# Fantasy and SF by Women Writers



## Seleya (Feb 25, 2011)

Following a post on the blog of a friend of mine (author Kari Sperring) about under-representation of woman writers in SF and Fantasy I thought of starting this thread recommanding a few I've read and loved (there is a discussion going on on Twitter as well, if interested look for the #womentoread hashtag).

I'll link to a specific book for each, so to take advantage of the KB link-maker, but don't consider it the only recommended book, I'd strongly suggest you take a gander through the relevant author's pages.

In no specific order:

*Katherine Kerr* (wonderful celtic fantasy, definitely not the usual take on the matter, link to first in the series) Daggerspell (Deverry)

*Megan Lindholm* (she is better known as Robin Hobb, my favorite of hers, though, was published as Lindholm) Wizard of the Pigeons

*Susan Cooper* Over Sea, Under Stone (Dark Is Rising Sequence, The)

*Ursula LeGuin* (everything, just everything) A Wizard of Earthsea (The Earthsea Cycle)

*Barbara Hambly* (I love just about everything she writes, be it fantasy or crime) Dog Wizard (The Windrose Chronicles)

*Kari Sperring* (British author, her books stay with you for quite a while after you've read them) Living With Ghosts

*Kate Elliott* (still reading through her works, I definitely recommend the Crossroads Trilogy and the Jaran books) Spirit Gate: Book One of Crossroads

*Alliette de Bodard* (the Obsidian and Blood trilogy was the first thing I read from her, she has since moved on my auto-buy list) Obsidian and Blood (Obsidian & Blood)

*M.C.A. Hogarth* (made the news for the 'Space Marine' controversy, writes SF with brain and soul) Spots the Space Marine: Defense of the Fiddler (Spots 1)

*Elizabeth Moon* (I love The Deed of Paksenarrion, must read her other works) The Deed of Paksenarrion (Paksenarrion Series)

*Sherwood Smith* (discovered by chance, I count myself lucky) Coronets and Steel

*J.V. Jones* (The Barbed Coil is my favorite of hers, to date) The Barbed Coil

*C.J. Cherryh* (sadly _The Paladin_ is not available on the Kindle) Foreigner: (10th Anniversary Edition)

Anyone else wants to play?


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

Elizabeth Moon (fantasy and Sci-fi both are great from her) 

Patricia McKillip (my favorite was Harpist in the Wind, but couldn't find it on Kindle)


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

anne mccaffery

marion zimmer bradley

katherine kurtz

octavia butler

edited to fix olivia butler to octavia butler, thanks, claw!


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

Mercedes Lackey

(Do you only want epic type fantasy?  If you include UF, there's Patricia Briggs, Ilona Andrews (a husband and wife team) and several others...Kim Harrison, Rob Thurman, Jennifer Estep, etc)

Also:

Anna Elliot
Holly Lisle
Andrea Host
Jeanette Cottrell 


I'll check my list.  I've read many of the ones you linked to!


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

diane duane

diana wynne jones


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## Seleya (Feb 25, 2011)

Oh, yes! Patricia Briggs and Diane Duane should have been in my list as well, writing off the top of my head I missed quite a few. 

Edit: I didn't know Rob Thurman was a woman, thank you.


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## Tony Rabig (Oct 11, 2010)

Leigh Brackett
C. L. Moore
Joanna Russ
Carol Emshwiller
Kit Reed
Doris Piserchia


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## dkgould (Feb 18, 2013)

Madeline l'engle - all of em, but it looks like the wrinkle in time series is all that's on kindle so far.  She was my favorite of either gender for years and years.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

and james tiptree jr was also actually a woman.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

My current binge reading is SF works by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. She's won two Hugo awards (one for editing The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction). As well as writing SF, she has had mystery stories appear in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine (if memory serves).

I don't think anyone mentioned Andre Norton or Lois McMaster Bujold yet. I have a large collection of their books.

Mike


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

jmiked said:


> ...I don't think anyone mentioned Andre Norton or Lois McMaster Bujold yet. I have a large collection of their books.
> 
> Mike


+1 for each.


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## Tony Rabig (Oct 11, 2010)

And with the post mentioning "James Tiptree Jr" telracs gets the right to give us all a Gibbs-head-smack.

(I need two Gibbs-head-smacks because I didn't include Kate Wilhelm or Connie Willis in my last post...)

If "fantasy" for purposes of this thread edges out into the area of horror too, then we'd probably want to throw in Shirley Jackson, Joyce Carol Oates (sometimes), Poppy Z. Brite, Kathryn Ptacek...


