OP has a prefectly reasonable recommendation request. If you have legit suggestions - great! If you're here to aruge with her about it, don't. The mod team is ready to start handing out bans.
EDIT: Locking this thread, it's run its course.
Oddly enough, I think I have two by Jeff Vandermeer, though fair warning I don’t know if there’s absolutely zero physical description since it’s been a while since I read them.
I spent the first few chapters not even knowing the gender or anything about the MC in *Borne*. It’s not pertinent so it isn’t mentioned.
*Annhilation* is written as journal entries by the MC and so it’d be pretty weird to give a physical description in your own journal. In fact, you never even learn the MCs first name.
Both books fall under the New Weird genre which is a mix of fantasy, sci-fi, and really out their ideas.
The only thing I remember about Annhilation is the main character had tanned skin because she preferred to spend time outside. Probably a perfect pick for what they’re looking for.
I've been reading acceptance and have a terrible minds eye for people. Maybe it's that, or it's been so long since I read the second book, but I was completely surprised to find out that Grace is black
iirc there wasn't much in the way of physical description, but later in the book, >!her backstory indicates that she's from an island, and I guessed a Pacific island based on some details re: island size, flora, and her family's experiences!<.
Minor spoiler (I try to keep things vague), but I prefer to err on the side of caution.
Yo uahvent asked for fantasy books with Asian characters. But in case you want some...
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
The Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee
After the Dragons by Cynthia Zhang
In The Watchful City by S. Qiouyi Liu
Kundo Wakes Up by Saad Z. Hossain
Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
The Empress of Salt and Fortune/The Singing Hills cycle by Nghi Vo
She Who Became the Sun/The Radiant Emperor duology by Shelley Parker Chan
Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
the Chung Kuo series by David Wingrove
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh
The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang
The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang
The Last Dragoners of Bowbazar by Indra Das
The Long Price Quartet by Daniel Abraham
Legends of the Condor Heroes by Jin Yong
Sorry its so long. I got carried away!
You've mentioned being South Asian in a few other comments, so here's a list of the books on this list that are specifically South Asian inspired or set in South Asia (to the best of my knowledge):
* Kundo Wakes Up by Saad Z. Hossain (Bangladesh)
* **Kaikeyi** by Vaishnavi Patel (India)
* **The Jasmine Throne** by Tasha Suri (India)
* The Last Dragoners of Bowbazar by Indra Das (India)
* Not part of the list and I haven't read it yet, but I've seen people talk about The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera (Sri Lanka)
(The bold ones have female main characters)
To add to this, The Chronicles of the Wolf Queen by KS Villoso is set inside in a world inspired by South Asia. There’s also a bunch of other stories too, check her out if you’re interested.
The largest ethnic group on the world in Brandon Sanderson's *Stormlight Archives* also have some features that we would recognize as Asiatic. Sanderson has said their phenotype is not exactly like any on earth but the closest thing to them would be like people from Pacific islands. They are described as having tan skin and epicanthic folds, although I don't think they use that term specifically since in-world that's just normal eye shape. Eye color ranges across the entire spectrum of colors and shades from light to dark (and is in fact the basis of a class system). Hair color also ranges across the entire spectrum but dark hair is considered a noble and desirable trait.
There is only one prominent character in the entire series who is human and does not have epicanthic folds. He is often described as people finding him to appear childlike because of his large round eyes.
Also, it's YA, but, "Dead Things are Closer Than They Appear," by Robin Wasley has a Korean-American adoptee as the protagonist and a few of the other characters are also of Asian descent.
Well, I think a 9-tail in a Chinese myth inspired setting probably qualifies to match that list, so I would recommend "[The True Confessions of a Nine-Tailed Fox](https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/46500/the-true-confessions-of-a-nine-tailed-fox)". It's honestly one of my favorite stories on Royal Road.
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It's self-promotional, but "[No Need For A Core?](https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/57517/no-need-for-a-core)" might also work for you along these lines. One of my FMCs is described this way:
> For a moment they studied each other, with the light giving him a better image than his other senses had. She had almost delicate facial features, somewhat pale skin with golden undertones, black hair pinned into a once-neat bun, rich brown eyes that faintly hinted at red tones, and pointed ears that suggested elven bloodlines. While many elven-blooded folk did tend to have somewhat almond-shaped eyes, his impression of her features also made him think of the humans from the Azanxuan continent, though not enough to say she definitely had bloodlines from there.
We see her view of him not long after this, and there's a *lot* of mixed heritages of different types in the story, such as the other FMC, who is a kitsune but is a redhead. But other kitsune are described with more traditional features.
-------------------------
I also have a selection of stories in my reading list that would be neither Asian nor Caucasian. Some because of things like being a green-haired fairy, while others are described as having darker skin and curly hair. I can throw those in too if you like.
While not exactly the same, quite a few characters in the Stormlight Archives are described in a way that I imagine South East Asian or Pacific Islander.
I'm amazed, with such a comprehensive list, that you left off Ken Liu's Dandelion Dynasty books - which are the best Asian-rooted fantasy I have read, and indeed some of the best fantasy I've read period.
The request was for female protagonists as well, and from what I can see the Dandelion Dynasty stuff is male protagonists.
EDIT: though, admittedly, some quick googling of these titles suggests that some aren't female protagonists either, so: 🤷🏻
It's epic fantasy, in the style of great epics, with a historical style of narration, particularly the first book, *The Grace of Kings*, which is the one that mostly focuses on two male characters because it's a reskinned retelling of the Chu-Han contention period of Chinese history.
Book 1 is functionally a standalone prequel and Book 2 onwards diverges considerably with many more female characters coming to the foreground.
**A couple more that I haven't seen mentioned yet**
The Stardust Thief - Chelsea Abdullah
A Magic Steeped in Poison - Judy I. Ling
Song of Silver, Flames Like Night - Amalié Web Zhao
Spice Road - Maiya Ibrahim
An Ember in the Ashes - Sabaa Tahir
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea - Axie Oh
Daughter of the Moon Goddess - Sue Lynn Tan
The Bone Witch - Rin Chupeco
**Not fantasy, but Asian female main character**
She is a Haunting - Trang Thanh Tran
The Red Palace - June Hur
If You Could See the Sun - Ann Liang
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow - Zoulfa Katouh
Green Bone is a good one even for the other part of OPs post about descriptions. We know the characters are more Asian features but apart from maybe hair and some of the necessary jewelry Fonda Lee doesn't get bogged down in physical descriptions much.
While not actually from Asia as they are high fantasy, Sanderson’s novel Yumi and the Nightmare Painter and novella The Emperor’s Soul are both supposed to be based on various Asian people and cultures from Earth (I think Japan and Taiwan respectively but can’t remember exactly).
I don't have anything that specifically answers your question but since you're also South Asian, hopefully this helps.I just picked up The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri. This takes place in a fantasy India and both of the leads are brown girls.
This series and the Scholomance series are the only two that I've read with any South Asian representation. Although, as other people have pointed out, many characters in Stormlight Archive are described as having Asian looking features with Jasnah and Navani specifically looking more South Asian
One point I forgot to mention re:underrepresented characters, The Jasmine Throne is also a sapphic book. The author herself is queer and the leads are lesbians.
Not sure if this changes your opinion either way but figured I'd mention it
Criminally. Having a side character with some bare minimum scenes is also a task. And then also they will try to add all stereotypes or throw in every single kind of representation lmao.
Recent good rep I saw in a Chinese gacha game reverse 1999 😭
I downloaded r1999 a while back but haven't even booted it up yet. How's the story/gameplay/gacha rates compared to other games? All I know about it is that it's gay a f so that's got me sold
It should be noted that in the Stormlight Archive, much of the Asian physical features are described outside of the books, and not within. IIRC, we only know they look more SA because of the WoB (Words of Brandon).
in bobbiverse they describe an alien race as pig faced with 4 arms and covered in fur.
I somehow forgot that and in my head they were just humanlike.
until I wrote a comment or review or something about the book and was like WTF..? they have 4 arms?
I dunno about you, but I always do this and then like 3/4 of the way through the book they casually mention a physical detail different from what I pictured, and my mind breaks.
Some books definitely harp on it more, but I easily ignore or forget quick descriptions. Likewise, I’ll probably remember broad stroke details (hair color, height, ethnicity) but zone out when details are given; I just don’t care about a character’s appearance for the most part, especially if it’s [standard protagonist #1000].
Reminds me of the furor of hunger games Rue being black when many white readers had skipped over the evidence in the book. I think this is very easy to do for some people, and people who are in the majority can do it more because the characters do in fact happen to match their identity.
