Kick-Ass Women in Speculative Fiction and Movies

Last night I had a really fun chat with a facebook friend where we playfully imagined creating an all female body-guard platoon from our favourite hawt kick-ass female characters from movies and fiction. 

Some of the ones which quickly made the cut included ones I was instantly and quickly familiar with:

* Sarah Conner

* River Tam

* Buffy

* Faith

* Mila-Multi-pass-Resident Evil-Jovovich

* Kate Beckinsale

* Gina Carano (who is a real-life mixed martial artist)

* Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver)

* Trinity (Matrix)

Some that would make my personal list that did not make the cut last night

(mostly because I was tired and had to go to bed before zombies noshed on my

brains) would include:

* Anita Blake Vampire Hunter (Laurell K. Hamilton)

* Mercy the shapeshifter (Patricia Briggs)

* Rachel Morgan the witch/demon by Kim Harrison

* Ivy the living vampire (Rachel's BFF) in the same series by Kim Harrison

* Bo the succubus in the Canadian TV series Lost Girl (filmed in my own home town of Toronto)

* Pris the replicant pleasure model assassin (Darryl Hannah in Blade Runner)

* Zhora the replicant assassin (Joanna Cassidy in Blade Runner)

* Valeria Queen of Thieves (Sandahl Bergman) in Conan the Barbarian


* Elena Michaels werewolf (Kelly Armstrong)


* Hope Adams demon (Kelly Armstrong)


* Paige Winterbourne witch (Kelly Armstrong)


There are more, but one only has so much time in the day to indulge in blogging...

Some whom my facebook friend made me aware that I obviously need to make

the acquaintance of:

* Molly Millions from Neuromancer -  (I only know her as Jane from Johnny

Mnemonic)

* Mina Murray from Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

* Alyx from Joanna Russ's Picnic on Paradise.

This made me realize that maybe there are lots of other hot kick-ass female

heroines that I am missing out on and that is just inexcusable! I need to find

them all! So any pointers in the right direction would be appreciated...




And really, when I finally grow up, I'd love to be creating and writing strong 


kick-ass female characters like these myself - or living as, and being one of


them myself. ;-) As if that's ever going to happen in real life. Guess that's why I


read so much. Living in the imagination is the next best thing. 

Modesty Blaise

Novel: The Warded Man by Peter Brett

The Warded Man (aka The Painted Man in the UK) is Peter Brett's first novel. Four Talons! This one is a keeper for sure.

The hero grows up on a planet where the days are safe, but filled with backbreaking work to survive. The nights are filled with terrible danger from demons which rise from the core of the planet to wreak havoc, destruction and death upon all humans. The only defence the humans have against the demons are written symbols or wards which they place on their doors, windows and walls. Most humans have grown used to huddling behind their wards at night. However, sometimes the wards weaken and fail and the demons get past them and then the humans are defenseless.

The protagonist grows up wanting to fight the demons and the story is all about his search for a way to fight back and defeat the demons. He goes through a mostly solitary journey of discovery and personal metamorphosis. In his searches through ancient ruins of past civilizations destroyed by the demons, the hero discovers a way to tattoo both the defensive and offensive wards right into his skin.

Then he goes out into the night armed with warded skin and warded spears and other such weapons which he creates. In helping and rescuing others, and teaching them how to fight the demons, he becomes the subject of legend and prophecy, although he resists being called the long prophesied "Warded Man".  Along the way he also finds an ally in a young woman who has been trained as a Herb Gatherer and Healer. I found myself really liking both of these strong male and female characters.

The writing is very well done. I was totally drawn into the story and could hardly bear to put the book down. I was honestly very disappointed when the story ended, and now I can hardly wait to hunt down and read the already published sequel The Desert Spear.

I have read on Brett's website that there is a possibility of a movie coming out of this story! It may be produced by the same people who made the Resident Evil series which is a favorite of mine. (Go Alice!)

You can find the author and his works at www.PeterVBrett.com

As an aside I find it interesting that with the last two books I've read, tattoos have been magically significant in both. This isn't anything new, but it is a fascinating subject. Tattoos have had mystical and magickal significance in many cultures throughout history.  Whoever is the artist of the one below, I want his number! Gorgeous work!