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

jmiked said:


> My current binge reading is SF works by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. She's won two Hugo awards (one for editing The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction). As well as writing SF, she has had mystery stories appear in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine (if memory serves).
> 
> I don't think anyone mentioned Andre Norton or Lois McMaster Bujold yet. I have a large collection of their books.
> 
> Mike


Love all 3 of them!
Have been really liking the "Diving" Novels by Rusch, they are SF but her fantasy books are very good as well


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## laa0325 (Feb 21, 2010)

I love historical fiction, time travel, and WWII non-fiction, so Connie Willis is one of my favorites.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

I endorse Elizabeth Moon, as mentioned by others. I have never read Bujold, but am convinced I will like her when I get to her.

I considered Andre Norton awesome back in the day, but haven't read her since my teen years. Maybe it would be fun to read about The Time Traders and Ross Murdock again....


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Tony Rabig said:


> And with the post mentioning "James Tiptree Jr" telracs gets the right to give us all a Gibbs-head-smack.
> 
> (I need two Gibbs-head-smacks because I didn't include Kate Wilhelm or Connie Willis in my last post...)
> 
> If "fantasy" for purposes of this thread edges out into the area of horror too, then we'd probably want to throw in Shirley Jackson, Joyce Carol Oates (sometimes), Poppy Z. Brite, Kathryn Ptacek...


actually, i'll pass on gibbs smacking anyone since i left mercedes lackey and andre norton off my original list. although i admit i was posting while getting ready to start my day...

some of my favorite star trek books are by AC Crispin....


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Unless I missed it, nobody has mentioned the author of arguably the first real science fiction book (as opposed to mere fantastical adventure), Mary Shelley.


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## LilianaHart (Jun 20, 2011)

Elizabeth Haydon's Rhapsody series. Still one of my top 5 favorite books.


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

Louise Cooper - can only find her kid's stuff on kindle but her adult books are awesome.
Storm Constantine - The Wraiths of Will and Pleasure: The First Book of the Wraeththu Histories for starters...
Janny Wurts - To Ride Hell's Chasm is a standalone but she's done some great series too


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## James Everington (Dec 25, 2010)

Lisa Tuttle has been writing good sci-fi and horror for years (decades!) - some of her stories are available as standalone downloads for Kindle from Infinity Plus, I believe.

Sarah Pinborough's new books, _Poison _ and _Mayhem_, look interesting - I've only read some of her short stories to date but they were excellent.

Emma Newman's _From Dark Places_ also well worth a look.

And kudos for the James Tiptree Jr mention above - even her _titles _ are amazing!


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## sammyig (Apr 24, 2013)

K.A. Stewart- *A Devil in the Details*, *A Shot in the Dark*, *A Wolf at the Door*. Her MC Jesse James Dawson is very cool.

Maer Wilson- *Relics*. A team of paranormal private eyes.


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

Some not so well-known from my favorites:

Unicorn on Speed Dial - awesome mix of UF and Fantasy - (Jeanette Cottrell) The cover stinks, but the book is awesome.

Demon Hunter and Baby  - Some of the best UF I've read bar none.  (Anna Elliot)  See cover comment above.

I also enjoyed Illegal Magic by Arlene Blakley (See cover comment above). I'm not sure I'd put it in the realms of many of the other authors mentioned above (most of whom are classics in their genre) but it's a good read and I'd read more in the series if more came along. 

Stained Glass Monsters By Andrea Host (her name doesn't look up right on Amazon because it has those two dots over the 'O' in the last name and I don't know how to put them in here.)  This was one of the best fantasy romps I've read in recent years.  Really, not a note was missed.  I was leery after the first chapter thinking it was going to be pretty cliche, but it came into its own and was a great read.

It's possible Amanda Hocking also belongs in this list although I've only read one book by her.  While some of the details were off, she has a talent for writing exciting stories and characters you can care about.


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## StephenLivingston (May 10, 2011)

Storm Constantine. Particularly her Wraeththu novels.
Start with: The Enchantments of Flesh and Spirit (The Wraeththu Chronicles)


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

Such a wonderful list of authors so far .... and let me add or second

Katherine Kurtz - her Deryni novels are fantastic
Julian May - Saga of Pliocene Exile and the Galactic Milieu series have been favorites of mine for decades
Sheri S. Tepper - Always a fun read with a nice jolt of feminism thrown in for good measure
Paula Volsky - She hasn't published in a long time but I love the world she built for the troubled nation on Vonahr.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Geoffrey said:


> Such a wonderful list of authors so far .... and let me add or second
> 
> Katherine Kurtz - her Deryni novels are fantastic
> Julian May - Saga of Pliocene Exile and the Galactic Milieu series have been favorites of mine for decades
> ...


You know what's funny? I always thought Julian May was male....


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## MommaSaysRead (Feb 10, 2013)

My ALL TIME favorite Fantasy author is C.S. Marks the author of Elfhunter. Her novella is free on Amazon today and tomorrow if you are interested in checking her out!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AIBCBJE/


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

telracs said:


> You know what's funny? I always thought Julian May was male....


I did too ... Then I saw a pic somewhere of this older woman with that name and had to do some pre-google hunting to figure out why he was a she ....