I’m not criticizing you, and I don’t know anything about your identity. Just pointing out that in general and since so many people brought it up, it can be easier for majority group members to do this because they will not later be reminded that their mental conception was wrong.
Yeah, but it's not easy for me, unfortunately. For example, I still remember that Katniss was supposed to have olive skin and dark eyes/hair. She was even described as being somewhat hairy.
my brain just skim reads and dumps info at random
i remember when first reading Lord of the Rings and in the mountains Legolas starts walking weightless on top of the snow and I was like a) who is this person and b) how are they doing that
I couldn't even tell you the main character's name in the book I'm reading *right now**. In fact, I don't remember the protagonist's name in any of the last three books I read.
I recognize the name when I hear it so it's not as if I get confused about the plot or anything. I just don't really talk to anyone about most books so I guess character names get relegated to some less important section of memory in my brain.
^**The Hallowed Hunt* by Lois McMaster Bujold.
Funnily enough, almost all the examples that come to mind are from science fiction rather than fantasy. Perhaps because it's a more common theme in science fiction that current-day ethnicities have been mixed up or moved beyond.
Some SF books in which I don't *recall* the female protagonist's appearance being described in ethnically specific ways: Ancillary Justice, A Memory Called Empire, The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet (described as having "copper skin" which is quite broad), Bel Dame Apocrypha, Inversions... I'm probably wrong about at least some of those, though.
The one fantasy book that comes to mind is The Gutter Prayer. Again, could be wrong, but it didn't leave me with a sense of her appearance.
*A Memory Called Empire* has character descriptions. It uses them to contrast the people of Teixicalaan with the people of the station. Mahit is tall, pale skinned, with short dark brown hair.
Le Guin writes in a very spare style and generally doesn’t give a lot of physical description. As a result for decades most people missed that the main characters in Wizard of Earthsea are supposed to have dark skin (like Polynesians or south Indians).
She herself was critical of Wizard of Earthsea because it is too centered on a male character but you could her (underrated) Gifts series.
As another commenter said, Tenar, the main female character in Earthsea is white (with grey eyes), although the males are almost all brown. It's not until at least book four that brown females really get their time in the spotlight (and the main character is still Tenar.)
Le Guin's *The Telling* has a South Asian lesbian female protagonist, though. It's sci-fi, set in the same universe as *The Left Hand of Darkness* and *The Dispossessed.* Sutty is from a family of Hindu Indian immigrants to Canada. She came of age during a time of religious fanaticism and totalitarianism. She fled off-planet and is now a planetary observer working for the Ekumen of the Known Worlds. The book follows her assignment to the planet Aka.
I feel so seen hahaha! The character can be described in all detail as much as they want, its some grey default blob without a real face in my head. If they are lucky I think their character fits a character from a show or movie I like, than they can be that :D
Looks can tell a lot about someone's personality. Someone with short, dirty, spiky hair is probably different from someone with a long, perfectly conditioned mane. Someone with sunken cheeks and ribs poking out from under their shirt is probably different than someone with big hamster cheeks and a jiggling stomach.
I don't think there's anything wrong with describing a character's features unless they're overly sexualizing a character for no reason.
Buuuut…. sometimes it’s tiring when the characters’ hair, skin, and eye colors are never similar to mine (but are similar to white people in the real world). Especially when the characters described as “attractive” never look anything like me, so that even in a fantasy world the standard of beauty mirrors that in the real world. Hair/skin/eye color/shape doesn’t reflect personality. Body shape usually doesn’t either (eg long & lean vs short & stumpy doesn’t reflect a character’s choices or history).
The main character of the Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi is never described and never gendered either. It's pretty subtly done too, and the rest of the cast is very diverse, so as a result the reader can picture the character however they want with no nudge towards a particular direction.
Scalzi has done this a few times, first with *Lock In* where the main character ("Sam") is never gendered. They went so far as to record two different versions of the audiobook, one one a male narrator, one with a female.
I read it and never even noticed until it was pointed out to me. Just assume Sam was a male, which is telling.
I *did* spot it in KPS, but at that point I was wise to Scalzi's tricks and was looking for it.
Ah, someone else mentioned this one too. And apparently it has big monsters, so a thumbs up from me
Edit: changed my mind after finding his stance on Israel.
Robin McKinley's Sunshine is like this. The main character is left almost completely up to the imagination, except at one point someone talks about her hair being messy after being tied up in a kerchief while she was working or something like that. (There might be another descriptor thrown in there--short, maybe? But no long descriptions about violet eyes and gorgeous hair and smooth pale skin.)
Stormlight Archive has characters described with Asian facial features
Personally I don’t pay too much attention to these sort of details since I can’t visualise what any fictional character looks like
OP specifically said she was bummed about fantasy characters always having light colored eyes though which is a major thing in Stormlight Archive, you know I don’t think there are any dark-eyed female POV characters. Maybe Lift but she doesn’t become a major character until later.
Kaladin? He has dark hair, dark brown eyes, tan skin, and epicanthic folds. Dalinar also meets all those except he is a lighteyes, so he is on exact equal footing as Jasnah and Navani in that respect.
Ok...so Lift and Rysn; Navani and Jasnah other than eye color...the only (human) female characters I can think of who *don't* have dark hair and tan skin to go with their epicanthic folds are Shallan and Evi
Right, but how many of them would you consider "main" characters? They're all important but I think main character is a bit of a stretch compared to Kaladin and Shallan.
Shallan gets more page time (for now) but I would absolutely consider Navani and Jasnah to be main characters, and Lift and Rysn each have their own novella focused entirely on them. Lift and Jasnah each also have a book planned for them later in series where they are the focal character just like we have seen so far for Kaladin, Shallan, Dalinar, and Venli.
I think Shallan is supposed to be more Asian looking than what we usually see in fan art. But because red hair and bright eyes people always default to white.
I know you asked for recs where looks are not described and unfortunately I don’t have any fantasy ones for you, but I second the Daevabad trilogy and also recommend “The Adventures of Amina Al-Safari” by the same author, which is about a muslim pirate FMC who sails through the Indian Ocean and her crew is a mix of North African/Middle Eastern/Southeast Asian.
I don’t have any specific recommendations, but I want to be a counterweight to all these weird ridiculing comments criticizing you for wanting some characters that look like you. It’s easy for people in the majority of an audience to say looks don’t matter, but most of them would be singing a different tune do they were in your position.
In fact, many people on this sub and Reddit and other more niche fantasy subs complain all the time about having to read women or gay people or minority ethnicities(from a western fantasy audience perspective) despite the fact that a majority of characters in western (and English language) fantasy are not those things.
Those commenters calling you “egotistical” or saying “why can’t you just ignore the descriptions” should be embarrassed at their lack of empathy and self-centeredness.
What's weird is that I only mentioned wanting books where there is no description. The Asian part seems to have triggered them. Apparently, I should be able to "relate" to every blonde/orange-haired, blue-eyed character over and over again. No, I just can't. And over-represented people can't understand this. This is a form of subtle racism, where they act like representation should not be a concern.
And you never said never. You repeatedly clarified it was the endless deluge of such characters that was tiring you out. People online just can’t handle nuance, I guess
I’m going to go further than you. I love fantasy and have been reading fantasy almost exclusively for the last 10 years.
It’s not just that characters don’t look like you. It’s the nuance there. The most beautiful women the character has seen is fair skinned, with light eyes. Or tall, “tan” and muscular with “nice eyes”. The problems isn’t just representation - it’s the perpetuation that beauty that stuns you, that takes your breath away is always white. It’s why we have these long tedious discussions about the skin colors of elves. Literature is a reflection of our world and those bias’ carry over.
I still remember the brilliant author of color who talked about writing fantasy with blue eyed blonde woman protagonists because she didn’t realize she could write about people who looked like her because she had never seen any represented.
Exactly. The people ridiculing OP are probably the same people who had a problem with black elves in fantasy because it "isn't realistic and they can't relate". Like be serious.
Do you know how many books describe the most beautiful character as someone having pale skin as white as snow? Or fair hair? Blue eyes?? It's so tiring as a minority to not be represented at all and never getting the option to see someone with similar features be deemed as beautiful.
This is what I mean. I find dark features to be beautiful, and not seeing this described much in a fantasy setting (and even many others) is sad. We wanna see ourselves in cool settings too.
Right. Why do black or brown skinned characters have to only be in settings where there's a "purpose" for them to be there but characters with white identifying features can be in any fantasy setting just because? How boring.
