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Feb 2, 2019 · Slide: 1 / of 1. Caption: Caption: Judith Merril was writing sci-fi back when people thought most authors in the genre were men. Reg Innell/Toronto Star/Getty Images
- Vagabonds by Hao Jingfang
- Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
- The Long Way to A Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
- To Be Taught If Fortunate by Becky Chambers
- The Hierarchies by Ros Anderson
- Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
- The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
- I’m Waiting For You (and Other Stories) by Kim Bo-Young
- Gideon The Ninth by Tamsin Muir
- The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey
Translated from the Chinese by Ken Liu As things stand right now, Hao Jingfang’s Vagabonds feels like the defining sci-fi novel of the decade. This is a grand, ambitious, considered, philosophical masterpiece of political science fiction. Taking place in 2201, Vagabonds is set on Mars and focuses on the tensions between Mars and Earth. Similar to t...
A generation-defining science fiction novel and one of the best pieces of American fiction to come out of the 20th century, Kindred is a masterpiece. Written by genius author Octavia E. Butler, Kindred is considered by many to be her magnum opus, a piece of literary time travel science fiction. Originally published in 1979 and set three years earli...
Becky Chambers is a new pioneer of science fiction literature. Her works are fresh and vibrant and colourful. Her perspective is unique, and her voice vital. The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet was her debut sci-fi novel, and the first book in the Wayfarer series. While this novel leans on familiar and comfortable tropes and settings, The Long Way...
While it may seem cheap to feature two novels by the same author on this list of sci-fi books by women, the sheer diversity of Becky Chambers’ perspectives and approaches to the genre cannot be overstated, and is worth highlighting. To Be Taught If Fortunate is an original sci-fi novella by Becky Chambers. While the Wayfarer series is a space opera...
With The Hierarchies, Ros Anderson has managed to do something fresh and new with the well-trodden themes of consciousness and machine learning, while also taking a bold, modern approach to feminist writing. Our protagonist, Sylv.ie, is a sex robot. She exists to simply please the man who owns her. Sylv.ie’s owner is a married man whose wife is pre...
American author Ryka Aoki’s Light From Uncommon Stars is a blending of genres that mixes queer science fiction with urban fantasy. Here, we have three protagonists: a transgender violin prodigy, a space alien who sells donuts at a California diner, and a woman who made a faustian deal with the devil. This is one of the finest modern sci-fi books by...
The Space Between Worlds is the debut novel by author Micaiah Johnson; a multiverse-spanning journey of mystery and discovery, and one of the most original and affecting sci-fi books by women on the shelves. Our protagonist is Cara, a young traverser who moves through 380 different versions of Earth in order to observe and gather data. Her job is s...
Translated from the Korean by Sophie Bowman and Sung Ryu Kim Bo-Young is a legend of Korean literature, and even worked as a script editor on Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-Ho’s Snowpiercer. With I’m Waiting for You, readers can see first-hand why she’s such a special sci-fi author. This collection of four stories is essential reading amongst sci...
Gideon the Ninth is one of those stories that, like Star Wars and Dune, blends science fiction and fantasy together into a genre sometimes referred to as science fantasy. And it is a rip-roaring good time from beginning to end! Arguably, Gideon the Ninth doesn’t only cross the sci-fi and fantasy genres. It’s also often a laugh-out-loud comedy and a...
(I’ll say upfront that Sarah Gailey — like myself — identifies as non-binary, but is included on this list of sci-fi books by women because what’s important is that they are not a cisgender male sci-fi author). The Echo Wife is a grounded piece of speculative science fiction. A deeply personal and human tale of love and loss and betrayal and desper...
Mar 15, 2022 · By Gertrude Barrows Bennnett. Gertrude Barrows Bennett wrote her first short story, “The Curious Experience of Thomas Dunbar,” at age 17, and the magazine Argosy published it under the byline G.M. Barrows. This is said to be the first instance of an American female author publishing science fiction using her real name.
Nov 15, 2014 · by Mary Shelley – 1818. It’s been argued that Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is the first science fiction novel. Shelley published it anonymously in 1818, and 500 copies were printed. It wasn’t until 1831 that the “popular” version was sold (which is probably what you’ve read).
Mar 18, 2019 · Witch World: Estcarp Cycle. By Andre Norton. A female author who wrote under a male penname, Alice Mary Norton was the first woman to be inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. Her books usually follow the hero’s journey, in which an “outsider” realizes their full potential.
Nov 20, 2020 · This popular misconception, that women weren't part of the early sci-fi landscape, comes from later on when popular science fiction anthologies began to leave out women authors. One work that covers some of the controversial choices made by the editors of these science fiction anthologies is Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A ...
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Le Guin has been a significant player in the science fiction field since the 1960s and has nourished the sci-fi and fantasy genre with piercing visions of race, gender, ecology and politics. She ...