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## Jennifer R P (Oct 19, 2012)

Ones you forgot:

Andre Norton.
Lois McMaster Bujold (Vorkosian Saga)
Naomi Novik (Temeraire)
Kristen Britain (Green Rider)


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## Anjasa (Feb 4, 2012)

Barb Hendee, Lisa Smeadman, Elaine Cunningham are my favourites.


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## TWErvin2 (Aug 7, 2010)

*Barbara Hambly * was mentioned in the initial post, but not for the novel of hers I enjoyed the most, Those Who Hunt the Night.


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## dkrauss (Oct 13, 2012)

You have GOT to read these:

Mary Doria Russel: The Sparrow. http://www.amazon.com/The-Sparrow-Ballantine-Readers-ebook/dp/B000SEIFGO/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1367160621&sr=1-1&keywords=russell+the+sparrow

Michaela Roessner: Vanishing Point. http://www.amazon.com/Vanishing-Point-Michaela-Roessner/dp/0812516729

Prepare to be blown away.


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## Martel47 (Jun 14, 2010)

Some I haven't seen mentioned include:

Nancy Kress, especially her _Sleepless_ books. The first of which is _Beggars in Spain_ are great SF.

_He, She, and It_ is great feminist-jewish-Cyberpunk. It's by Marge Piercy, who isn't traditionally a sci-fi author, but the book is worth the read.

Patricia Kennealy-Morrison wrote a series of Keltic sci-fi/fantasy that someone introduced me to in college. I put this up as more of a novelty than anything. She is Jim Morrison's "widow". She also played a bit part in the movie, _The Doors_ as the priestess who performed the pagan wedding in which the actress version of herself married the Val Kilmer version of Morrison. I don't recall the books being great, but they were good storytelling.


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## Colin Taber (Apr 4, 2011)

Juliet Marillier is a great writer of fantasy and an international bestseller. She's based near me in Perth, Western Australia.

If you're interested you should probably start with: http://www.amazon.com/Daughter-Forest-Sevenwaters-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B003R50A4Q/ref=sr_1_6?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1367323403&sr=1-6&keywords=juliet+marillier


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## PaulLev (Nov 2, 2012)

Sylvia Engdahl ... Defender of the Flame (Flame Trilogy) ... Promise of the Flame ... Stewards of the Flame ... The Far Side of Evil (my favorite) ... This Star Shall Abide ... The Doors of the Universe ... Journey Between Worlds (Firebird) ... Beyond the Tomorrow Mountains


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## MMancey (Sep 8, 2011)

Trudi Canavan is good, I read The Black Magician Trilogy and loved it!
J.V. Jones is also good loved her series Book of Words. 
Louis Bujold should also be included, I read one of her books, the Curse of Chalion and enjoyed it.
Robin Hobb, already mentioned in a previous post, is my inspiration.

Then there is yours truly, M.M. Mancey, and a new epic fantasy series: Those That Rise from Legend Trilogy, the latest The Raven and the Plague http://amzn.to/15DsyPK. Feel free to check it out.

Lets hope the list of women fantasy writers continues to grow.


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## Dan Harris (May 18, 2012)

Lauren Beukes hasn't been mentioned yet. Zoo City is fantastic:


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## lmroth12 (Nov 15, 2012)

Mary Stewart's King Arthur series, THE King Arthur series, now neatly packaged as Legacy for Kindle.
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; for those who like a little philosophy mixed in with fantasy.
Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights; spooky atmosphere and truly horrible characters.
Marlys Millhiser's The Mirror, an underrated urban fantasy novel that once read is never forgotten.


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## Jennifer R P (Oct 19, 2012)

Mary Stewart's series is packaged like that for Kindle? Hrm.

Who else hasn't been mentioned...has anyone brought up the wonderful C.J. Cherryh yet?


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## kCopeseeley (Mar 15, 2011)

Two that I'm surprised I haven't seen on here yet:

Octavia Butler
Robin McKinley

Did anyone mention Elizabeth Bear?  I don't remember seeing her.

So does YA fantasy count?  If so:

Laini Taylor
Kristin Cashore
Tamora Pierce


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

Some of these have already been mentioned but I'll repeat them:

Robin Hobb: http://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Apprentice-Farseer-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B000FBFMG6/
Juliett Marillier: http://www.amazon.com/Daughter-Forest-Sevenwaters-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B004VMWAZQ/
Robin KcKinley: http://www.amazon.com/Spindles-End-ebook/dp/B0023EFB4Q/
Kristen Britain: http://www.amazon.com/Green-Rider-ebook/dp/B001JKV95U/
Sara Douglass: http://www.amazon.com/The-Wayfarer-Redemption-Book-ebook/dp/B004N624O2/r


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## Zackery Arbela (Jan 31, 2011)

Dunno if anyone mentioned it yet, but you could always try James Tiptree, Jr. (real name Alice Bradley Sheldon)

And there's always Ayn Rand...