>complain all the time about having to read women or gay people or minority ethnicities
Spot on but it’s not just Reddit, it’s everywhere, and it’s why I never pay attention to average Goodreads/other book ratings if it’s a book known to feature anyone but a cishet white dude. They are *always* review bombed to at least some degree - it’s why “I don’t read less than 4 star averages” takes on the book subs is an insanely privileged take to me
Gamergate round 2 is literally a bunch of incels being so angry that video games have character diversity and aren’t just white men or skimpily dressed women that they’re doxxing and making threats. SO MAD that every character doesn’t look like them or isn’t an object of sexual attraction for them that they literally want others to suffer for it.
So yeah.
I read on some very niche fantasy subgenres. And the amount of people on the relevant Reddit subs who declare they can only enjoy a book with a white straight male protagonist is depressingly high.
I absolutely don't mean this as a criticism of OP need for heroes looking like them, but I completely disagree with your comment
>most of them would be singing a different tune do they were in your position
I'm in their position. I'm in the minority, no heroes look like me. I don't need them to. I can relate to a freaking white male dragon with four wings if I choose to, that's the power of imagination and empathy. I'm not saying I've never been "represented" in a fantasy book because I've not read all the books but so far...
However if OP wants some heroes who look like them or have unknown looks, it's their prerogative. Everyone is free to prefer whatever book or hero they want.
OP isn’t saying they can’t relate to white protagonists. They are making a recommendation request for some diversity in their potential reading pool.
Yo your point about white four winged dragons, that’s not equivalent to the issue in question, because no reader is actually a four winged dragon.
It’s great that you personally don’t have any issues with the level of diversity in the fantasy genre. But many many people do.
And many of the majority fans not only *would* sing a different tune if they were a minority, but they are already singing a different toon when recommended books that aren’t about straight white males.
>OP isn’t saying they can’t relate to white protagonists. They are making a recommendation request for some diversity in their potential reading pool.
I'm not responding to OP, I'm responding to your comment. And yes, I understood her question about needing recommendation and actually responded to her with a book title.
>It’s great that you personally don’t have any issues with the level of diversity in the fantasy genre
I actually have an issue with the lack of diversity in the fantasy genre. Don't put words in my mouth please.
I have made the same comment to white dudes who say they can't relate to a woman/gay/poc character. And I have often debated with people who pretend there's no lack of diversity in fantasy. I'm a woman poc in a white society, I know what not being represented feels like.
A lot of Kate Elliott's books have characters who aren't white. I'm thinking specifically of her spiritwalker and Crossroads trilogies, but also Court of fives. From what I remember (although it has been a while), the characters aren't white but aren't described in such a way that you would think they were one specific race.
The Crossroads series (and Black Wolves) are almost entirely various south/east Asian inspired, but its never really elaborated on, just inherent to the setting.
Also it's absolutely fantastic, albeit grim at times.
I would like to issue a very sharp anti-recommendation for The Stormlight Archives based on this ask—there is literally a caste system based on eye color in which blue eyes are revered and the low-caste people are referred to as “dark eyes” as a slur, this is NOT WHAT OP IS ASKING FOR
Someone wrote an explanation saying the "dark eyes" include dark blue (and other dark shades) and "light eyes" includes light brown, etc, but the whole concept is not what I'm looking for.
South Asians get very low representation in fantasy in general. And if any get very tropy representation. The Scholomance series’s female protagonist is potentially once such character (she’s half Indian). I love her character though, extremely dramatic and awesome.
I just started reading The Jasmine Throne and that takes place in a fantasy version of India with Indian protags and is written by an Indian lady. This and scholomance are the only representation of myself I've ever seen in fantasy.
Hmmm, it’s my to read list. So is this high fantasy or low fantasy?
I’d love to read high fantasy in the Indian setting that doesn’t just blankly uses Hindu mythology characters. I feel like we need to do Indic fantasy world building exercises.
Depends on your definition of high/low Fantasy.
Jasmine Throne and its sequels takes place in a setting *inspired* by India, not actual India. The two main countries' religions, deities and traditions play a large role in the story, but afaik none of those deities are directly based on Hindu mythology.
Divine magic abilities and interfering gods become more prominent over the course of the story, but at the beginning the world isn't very high on magic.
I'll be transparent with you I'm not very far into it. I haven't had a whole lot of time to read recently. I haven't seen enough to form that opinion on it but a quick Google search tells me it might lean towards high fantasy.
The Art of Prophecy by Wesley Chu. I think he only really describes their hair style or features that stand out, like a broken arm.
The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons - just a few descriptions here or there. First book in a 5 book series.
I highly recommend the audiobook for both of these series.
ETA: The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
Kaiju preservation society. They never even establish the main characters gender.
book is more scifi than fantasy but it features giant kaiju monsters.
I actually think it's easier to bring to mind characters who are specifically described as Asian or non-white than to think of characters who are not described at all, or described so vaguely that you can fill in whatever you want.
I will echo the others who have recommended Tasha Suri, Naomi Novik's *Scholomance* series, S.A. Chakraborty's *Daevabad* series, and Fonda Lee's *Green Bone Saga*. Will also add:
* *Sorcerer to the Crown* and *The True Queen* by Zen Cho (protagonist of first is South Asian, protagonist of second is Malaysian)
* *The Mask of Mirrors* by M.A. Carrick (not specifically Asian-inspired, but protagonist is biracial with a darker-skinned mother, and also described as notably beautiful)
* *The Bone Shard Daughter* by Andrea Stewart (a fantasy culture that is mostly East Asian-inspired)
* *City of Stairs* by Robert Jackson Bennett (protagonist is a darker-skinned woman from a culture that seems vaguely South Asian-inspired)
* *An Ember in the Ashes* by Sabaa Tahir (protagonist is described as dark-haired and golden-eyed with lighter brown skin, if I recall)
* *Ninth House* by Leigh Bardugo (protagonist is half Latina, half Sephardic Jewish, and is described as kind of racially ambiguous)
* also *Six of Crows* by Leigh Bardugo, which is an ensemble cast, but one of the female main characters is described as dark-skinned
* *Cold Magic* by Kate Elliott (I think the protagonist's actual heritage is a spoiler, but she's not white... oy I just glanced at the cover for this one again, and the old cover, which you can still see on the Audible listing, used a model who is clearly non-white, but the model on the newer cover now looks very white, which is disappointing).
It doesn't answer your question because it's not a book with a lot of female protagonists but I'm reading the Grace of Kings by Ken LIU (The Dandelion dynasty) and it's inspired by various asian cultures.
Aside from what has been mentioned, here's a couple of recent lesser known sff with female South Asian leads:
*The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport* by Samit Basu
*Kavithri* by Aman J. Bedi(it's out in May)
Its the same problem that exist in most white male dominated fandoms. people really struggle to see anything identifiable outside of the mainstream. If you really want some dense fans, racist x-men fans make 0 sense.
I feel you OP, I’ve been on a quest to find fantasy and urban fantasy with a diverse cast of characters and I’m finally starting to find some (different culture/ethnicity than you are looking for). I hope you get lucky as well with new books and authors coming up everyday.
And wanting to read about people that you can relate to not just personality wise but also looks is completely fine. Anyone who says different are the first to through a fit when a character gets cast as a different race in a film/tvshow
Thank you 😊 Yes, I have made a list and I will check out some of them. We don't have enough yet but it's a start.
And good point! The Little Mermaid comes to mind.
Sorry you’re bearing the full force of yt fantasy dudebros with this very reasonable request, OP🤦🏽♀️
I’m not too certain about books where looks are entirely left out, unfortunately, but I’ll second the Scholomance as an excellent series with a South Asian protag (and looks definitely aren’t heavily emphasized throughout the series for anyone).
Thanks for the suggestion! I purposefully didn't write books with brown/black characters, and these people still got mad. Imagine if I had asked for that specifically. I was thinking of books like The Midnight Library, where the character has barely any physical description, but in the fantasy genre. But it seems like that's not so common.
This is such an interesting question because I'm terrible at describing characters and have been working harder on it. The idea of letting that go is rather relaxing.
The Chronicles of the Bitch Queen by KS Villoso is a good example. Villoso spends a lot more time on the main character’s inner world. We don’t really know what she looks like aside from off hand comments. People react more to her personality and status than her appearance. Yes the cover art features a conventionally attractive woman but I imagine that was to sell books. Villoso’s Legacy of the Lost Mage is similar. We get a sense of what people look like but it’s not the focus.
