L.E. Modesitt Jr. is the bestselling author of the fantasy series, The Saga of Recluce. He had a varied range of careers before becoming a published author in 1973 and since then has created an impressive back catalogue of over 70 novels. He is an established author of both fantasy and science fiction, and I had the pleasure of speaking with him to discuss his new book, Quantum Shadows, which publishes on July 21st, and learn a little more about his writing process and style.

Firstly, can you tell us a little about Quantum Shadows?

Quantum Shadows is a far, far future science fantasy, set in the world of Heaven, where every faith has a geographical domain, ranging from mere villages of belief to the large lands of ten major faiths [the Houses of the Decalivre], each House ruled by a hegemon, an individual of great power, who may be a god or the prophet of a god.  Corvyn, sometimes known as the Shadow of the Raven, contains the collective memory of humanity’s Falls from Grace. With this knowledge comes enormous power. When unknown power burns a mysterious black image into the holy place of each House of the Decalivre, Corvyn must discover what entity could possibly have that much power and what lies behind that symbolism. The stakes are nothing less than another Fall, and if he doesn’t stop it, mankind will not rise from the ashes, having, literally and symbolically, burned most of its bridges behind it.

The subtitle of the book is “Forty-Five Ways of Looking at a Raven,” partly because each chapter begins with a couplet or quatrain dealing with a raven or ravens that bears on what follows.

You are quite well known for using ethical issues within your plots and exploring how they affect your characters. What inspires you to write in this way?

Everyone operates on an internal system of ethics, something long posited, but recent psychological studies tend to confirm that such systems exist within each of us and that they’re at least partly genetically influenced.  I’ve always been fascinated by the variation in such “personal” ethical systems, even in siblings with similar genetic backgrounds and upbringings, and how they influence people and how people rationalize their actions to themselves and to others.

Also, much of history is dominated by conflicts over beliefs, or at least by conflicts rationalized to be about beliefs, and beliefs can’t really be separated from ethics.  I’ve always wondered how so many people can profess an ethical stance or religious belief… and then act against that belief while professing it. Those are at least a few of the reasons which such conflicts are a part of what I write.

Quantum Shadows is an exciting mix of fantasy, science fiction and mythology in a futuristic world. What was the inspiration behind this?

Quantum Shadows was a difficult and complex book for me, and it took over six years to write it, admittedly part-time and often on the side, although it’s less than half the length of many of my fantasies, the longest of which only took eight months to complete, but it was a book I absolutely had to write, and, when an author feels that way, it’s often hard to explain the basis of that feeling.

One of the inspirations was my long-standing fascination and interest in ravens.  They’re certainly more intelligent than, say, eagles, which are so often exalted, and, until recently, ravens have been highly underrated. Another factor was a desire to explore the commonalities, differences, and conflicts in religion.  And a third was to pose a series of questions about religion.  I also wanted to tie in poetry with the story, because words – especially poetic words – are integral in some way or fashion to most religion.

Your previous works have commonly been multi-part series, but Quantum Shadows is a standalone. Were there any differences in your writing process for this book?

The biggest difference was that I continually, but intermittently, wrote parts of it over a period of years, but I can’t say that my writing process changed.

Your back catalogue of works is both vast and varied. Do you feel like your writing style has changed over the years?

I don’t think that my basic style has changed that much, but, in looking back at my earliest fiction work, it’s clear that I’ve improved, and I’ve also removed a few stylistic “tics” that didn’t set well with most readers.  There’s also another factor to consider.  I was almost forty when my first novel was published, and I’d been writing professionally in other non-fiction and technical and political fields for more than fifteen years so there might not have been as much change as there would have been if I’d been writing fiction from my early twenties.

Considering all your novels, is there a character you really enjoyed crafting and writing?

There’s really not any single character I enjoyed creating more than another.  Some I enjoyed because of the challenge, particularly the first female protagonist – Anna Marshall from The Soprano Sorceress – or the five protagonists from Archform: Beauty, which I wrote with alternating chapters from different characters, each from the first-person viewpoint.  Lorn, from Magi’i of Cyador and Scion of Cyador, was also just enjoyable, as was Taelya, from the forthcoming Recluce novel, Fairhaven Rising.