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## Patty Jansen (Apr 5, 2011)

I absolutely love C.J. Cherryh, mostly her SF titles, and Lois McMaster Bujold.


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## Dina (May 24, 2013)

Madeleine L'Engle. Maybe it's because I read her in my youth but her books still stand out for me.


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## Neil Clarke (Mar 14, 2011)

Here's some of my favorites:
Aliette de Bodard (recent Nebula Award winner, Hugo Nominee, etc for her short fiction)
Yoon Ha Lee (mostly short stories - excellent collection out recently)
Catherynne M. Valente (novels and short stories)
N. K. Jemisin (great short stories and novels)
Kij Johnson (Award-winning author - another excellent short story collection)


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## 31842 (Jan 11, 2011)

Just wanted to second Naomi Novack (dragons in the Napoleonic war  COME ON!), Susan Cooper, and Robin McKinley.  I hope that more of Robin's books become available via Kindle.  Hero and the Crown was the first fantasy book I ever read and absolutely blew my mind.  Her Sunshine book is on my Top 5 Favorite Books Ever (post-apocalyptic urban fantasy).


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

Melissa Marr's faeries rock!


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## Saffron (May 22, 2013)

Can I recommend Oy Yew by Ana Salote? This is a fantasy about deprived children. It's not SF but real fantasy in Dickensian way. The author has a wicked sense of humour and the ironic tone is marvellous.

http://www.amazon.com/Oy-Yew-ebook/dp/B00B2JV1OM

You can read the reviews on the book page, too, to give you a flavour of what it's about.


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## Patricia (Dec 30, 2008)

lmroth12 said:


> Mary Stewart's King Arthur series, THE King Arthur series, now neatly packaged as Legacy for Kindle.
> Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; for those who like a little philosophy mixed in with fantasy.
> Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights; spooky atmosphere and truly horrible characters.
> Marlys Millhiser's The Mirror, an underrated urban fantasy novel that once read is never forgotten.


I second "The Mirror". It's one of my favorite books.


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## FranklinNoble (May 14, 2013)

You might want to include Christie Golden in this list...


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## Nancy Beck (Jul 1, 2011)

AuthorDianaBaron said:


> This one's older but excellent - The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin. It's dystopian and deals with gender issues. Ie- what would a society whose people could switch from gender to gender look like?


Read that years ago. Weird, but in a fascinating way.


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## Saffron (May 22, 2013)

Yes, I agree, a wonderful list of authors so far.  Have we mentioned Margaret Atwood?  Ursula Le Guin is one of my faves, I must say.


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

Another vote for The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin. It's probably my favourite SF novel.


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## marianneg (Nov 4, 2008)

AuthorDianaBaron said:


> This one's older but excellent - The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin. It's dystopian and deals with gender issues. Ie- what would a society whose people could switch from gender to gender look like?


That one sounds pretty interesting. It reminds me of a short story I read once. The world wasn't completely explained, being a short story, but the inference I got was that people could pretty easily change anything about themselves, including gender. They also could download their memories and have them implanted in a new body if their existing body died.


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## Dawn McCullough White (Feb 24, 2010)

T.M. Roy
K.C. May
L.K. Rigel
and C.S. Marks


(Hmm, maybe I need initials...)


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## Nancy Beck (Jul 1, 2011)

AuthorDianaBaron said:


> It would be so cool if we could download our minds into new bodies!


Yeah, I think I could get into that.


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## MineBook (May 31, 2013)

Like scifi adventure with love elements, so I give one of the first place as woman SF writer to: Suzzane Collins and her trilogy: "Hunger games".


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## meh (Apr 18, 2013)

I second the votes for Connie Willis, Andre Norton, and Robin Hobb.

Don't think I saw Naomi Novik. 

And what about Margaret Weis? I know she hasn't been around for a while, but I enjoyed both DragonLance and her DarkSword trilogy back in the day.

Last, I'd like to add Mercedes Lackey.


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## L M May (Mar 14, 2013)

My all-time favorite science fiction author is Anne McCaffrey. I couldn't get enough of the dragons of Pern. I also loved the Rowan series and the Ship Who Sang. Makes me feel all whimsical thinking about them. Think it might be time for a re-read


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## JDHallowell (Dec 31, 2012)

How is it that C.S. Friedman and Marion Zimmer Bradley haven't been mentioned yet?


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## journeymama (May 30, 2011)

KateDanley said:


> Just wanted to second Naomi Novack (dragons in the Napoleonic war COME ON!), Susan Cooper, and Robin McKinley. I hope that more of Robin's books become available via Kindle. Hero and the Crown was the first fantasy book I ever read and absolutely blew my mind. Her Sunshine book is on my Top 5 Favorite Books Ever (post-apocalyptic urban fantasy).