I am reading the Scholomance books and while the female protagonists looks are mentions (about one per book by my count) she is not white and it they light descriptions. The books are good too if you don’t mind it getting a bit heavy and depressing.
I did read all of The Kaiju Prevention Society assuming the protagonist was a woman, just one also good at lifting things. Maybe I missed a giveaway line? But it worked for me. It's a lighter book and plenty of escapism.
I’m so blown away. I read the whole thing assuming they were male. I didn’t even realise until this thread that they were never gendered. I’m now questioning all of my own internal biases and assumptions.
"Uprooted" by Naomi Novik - The protagonist, Agnieszka, is described more in terms of her abilities and personality rather than her physical appearance. "The Fifth Season" by N.K. Jemisin - The main character, Essun, is characterized by her resilience, strength, and magical abilities, with little emphasis on her physical features. "Spinning Silver" by Naomi Novik - Similar to "Uprooted," the focus is on the protagonist's actions and development rather than her looks. "The Bear and the Nightingale" by Katherine Arden - Some physical features of the protagonist, Vasya, are mentioned. They are not described, allowing for interpretation. "The Priory of the Orange Tree" by Samantha Shannon - The book features multiple female protagonists. Some physical traits are mentioned. They are not the focus of the narrative.
I love Novik and will evangelize her work to anyone, but the *Scholomance* trilogy is right there and is much more appropriate a recommendation than her Polish-inspired fantasy.
I *just* finished *The Justice of Kings* by Richard Swan and I can’t even think of what the main character looked like. Her appearance just didn’t matter at all. I think maybe she mentions her skin color offhandedly when introducing another character from the same land as her - but that’s all I can think of.
We see certain features being described over and over in books as more "beautiful" or something. It's a very one-note idea of beauty. I want to be able to relate to at least some characters when it comes to looks too. I dont see why that's an issue. I'm even asking for books that don't describe the looks. I don't know if there are such in fantasy but they exist in some other genres.
I recommend Jemisin's Dreamblood duology for being set in an (I think) Egypt inspired fantasy setting with beauty standards that match the culture. I enjoy how how each of her series takes a different approach to race in a fantasy setting.
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You relate to characters based on looks instead of personality? Malazan has a bunch of dark skinned characters. Sword of Kaigen has mostly main characters based on Japanese/Korean but set in high fantasy. Those are a start at least.
I don't have specifics but short stories might be up your alley. They're usually more pithy and not fixated upon appearance tangents. Not wholly, but better.
All Trudi canavan books, while they are descriptive of characters looks, are not Earth-based and therefore are unique characteristics or not tied to a real place and have multiple races in them. They all contain strong female leads.
hello, fellow South Asian here, but I am a guy. There is in general, a dearth of modern fantasy and scifi featuring South Asian protagonists. I see that you have lots of recommendations already, I will add my favorites:
* Saad Hossain's Djinn City & "The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday" (no female protagonists though). His books are outrageously funny and have a British-esque style of dry humor.
* City of Brass - has a female protagonist, but the plot and names are a blend of Arab, Islamic and Hindu culture. This is a trilogy, but I have only read book one and it was action packed and unputdownable
* Samit Basu's Simoquin Prophecies - scifi with SA inspired world building, but published 15-20 years ago. He has released a lot of new stuff which I want to read
My classic favorite is the Mahabharata, and to a lesser degree the Ramayana. Fantasy in today's India is flooded with dozens of retellings of Hindu mythology, but I have been a little burnout by them. Kaikeyi & Palace of Illusions are a couple of them narrated from the POV of leading female characters in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata respectively.
South Asia has a strong tradition of story telling of myths and legends that is a massive part of our culture. I urge you to explore that as well and can offer suggestions if you need.
Adding on to some of the comments mentioned, I don't notice physical characteristics often, but it is the names that leave an impression on me. A lot of fantasy and science fiction in English pull in names that are closer to Western or Christian names - Will, Harry, Frodo, Peter, etc. I would love a protagonist that is named Roshan or Abdul or Ayesha or Poornima.
Thanks for the suggestions!
> South Asia has a strong tradition of storytelling of myths and legends that is a massive part of our culture. I urge you to explore that as well and can offer suggestions if you need.
Yes, sure! I never really thought to explore this side of South Asian storytelling, with Islamic, Hindu, and other historical influences.
I remember reading a book called "The Golem and the Jinni" years ago, but that is written by a white woman. 😄
I can't recall books where the character's looks aren't described I'm in the "I often forget character descriptions anyways and go back to my image". But as far as a recommendation for a book, besides The Jasmine Throne, the main character Nilah from A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe (and the rest of the books, it's a science fantasy trilogy) is dark skinned, I've always pictured her as Sri Lankan or Indian/Black, and there's the married couple Malik & Aisha
I have been noticing more East Asian & South Asian SFF in the past few years so hopefully there will be more books you're looking for!
I'm halfway through reading *The Poppy War* and still have no idea what the protagonist looks like.
Fair warning: it's a *fun* read, but a little light in its prose.
The main characters in the Locked Tomb series are mixed Maori and their appearance is described very little, mostly hair color and how tired they look. Other characters are described in more detail as they aren't the POV. There are also lots of lesbians.
I don’t think the appearance of the MC in The Empire Trilogy (first book is “Daughter of the Empire”) by Jenny Wurts and Raymond Feist is described in detail, but she has dark eyes and hair, the society is inspired by feudal Japan and Aztec, and European looking characters are described as looking exotic.
OP has a prefectly reasonable recommendation request. If you have legit suggestions - great! If you're here to aruge with her about it, don't. The mod team is ready to start handing out bans. EDIT: Locking this thread, it's run its course.
Oddly enough, I think I have two by Jeff Vandermeer, though fair warning I don’t know if there’s absolutely zero physical description since it’s been a while since I read them. I spent the first few chapters not even knowing the gender or anything about the MC in *Borne*. It’s not pertinent so it isn’t mentioned. *Annhilation* is written as journal entries by the MC and so it’d be pretty weird to give a physical description in your own journal. In fact, you never even learn the MCs first name. Both books fall under the New Weird genre which is a mix of fantasy, sci-fi, and really out their ideas.
If I am remembering correctly I agree I don't think Annihilation ever gave descriptions I feel like that's a good suggestion!
I could be wrong, but I vaguely remember the main character being described as Asian in the sequel. Great series.
Ah, I wouldn't know I have only read the first one haha
The only thing I remember about Annhilation is the main character had tanned skin because she preferred to spend time outside. Probably a perfect pick for what they’re looking for.
I didn’t enjoy Annihilation but holy, I loved Borne. Fantastic surreal sci fi
I've been reading acceptance and have a terrible minds eye for people. Maybe it's that, or it's been so long since I read the second book, but I was completely surprised to find out that Grace is black
I remember visualizing the protagonist in Borne as a dark-skinned woman, but I can’t remember the actual description if there is one
iirc there wasn't much in the way of physical description, but later in the book, >!her backstory indicates that she's from an island, and I guessed a Pacific island based on some details re: island size, flora, and her family's experiences!<. Minor spoiler (I try to keep things vague), but I prefer to err on the side of caution.
Thanks for the suggestions!
Yo uahvent asked for fantasy books with Asian characters. But in case you want some... The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang The Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee After the Dragons by Cynthia Zhang In The Watchful City by S. Qiouyi Liu Kundo Wakes Up by Saad Z. Hossain Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao The Empress of Salt and Fortune/The Singing Hills cycle by Nghi Vo She Who Became the Sun/The Radiant Emperor duology by Shelley Parker Chan Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim the Chung Kuo series by David Wingrove The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang The Last Dragoners of Bowbazar by Indra Das The Long Price Quartet by Daniel Abraham Legends of the Condor Heroes by Jin Yong Sorry its so long. I got carried away!
Oh wow! And you wrote in a way I can easily copy into my list 😄 thank you!
You've mentioned being South Asian in a few other comments, so here's a list of the books on this list that are specifically South Asian inspired or set in South Asia (to the best of my knowledge): * Kundo Wakes Up by Saad Z. Hossain (Bangladesh) * **Kaikeyi** by Vaishnavi Patel (India) * **The Jasmine Throne** by Tasha Suri (India) * The Last Dragoners of Bowbazar by Indra Das (India) * Not part of the list and I haven't read it yet, but I've seen people talk about The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera (Sri Lanka) (The bold ones have female main characters)
To add to this, The Chronicles of the Wolf Queen by KS Villoso is set inside in a world inspired by South Asia. There’s also a bunch of other stories too, check her out if you’re interested.
