A Year of Heroines in Fantasy #3: Brienne of Tarth, Tavore Paran, & Asantir

 
Following my wee hiatus on heroines last month, I'm back again for May and rarin' to talk Brienne of Tarth from the Game of Thrones 'verse, Adjunct Tavore (Paran) in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series, and Asantir from m'own The Wall of Night quartet.

Brienne of Tarth, GoT series

All three are warriors in their respective societies, but not magic wielders as well -- unlike Aerin, Elfrid, and Malian, in my first Heroines post. So that's the first aspect they have in common -- although their disparities, as well as the qualities they share, are equally important in looking at this particular trio together. 

Brienne, for example, is very much an outlier in a man's world, where women are largely not accepted as warriors and certainly not knighted -- although in the Game of Thrones TV adaptation, which goes beyond the story arc of the books, Brienne does achieve this distinction. 

Tavore and Asantir, by contrast, inhabit worlds where women are as likely to be warriors as mages, and hold positions of power throughout their societies. Yet Tavore, like Brienne, comes from a noble family, whereas Asantir has risen through the ranks to become first captain of her Earl's honor guard, then overall Commander of the warrior House of Night.

On the other hand, both the honor guard role and loyalty to a leader -- in Brienne's case, Renly Baratheon, and in Asantir's the Earl of Night -- ties these two heroines closer together. Early in the Game of Thrones storyline, Brienne is chosen for Renly's elite Rainbow Guard, although her later path is more that of a knight errant, seeking to find and protect the two Stark sisters, Sansa and Arya. 

The Wall of Night series (USA)

When readers first meet Asantir in The Heir of Night (Book One), she is already captain of the Earl's Honor Guard, and unlike Brienne, she stays within her House's chain of command, and advances to command its armies. In this sense, her path is closer to that of Adjunct Tavore, who leads the Malazan Seventh Army throughout most of the ten-book Malazan series.

Tavore and Asantir are also more alike in personality than Brienne. Both are confident in themselves, keen minded, and experienced and successful soldiers. Brienne is equally adept as a warrior, but lacks Tavore and Asantir's confidence -- although, like them, her arc in the HBO shows her not only becoming a knight, i.e. recognized for her fighting prowess, but also commanding a wing of the army that faces the Night King. 

A major difference between Tavore, as opposed to both Brienne and Asantir, is the question mark over the sacrifice of her young sister, Felisin, to further her own rise in the service of the Malazan Empress.

Malazan #1

Asantir, however, is renowned in Night for her unwavering honor, loyalty, and duty, while Brienne is equally unswerving in her loyalty to Renly and in keeping faith with her pledge to find and protect the Stark sisters.  

As a woman following a warrior path, Brienne breaks the conventions of her society, yet in her knightly conduct and service she upholds them. In this sense, she may be something of a paradox, but otherwise, what you see with Brienne of Tarth is unquestionably who and what she is.  Conversely, with both Tavore and Asantir there are always hidden depths -- but a diversity of Fantasy heroines just adds more zest to the genre fun. 

The Wall of Night series (UK)

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Prior Posts: A Year of Heroines in Fantasy

February: Aerin, Elfrid, & Malian of Night
March: Yeine Darr & Rowan Birchmoon

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About Helen Lowe

Helen Lowe is the award-winning author of Thornspell and The Wall Of Night fantasy series, as well as a poet, blogger, and lover of story. She has recently completed writing the final book in The Wall of Night series, which is now with its publisher.

Helen posts regularly on her “…on Anything, Really” blog, monthly on the Supernatural Underground, and tweets @helenl0we.

Great Leaders In Speculative Fiction #10: Coltaine in "Deadhouse Gates" by Steven Erikson

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Draw near, gentle readers, and let me tell you of Coltaine and the Chain of Dogs! Know, too, that my tale is praise — for no series on great leadership in the pages of speculative fiction could be complete without Coltaine.

Coltaine: © Jason Dement

For those who know the Malazan Book of the Fallen (Malazan) series by Steven Erikson, I suspect no more need be said. For others, to whom the name Coltaine is new, I shall commence my tale by sharing that he is a central characters in Deadhouse Gates, which is #2 in the Malazan series.