I was going to mention Robin McKinley. The first book I read of hers was The Blue Sword. I was working on it in a speed-reading class in highschool and stole it so I could finish it, then ended up keeping the stolen copy for years. Sunshine is amazing, and so is Spindle's End.


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## Tony Rabig (Oct 11, 2010)

Come to think of it, I don't believe Jane Yolen has been mentioned yet.  Haven't read her novels, but have read some of her short fiction.  Nice stuff, some available already and more coming to Kindle in July by way of Open Road Media.


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## L M May (Mar 14, 2013)

JDHallowell said:


> How is it that C.S. Friedman and Marion Zimmer Bradley haven't been mentioned yet?


Mists of Avalon was one of my all time favorites - until I read something yucky about the author on the kindle boards. I haven't been able to read it since, though I do still have it.


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## RobinBreyer (May 12, 2013)

There are a lot of fantastic authors who happen to be women in speculative fiction. Even from the early days with authors such as C.L. Moore. Theses days, this are a few of the Ames I think of, including some new talent. 
Carol Berg
Connie Willis
Carrie Vaughn
Kristen Britain
Ann C. Crispin
Melinda Snodgrass
Tanya Huff
Charlaine Harris
Vonda McIntyre
Jody Lynn Nye
Jane Yolen
Calista Tylor
Darke Contour
Mindy McGinnis
Joyce Alton


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## Saffron (May 22, 2013)

Ursula Le Guin

Margaret Atwood


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## JDHallowell (Dec 31, 2012)

Jim Hines just posted a similar list on his blog, and there are lots of great recommendations in the comments, too.


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## Sandra K. Williams (Jun 15, 2013)

I just typed a long list and lost it somehow when i switched to another screen to check the spelling of someone's name. VERY sad face.

It's probably easier to tag all the sff books by women i've read on LibraryThing. When it's done, it will be here: http://www.librarything.com/catalog/skw&tag=fsff

Update: All tagged & will be updated as i read more books.


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## heidi_g (Nov 14, 2013)

Colin Taber said:


> Juliet Marillier is a great writer of fantasy and an international bestseller. She's based near me in Perth, Western Australia.
> 
> If you're interested you should probably start with: http://www.amazon.com/Daughter-Forest-Sevenwaters-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B003R50A4Q/ref=sr_1_6?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1367323403&sr=1-6&keywords=juliet+marillier


Definitely agree with Juliet Marillier!

Also, Octavia Butler: Wild Seed
Freda Warrington: Elfland
Karen Miller: The Godspeaker Trilogy


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## Alessandra Kelley (Feb 22, 2011)

Lots of wonderful recommendations here.

I would list (I know there are duplicates, sorry, but they are all worth reading):

C.L. Moore
James Tiptree Jr.
Jane Yolen
Pat Cadigan
Nancy Kress
Pamela Sargent
Carol Emshwiller
Octavia Butler
Andre Norton
Lois Tilton
Lois McMaster Bujold
Ursula K. LeGuin
Elizabeth Moon
Zenna Henderson
Phyllis Gotlieb (but forgive her her covers, they tended to be awful)
Kate Wilhelm
Tanith Lee


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## xinamarieuhl (Dec 2, 2010)

Broad Universe - http://broaduniverse.org/ - is dedicated to narrowing the gap between male and female sci fi/fantasy authors. They're a great group of women. This thread reminded me that I need to join them again.


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## Jim Johnson (Jan 4, 2011)

If she hasn't been mentioned yet, I'd add Leigh Brackett to the list.


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## ElaStein (Feb 8, 2014)

Dark fantasy:
Jaqueline Carey (Kushiel's Dart trilogy)
Anne Bishop (all her books!)

Erotic Fantasy:
Laurell Dohner (New Species series and Cyborg series)

Forgot to add, for paranormal urban fantasy:
Ilona Andrews
Kim Harrison
Laurell Hamilton (Anita Blake series books 1-8ish/9ish)


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## Winter9_86 (Sep 3, 2013)

Jacqueline Carey  Kushiel series!


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## Ancient Lawyer (Jul 1, 2013)

The OP's list is great. 

I'm a huge Le Guin fan but would also like to mention Carol Berg, who is a fine writer, and Jane Routley, whose Aramaya series is wonderful. I'd like to second Kari Sperring - I loved 'Living with Ghosts'. She recently published a new book, 'The Grass King's Concubine'.

Dianna Wynne Jones - Crestomanci
Freda Warrington
Sarah Ash - Lord of Snow and Shadows

The Jim Hines list mentioned by JDHallowell is def worth checking out.


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## Seleya (Feb 25, 2011)

Thank you for all the suggestions!

I'd like to add *Judith Tarr* to the list, she writes great historical fantasy (she is an historian by training and breeds and train horses).

Alamut is very likely to sweep any lovers of the genre off their feet.


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## Theresa C (Feb 15, 2014)

Check out Broad Universe. They're an organization dedicated to women who write sci fi/fantasy/horror.


