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Women of Science Fiction and Fantasy

Books by women who have been paving the way for other female authors in science fiction and fantasy

User from Harris County Public Library

10 items

  • One of the first books many people think of when someone asks for a Cozy Sci-Fi recommendation. This reads a bit like watching an episodic and heartfelt sit-com set on a spaceship. There's a reason Becky Chambers has made a name for herself as a…
    Book, 2016New York, NY : Harper Voyager, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2016] — Chambe
  • Political intrigue and murder-solving in space! Seriously, though, Arkady Martine has crafted a story that dives into the repercussions of colonization for the people who were colonized. There is also a sequel novel, if you can't get enough.
    Book, 2019New York, NY : Tor, 2019. — Martin
  • You can't have a women in sci-fi/fantasy list without Ursula K. Le Guin. She helped break the genre open to other women who had great ideas that would've gone unwritten otherwise. This is a more kid-friendly book that seems to have inspired aspects…
    Book, 2012Boston : Graphia/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012. — Leguin
  • Anne McCaffrey is another pioneer of the genre. Her Dragonriders of Pern series blends science-fiction and fantasy, and it was one of my first introductions to the genres.
    Book, 2017New York, NY : Del Rey, 2017. — MacCaf
  • This series was recently adapted for TV, and Martha Wells had a solid presence during that process. Highly recommend giving this series a try if you like robots/androids having an existential crisis every two seconds and watching trashy telenovela…
    Book, 2019New York, NY : Tor, a Tom Doherty Associates Book, 2019. — Science Fiction Wel
  • Oldie but a goodie. Take dragons and look at them from a strictly scholarly angle through the eyes of a woman who must also deal with period-typical prejudices. There are plenty of books and a late-series twist that will, genuinely, make you go :O
    Book, 2013New York : Tor, a Tom Doherty Associates Book, 2013. — Brenna
  • The OG of the science fiction genre itself, written by the absolute icon that is Mary Shelley. While the text can be a bit dense for the modern reader, you can see the groundwork being laid for the genre among the pages. Highly recommend.
    Book, 2003New York : Bantam Dell, 2003. — Shelle
  • Naomi Novik has written a lot of fantasy, but her better known series is an alternate history set during the Napoleonic Wars with one key addition: dragons.
    Book, 2006New York : Ballantine Books, [2006] — Novik
  • Barnhill has a lot of fun exploring the concept of women expressing their anger by literally turning into dragons in the 1950s. As fantasy ideas go, it's absolutely one of the more unique ones I've heard.
    Book, 2022New York : Doubleday, [2022] — Barnhi
  • Alanna

    the First Adventure

    Pierce, Tamora,
    Tamora Pierce might write for a younger audience (think upper middle grade and YA), but many people have her to thank for getting them into fantasy, myself included. The Alanna Series in particular is a popular jumping-off point about a young girl…
    Book, 2014New York : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2014. — Pierce