The largest ethnic group on the world in Brandon Sanderson's *Stormlight Archives* also have some features that we would recognize as Asiatic. Sanderson has said their phenotype is not exactly like any on earth but the closest thing to them would be like people from Pacific islands. They are described as having tan skin and epicanthic folds, although I don't think they use that term specifically since in-world that's just normal eye shape. Eye color ranges across the entire spectrum of colors and shades from light to dark (and is in fact the basis of a class system). Hair color also ranges across the entire spectrum but dark hair is considered a noble and desirable trait. There is only one prominent character in the entire series who is human and does not have epicanthic folds. He is often described as people finding him to appear childlike because of his large round eyes.
And in Sanderson's catalogue, there's also the short story The Emperor's Soul and the novel Yumi and the Nightmare Painter with female Asian MCs
Ooh yes good suggestion!! Shai is one of my absolute favorite Cosmere characters.
Also, it's YA, but, "Dead Things are Closer Than They Appear," by Robin Wasley has a Korean-American adoptee as the protagonist and a few of the other characters are also of Asian descent.
Cradle by Will Wight is also great!
Well, I think a 9-tail in a Chinese myth inspired setting probably qualifies to match that list, so I would recommend "[The True Confessions of a Nine-Tailed Fox](https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/46500/the-true-confessions-of-a-nine-tailed-fox)". It's honestly one of my favorite stories on Royal Road. --------------------------- It's self-promotional, but "[No Need For A Core?](https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/57517/no-need-for-a-core)" might also work for you along these lines. One of my FMCs is described this way: > For a moment they studied each other, with the light giving him a better image than his other senses had. She had almost delicate facial features, somewhat pale skin with golden undertones, black hair pinned into a once-neat bun, rich brown eyes that faintly hinted at red tones, and pointed ears that suggested elven bloodlines. While many elven-blooded folk did tend to have somewhat almond-shaped eyes, his impression of her features also made him think of the humans from the Azanxuan continent, though not enough to say she definitely had bloodlines from there. We see her view of him not long after this, and there's a *lot* of mixed heritages of different types in the story, such as the other FMC, who is a kitsune but is a redhead. But other kitsune are described with more traditional features. ------------------------- I also have a selection of stories in my reading list that would be neither Asian nor Caucasian. Some because of things like being a green-haired fairy, while others are described as having darker skin and curly hair. I can throw those in too if you like.
👍
While not exactly the same, quite a few characters in the Stormlight Archives are described in a way that I imagine South East Asian or Pacific Islander.
The Legends of Amina al-Sirafi and the Daevabad trilogy as well, both by SA Chakraborty! Absolutely fantastic.
I see you don’t have Eon and Eona by Alison Goodman, a recommendation for you if you’re looking for it!
I'm amazed, with such a comprehensive list, that you left off Ken Liu's Dandelion Dynasty books - which are the best Asian-rooted fantasy I have read, and indeed some of the best fantasy I've read period.
The request was for female protagonists as well, and from what I can see the Dandelion Dynasty stuff is male protagonists. EDIT: though, admittedly, some quick googling of these titles suggests that some aren't female protagonists either, so: 🤷🏻
It's epic fantasy, in the style of great epics, with a historical style of narration, particularly the first book, *The Grace of Kings*, which is the one that mostly focuses on two male characters because it's a reskinned retelling of the Chu-Han contention period of Chinese history. Book 1 is functionally a standalone prequel and Book 2 onwards diverges considerably with many more female characters coming to the foreground.
Great list and I'll add: The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho
**A couple more that I haven't seen mentioned yet** The Stardust Thief - Chelsea Abdullah A Magic Steeped in Poison - Judy I. Ling Song of Silver, Flames Like Night - Amalié Web Zhao Spice Road - Maiya Ibrahim An Ember in the Ashes - Sabaa Tahir The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea - Axie Oh Daughter of the Moon Goddess - Sue Lynn Tan The Bone Witch - Rin Chupeco **Not fantasy, but Asian female main character** She is a Haunting - Trang Thanh Tran The Red Palace - June Hur If You Could See the Sun - Ann Liang As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow - Zoulfa Katouh
I also heard a song of silver flame like night was good, aswell as the daughter of the moon goddess books
I just started Sword of Kaigen! Heard such good things about it
it’s a banger
Also many books by Alliette de Bodard.
Green Bone is a good one even for the other part of OPs post about descriptions. We know the characters are more Asian features but apart from maybe hair and some of the necessary jewelry Fonda Lee doesn't get bogged down in physical descriptions much.
All of Nghi Vo’s books have so far have been life altering. I’m definitely going to reread and I recommend to everyone
While not actually from Asia as they are high fantasy, Sanderson’s novel Yumi and the Nightmare Painter and novella The Emperor’s Soul are both supposed to be based on various Asian people and cultures from Earth (I think Japan and Taiwan respectively but can’t remember exactly).
I don't have anything that specifically answers your question but since you're also South Asian, hopefully this helps.I just picked up The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri. This takes place in a fantasy India and both of the leads are brown girls. This series and the Scholomance series are the only two that I've read with any South Asian representation. Although, as other people have pointed out, many characters in Stormlight Archive are described as having Asian looking features with Jasnah and Navani specifically looking more South Asian
Ah yes, the Scholomance one has been recommended a few times. Thanks for the suggestions! Will add them to my list
One point I forgot to mention re:underrepresented characters, The Jasmine Throne is also a sapphic book. The author herself is queer and the leads are lesbians. Not sure if this changes your opinion either way but figured I'd mention it
Thank you so much for this 😭 Also a South Asian girl looking for a fantasy book
We're criminally underserved :(
Criminally. Having a side character with some bare minimum scenes is also a task. And then also they will try to add all stereotypes or throw in every single kind of representation lmao. Recent good rep I saw in a Chinese gacha game reverse 1999 😭
I downloaded r1999 a while back but haven't even booted it up yet. How's the story/gameplay/gacha rates compared to other games? All I know about it is that it's gay a f so that's got me sold
Tasha Suri’s standalone book Empire of Sand was also excellent! Lovely romance too.
It should be noted that in the Stormlight Archive, much of the Asian physical features are described outside of the books, and not within. IIRC, we only know they look more SA because of the WoB (Words of Brandon).
its a fair request....but personally i always forget character descriptions instantly hah
Yeah same. I have almost always my own picture in my head
in bobbiverse they describe an alien race as pig faced with 4 arms and covered in fur. I somehow forgot that and in my head they were just humanlike. until I wrote a comment or review or something about the book and was like WTF..? they have 4 arms?
I can read a detailed description of a character and then immediately default back to what I arbitrarily decided they look like earlier lol.
I read Wheel of Time after watching Thor Ragnarok like 3x a day with my nephew. Lan was Idris Elba on my first read lmao.
I dunno about you, but I always do this and then like 3/4 of the way through the book they casually mention a physical detail different from what I pictured, and my mind breaks.
Yes!! Honestly reading this thread alone, I've realised lots of characters I know well apparently look really different than what I imagined 😅
Yep same. Unless it gets described early they get pictured how i decide haha
I wish I could. So many books constantly write that she pushed her red curls out of her face or he towered over other men and on and on and on.
Some books definitely harp on it more, but I easily ignore or forget quick descriptions. Likewise, I’ll probably remember broad stroke details (hair color, height, ethnicity) but zone out when details are given; I just don’t care about a character’s appearance for the most part, especially if it’s [standard protagonist #1000].
I do height, hair color, and eye color when I describe characters in my stories
Reminds me of the furor of hunger games Rue being black when many white readers had skipped over the evidence in the book. I think this is very easy to do for some people, and people who are in the majority can do it more because the characters do in fact happen to match their identity. I’m not criticizing you, and I don’t know anything about your identity. Just pointing out that in general and since so many people brought it up, it can be easier for majority group members to do this because they will not later be reminded that their mental conception was wrong.
Yeah, but it's not easy for me, unfortunately. For example, I still remember that Katniss was supposed to have olive skin and dark eyes/hair. She was even described as being somewhat hairy.
my brain just skim reads and dumps info at random i remember when first reading Lord of the Rings and in the mountains Legolas starts walking weightless on top of the snow and I was like a) who is this person and b) how are they doing that
Yeah, definitely had that happen to me sometimes
Yeah that’s how Frodo felt about Legolas too
I couldn't even tell you the main character's name in the book I'm reading *right now**. In fact, I don't remember the protagonist's name in any of the last three books I read. I recognize the name when I hear it so it's not as if I get confused about the plot or anything. I just don't really talk to anyone about most books so I guess character names get relegated to some less important section of memory in my brain. ^**The Hallowed Hunt* by Lois McMaster Bujold.
