17. She by H. Rider Haggard

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First published in 1887, She defies categorization. It's part Gothic romance and part fantasy of the "Lost World" sub-genre. Set in England and the fictional ancient north African kingdom of Kor this novel explores themes of female authority, evolution and race. Haggard uses name "She-who-must-be-obeyed" to refer to the supernatural Ayesha, a term which is later co-opted by John Mortimer in his Rumpole of the Bailey novels