April Genevieve Tucholke is the author of the gender-bent Beowulf retelling, The Boneless Mercies and the all-female, King Arthur-inspired Seven Endless Forests (FSG). Her books have been published in sixteen countries, and have received ten starred reviews. When she's not writing, April enjoys walking in the woods and exploring abandoned houses. She currently lives in Portland, Oregon.
I wrote...
The Boneless Mercies
By
April Genevieve Tucholke
What is my book about?
Trained warriors kill loudly. We kill silently. And that is how you hunt a beast. Frey yearns for a life worthy of saga and song. But she is a Boneless Mercy, a member of an ancient female sect that has survived the rising and falling of kingdoms.
Mercies are death-traders, doomed to roam Vorseland killing the old or the sick for meager pay. Their methods are quiet, even merciful, yet wherever the seasons lead them, their daggers inspire unease. Frey and her band of Mercies--Ovie, Runa, and Juniper--are weary of the death trade and dream of a bigger life. So when Frey hears that a beast is slaughtering people in a northern jarldom, she decides that killing it is the Mercies’ chance at fame and fortune, even if it means they must align with the reclusive Sea Witches and face the ruthless Cut-Queen of the Red Willow Marsh. Their success—or failure—might change the fate of women everywhere.
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The Books I Picked & Why
A Game of Thrones
By
George RR Martin
Why this book?
Unlike certain popular fantasy series, the female characters in Martin’s books are not unfathomable objects, but fully fleshed human beings capable of great heroism (and great violence). Arya Stark is one of the most vengeful, fearless, complex female protagonists to be found in fantasy, and Brienne of Tarth’s warrior-with-a-heart-of-gold would melt the most seasoned fantasy reader’s heart.
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Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy
By
L.A. Meyer
Why this book?
An orphan on the streets of London, Jacky soon finds herself playing the role of ship’s boy on the HMS Dolphin. Jacky is, in turn, cunning, wild, bossy, loving, brave, flirtatious, and arrogant. She loves a crowd, especially when that crowd is staring right at her. Unforgettable. The audiobook, in particular, is exceptional.
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Circe
By
Madeline Miller
Why this book?
This is a captivating read, even for those readers who aren’t into Greek mythology. Circe transforms from a lonely, despised lesser goddess to a powerful outcast-witch, easily embodying the fascinating role of the morally-gray hero.
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True Grit
By
Charles Portis
Why this book?
The fourteen-year-old protagonist of True Grit, Mattie Ross, is the sort of pert, hyper-clever, steely female character that is hard to find outside a Larry McMurtry novel. Worth reading for her alone.
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Sabriel
By
Garth Nix
Why this book?
Published long before young adult literature hit bestseller lists, let alone had its own section in most bookstores, Sabriel is unexpectedly dark—the protagonist is a teenage necromancer who travels into death—and Sabriel herself is just the sort of fierce, resourceful hero that can easily carry a fantasy on her muscled shoulders.
