Fairy, Cyborg, Goddess

10 books with non-human heroines

As artificial intelligence becomes more and more sophisticated, the question of what defines a human being becomes ever more challenging. Some of these non-human heroines/female characters are more “human” than their Homo Sapiens sisters. Others are more powerful – and more frightening.

1. The Holy Machine

Chris Beckett

2. The Windup Girl

Paolo Bacigalupi

3. The Stone Gods

Jeanette Winterson

4. Handling the Undead

John Ajvide Lindqvist

5. Dead Until Dark

Charlaine Harris

6. Pandora Hearts Volume 1

Jun Mochizuki

7. Homer's The Odyssey

S. H. Butcher and Andrew Lang, trans.

8. She

H Rider Haggard

9. The Passage

Justin Cronin

10. Firebrand

Gillian Philip