What is the best part about being an author?

For me, the best part is being able, within certain parameters, to create worlds and explore ideas that I can share with readers – and to make a comfortable living at it.  It’s not something that I take for granted, because I wrote professionally and successfully [at least if you define selling every novel as success] for twenty years before I could afford to leave the series of day jobs to write full time.

I wouldn’t say that writing is fun or even enjoyable… although there are moments… but it’s immensely satisfying in the end.

Are there any particular authors or books that influence your work?

There are so many authors I’ve read over the years.  Each of them has likely provided some influence, beginning with the poets, such as William Butler Yeats, T.S. Eliot, Wallace Stevens, even Kipling.  As for the novelists, those in the F&SF field would have to include Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Heinlein, Alfred Bester, Gordy Dickson, Ursula LeGuin, Sheri Tepper, Arthur C. Clarke, Cordwainer Smith, Michael Moorcock, Keith Roberts, and Roger Zelazny… but they’re not the only ones, just the ones who come to mind immediately.

What are you currently reading and have you read anything recently that you could recommend to our readers?

What I’m currently reading are non-fiction periodicals, such as New Scientist, Scientific American, History, Archaeology, and The Economist.  I seldom read fiction while I’m writing, unless I’m traveling, and, right now, I’m definitely not traveling.

The latest good F&SF that I read included Guy Gavriel Kay’s A Brightness Long Ago, The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemison, and A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine.  I also got to read an ARC of The Freedom Race by Lucinda Roy, which is a disturbing but fascinating look at a future America already split by another civil war, and it’s totally unlike any other scenarios of future America, either in narrative or style.  But it’s likely to be a good year before it’s out from Tor.

Being almost halfway through 2020 I’d love to know what is next for you. Are you currently working on anything else?

Besides Quantum Shadows, which will be out in July, there are several other books that I’ve completed and that are in production.  The next Recluce novel – Fairhaven Rising – will be out in February of 2021, and Isolate, the first book in a new series – The Grand Illusion – is scheduled for release in late 2021.  I’m currently working on the sequel to Isolate, but since it’s not finished and won’t be for several months, I don’t know when it will see print.

I also just had a short story published in the anthology Fantastic Hope, put together by Laurell K. Hamilton, and recently turned in another –“Evanescence” – for a small press anthology called Shapers of Worlds that’s scheduled to be released this fall.  It combines a creation myth, proto-solar-system dynamics, future deep space high-tech Oort Cloud exploration… and opera.

Will you be picking up Quantum Shadows? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: L.E. Modesitt Jr, Author of ‘Quantum Shadows’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Tired of reading science fiction and fantasy set in patriarchal societies? Want to read some novels where women and women’s interests are valued above the men for a change? Then this is the list for you! We’ve compiled twenty adult and YA SFF books (in no particular order), where the females run the show.

Read on to discover some new reads and tell us in the comments below if you have read one or will be reading one!

Fantasy

The Mirror Empire (Worldbreaker Saga #1) by Kameron Hurley
On the eve of a recurring catastrophic event known to extinguish nations and reshape continents, a troubled orphan evades death and slavery to uncover her own bloody past… while a world goes to war with itself.

In the frozen kingdom of Saiduan, invaders from another realm are decimating whole cities, leaving behind nothing but ash and ruin. As the dark star of the cataclysm rises, an illegitimate ruler is tasked with holding together a country fractured by civil war, a precocious young fighter is asked to betray his family and a half-Dhai general must choose between the eradication of her father’s people or loyalty to her alien Empress.

The Ruins of Ambrai (Exiles #1) by Melanie Rawn
A thousand years ago, Mageborns fled prejudice and persecution to colonize the planet Lenfell – a perfect refuge for those whose powers were perceived as a threat by people not gifted with magic. But the greater the magic, the greater the peril. Lenfell was soon devastated by a war between rival Mageborn factions that polluted the land with Wild Magic and unleashed hideous specters called Wraithenbeasts. Now, generations later, someone is planning another war on the still crippled planet that will tear three Mageborn sisters apart.

