Theme & Character Lists: Warrior Women!

"Amazons" would include strong warrior wimmin ... wymin who kick ass ... tough women. Although some of these works will also be listed as Women Revolutionaries!, a woman doesn't have to change society (or even try) to be an ass-kickin' warrior woman.

see also
Women Revolutionaries!
Superheroes
Amazon Societies

• Eleanor Arnason's Daughter of the Bear King

• Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword and Sorceress series of anthologies and Darkover series
  --. The Shattered Chain (Daw, 1975) (Darkover)
  
• Octavia Butler's Wild Seed

• Carl, Lillian Stewart. Sazabel (1985)
  --. The Winter King (1986)
• Carr, Jayge. Leviathan's Deep (1979). Not human Amazons, but another species in which the women are the dominant sex, and the fighters.
• Chapman, Vera. The King's Damosel (1976)
• Charnas, Suzy McKee. Motherlines (1978)
  --. The Furies
  --. The Conqueror's Child
• Cherryh, C. J. Gate of Ivrel (1976)
  --. Well of Shiuan (1978)
• Clayton, Jo. Diadem series.
• Flynn Connolly's The Rising of the Moon

• Fletcher, Jane. The World Celaeno Chose (Dimsdale: London, 1999) - features an all-woman world with several warrior organizations
• Frank, Janrae. "The Ruined Tower" (chapbook, illustrated by Mary Bohdanowicz; Atalanta Press, 1979)
• Esther Friesner's anthology Chicks in Chainmail
  --. Did You Say Chicks?
  --. Chicks and Chained Males

• Howard, Robert E. The Sword Woman (1979)

• Kerr, Katharine. Daggerspell (1986)
• Kress, Nancy. An Alien Light (1988)

• Lackey, Mercedes. Many of her Valdemar series have warrior women. See especially By the Sword, about the mercenary Kerowyn.
• Lee, Tanith. The Birthgrave (1975)
  --. Night's Master (1978)
• Lynn, Elizabeth. The Dancers of Arun
  --. The Northern Girl

• McKay, Claudia. Promise of the Rose Stone (1986) [a woman warrior leaves her village to save it and gets embroiled in something larger]
• Merwin, Sam. Sex War. (Descendants of Amazons are conspiring to get rid of men and reproduce parthenogenetically. Not exactly a feminist classic. -- lq 5/14/00)
• Moore, C. L. Jirel of Joiry series:
  Black God's Shadow (collected J-of-J stories fromthe 1930s) (1977)

• Perry, Steve. Matadora (1986)
• Doris Piserchia's Star Rider (1974)
  --. Earthchild (1977)
  --. Spaceling (1979)

• Russ, Joanna. Alyx (1977)
  --. Kittitiny, a Tale of Magic (1978)

• Jessica Amanda Salmonson's Amazons! anthology
  Jessica Amanda Salmonson's Amazons II anthology
• Sargent, Pamela. Women of Wonder series
• Jean Stewart. "The Queer Avenger" in Swords of the Rainbow
  --. Isis series.

• Tolkien, J. R. R. Lord of the Rings. A female character, Eowyn, disguises herself as male in order to fight in battle.

• Varley, John. The Gaean trilogy: Titan, Wizard, and Demon. Cirocco Jones, first and foremost, but also Gaby and Robin and others.

• Margaret Weis. New Amazons.
• Wittig, Monique. Les Guerillieres (1969)

• Jane Yolen's Sister Light, Sister Dark and White Jenna

Movies:

• "Tank Girl"
• "Alien"
• "Aliens"
• "Alien III"
• "Born in Flames"
• "Terminator 2"

TV:

• "Xena, Warrior Princess" (and of course the novelizations)

Other Suggestions:

• Dibell, Ansen. Pursuit of the Screamer (1978)
• Duane, Diane. The Door Into Fire (1978)
• Fearn, John Russell. Conquest of the Amazon (1949; Future, 1976)
• Gearhart, Sally Miller. The Wanderground (Persephone: 1978)
• Lupoff, Richard. Sword of the Demon (1977)
• McKinley, Robin. The Hero and the Crown
  --. The Blue Sword
• Morgan, T. J. "Dark Tide" (chapbook illustrated by Theresa Troise-Heidel) (Atalanta Press, 1979)
• Norton, Andre. Witch World series.
• Vinge, Joan. Snow Queen (1979)
• Weinbaum, Stanley G. The Red Peri (1952)

• Ursula K. Le Guin's Eye of the Heron
• Robert A. Heinlein's works, esp. Friday
• Melissa Scott's Dreamships
• Peter S. Beagle's Innkeeper's Song
• Jennifer Robersen's Lady of the Forest
• Robin McKinley's Deerskin
• Jane Yolen's Briar Rose
• Sheri Tepper's Shadow's End
• Feist & Wurts Servant of the Empire trilogy

• "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (movie & TV)