Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday! This is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, where a new top ten list hits the web every week!

This week I’m revisiting an older topic I missed …

TEN FAVORITE HEROINES

When I began researching this topic, I assumed it would be a snap to find ten heroines whom I liked.  With near a thousand fantasy/science fiction stories to choose from, it seemed a reasonable assumption.  Boy, was I wrong.

Naturally, the main issue I encountered was that most of the speculative fiction I had read (especially decades ago) did not have a strong, female lead.  A fact which I never really noticed at the time, since most fantasy/science fiction was male dominated.  But, now, the lack of strong females was pretty striking.

My second problem (and just as huge of a hurdle) was the fact more recent heroines were fairly hit-or-miss with me.  Some were definitely interesting, damn skilled, and tough-as-nails, but few of them struck a chord with me personally.

Eventually, I did recall ten heroines whom (at various times in my life) I did adore, as they took me on some amazing adventures.  A few of these women are young, others old.  A couple are from recent releases, more are from years gone by.  What they all have in common are those undefinable qualities which all great characters have whether they be men or women.

10. Caroline Sula — Dread Empire’s Fall

Skilled and tenacious, this Terran naval officer is a mystery.  Something in her past haunting her, even as she fights to combat a deadly menace to mankind.  Sula just a great character, whom a reader wants to learn more about, because you are certain the secret she is hiding will be fairly earth shattering.

Buy The Praxis: Dread Empire’s Fall at Amazon.

9. Annabeth Chase — Percy Jackson

I’ve been fortunate enough to read this series to all three of my sons, and so every few years I’ve been able to revisit this grand adventure.  One thing that hasn’t changed over time is my respect and fondness for Annabeth, who is exactly the type of person I hope all three of my sons are lucky enough to befriend during their own teen years.

Buy The Lightning Thief at Amazon.

8.  Terisa Morgan — Mordant’s Need

An unlikely heroine Terisa overcomes her withdrawn personality to travel to a magical land named Mordant, where she encounters love and lust, power and court politics; the threat of death and destruction forcing her to use skill she never dreamed she possessed.  Great heroine in the traditional mold.

Buy The Mirror of Her Dreams at Amazon. 

7. Alys — Best Left in the Shadows

This tough-as-nails heroine is an enigma waiting to be revealed.  In the past she tried to rise above Lowside where she was born, but now she has returned to her roots, trading and selling secrets among the gangs and factions of the underside of the city.  She is a daughter of the underworld. Bold. Cunning. Free.  Damn interesting too.

Buy Best Left in the Shadows: Volume 1  at Amazon.

6. Marika — Darkwar

This young pup of the Packstead is loyal to pack and family, but with dark times coming, she finds within herself a great power is awakening, one which will take her far from home, embroil her in amazing deeds, and perhaps save her very world!  Marika is just a great character, whose drive is unparalleled.

Buy Darkwarat Amazon.

5. Keely — Daughter of the Lion

Daughter of Niall, the ruler of Homana, Keely is gifted with the power to shapechange into any form she wishes; a gift of magic which is far above all her kin; and she will not be used as a pawn by her father or by ancient prophecies.  Sometimes, however, strident determination can be turned against even the strongest person.

Buy Daughter of the Lion at Amazon.

4. Gil Patterson — Darwath

Graduate student.  Survivor.  Warrior.  Gil Patterson goes through quite the transformation, as she leaves California behind to travel to another world gripped in a desperate struggle for survival after the apocalyptic rising of the Dark.  What has always made her a personal favorite of mine is her intellect and sense of humor.

Buy The Time of the Dark at Amazon.

3. Vlora Flint — Gods of Blood and Powder  

Vlora showed brief flashes of greatness in The Powder Mage Trilogy, but it is this series where she takes center stage.  Naturally, the fact she is a badass powder mage instantly makes her a personal favorite, but Vlora also has many compelling qualities that draws me to her, including compassion and strength, devotion and resolve.

Buy Sins of Empire at Amazon.

2. Polgara — Belgariad

She is a woman of passion, sarcasm, and complex emotions, whose bark is only exceeded by her bite.  She has her issues, her hang ups, but also her strengths.  What sets Polgara apart, however, is her determination to not only overcome the darkness but due so with companions who have taken a bath.  Gotta love Aunt Pol.

Buy The Belgariad at Amazon.

1.   Lady — Chronicles of the Black Company 

Beautiful.  Cunning.  Passionate.  Fearless.  Deadly.  She is the woman of a man’s dreams, and the female who inhabits his worst nightmares.  She does evil without qualms, yet appears as elegant and demur as her moniker when it suits her designs.  All love her and despair.  And, yeah, I’ve always both respect and adored her, so, obviously, the Lady is my favorite heroine, because, sometimes, she does do heroic stuff.

Buy Chronicles of the Black Companyat Amazon.

Well, that is my list.  Agree?  Disagree?  Tell me why.  And feel free to add some other characters to the list.