Daughter of the Blood (The Black Jewels #1) by Anne Bishop
The Dark Kingdom is preparing itself for the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy – the arrival of a new Queen, a Witch who will wield more power than even the High Lord of Hell himself. But this new ruler is young, and very susceptible to influence and corruption; whoever controls her controls the Darkness. And now, three sworn enemies begin a ruthless game of politics and intrigue, magic and betrayal, and the destiny of an entire world is at stake.

The Gender Game (The Gender Game #1) by Bella Forrest
A toxic river divides nineteen-year-old Violet Bates’s world by gender. Women rule the East. Men rule the West. Welcome to the lands of Matrus and Patrus. Ever since the disappearance of her beloved younger brother, Violet’s life has been consumed by an anger she struggles to control. Already a prisoner to her own nation, now she has been sentenced to death for her crimes. But one decision could save her life. To enter the kingdom of Patrus, where men rule and women submit. Everything about the patriarchy is dangerous for a rebellious girl like Violet. She cannot break the rules if she wishes to stay alive.

Homeland (The Legend of Drizzt #1) by R.A. Salvatore
In exotic Menzoberranzan, the vast city of the drow is home to Icewind Dale prince Drizzt Do’Urden, who grows to maturity in the vile world of his dark elf kin. Possessing honor beyond the scope of his unprincipled society, can he live in world that rejects integrity?

The Cloud Roads (The Books of the Raksura #1) by Martha Wells
Moon has spent his life hiding what he is — a shape-shifter able to transform himself into a winged creature of flight. An orphan with only vague memories of his own kind, Moon tries to fit in among the tribes of his river valley, with mixed success. Just as Moon is once again cast out by his adopted tribe, he discovers a shape-shifter like himself… someone who seems to know exactly what he is, who promises that Moon will be welcomed into his community. What this stranger doesn’t tell Moon is that his presence will tip the balance of power… that his extraordinary lineage is crucial to the colony’s survival… and that his people face extinction at the hands of the dreaded Fell! Now Moon must overcome a lifetime of conditioning in order to save and himself… and his newfound kin.

The Demon King (Seven Realms #1) by Cinda Williams Chima
Times are hard in the mountain city of Fellsmarch. Reformed thief Han Alister will do almost anything to eke out a living for his family. The only thing of value he has is something he can’t sell – the thick silver cuffs he’s worn since birth. They’re clearly magicked – as he grows, they grow, and he’s never been able to get them off.

One day, Han and his clan friend, Dancer, confront three young wizards setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea. Han takes an amulet from Micah Bayar, son of the High Wizard, to keep him from using it against them. Soon Han learns that the amulet has an evil history – it once belonged to the Demon King, the wizard who nearly destroyed the world a millennium ago. With a magical piece that powerful at stake, Han knows that the Bayars will stop at nothing to get it back.

Meanwhile, Raisa ana’Marianna, princess heir of the Fells, has her own battles to fight. She’s just returned to court after three years of freedom in the mountains – riding, hunting, and working the famous clan markets. Raisa wants to be more than an ornament in a glittering cage. She aspires to be like Hanalea – the legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world. But her mother has other plans for her… The Seven Realms tremble when the lives of Hans and Raisa collide, fanning the flames of the smoldering war between clans and wizards.

​The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (Inheritance Trilogy #1) by N.K. Jemisin
Yeine Darr is an outcast from the barbarian north. But when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, she is summoned to the majestic city of Sky. There, to her shock, Yeine is named an heiress to the king. But the throne of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is not easily won, and Yeine is thrust into a vicious power struggle.

Note: This is not set in a matriarchal society, but the main character comes from one.

The Broken Crown (The Sun Sword #1) by Michelle West
The Dominion, once divided by savage clan wars, has kept an uneasy peace within its border since that long-ago time when the clan Leonne was gifted with the magic of the Sun Sword and was raised up to reign over the five noble clans. But now treachery strikes at the very heart of the Dominion as two never meant to rule – one a highly skilled General, the other a master of the magical arts – seek to seize the crown by slaughtering all of clan Leonne blood.

