One of the most memorable books I've read in the last five years is Conquistador, by S. M. Stirling. Stirling's premise is a gateway between parallel worlds - our modern world on one side of the gate, and a North America that Europeans never colonized on the other. It's an exceptional work of sci-fi, and very enjoyable, but also contains the memorable character of Adrienne Rolfe. Stirling is kind enough to share a scene at the gym, with Ms. Rolfe preparing to bench 160 lbs:
One-sixty was awfully heavy; it must be a good twenty over her own body weight, maybe more. She didn't look like a bodybuilder, though she wasn't skinny, and the definition on the long straplike muscles of her arms and shoulders was excellent.
More likely dance training, maybe acrobatics, or just a fitness freak like me, he thought.
The both looked like human beings, not anatomical diagrams; the "ripped" look required special diets and programs to get rid of the normal thin coating of subcutaneous fat; it was also violently bad for you, not to mention the hormones these idiots stuffed into themselves. Not to also mention that when a woman drove her body-fat content down that far her breasts disappeared, which with Ms. Rolfe was obviously not the case.
It goes on at length. I recommend this book for fans of alternate history and strong women both.
Speaking of strong-buffed women and S.M. Stirling, you might want to check out his Draka Trilogy + 1 (Marching Through Georgia, Under the Yoke, The Stone Dogs - and the spin-off novel, Drakon). It’s an alt-history that begins with the end of the American Revolution and ends with the Domination of the Draka conquering the world by end of the 20th Century.
The spin-off involves one of the Draka, a female, entering into our world (or at least a close approximation to it.) whereupon she's tracked down by an arch-adversary from her reality sent to stop her.
In general, he seems to have a thing for portraying buffed-dominant women in his stories.
mightywombat
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2007-05-20 15:34:03
Yeah, I was going to Mention Drakon myself. I haven't read any other Stirling, but I've been surious about the Drakon Domination series, since the Drakon are essentially all super-strong warrior women. Seeing you talk about this book has me wanting to pick up the rest of his novels just to see if they're all like Drakon.
Masschine
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2007-03-26 23:50:58
He certainly does. Whether in these series, the Island in the Sea of Time series or the recent Dies the Fire series there are strong women. Either physically of mentally. Read them all and I have his latest waiting for me to start.
cpbell0033944
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Watch for his name
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2007-03-27 10:48:09
If I ever get enough time (or gather-together the inclination) to read this sort of fiction, I'll have to look out for his name. 8)
AlexG
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Samothracians Unite!
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2007-03-27 22:27:15
Indeed, as a Draka would say: Service to the State, Glory to the Race.
Me, I'm a supporter of the Alliance of Democracy and especially the O.S.S., the Agency that Never Sleeps . . . 8)
- Amazon.com]
