Book Review: Warrior’s Woman by Johanna Lindsey

Warrior’s Woman by Johanna Lindsey

I wanted to do a quick reread and review of this book since I brought it up here as an inspiration for writing science and speculative fiction.

This book was first released in 1990 and I was twenty and naïve. I cannot remember what I felt like at the time of reading it. I’m sure I probably loved it since I still remember it thirty years later. It certainly has its charm, as does every Lindsey book.

Upon rereading it this past week, I rolled my eyes and laughed. It’s a fun read and I liked Lindsey’s reach; her attempt is admirable given the time and it being one of the first science fiction romances of the now very large and prominent subgenre. The influence it had on me—if you read my work—is evident. The book does have its issues. The internalized sexism made me grind teeth—I expect that was the point given the romantic male protagonist was reminiscent of a caveman while the woman protagonist was the exact opposite. Still, it was worth the reread if only to remind me how far we’ve progressed (some of us, at least—or not).

Do I plan to read the rest of the series or any of Lindsey’s books? I dunno. I might pick and choose a few (they are easy quick reads) and if so, I’ll review them here. Ms. Lindsey died last year and her work had such a tremendous influence on me, I feel like I need to honor her as a thank you by urging future generations to read her. It would be a shame if they dismissed such a huge part of the romance culture that she practically created.

Some of her books are available on Hoopla accessible via your local library. A note: The original cover is definitely a must-see—is that Fabio?!?