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## Ancient Lawyer (Jul 1, 2013)

There's a good article about this in The Guardian by Alison Flood http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2014/feb/21/womens-fantasy-fiction-unknown-genre

She name-checks many of the women mentioned in this thread, and there are other recommendations.

The article was triggered by Juliet McKenna, epic fantasy author, writing about the prevalence of 'blokes in cloaks' in book stores.


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## WDR (Jan 8, 2014)

I'm stunned. Four pages and no one has mentioned Ann McCaffrey yet.

_Dragonriders of Pern_ is a staple of science fiction.
Her _Brainship_ series, starting with _The Ship Who Sang_.
_The CrystalSinger_ series, starting with The CrystalSinger.

I loved how she subtly tied all these series together into the same universe. All the books in these series have been particular favorites of mine.


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## Alessandra Kelley (Feb 22, 2011)

WDR said:


> I'm stunned. Four pages and no one has mentioned Ann McCaffrey yet.
> 
> _Dragonriders of Pern_ is a staple of science fiction.
> Her _Brainship_ series, starting with _The Ship Who Sang_.
> ...


I can't speak for anyone else, but I left McCaffrey off because I prefer to recommend books I like unreservedly. The Dragonriders series may be a staple, but it has deeply problematic areas that leave me uneasy, to say the least.

It's a little why I never, ever recommend Marion Zimmer Bradley books. Aspects of them which were creepy to begin with become downright horrific given her history.


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## PaulLev (Nov 2, 2012)

Wen Spencer's Alien Taste (Ukiah Oregon, Book 1) is original and compelling science fiction. Part 1 of a series, but so far I've read only Alien Taste.


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## S Jaffe (Jul 3, 2011)

Don't forget Gail Z. Martin's Chronicle of the Necromancer!


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

PaulLev said:


> Wen Spencer's Alien Taste (Ukiah Oregon, Book 1) is original and compelling science fiction. Part 1 of a series, but so far I've read only Alien Taste.


I never knew Wen was female! I tend to be gender agnostic in my authors


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## PaulLev (Nov 2, 2012)

Chad Winters said:


> I never knew Wen was female! I tend to be gender agnostic in my authors


Yep, here's her Wikipedia article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wen_Spencer


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## ElaStein (Feb 8, 2014)

Not sure if anyone mentioned k-boarder Becca Mills yet - but I just read her fantasy Nolander, and I thought it was super excellent! And she has it as a free download right now. I highly recommended it.


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## Francesp (Mar 3, 2014)

I'll second (or third) 
Andre Norton
Tanith Lee 
and Jane Yolen

and add Nancy Springer  who did some really lovely fantasy stories. 
I almost forgot Zohra Greenhaulgh. Her Contrarywise and Trickster's Touch are two of my all time favorite books, but I think she was dropped or shuffled aside before she could finish the series. Still, epic and original books.


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## Sandra K. Williams (Jun 15, 2013)

VictoriaS said:


> Not sure if anyone mentioned k-boarder Becca Mills yet - but I just read her fantasy Nolander, and I thought it was super excellent! And she has it as a free download right now. I highly recommended it.


The beginning of _Nolander_ pulled me right in. I haven't decided if I'm going to read the next book because ick! demons! But I liked the protag, and it doesn't seem like there's going to be one of the switcheroos where his being HOT overrides the fact that the character is a DEMON. Demons are evil! They only seem sexy because they have powers of compulsion!

So yes, a second for _Nolander_.

Two other writers I've enjoyed recently are Sabrina Chase (my favorite so far is _The Last Mage Guardian_) and Elizabeth McCoy (Lord Alchemist Duology). Andrea K Höst's books are good, too.

Ooh, and for a long list of women in SF compiled by Andrea K Höst, go here:
http://thebooksmugglers.com/2014/01/sff-in-conversation-women-write-sff-andrea-k-hosts-keeper-bookshelf.html


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## Sandra K. Williams (Jun 15, 2013)

JessieCar said:


> [...]


Jessica Rydill! I read _Children of the Shaman_ about 10 years ago. I looked and looked for the next book, and it never came out in the U.S., did it?

My little heart is thumping with delight. So when will the book 2 be out?


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## Ancient Lawyer (Jul 1, 2013)

Sandra K. Williams said:


> Jessica Rydill! I read _Children of the Shaman_ about 10 years ago. I looked and looked for the next book, and it never came out in the U.S., did it?
> 
> My little heart is thumping with delight. So when will the book 2 be out?


Sandra, you just made my day - I'm so thrilled! I'm working on bringing out a Kindle edition of book 2, The Glass Mountain.

It's a rather slow process, as I have to scan the paperback a page at a time and then make it into a Word document.

(I wanted to add another recommendation - Carole McDonnell, an excellent African-American fantasy writer. I'm reading her book 'Wind Follower', which is very good, and planning to read her second, 'The Constant Tower'.)


