i do think it is sort of difficult (not impossible, just difficult) for a
man to write a good female character, unless, that is, he has a really
good handle on what exactly it is that makes a woman a woman and
different from a man.
and vice versa (for women to write really good male characters)
everyone has their own ideas about what makes women "feminine"
and what makes men "masculine" and rarely do we agree on such.
heh.
however, being a woman, i absolutely LOVE the women in erikson's
world. i was struck by the lack of gender bias' immediately in his writing.
that, i think, is a strong point of the story. and, in fact, he's got it right i think. when it comes to war and dire circumstances, we're all just human aren't we?
don't get me wrong, there are a great many differences between the sexes and how they think and operate in extreme circumstances but i
as a woman can find no objectionable passage in this series whereby
erikson does women a disservice in his portrayals.
what he does do is refuse to play to stereotypical and overworked character portrayal in fantasy, and does it well.
(i might add that i think Tolkien does this well too! i loved all
his female characters!)
he's imagined and created a world wherein gender or sex is absolutely
a non-issue. i can take part in this world without having to remind myself that erikson is a man and doesn't have a clue about women. phew. what a friggin RELIEF!!
oh yeah, later in the series there are some AWESOME female characters!!
Spoiler
seren pedec, janal, hetan, and scilara just to name a few!
i now can't go backward anymore.
somebody who DIDN'T get turned off by GotM!! woooo hoodey!! 
) new universe to explore.
Yes, indeed, the excitement is extreme! I've never read half as many pages nearly as quickly. 