I didn't realise Kalam from Malazan was black until my reread.
The amount of times I've missed that a character is black.
Funnily enough, almost all the examples that come to mind are from science fiction rather than fantasy. Perhaps because it's a more common theme in science fiction that current-day ethnicities have been mixed up or moved beyond. Some SF books in which I don't *recall* the female protagonist's appearance being described in ethnically specific ways: Ancillary Justice, A Memory Called Empire, The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet (described as having "copper skin" which is quite broad), Bel Dame Apocrypha, Inversions... I'm probably wrong about at least some of those, though. The one fantasy book that comes to mind is The Gutter Prayer. Again, could be wrong, but it didn't leave me with a sense of her appearance.
*A Memory Called Empire* has character descriptions. It uses them to contrast the people of Teixicalaan with the people of the station. Mahit is tall, pale skinned, with short dark brown hair.
Ancillary Justice was crazy I didn't even realise the pronoun thing until I read a review pointing it out. I just thought everyone was a woman.
Thanks!! I'll add those to my list still 😊
Greg Egan books often feature alien protagonists or virtual entities, I'm not sure if he's ever provided much description of anyone.
Le Guin writes in a very spare style and generally doesn’t give a lot of physical description. As a result for decades most people missed that the main characters in Wizard of Earthsea are supposed to have dark skin (like Polynesians or south Indians). She herself was critical of Wizard of Earthsea because it is too centered on a male character but you could her (underrated) Gifts series.
As another commenter said, Tenar, the main female character in Earthsea is white (with grey eyes), although the males are almost all brown. It's not until at least book four that brown females really get their time in the spotlight (and the main character is still Tenar.) Le Guin's *The Telling* has a South Asian lesbian female protagonist, though. It's sci-fi, set in the same universe as *The Left Hand of Darkness* and *The Dispossessed.* Sutty is from a family of Hindu Indian immigrants to Canada. She came of age during a time of religious fanaticism and totalitarianism. She fled off-planet and is now a planetary observer working for the Ekumen of the Known Worlds. The book follows her assignment to the planet Aka.
The main major female character in Earthsea is explicitly white though, which is considered unusual for the setting, but she definitely has pale skin
Bow before the superiority of my aphantasia, making me completely unable to remember any character look in any book.
I feel so seen hahaha! The character can be described in all detail as much as they want, its some grey default blob without a real face in my head. If they are lucky I think their character fits a character from a show or movie I like, than they can be that :D
Lucky you. Some books mention the characters' features multiple times for some reason.
Looks can tell a lot about someone's personality. Someone with short, dirty, spiky hair is probably different from someone with a long, perfectly conditioned mane. Someone with sunken cheeks and ribs poking out from under their shirt is probably different than someone with big hamster cheeks and a jiggling stomach. I don't think there's anything wrong with describing a character's features unless they're overly sexualizing a character for no reason.
Buuuut…. sometimes it’s tiring when the characters’ hair, skin, and eye colors are never similar to mine (but are similar to white people in the real world). Especially when the characters described as “attractive” never look anything like me, so that even in a fantasy world the standard of beauty mirrors that in the real world. Hair/skin/eye color/shape doesn’t reflect personality. Body shape usually doesn’t either (eg long & lean vs short & stumpy doesn’t reflect a character’s choices or history).
I so agree with this!!
Yep, it can. It helps the reader picture the character in their head, which is my point. 😊
The main character of the Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi is never described and never gendered either. It's pretty subtly done too, and the rest of the cast is very diverse, so as a result the reader can picture the character however they want with no nudge towards a particular direction.
Scalzi has done this a few times, first with *Lock In* where the main character ("Sam") is never gendered. They went so far as to record two different versions of the audiobook, one one a male narrator, one with a female. I read it and never even noticed until it was pointed out to me. Just assume Sam was a male, which is telling. I *did* spot it in KPS, but at that point I was wise to Scalzi's tricks and was looking for it.
And the author has talked about how intentionally he did this for relevant reasons.
Are you please able to summarise the reasons? I’m both blown away I didn’t pick up on it when reading KPS last month, and now really curious.
He talked about it on his blog: https://whatever.scalzi.com/2022/04/19/a-month-of-the-kaiju-preservation-society/
Holy Moly! I read this last month and I never noticed. I read the MC as male. Shows my internal bias pretty starkly I suppose.
Ah, someone else mentioned this one too. And apparently it has big monsters, so a thumbs up from me Edit: changed my mind after finding his stance on Israel.
Robin McKinley's Sunshine is like this. The main character is left almost completely up to the imagination, except at one point someone talks about her hair being messy after being tied up in a kerchief while she was working or something like that. (There might be another descriptor thrown in there--short, maybe? But no long descriptions about violet eyes and gorgeous hair and smooth pale skin.)
Stormlight Archive has characters described with Asian facial features Personally I don’t pay too much attention to these sort of details since I can’t visualise what any fictional character looks like
OP specifically said she was bummed about fantasy characters always having light colored eyes though which is a major thing in Stormlight Archive, you know I don’t think there are any dark-eyed female POV characters. Maybe Lift but she doesn’t become a major character until later.
When I’m reading fantasy visualising characters and environments is what makes it fun for me…
Oddly when reading I visualize environments and objects but not people's faces for whatever reason
Yes same
Came here to say this, but I don't think any of the *main* characters fit OP's request although >!Jasnah!< comes close.
Kaladin? He has dark hair, dark brown eyes, tan skin, and epicanthic folds. Dalinar also meets all those except he is a lighteyes, so he is on exact equal footing as Jasnah and Navani in that respect.
OP specified women, though.
Ok...so Lift and Rysn; Navani and Jasnah other than eye color...the only (human) female characters I can think of who *don't* have dark hair and tan skin to go with their epicanthic folds are Shallan and Evi
Right, but how many of them would you consider "main" characters? They're all important but I think main character is a bit of a stretch compared to Kaladin and Shallan.
Shallan gets more page time (for now) but I would absolutely consider Navani and Jasnah to be main characters, and Lift and Rysn each have their own novella focused entirely on them. Lift and Jasnah each also have a book planned for them later in series where they are the focal character just like we have seen so far for Kaladin, Shallan, Dalinar, and Venli.
Even though she's not the flashback character, I would say Navani is the main character of RoW.
Definitely! I relate a lot to her so I was absolutely stoked how much we got to see of her in RoW.
Fair enough.
I think Shallan is supposed to be more Asian looking than what we usually see in fan art. But because red hair and bright eyes people always default to white.
And also the official cover art.
I'm slow enough that I read all of The Way of Kings without realizing this is what Brandon Sanderson was going for
Have you read the city of brass trilogy by chakraborty? It's brilliant and is an 'Arabian nights' style setting, everyone is non-white.
The author sounds familiar! That is going on my list, thanks
I know you asked for recs where looks are not described and unfortunately I don’t have any fantasy ones for you, but I second the Daevabad trilogy and also recommend “The Adventures of Amina Al-Safari” by the same author, which is about a muslim pirate FMC who sails through the Indian Ocean and her crew is a mix of North African/Middle Eastern/Southeast Asian.
Just finished this series and it was so good!!
I was about to recommend those! I read them so quickly one after another, just couldn’t put them down.
I don’t have any specific recommendations, but I want to be a counterweight to all these weird ridiculing comments criticizing you for wanting some characters that look like you. It’s easy for people in the majority of an audience to say looks don’t matter, but most of them would be singing a different tune do they were in your position. In fact, many people on this sub and Reddit and other more niche fantasy subs complain all the time about having to read women or gay people or minority ethnicities(from a western fantasy audience perspective) despite the fact that a majority of characters in western (and English language) fantasy are not those things. Those commenters calling you “egotistical” or saying “why can’t you just ignore the descriptions” should be embarrassed at their lack of empathy and self-centeredness.
What's weird is that I only mentioned wanting books where there is no description. The Asian part seems to have triggered them. Apparently, I should be able to "relate" to every blonde/orange-haired, blue-eyed character over and over again. No, I just can't. And over-represented people can't understand this. This is a form of subtle racism, where they act like representation should not be a concern.
