Sorry for the cringeworthy request, but I’m looking for a fantasy novel with a female beastfolk character with at least a decently important role in the story. Please don’t recommend books with “anime catgirl”-style characters or animals that talk but are otherwise ordinary animals: that’s not really what I’m looking for. I prefer settings where these bestial people coexist with other species (e.g. Elder Scrolls, Breath of the Wild), but I wouldn’t turn up my nose to something with only anthropomorphic animal characters if the premise was interesting. Bonus points if the character is a foxfolk or catfolk! Thank you for bearing with my strange request! 🙂
by Reckful-Abandon
7 Comments
I dont have a rec (sorry!) but I am very curious as well!
Makes me wanna write something like that
The Others series by Anne Bishop
Scary Stories to Tell Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker (middle grade horror)
I don’t suppose the animorph series counts…
I can’t think of anything either really, also kind of interested. I *can* think of a few manga that does fulfill this request, but guess you’re not interested
Paladin’s Strength (part of the Saint of Steel series) by TK Kingfisher has several were- female characters.
are you looking for ya or adult
This might be further afield than what you’re looking for, but Starter Villain by John Scalzi has talking cats, dolphins, whales, etc. coexisting in various levels of harmony with humans.
Also, the Immortals Quartet by Tamora Pierce has mythological beasts and humans coexisting.
For automorphic animals I love the shady hollow series by Juneau Black. It’s like the wind in the willows but with more murder and important questions like, “how exactly does a fox get with a bear?”. And while that question is never answered the books are great, with decent mysteries and very cozy.
The Acorna series by Anne McCaffrey and Margaret Ball are Sci Fi adventures staring the titular Acornia, a unicorn girl discovered by asteroid miners. I don’t honestly remember all the stories but I remember liking the series. Not sure if she counts as beast folk but part unicorn is something I figured.
The Ringworld Engineers by Larry Niven has a Kzin, basically a sci fi cat man as one of the main secondary characters.