Note: This one contains multiple societies, one of which is matriarchal. It takes a couple of books before this society appears in full, being referred to in the early books but not fully explored until later.

Fall of Angels (The Saga of Recluce #6) by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
The 6th book in the “Saga of Recluce” chronicles Recluce’s past and the founding of the Empire of the Legend – the mythological domain ruled by women warriors on the highland plateau of Candar. A revolutionary new society will be born here – if Nylan can learn to control his growing powers.

Court of Fives (Court of Fives #1) by Kate Elliott
On the Fives court, everyone is equal. And everyone is dangerous. Jessamy’s life is a balance between acting like an upper-class Patron and dreaming of the freedom of the Commoners. But away from her family, she can be whomever she wants when she sneaks out to train for the Fives, an intricate, multilevel athletic competition that offers a chance for glory to the kingdom’s best competitors.

Then Jes meets Kalliarkos, and an improbable friendship between the two Fives competitors – one of mixed race and the other a Patron boy – causes heads to turn. When Kal’s powerful, scheming uncle tears Jes’s family apart, she’ll have to test her new friend’s loyalty and risk the vengeance of a royal clan to save her mother and sisters from certain death.

​Science Fiction

Behind the Throne (The Indranan War #1) by K.B. Wagers
Meet Hail: Captain. Gunrunner. Fugitive. Quick, sarcastic, and lethal, Hailimi Bristol doesn’t suffer fools gladly. She has made a name for herself in the galaxy for everything except what she was born to do: rule the Indranan Empire. That is, until two Trackers drag her back to her home planet to take her rightful place as the only remaining heir. But trading her ship for a palace has more dangers than Hail could have anticipated. Caught in a web of plots and assassination attempts, Hail can’t do the one thing she did twenty years ago: run away. She’ll have to figure out who murdered her sisters if she wants to survive.

The Gate to Women’s Country by Sheri S. Tepper
Tepper’s finest novel to date is set in a post-holocaust feminist dystopia that offers only two political alternatives: a repressive polygamist sect that is slowly self-destructing through inbreeding and the matriarchal dictatorship called Women’s Country. Here, in a desperate effort to prevent another world war, the women have segregated most men into closed military garrisons and have taken on themselves every other function of government, industry, agriculture, science and learning. The resulting manifold responsibilities are seen through the life of Stavia, from a dreaming 10-year-old to maturity as doctor, mother and member of the Marthatown Women’s Council.

Ammonite by Nicola Griffith
Change or die. These are the only options available on the planet Jeep. Centuries earlier, a deadly virus shattered the original colony, killing the men and forever altering the few surviving women. Now, generations after the colony has lost touch with the rest of humanity, a company arrives to exploit Jeep – and its forces find themselves fighting for their lives. Terrified of spreading the virus, the company abandons its employees, leaving them afraid and isolated from the natives. In the face of this crisis, anthropologist Marghe Taishan arrives to test a new vaccine. As she risks death to uncover the women’s biological secret, she finds that she, too, is changing – and realizes that not only has she found a home on Jeep, but that she alone carries the seeds of its destruction.

The Stars Are Legion by Kameron Hurley
Somewhere on the outer rim of the universe, a mass of decaying world-ships known as the Legion is traveling in the seams between the stars. For generations, a war for control of the Legion has been waged, with no clear resolution.  As worlds continue to die, a desperate plan is put into motion.

Zan wakes with no memory, prisoner of a people who say they are her family. She is told she is their salvation – the only person capable of boarding the Mokshi, a world-ship with the power to leave the Legion. But Zan’s new family is not the only one desperate to gain control of the prized ship. Zan finds that she must choose sides in a genocidal campaign that will take her from the edges of the Legion’s gravity well to the very belly of the world.

Zan will soon learn that she carries the seeds of the Legion’s destruction – and its possible salvation. But can she and her ragtag band of followers survive the horrors of the Legion and its people long enough to deliver it?