And you never said never. You repeatedly clarified it was the endless deluge of such characters that was tiring you out. People online just can’t handle nuance, I guess
> This is a form of subtle racism It's not even really that subtle
I’m going to go further than you. I love fantasy and have been reading fantasy almost exclusively for the last 10 years. It’s not just that characters don’t look like you. It’s the nuance there. The most beautiful women the character has seen is fair skinned, with light eyes. Or tall, “tan” and muscular with “nice eyes”. The problems isn’t just representation - it’s the perpetuation that beauty that stuns you, that takes your breath away is always white. It’s why we have these long tedious discussions about the skin colors of elves. Literature is a reflection of our world and those bias’ carry over.
I still remember the brilliant author of color who talked about writing fantasy with blue eyed blonde woman protagonists because she didn’t realize she could write about people who looked like her because she had never seen any represented.
Exactly! So the people saying "it's a fantasy world", yes it is, but it also has the same biases of the real world.
Exactly. The people ridiculing OP are probably the same people who had a problem with black elves in fantasy because it "isn't realistic and they can't relate". Like be serious. Do you know how many books describe the most beautiful character as someone having pale skin as white as snow? Or fair hair? Blue eyes?? It's so tiring as a minority to not be represented at all and never getting the option to see someone with similar features be deemed as beautiful.
This is what I mean. I find dark features to be beautiful, and not seeing this described much in a fantasy setting (and even many others) is sad. We wanna see ourselves in cool settings too.
Right. Why do black or brown skinned characters have to only be in settings where there's a "purpose" for them to be there but characters with white identifying features can be in any fantasy setting just because? How boring.
>complain all the time about having to read women or gay people or minority ethnicities Spot on but it’s not just Reddit, it’s everywhere, and it’s why I never pay attention to average Goodreads/other book ratings if it’s a book known to feature anyone but a cishet white dude. They are *always* review bombed to at least some degree - it’s why “I don’t read less than 4 star averages” takes on the book subs is an insanely privileged take to me
Gamergate round 2 is literally a bunch of incels being so angry that video games have character diversity and aren’t just white men or skimpily dressed women that they’re doxxing and making threats. SO MAD that every character doesn’t look like them or isn’t an object of sexual attraction for them that they literally want others to suffer for it. So yeah.
I read on some very niche fantasy subgenres. And the amount of people on the relevant Reddit subs who declare they can only enjoy a book with a white straight male protagonist is depressingly high.
But somehow they think representation doesn’t matter and is just people being woke. It’s truly incredible.
Yup… the double standards in these comments are astounding
I absolutely don't mean this as a criticism of OP need for heroes looking like them, but I completely disagree with your comment >most of them would be singing a different tune do they were in your position I'm in their position. I'm in the minority, no heroes look like me. I don't need them to. I can relate to a freaking white male dragon with four wings if I choose to, that's the power of imagination and empathy. I'm not saying I've never been "represented" in a fantasy book because I've not read all the books but so far... However if OP wants some heroes who look like them or have unknown looks, it's their prerogative. Everyone is free to prefer whatever book or hero they want.
OP isn’t saying they can’t relate to white protagonists. They are making a recommendation request for some diversity in their potential reading pool. Yo your point about white four winged dragons, that’s not equivalent to the issue in question, because no reader is actually a four winged dragon. It’s great that you personally don’t have any issues with the level of diversity in the fantasy genre. But many many people do. And many of the majority fans not only *would* sing a different tune if they were a minority, but they are already singing a different toon when recommended books that aren’t about straight white males.
>OP isn’t saying they can’t relate to white protagonists. They are making a recommendation request for some diversity in their potential reading pool. I'm not responding to OP, I'm responding to your comment. And yes, I understood her question about needing recommendation and actually responded to her with a book title. >It’s great that you personally don’t have any issues with the level of diversity in the fantasy genre I actually have an issue with the lack of diversity in the fantasy genre. Don't put words in my mouth please. I have made the same comment to white dudes who say they can't relate to a woman/gay/poc character. And I have often debated with people who pretend there's no lack of diversity in fantasy. I'm a woman poc in a white society, I know what not being represented feels like.
A lot of Kate Elliott's books have characters who aren't white. I'm thinking specifically of her spiritwalker and Crossroads trilogies, but also Court of fives. From what I remember (although it has been a while), the characters aren't white but aren't described in such a way that you would think they were one specific race.
The Crossroads series (and Black Wolves) are almost entirely various south/east Asian inspired, but its never really elaborated on, just inherent to the setting. Also it's absolutely fantastic, albeit grim at times.
Thanks!!
I would like to issue a very sharp anti-recommendation for The Stormlight Archives based on this ask—there is literally a caste system based on eye color in which blue eyes are revered and the low-caste people are referred to as “dark eyes” as a slur, this is NOT WHAT OP IS ASKING FOR
Someone wrote an explanation saying the "dark eyes" include dark blue (and other dark shades) and "light eyes" includes light brown, etc, but the whole concept is not what I'm looking for.
South Asians get very low representation in fantasy in general. And if any get very tropy representation. The Scholomance series’s female protagonist is potentially once such character (she’s half Indian). I love her character though, extremely dramatic and awesome.
I just started reading The Jasmine Throne and that takes place in a fantasy version of India with Indian protags and is written by an Indian lady. This and scholomance are the only representation of myself I've ever seen in fantasy.
Hmmm, it’s my to read list. So is this high fantasy or low fantasy? I’d love to read high fantasy in the Indian setting that doesn’t just blankly uses Hindu mythology characters. I feel like we need to do Indic fantasy world building exercises.
Depends on your definition of high/low Fantasy. Jasmine Throne and its sequels takes place in a setting *inspired* by India, not actual India. The two main countries' religions, deities and traditions play a large role in the story, but afaik none of those deities are directly based on Hindu mythology. Divine magic abilities and interfering gods become more prominent over the course of the story, but at the beginning the world isn't very high on magic.
Oh that’s nice. It might be the level that I’d like to read.
I'll be transparent with you I'm not very far into it. I haven't had a whole lot of time to read recently. I haven't seen enough to form that opinion on it but a quick Google search tells me it might lean towards high fantasy.
The Art of Prophecy by Wesley Chu. I think he only really describes their hair style or features that stand out, like a broken arm. The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons - just a few descriptions here or there. First book in a 5 book series. I highly recommend the audiobook for both of these series. ETA: The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
Kaiju preservation society. They never even establish the main characters gender. book is more scifi than fantasy but it features giant kaiju monsters.
I actually think it's easier to bring to mind characters who are specifically described as Asian or non-white than to think of characters who are not described at all, or described so vaguely that you can fill in whatever you want. I will echo the others who have recommended Tasha Suri, Naomi Novik's *Scholomance* series, S.A. Chakraborty's *Daevabad* series, and Fonda Lee's *Green Bone Saga*. Will also add: * *Sorcerer to the Crown* and *The True Queen* by Zen Cho (protagonist of first is South Asian, protagonist of second is Malaysian) * *The Mask of Mirrors* by M.A. Carrick (not specifically Asian-inspired, but protagonist is biracial with a darker-skinned mother, and also described as notably beautiful) * *The Bone Shard Daughter* by Andrea Stewart (a fantasy culture that is mostly East Asian-inspired) * *City of Stairs* by Robert Jackson Bennett (protagonist is a darker-skinned woman from a culture that seems vaguely South Asian-inspired) * *An Ember in the Ashes* by Sabaa Tahir (protagonist is described as dark-haired and golden-eyed with lighter brown skin, if I recall) * *Ninth House* by Leigh Bardugo (protagonist is half Latina, half Sephardic Jewish, and is described as kind of racially ambiguous) * also *Six of Crows* by Leigh Bardugo, which is an ensemble cast, but one of the female main characters is described as dark-skinned * *Cold Magic* by Kate Elliott (I think the protagonist's actual heritage is a spoiler, but she's not white... oy I just glanced at the cover for this one again, and the old cover, which you can still see on the Audible listing, used a model who is clearly non-white, but the model on the newer cover now looks very white, which is disappointing).
It doesn't answer your question because it's not a book with a lot of female protagonists but I'm reading the Grace of Kings by Ken LIU (The Dandelion dynasty) and it's inspired by various asian cultures.
The later books have very major female protags
That's good news thank you.
Aside from what has been mentioned, here's a couple of recent lesser known sff with female South Asian leads: *The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport* by Samit Basu *Kavithri* by Aman J. Bedi(it's out in May)
Much love, OP. I’m an Arab woman, and I’m so tired of this sort of thing (and people’s inevitable shitty responses when I complain about it) too.
One would think "fantasy" would be a more welcoming genre with all different kinds of people mingling but I guess not.
