I like lists, so I wrote a (far from complete) list of amazing sff female authors. I don’t read as much science fiction as I like, so I went to an expert: Beth at Before We Go Blog. She reviews the coolest books, and interviews amazing authors! Check her blog out. Here are some fabulous writers to read, with titles of some of their work next to their names:
Author: Notable Works:
*Katherine Arden- The Bear and the Nightingale
*Margaret Atwood- The Handmaid’s Tale; Angel Catbird (graphic novel)
*Holly Black- The Cruel Prince, The Spiderwick Chronicles (coauthor)
*Kendare Blake -Three Dark Crowns (series), Anna Dressed in Blood
*Anne Bishop- Daughter of the Blood
*Kristen Britain- Green Rider
*Emma Bull- War for the Oaks The Princess and the Lord of Night
*Octavia Butler- Parable of the Sower Dawn
*Jacqueline Carey- Kushiel’s Dart Starless
*Beth Cartwright- Feathertide
*Stephanie Caye- The Flaws of Gravity
*Becky Chambers -The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
*C.J. Cherryh- Downbelow Station The Pride of Chanur
* Cassandra Clare- The Mortal Instruments (series) The Magisterium Chronicles (coauthor)
*Susanna Clarke -Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Piranesi
*Susan Cooper- The Dark is Rising series
*Delilah S. Dawson- (Star Wars) Galaxy’s Edge: Black Spire Kill the Farm Boy (coauthor)
*Sarah Douglass- The Wayfarer Redemption trilogy
*Emily A. Duncan- Wicked Saints
*Sarah Beth Durst- Queen of Blood
*Kate Elliott -King’s Dragon
Cold Magic
*Jennifer Fallon- Medalon (The Demon Child trilogy)
The Immortal Prince (the Tide Lord series)
*Cordelia Funke- Inkheart
Reckless (coauthor)
*Christie Golden -Fate of the Jedi series (contributing author)
Vampire of the Mists (Ravenloft series)
*Alix A. Harrow- The Ten Thousand Doors of January The Once and Future Witches
*Elizabeth Haydon- Rhapsody: Child of Blood
*Heid Heilig- The Girl From Everywhere
For a Muse of Fire
*Robin Hobb- Assassin’s Apprentice (Farseer trilogy #1)
Ship of Magic (Liveship Traders #1)
*Kameron Hurley- The Mirror Empire (Worldbreaker Saga #1)
*P.D James- The Children of Men
*N.K Jemisin- The Fifth Season (Broken Earth series #1)
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
*J.V. Jones -The Baker’s Boy (The Book of Words #1)
*S. Kaeth- Windward
*Catherine Kerr- Daggerspell (Deverry Cycle #1)
*Katherine Kurtz -Deryni Rising
*Mercedes Lackey- The Oathbound (Vows and Honor book 1)
The Black Gryphon
*Madeline L’Engle- A Wrinkle in Time
*Ursula Le Guin -A Wizard of Earthsea (The Earthsea Cycle)
The Dispossessed
*Anne Leckie- The Raven Tower
Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch trilogy #1)
*Devin Madson- We Ride the Storm
*Juliet Marillier- Daughter of the Forest
Wolfskin
*Anne McCaffrey- A Diversity of Dragons
Dragonflight (Dragonriders of Pern book #1)
*Seanan McGuire- Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children series, book 1)
Middlegame
*Robin McKinley -The Hero and the Crown
Chalice
*Erin Morgenstern -The Night Circus
The Starless Sea
*Jennifer A. Nielson -The Traitor’s Game
The False Prince (the Ascendance trilogy, book 1)
*Raina Nightingale- Return of the Dragonriders
*Naomi Novik- Uprooted
His Majesty’s Dragon (Temeraire, book 1)
*Nnedi Okorafor- Zahrah the Windseeker Binti
*Quenby Olson- The Half Killed
*Tamora Pierce- Tempests and Slaughter (The Numair Chronicles #1) Trickster’s Choice (Daughter of the Lioness #1)
*Suzie Plakson- The Return of King Lillian
*Rebecca Ross- A River Enchanted
*Victoria Schwab- A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1)
The Near Witch
*Mary Shelley- Frankenstein
The Last Man
*Sarah J. Sover- Fairy Godmurderer
*M.L. Spencer- Dragon Mage
*Andrea Stewart- The Bone Shard Daughter
*Mary Stewart -The Crystal Cave (The Arthurian Saga #1)
*Tasha Suri- The Jasmine Throne
*James Tiptree Jr.- Brightness Falls from the Air
*Karen Traviss -City of Pearl
Star Wars Republic Commando: Hard Contact
*Joan D. Vinge- The Snow Queen
Ladyhawke
*Thea Von Harbou- Metropolis
*Jo Walton- Tooth and Claw
*L.A. Wasielewski- The Alchemist: Dawn of Destiny
*Margaret Weis -Dragons of Autumn Twilight (coauthor)
Forging the Darksword (Darksword trilogy #1, coauthor)
*Martha Wells- The Element of Fire
All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries #1)
*Connie Willis- Doomsday Book
*Patricia C. Wrede- Dealing with Dragons (The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, #1)
Shadow Magic (Lyra series #1)
*Janny Wurts -Curse of the Mistwraith (Wars of Light and Shadow #1)
That Way Lies Camelot
*Jane Yolen- The Young Merlin trilogy
Sister Light, Sister Dark (Great Alta Saga #1)
Whew! Needless to say, this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to talented female sff authors. Who did I forget?