Feminist SCI-FI features strong female heroes who fight their way out of male expectations. Its literary origins can be traced back to writers like Mary Shelley, whose novel Frankenstein (1818) dealt with the asexual creation of new life, and Mizora: A Prophecy (1880) by Mary E. Bradley Lane, described as “the first feminist technological Utopia.”
Today’s readers can appreciate modern works by landmark authors like Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time (1962), Octavia Butler’s Kindred (1979) and Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale (1985).
SCI-FI movie franchises like The Hunger Games have proven that there’s something about dystopian future societies that just need a woman to topple them down. A few more examples:
Alien (1979)
In Alien, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) fights off extra terrestrial evil, rebels against a corporation, and manages to survive in a hostile environment where all men fail.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Two words: Sarah. Connor. (Linda Hamilton)
Avatar (2009)
Avatar might be about a man, but I think we can all agree that the resourceful Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) was the true hero.
The Hunger Games (2012)
Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) inspired a generation of young feminists by standing up for what she believed in no matter the consequences.
Prometheus (2012)
In the Alien tradition, Prometheus features a super feminist hero, and makes perhaps our favorite gender inequality statement in a movie ever: when Elizabeth (Noomi Rapace) tries to use a med pod to get the alien out of her body and is told that the machine is not meant to work on women.
Arrival (2016)
Despite dealing with loss and motherhood, linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) must focus on finding a way to communicate with Aliens … and (hopefully) avert Earthly destruction.
THE SURVIVAL TRILOGY
As authors, we created the Trilogy to empower Women and People of Color. Each life-changing story sheds light on racial injustice — as it explores the human connection to Ancient Aliens through the eyes of Native Mythology.
Book 1 A GLEAM OF LIGHT explores Native American Mythology as UNA WATERS, half-Hopi bureaucrat from D.C., is summoned to Hopiland. Her connection to the white man’s world makes her uniquely qualified to help solve a mystery linked to an ancient discovery, as she tries to reconnect with her roots and cultural identity.
Book 2 THE DRAGON’S GLARE explores Asian American Mythology with UNA on special assignment to investigate unexplained violence in Chinatown, New York City. She discovers a deep-seated cultural connection with Tibetan immigrants as Ancient Chinese wisdom battles a threat from Ancient Evil.
Book 3 BEYOND THE WORLD explores African American Mythology as UNA, stranded on her honeymoon adventure in Yosemite, uncovers a UFO mystery that leads to an Alien Conspiracy. Together with Explorer’s Club teens from the Kikuyu Tribe, she tracks down the source of strange events and fights to save humanity.
If Women in Feminist SCI-FI can survive Apocalypse, Dictators, and Alien invaders, then perhaps there is HOPE for the Human Race … after all.
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