The Shore of Women by Pamela Sargent
This classic work of feminist science fiction finds the world reordered. Following a nuclear holocaust, women have used advanced technology to expel men from their cities, bringing them back only for purposes of loveless reproduction under the guise of powerful goddesses. When one young woman, Birana, questions her society’s deception, she finds herself exiled amongst the very men she has been taught to scorn. As Birana and her reluctant male protector Arvil grow closer, their feelings for each other just might mend their fractured world – if they somehow manage to survive.

The Moon and the Other by John Kessel
In the middle of the twenty-second century, over three million people live in underground cities below the moon’s surface. One city-state, the Society of Cousins, is a matriarchy, where men are supported in any career choice, but no right to vote – and tensions are beginning to flare as outside political intrigues increase.

After participating in a rebellion that caused his mother’s death, Erno has been exiled from the Society of Cousins. Now, he is living in the Society’s rival colony, Persepolis, when he meets Amestris, the defiant daughter of the richest man on the moon.

Mira, a rebellious loner in the Society, creates graffiti videos that challenge the Society’s political domination. She is hopelessly in love with Carey, the exemplar of male privilege. An Olympic champion in low-gravity martial arts and known as the most popular bedmate in the Society, Carey’s more suited to being a boyfriend than a parent, even as he tries to gain custody of his teenage son.

When the Organization of Lunar States sends a team to investigate the condition of men in the Society, Erno sees an opportunity to get rich, Amestris senses an opportunity to escape from her family, Mira has a chance for social change, and Carey can finally become independent of the matriarchy that considers him a perpetual adolescent. But when Society secrets are revealed, the first moon war erupts, and everyone must decide what is truly worth fighting for.

​Jaran (Jaran #1) by Kate Elliott
In the future, Earth is just one of the planets ruled by the vast Chapalii empire. The volatility of these alien overlords is something with which Tess Soerensen is all too familiar. Her brother, Charles, rebelled against them at one time and was rewarded by being elevated into their interstellar system – yet there is reason to believe they murdered his and Tess’s parents.

Struggling to find her place in the world and still mending a broken heart, Tess sneaks aboard a shuttle bound for Rhui, one of her brother’s planets. On the ground, she joins up with the native jaran people, becoming immersed in their nomadic society and customs while also attempting to get to the bottom of a smuggling scheme she encountered on her journey there. As she grows ever closer to the charismatic jaran ruler, Ilya – who is inflamed by an urgent mission of his own – Tess must choose between her feelings for him and her loyalty to her brother.

The Glorious Angels by Justina Robson
The groundbreaking new novel from one of the genre’s most respected authors: a thrilling mix of science, magic and sexual politics. On a world where science and magic are hard to tell apart, a stranger arrives in a remote town with news of political turmoil to come. And a young woman learns that she must free herself from the role she has accepted.

The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson
The lush city of Palmares Tres shimmers with tech and tradition, with screaming gossip casters and practiced politicians. In the midst of this vibrant metropolis, June Costa creates art that’s sure to make her legendary. But her dreams of fame become something more when she meets Enki, the bold new Summer King. The whole city falls in love with him including June’s best friend, Gil. But June sees more to Enki than amber eyes and a lethal samba. She sees a fellow artist.

BONUS: The Power by Naomi Alderman

In The Power the world is a recognisable place: there’s a rich Nigerian kid who lounges around the family pool; a foster girl whose religious parents hide their true nature; a local American politician; a tough London girl from a tricky family. But something vital has changed, causing their lives to converge with devastating effect. Teenage girls now have immense physical power – they can cause agonising pain and even death. And, with this small twist of nature, the world changes utterly.

Note: This novel details HOW a matriarchal society might evolve as women are suddenly the physically stronger sex.

Tell us in the comments below if there are any other books with matriarchal societies that you’d recommend, or if you’ve read any of the above and what you thought.

The post 20 Sci-Fi & Fantasy Books With A Matriarchal Society appeared first on The Nerd Daily.