So I’m fairly certain my book exchange gifter is a mind-reader. I’d indicated that I enjoy fantasy novels with strong female characters and BOY did she deliver! This big hunk of book is called “The Mists of Avalon,” and it’s basically the Arthur mythos from the women’s perspective- which is important, because we almost always see things from just the men’s viewpoint. And that’s great, because the men go out and have quests, but by focusing on the women, we get to meet a whole new cast of characters.

And oh boy let me tell you about these characters. The main character is Morgaine. You know her as Morgan Le Fay, and she is a badass. Her mom, Igraine, manages to survive a crappy marriage to this older guy and marry the man she loves, all while being a badass. Then there’s Viviane, Igraine’s sister. Guess what? She, too, is an amazing badass. But they’re not just, y’know, wild fighters; there’s so many ways to express feminity and badassitude, and the mental and physical trials these women overcome vary just as much as their characters do. There’s so many amazing, well-rounded ladies in this book that it’s not really possible to discuss them all here, ok? Just trust me on this, you want to read it and get to know them yourself.

BUT IF THAT WASN’T ENOUGH this book also contains a really, really neat deconstruction of the concept of religion in a mytho-historical setting and a most excellent discussion of how spiritual practices get absorbed by other religions as they grow and change using example of how the British Druidic traditions were assimilated into Christianity. In short, it’s a heck of a story and engages the reader on an intellectual and spiritual level. And it’s completely full of badasses.

Go read it. It’s long, but don’t let that put you off, because you will come to love this great big family of awesome, powerful ladies. Trust me on this.