Coltaine is a leader among the nomadic Wickan tribes, who formerly opposed the Malazan empire but were convinced to join their ranks. When the story opens, he is now a Fist (think, general), in the Malazan armies, but is still regarded as a barbarian outsider by many. He is newly posted to the territory known as the Seven Cities, with command over both his own Wickan cavalry and the Malazan Seventh Army. Yet at the time of his arrival, the entire region is on the verge of an apocalyptic revolt, which erupts almost immediately afterward.

Foreseeing the revolt and that he cannot hold where he is, Coltaine leads a fighting retreat to join the main Malazan army in the stronghold city of Aren. What follows is a march that comes to be dubbed the Chain of Dogs, in which Coltaine must hold together his vastly outnumbered troops and defend thirty-thousand civilian refugees, in the face of privation and constant battle.

One of Coltaine's most significant leadership qualities is his ability to read events and his enemies. So when the revolt comes, he's prepared his troops and secured the supplies that make a fighting retreat possible. Throughout the Chain of Dogs, he out-thinks and outfights his opponents—although not without luck, given the degree to which he's both encumbered and outnumbered.

Mostly, though, Coltaine makes his own luck, through a combination of preparation, tactical and strategic thinking, and daring. And although his leadership style is more distant than charismatic, he wins his army's unswerving loyalty through his genius and successes—which they understand, quite rightly, is what's keeping them in the fight.

Any distance, though, is only of personality, because otherwise Coltaine is strikingly present, leading a fight in which the one thing he can always be relied upon to do, militarily, is the unexpected. Yet his most surprising act, in the eyes of several of the tale's observers, is burdening himself with the civilian refugees, when militarily, jettisoning them would make more sense.

Coltaine's greatness, though, lies in his ability to see a much bigger picture. He chose to join the empire, rather than continuing to fight it, because he perceived its strengths, particularly those of unity and organization. Strengths that will not be served by abandoning thirty-thousand civilians to be massacred, fueling the flames of rebellion, and replacing his outnumbered force's resolve with shame.

I believe there are few story arcs in speculative fiction more compelling than that of Coltaine and the Chain of Dogs. He is neither invulnerable nor infallible, but his courage, resolve, and sacrifice, see the thirty thousand to Aren, and put those who dismissed him as a barbarian outsider to shame. From the beginning of the Chain of Dogs to its end, he sees what needs to be done, and does it, by means of a combination of qualities that make him one of the outstanding leaders in speculative fiction.

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© Jason Dement

Coltaine Image: Thanks to Jason Dement

I would like to thank Jason Dement for allowing me to feature his wonderful depiction of Coltaine in this post. As I said when making my request, it's always special to see a depiction that resonates with the visuals in one's head.

If you would like to see more of Jason's art, which features other characters from the Malazan series, as well as Star Wars and Marvel characters, click on Jason Dement. I believe you'll find that his site repays a visit. J

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Prior Posts: Great Leaders in Speculative Fiction ~ 
Where To Find 'Em & Why They Rock

February: Mara of the Acoma in the "Empire" series by Raymond E Feist & Janny Wurts

March:  Kaladin and Dalinar in "The Stormlight Archive" by Brandon Sanderson

April: Pyanfar Chanur in "The Pride of Chanur" series by CH Cherryh

May: John Aversin in Dragonsbane, by Barbara Hambly

June: Katniss Everdeen in "The Hunger Games" Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

July: Ulric of the Nadir in Legend by David Gemmell

August: Signe de Barbentain in A Song for Arbonne by Guy Gavriel Kay 

September: Dr Mensah in the "Murderbot" Series by Martha Wells

October: Katsa & Bitterblue in "The Graceling Realms" by Kristin Cashore
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About Helen Lowe 

Helen Lowe is an award-winning novelist, poet, and lover of story. With four books published to date, she is currently completing the final instalment in The Wall Of Night series.
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Helen posts regularly on her “…on Anything, Really” blog, monthly on the Supernatural Underground, and tweets @helenl0we.