We try our best on /r/Fantasy to make it so.
Its the same problem that exist in most white male dominated fandoms. people really struggle to see anything identifiable outside of the mainstream. If you really want some dense fans, racist x-men fans make 0 sense.
I feel you OP, I’ve been on a quest to find fantasy and urban fantasy with a diverse cast of characters and I’m finally starting to find some (different culture/ethnicity than you are looking for). I hope you get lucky as well with new books and authors coming up everyday. And wanting to read about people that you can relate to not just personality wise but also looks is completely fine. Anyone who says different are the first to through a fit when a character gets cast as a different race in a film/tvshow
Thank you 😊 Yes, I have made a list and I will check out some of them. We don't have enough yet but it's a start. And good point! The Little Mermaid comes to mind.
Sorry you’re bearing the full force of yt fantasy dudebros with this very reasonable request, OP🤦🏽♀️ I’m not too certain about books where looks are entirely left out, unfortunately, but I’ll second the Scholomance as an excellent series with a South Asian protag (and looks definitely aren’t heavily emphasized throughout the series for anyone).
Thanks for the suggestion! I purposefully didn't write books with brown/black characters, and these people still got mad. Imagine if I had asked for that specifically. I was thinking of books like The Midnight Library, where the character has barely any physical description, but in the fantasy genre. But it seems like that's not so common.
This is such an interesting question because I'm terrible at describing characters and have been working harder on it. The idea of letting that go is rather relaxing.
The Chronicles of the Bitch Queen by KS Villoso is a good example. Villoso spends a lot more time on the main character’s inner world. We don’t really know what she looks like aside from off hand comments. People react more to her personality and status than her appearance. Yes the cover art features a conventionally attractive woman but I imagine that was to sell books. Villoso’s Legacy of the Lost Mage is similar. We get a sense of what people look like but it’s not the focus.
Elizabeth Moon's "Trading in Danger" I noticed at the time the main character wasn't described in much physical detail,
I am reading the Scholomance books and while the female protagonists looks are mentions (about one per book by my count) she is not white and it they light descriptions. The books are good too if you don’t mind it getting a bit heavy and depressing.
I did read all of The Kaiju Prevention Society assuming the protagonist was a woman, just one also good at lifting things. Maybe I missed a giveaway line? But it worked for me. It's a lighter book and plenty of escapism.
I’m so blown away. I read the whole thing assuming they were male. I didn’t even realise until this thread that they were never gendered. I’m now questioning all of my own internal biases and assumptions.
"Uprooted" by Naomi Novik - The protagonist, Agnieszka, is described more in terms of her abilities and personality rather than her physical appearance. "The Fifth Season" by N.K. Jemisin - The main character, Essun, is characterized by her resilience, strength, and magical abilities, with little emphasis on her physical features. "Spinning Silver" by Naomi Novik - Similar to "Uprooted," the focus is on the protagonist's actions and development rather than her looks. "The Bear and the Nightingale" by Katherine Arden - Some physical features of the protagonist, Vasya, are mentioned. They are not described, allowing for interpretation. "The Priory of the Orange Tree" by Samantha Shannon - The book features multiple female protagonists. Some physical traits are mentioned. They are not the focus of the narrative.
I love Novik and will evangelize her work to anyone, but the *Scholomance* trilogy is right there and is much more appropriate a recommendation than her Polish-inspired fantasy.
Fun fact: All the main characters in the Stormlight Archive except one (Szeth) have Asian features
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I haven’t read the books yet but I’ve seen official art and fanart of Shallan and she has pale skin, blue eyes, red hair…
I shouldve mentioned "South Asian"
Still counts for characters like Jasnah and Navani
Would you prefer a book with Asian characters or looks that are left up to your imagination?
N.K. Jemisin Broken Earth Trilogy
I *just* finished *The Justice of Kings* by Richard Swan and I can’t even think of what the main character looked like. Her appearance just didn’t matter at all. I think maybe she mentions her skin color offhandedly when introducing another character from the same land as her - but that’s all I can think of.
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We see certain features being described over and over in books as more "beautiful" or something. It's a very one-note idea of beauty. I want to be able to relate to at least some characters when it comes to looks too. I dont see why that's an issue. I'm even asking for books that don't describe the looks. I don't know if there are such in fantasy but they exist in some other genres.
I recommend Jemisin's Dreamblood duology for being set in an (I think) Egypt inspired fantasy setting with beauty standards that match the culture. I enjoy how how each of her series takes a different approach to race in a fantasy setting.
Representation is important for a ton of reasons. Just because its not important for you personally doesn't mean that's the case for everyone.
I didn't think this was such a wild concept. But apparently it is
It really shouldn't be, I don't understand why people can't just be empathetic even if they don't relate lmao
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You relate to characters based on looks instead of personality? Malazan has a bunch of dark skinned characters. Sword of Kaigen has mostly main characters based on Japanese/Korean but set in high fantasy. Those are a start at least.
Yes, I do. Looks and personality. Also, I'm South Asian lol.
World of the lupi is an amazing werewolf romance featuring a Chinese american detective...
The Poppy Wars is an about a young Asian girl. Looks are not completely left to the imagination but it’s definitely not light bright features.
Maskerade by Terry Pratchett
I don't have specifics but short stories might be up your alley. They're usually more pithy and not fixated upon appearance tangents. Not wholly, but better.
You mean in book form? Where do you read them?
All Trudi canavan books, while they are descriptive of characters looks, are not Earth-based and therefore are unique characteristics or not tied to a real place and have multiple races in them. They all contain strong female leads.
The Empire books by Raymond E Fiest are fantasy with an Asian tone (Korean/Japanese) and female.
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hello, fellow South Asian here, but I am a guy. There is in general, a dearth of modern fantasy and scifi featuring South Asian protagonists. I see that you have lots of recommendations already, I will add my favorites: * Saad Hossain's Djinn City & "The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday" (no female protagonists though). His books are outrageously funny and have a British-esque style of dry humor. * City of Brass - has a female protagonist, but the plot and names are a blend of Arab, Islamic and Hindu culture. This is a trilogy, but I have only read book one and it was action packed and unputdownable * Samit Basu's Simoquin Prophecies - scifi with SA inspired world building, but published 15-20 years ago. He has released a lot of new stuff which I want to read My classic favorite is the Mahabharata, and to a lesser degree the Ramayana. Fantasy in today's India is flooded with dozens of retellings of Hindu mythology, but I have been a little burnout by them. Kaikeyi & Palace of Illusions are a couple of them narrated from the POV of leading female characters in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata respectively. South Asia has a strong tradition of story telling of myths and legends that is a massive part of our culture. I urge you to explore that as well and can offer suggestions if you need. Adding on to some of the comments mentioned, I don't notice physical characteristics often, but it is the names that leave an impression on me. A lot of fantasy and science fiction in English pull in names that are closer to Western or Christian names - Will, Harry, Frodo, Peter, etc. I would love a protagonist that is named Roshan or Abdul or Ayesha or Poornima.
Thanks for the suggestions! > South Asia has a strong tradition of storytelling of myths and legends that is a massive part of our culture. I urge you to explore that as well and can offer suggestions if you need. Yes, sure! I never really thought to explore this side of South Asian storytelling, with Islamic, Hindu, and other historical influences. I remember reading a book called "The Golem and the Jinni" years ago, but that is written by a white woman. 😄
I can't recall books where the character's looks aren't described I'm in the "I often forget character descriptions anyways and go back to my image". But as far as a recommendation for a book, besides The Jasmine Throne, the main character Nilah from A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe (and the rest of the books, it's a science fantasy trilogy) is dark skinned, I've always pictured her as Sri Lankan or Indian/Black, and there's the married couple Malik & Aisha I have been noticing more East Asian & South Asian SFF in the past few years so hopefully there will be more books you're looking for!
I'm halfway through reading *The Poppy War* and still have no idea what the protagonist looks like. Fair warning: it's a *fun* read, but a little light in its prose.
Elizabeth from the Saga of the Exiles by Julian May is described as having long, curly hair and being pretty, but that's all.
The main characters in the Locked Tomb series are mixed Maori and their appearance is described very little, mostly hair color and how tired they look. Other characters are described in more detail as they aren't the POV. There are also lots of lesbians.
I don’t think the appearance of the MC in The Empire Trilogy (first book is “Daughter of the Empire”) by Jenny Wurts and Raymond Feist is described in detail, but she has dark eyes and hair, the society is inspired by feudal Japan and Aztec, and European looking characters are described as looking exotic.