Five SFF novels featuring disabled characters who value themselves

Allison Alexander edits sci-fi and fantasy at a small press, writes books, and plays video games the rest of the time. She is the incurable author of Super Sick: Making Peace with Chronic Illness, a geek’s guide to living with a disability.

At Tor.com Alexander tagged five books that have "a character who has chronic pain or a disability, who plays a significant role in the story," including:

Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

Some people are gifted with magical abilities in the world of Carve the Mark, but Cyra Novak would not describe her ability as a “gift.” Her power is chronic pain—and she has the ability to transfer it to others by touch. Her brother is the tyrant leader of the Shotet people and uses Cyra to torture prisoners.

Cyra is an incredibly strong fighter and trains every day—something, I’ll admit, I scoffed at a little because I know how exhausting chronic pain is, and the toll it takes on your body. I had a hard time believing she would be so physically fit and wouldn’t just lie in bed some, if not most, days. But what I did relate to was her guilt: Cyra feels like she deserves her pain. Throughout this series and the relationships she builds, Cyra works through these emotions and strives to make peace with a condition that threatens to swallow up her life.

Read about the other entries on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue