'm eagerly awaiting the next book in that series

Both of my series have kick butt heroines. Royal Blood Chronicles, Katrina and Abbi from Phantom Lives. It was important to me to have young women who were vulnerable, but could take care of themselves and weren't waiting for someone else to save them.