I have two Sci-Fi related top ten posts this month, and this is the first. When Sci-Fi November rolled around, I knew I wanted to celebrate women authors in the science fiction field, because there are just too few of them. Sci-Fi is pretty much ruled by men, but the women who have made names for themselves in the genre need to be celebrated as well. Since I started blogging three years ago, I’ve read some great examples of what women can do with science fiction. I’ve reviewed most of these, and I’m linking up my reviews below if you’re interested. Keep in mind, these are just the books I’ve read in the last three years. There are marvelous examples of women in science fiction, like Octavia Butler, whom I’ve read and loved, but not since I’ve started blogging.
Adult Science Fiction:
1. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. If you haven’t grown tired of me singing the praises of this book, then allow me to gush about it some more. This is the front-runner so far for my favorite book of the year—and I’ve read some damn good books! This beautifully written, sad, but hopeful story is set slightly in the future, after a killer flu rampages humanity. Read my review.
2. The Mad Scientist’s Daughter by Cassandra Rose Clarke. This is another example of a quiet and thoughtful science fiction story, where robots are commonplace. It’s also a love story, and I loved the way Clarke’s story takes place over many years of the characters’ lives. Read my review.
3. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood. This is the first book in Atwood’s MaddAddam trilogy, and it was amazing. If you’re looking for a series written by a master storyteller, I suggest reading this one. Goodreads.
4. Ghost Planet by Sharon Lynn Fisher. I had so much fun with this one! Yes, it’s a romance, but Fisher has some serious world-building skills as well. Give this one a try, you won’t be disappointed. Read my review.
5. The Ophelia Prophecy by Sharon Lynn Fisher. Wow, Sharon gets two books on my list! I think I loved this one even more than Ghost Planet. Once again, she writes a complicated love story, this time between two different races (and I mean that one of them is an alien!). Read my review.
Young Adult Science Fiction:
6. Starters by Lissa Price. Price’s future is a chilling one, where teens rent their bodies to Enders, elderly people who want to experience what it feels like to be young again. Goodreads.
7. Arclight by Josin L. McQuein. Wow, this book blew me away with its originality! Almost as much a horror story as it is science fiction, I loved the creatures called the Fade. For some reason I missed downloading McQuein’s follow-up to this book, Meridian, but I plan on catching up with it at some point. Read my review.
8. These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner. Two teens are stranded on an uninhabited planet, after their space ship crashes. This book has everything—action, romance, and great characters. Plus it’s a fantastic survival story with unexpected depth and emotion. Not sure why I never reviewed this…I have a copy of the follow-up, This Shattered World, ready and waiting for me to read! Goodreads.
9. Blood Red Road by Moira Young. Man, I loved this book! It was beautifully written, heartbreaking (as all the best books are!) and atmospheric. I never got around to reading the two follow-up books (which seems to happen to me a lot!), but I hope to some day. Goodreads.
10. Cinder by Marissa Meyer. I know this series is on many favorites lists, but it all started with Cinder. Meyer is a great storyteller, and her characters come to vibrant life on the page. I still haven’t read the next two books in the series, but I’m sure I will at some point. Read my review.
Do you have any favorite science fiction books written by women? I know there are a lot more out there. Sound off in the comments!
Great post idea! Ursula Le Guin and Kate William are my favorites, and I have heard great things about Tanith Lee and Vonda McIntyre. Nancy Kress has also done great things with scifi.
They are all amazing, there really are quite a few women SF writers when you sit down and think about it!
I like this list and I never realised how gorgeous the cover for Oryx x Crake was…
I do love that cover too:-)
Nice post idea, I could do this someday. But how have I not read a single book from your list? Not…One..
Well, my list is all books I’ve read for review from the last three years, so it’s a very narrow selection.
And I don’t mean “narrow” in a bad way, obviously!
Could Station Eleven be anymore awesome? No! 🙂
Yay another fan!
Great idea, Tammy! I have to mention Ursula Le Guin as well, and Sheri Tepper, whose “Grass” I just read this year and which still haunts me. I also really loved “To Say Nothing of the Dog” by Connie Willis 🙂
I just got Station Eleven on your recommendation, so now I just have to find the time to actually read it! 😉
I ADORE Connie Willis, although I haven’t read anything by her in a while. Hope you enjoy Station Eleven!
The Mad Scientist’s Daughter has my vote too. I’m very excited to read The Ophelia Prophecy, I really really really hope I can fit it in this month as one of my sci-fi reads! Must…devour…books….FASTER!
The only one I have read is Cinder–sounds like I have some really good ones to add to my library shelves!
Awesome idea for a blog post! I’ve only read Oryx & Crake (and wasn’t a fan, oh well) but there look like a lot of great books here…
I haven’t read any of these but it’s always great to get new recommendations. Mad Scientist’s Daughter and Cinder look especially interesting.
Some of my favorite SF women authors: Lois McMaster Bujold (I’d start with Cordelia’s Honor), C. J. Cherryh (who has written quite a lot of books, but a lot of them are stand-alones), Elizabeth Bear, Liz Williams, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, and Connie Willis.
At first I was surprised to not see Ancillary Justice on this list, but then remembered it didn’t work as well for you as it did for me (which is perfectly fine) I will have to check some of these out!
Oryx and Crake was seriously so fantastic. But then again, Atwood is fantastic so I guess that should be no surprise. Blood Red Road was also a favorite of mine but I found the two follow-up installments to be vastly disappointing in comparison. I just read Cinder this year (finally) and was freaking blown away. Not what I was expecting at all, I can’t wait to read the other installments.
I loved Cinder! Blood Red Road is on my wishlist. I’d better say the best female sci-fi writer is Anne McCaffery. (She’s my sister’s favorite.)
Molly Mortensen recently posted…Top Ten Sequels I Can’t Wait To Get
I love Anne McCaffrey too:-)