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## AJMedina (Feb 1, 2014)

I add in Sara King, Forging Zero.


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## joyceharmon (May 21, 2012)

I'll third (or fourth?) Robin Hobb. Particularly like her Liveship Traders trilogy.

And has anyone mentioned Mary Doria Russell. She writes historical fiction as well, but her sci-fi The Sparrow and Children of God were excellent.


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## CecilyKane (Mar 4, 2014)

N.K. Jemisin - epic fantasy, high fantasy
Nicola Griffith - sci-fi, magical realism
Nalo Hopkinson - magical realism
Caitlin Kiernan - dark, psychological low fantasy
Alma Alexander - character-driven high fantasy
Mary Robinette Kowal - speculative comedies of manners, sci-fi shorts
Catherynne M. Valente - difficult to categorize, very experimental and literary; mythpunk?
Malinda Lo - fairytale retellings
Nnedi Okorafor - post-apocalyptic 
Kelly Eskridge - cyberpunk
Mari Ness - short stories of various subgenres
Hiromi Goto - low fantasy
Ellen Datlow (editor) - SF/F anthologies
Terri Winding - myth and fairytale retellings
Helen Oyeyemi - myth and fairytale retellings
Maureen McHugh - post-apocalyptic

Sorry about any repeats and for the enormity of the list. I sort of have a whole blog dedicated to this very subject, heh.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)




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## Sandra K. Williams (Jun 15, 2013)

JessieCar said:


> Sandra, you just made my day - I'm so thrilled! I'm working on bringing out a Kindle edition of book 2, The Glass Mountain.
> 
> It's a rather slow process, as I have to scan the paperback a page at a time and then make it into a Word document.


Guess I'll have to be patient! 

Has anyone mentioned Martha Wells yet? Or Glenda Larke, Catherine Fisher, Laurie J. Marks, Tamora Pierce, Kristin Cashore, Marta Randall...

      

I'm really enjoying playing with the forum linkmaker.


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## CecilyKane (Mar 4, 2014)

Ah, I forgot a few:

Tananarive Due
Aliette de Bodard
Rachel Pollack
Andrea Hairston


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

Awesome listing, everyone. I've found a few -- okay, a bunch -- of new writers to look for.

Cecily, I loved your blog. I've bookmarked it for further reading.


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## BokkenRecord (Nov 17, 2013)

Has Linda Nagata been mentioned? I'm currently reading her book 'the Bohr Maker' - beautifully written.


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## CecilyKane (Mar 4, 2014)

Sheila_Guthrie said:


> Awesome listing, everyone. I've found a few -- okay, a bunch -- of new writers to look for.
> 
> Cecily, I loved your blog. I've bookmarked it for further reading.


Oh, thank you! *blushes*

A few more I'd forgotten:

Theodora Goss - fantasy
Jo Walton (one of the most awarded SF/F novelists of all time) - low fantasy and domestic fantasy
Sharon Shinn - fantasy
Evangeline Walton (wrote epic fantasy twenty years before _Lord of the Rings_ was published)
Ann Leckie (her debut novel _Ancillary Justice_ was nominated for a bazillion awards this year) - sci-fi
Karen Lord (also nominated for a bazillion awards) - sci-fi


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## PaulLev (Nov 2, 2012)

Sarah Beth Durst for YA fantasy.


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## pesibley (Aug 17, 2013)

Katherine Kurtz was a favorite of mine way back; Ursula Leguin was one of my inspirations; Barbara Hambly was a teacher's assistance in the history department where I got my BA, so I've read a number of her books as well.

I feel that women in SF have a better handle on characterization than the males (and I have a lot of male favorites as well). They aren't so into the world-building although they're just as good at it.


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## Cupcakinitup (Mar 16, 2014)

This is such a cool thread! Girl power!! Wanted to add an author I discovered recently - Kristen Pham who writes The Conjurors series. Strong yet relatable female main character, great side character development too. AND right now she is FREE on Amazon with her first book (Society of Imaginary Friends) and the second (Knights of Light) is $3.99.

Society of Imaginary Friends: http://www.amazon.com/Society-Imaginary-Friends-Conjurors-Series-ebook/dp/B004RUXQGE

Knights of Light: http://www.amazon.com/Knights-Light-The-Conjurors-Series-ebook/dp/B00IXXSDRS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1394953288&sr=8-2&keywords=Kristen+Pham


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## JamesOsiris (Mar 23, 2014)

All stuff by Kameron Hurley. Her work is amazing, but very dark. Very woman-centric.
http://www.amazon.com/Kameron-Hurley/e/B004FNUYWW/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1


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## Kristine McKinley (Aug 26, 2012)

Came in to make sure all my favorite female writers were mentioned and I see that they all have been. Now that I've got a list of new women to read I'll leave you all to continue listing great books by amazing women.


