Science fiction mixed with intrigue and intergalactic travel
While there are certainly female science fiction writers, most notably Ursula Le Guin, the genre has long been thought of as a literary domain almost exclusively for nerdy men who don't really wish to see Sci Fi written from a woman's perspective. The fact, however, is that a large number of readers who purchase science fiction novels are women. These readers have long complained of bias and the portrayal of female characters within the genre. Fortunately, author Kim Welsman is doing her small part to reshape the future of science fiction with the first book in the Alien Encounters series entitled Going Home.
As with so many novels before it, Going Home is set in a dystopian future where alien beings from other worlds arrive on Earth from a distant planet in order to engage in political intrigue. In this world, however, women are the central characters, both the protagonist and the antagonist. Each of these characters have unique personalities that are fully explored; each woman is also strong in their own personal ways, which is a far cry from how females are usually treated in popular science fiction. In fact, genre writers are known for turning females into either blatant sex objects or objects of desire. Even under the best of circumstances, they are rarely more than sidekicks or detours from the main storyline. While this kind of plot may have a certain appeal to the perceived fan base that the publishers are targeting, it nevertheless neglects the female demographic who want to see something different. With Going Home, women readers are finally getting what they've waited so long to see: a strong, intelligent female lead.
While the Alien Encounters in targeted to adult women, the storylines are imaginative and complex enough to appeal to even the most hardcore science fiction readers, regardless of their gender. Still, what Kim Welsman has accomplished with this first book is something which many women hope will be a new trend in speculative fiction; that is, women embracing their feminine side and no longer shaping their own writing in order to appeal to a built-in fan base. With Going Home, we see a brave new world where a heroine in a bleak futuristic universe no longer has to dress provocatively or serve as eye candy in order to find her way in the pages of a novel. So for a new experience in a genre that today seems to be suffering from a lack of creativity, consider reading this remarkable series. The first and second books are both available now for the Kindle reader through Amazon.
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Going Home is available here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BFUODK2
You can find Kim Welsman on the web at http://www.kimwelsman.ca/
