Holdfast Chronicles Series by Suzy McKee Charnas

The men of the Holdfast had long treated with contempt the degenerated creatures known as "fems." To give themselves the drive to survive and reconquer the world, the men needed a common enemy. Superstitious belief had ascribed to the fems the guilt for the terrible Wasting that had destroyed the world. They were the ideal scapegoat. The truth was lost in death and decay and buried in history. It was going to be a long journey back...

"Everything I've always wanted from an adventure, and then some!"Samuel R Delany "[Motherlines is] a pioneer exercise in women's fantasies of independence, skill, freedom. It has a robust, earthy beauty. She has a genius for grasping ideas and dreams that are in the air and making them concrete and dramatic in her fiction."Marge Piercy Alldera had risked her life to escape the Holdfast, where men ruled fems in a bestial society based on fear... more"Everything I've always wanted from an adventure, and then some!"Samuel R Delany "[Motherlines is] a pioneer exercise in women's fantasies of independence, skill, freedom. It has a robust, earthy beauty. She has a genius for grasping ideas and dreams that are in the air and making them concrete and dramatic in her fiction."Marge Piercy Alldera had risked her life to escape the Holdfast, where men ruled fems in a bestial society based on fear. She had followed a whisper: the legend of the free fems who lived without masters. Instead, she had found the Motherline Tribes. They proud Riding Women who bred without men, the dark-laughing warriors who dared her to be free! less

After thirty years, Suzy McKee Charnas has completed her incomparable epic tale of men and women, slavery and freedom, power and human frailty.It started with Walk to the End of the World, where Alldera the Messenger is a slave among the Fems, in thrall to men whose own power is waning.In continued with Motherlines, where Alldera the Runner is a fugitive among the Riding Women, who live a tribal life of horse-thieving and storytelling, killing the few men who approach their boundaries... moreAfter thirty years, Suzy McKee Charnas has completed her incomparable epic tale of men and women, slavery and freedom, power and human frailty.It started with Walk to the End of the World, where Alldera the Messenger is a slave among the Fems, in thrall to men whose own power is waning.In continued with Motherlines, where Alldera the Runner is a fugitive among the Riding Women, who live a tribal life of horse-thieving and storytelling, killing the few men who approach their boundaries.The books that finish Alldera's story, The Furies and The Conqueror's Child, are now available. Once you start here, you won't want to stop until you've read the last word of the last book. less

The Fems were slaves of the men in the Holdfast. When Alldera escaped her slavery, she led a band of rebels to build a world where women rule. In Book One of the Holdfast Chronicles, Walk to the End of the World, Aldera the Messenger, along with all other women, is a slave. In Book Two, Motherlines, Aldera the Runner lives in two worlds, both consisting entirely of women... moreThe Fems were slaves of the men in the Holdfast. When Alldera escaped her slavery, she led a band of rebels to build a world where women rule. In Book One of the Holdfast Chronicles, Walk to the End of the World, Aldera the Messenger, along with all other women, is a slave. In Book Two, Motherlines, Aldera the Runner lives in two worlds, both consisting entirely of women. Now In Book Three, The Furies, Aldera the Conqueror leads an army back over the mountains, hoping to end the tyranny and free the salves she left behind. less

25 years after the landmark publication of Walk to the End of the World, Suzy McKee Charnas has completed her epic tale of the Holdfast.The Fems were slaves of the men in the Holdfast. When Alldera escaped her slavery, she led a band of rebels to build a world where women rule. Now Sorrel, Alldera's daughter, joins her mother. She brings with her a young boy she has adopted... more25 years after the landmark publication of Walk to the End of the World, Suzy McKee Charnas has completed her epic tale of the Holdfast.The Fems were slaves of the men in the Holdfast. When Alldera escaped her slavery, she led a band of rebels to build a world where women rule. Now Sorrel, Alldera's daughter, joins her mother. She brings with her a young boy she has adopted.The Conqueror's Child completes an epic history of life and love and the war between men and women which will stand for generations to come. less