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## VMJaskiernia (Jan 7, 2014)

Jacqueline Carey
Dia Reeves
Megan Whalen Turner
Tamora Pierce
Anne Bishop
Me


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## alawston (Jun 3, 2012)

In no particular order:

Gaie Sebold
Jaine Fenn
Anne McCaffrey (though I find the first Pern book almost unreadable in its Mary Sueishness)
Kate Orman
Mary Shelley
Trudi Canavan
Sarah Pinborough
Emma Newman
Stacia Kane

I will have forgotten many. Sorry.


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## MLKatz (Sep 8, 2012)

Sorry if somebody posted it above, but Robert Silverberg said that James Tiptree, Jr. could not possibly be a woman on the basis of "his" writing. "He" was, of course, Alice Sheldon.


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## Melody Simmons (Jul 8, 2012)

What a useful list of many of my favourite authors and new names too!  I'm keeping this thread bookmarked.


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## CecilyKane (Mar 4, 2014)

A few more I've discovered recently:

Karen Russell. She's pegged as a literary fiction writer but most of her books are unquestionably SFF. I read her novella _Sleep Donation_ recently and it was fantastic.

Isla Morley
Kate Bernheimer
Mary Rickert

These authors are relatively new and they're all in my TBR pile.


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## AnnetteL (Jul 14, 2010)

I adore Luisa Perkins' work, but it's not well known at all. DISPIRITED is a deliciously creepy and awesome urban fantasy:


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## UnicornEmily (Jul 2, 2011)

What about Margaret Weiss?  Do female authors who've collaborated with male authors count?


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## DaveMacelroy (Jun 13, 2014)

There's a comprehensive list of women writers on a Goodreads thread here https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1853480-are-we-sexist-two---discussion-resources-and-author-suggestions


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

I really like these two series:


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## Nancy Beck (Jul 1, 2011)

Ooh, Krista, you just reminded me of another series by Diana Pharoah Francis. While I liked the Crosspointe series, I didn't really get into the UF one you linked to.  Oh well. Anyway, the first series of hers that I read and loved was her Path of Fate series (first book is named the same):



For some strange reason, Path of Honor is not Kindelized, and you really have to dig for it (it's the second in the series): http://www.amazon.com/Path-Honor-Diana-Pharaoh-Francis/dp/0451459911/ref=la_B001IQXI86_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1402672664&sr=1-4

The third is Path of Blood:



Strange how the publisher would kindelize the first and third books but not the middle one. ::shrug::


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## SWF (Jun 14, 2011)

Wow, I love this thread. More fodder for my TBR list 

I also love Sheri S Tepper.  It always amazes me she isn't better known. She is incredible.  

I'm another one who didn't know Julian May was female...


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## Cactus Lady (Jun 4, 2014)

Carol Berg (mentioned a few times already, but one of my all-time favorite authors) Flesh and Spirit
Karen Miller Empress (Godspeaker Trilogy)
Sarah Hoyt Darkship Thieves
Lindsay Buroker The Emperor's Edge


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## MMJustus (Jun 28, 2010)

Lois McMaster Bujold, whose Miles Vorkosigan is absolutely bloody brilliant (in both senses of both terms).  Paladin of Souls is fabulous, too.  

And Mercedes Lackey.  I am in love with her 500 Kingdoms series -- the Valdemar books are okay and the dragons in ancient Egypt books are good, but the 500 Kingdoms books?  Sigh.


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## Jack C. Nemo (Jul 5, 2013)

Tony Rabig said:


> And with the post mentioning "James Tiptree Jr" telracs gets the right to give us all a Gibbs-head-smack.
> 
> (I need two Gibbs-head-smacks because I didn't include Kate Wilhelm or Connie Willis in my last post...)
> 
> If "fantasy" for purposes of this thread edges out into the area of horror too, then we'd probably want to throw in Shirley Jackson, Joyce Carol Oates (sometimes), Poppy Z. Brite, Kathryn Ptacek...


Actually, Poppy Z Brite is a dude.


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## Robert Dahlen (Apr 27, 2014)

I have got to add Patricia Wrede. I loved her YA Enchanted Forest Chronicles series (unavailable for Kindle as of yet, sadly), and her collaboration with Caroline Stevermer, _Sorcery and Cecelia_.

Am I also allowed to mention KBoards regulars? If so, two words: Kate Danley.


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## KateEllison (Jul 9, 2011)

Melinda Marchetta is phenomenal. I never hear enough about her Finnikin of the Rock series. Love, love, love it.


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## Kristine McKinley (Aug 26, 2012)

I don't remember if they've already been mentioned but I recently came across Shannon Mayer and Annie Bellet. I devoured both their series. Fast paced, but not to the point where you lose the tension, great female leads. Really just awesome women.


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## Zabe (Jan 18, 2014)

JDHallowell said:


> How is it that C.S. Friedman and Marion Zimmer Bradley haven't been mentioned yet?


I was surprised at how many pages I made it through before seeing C.S. Friedman. Her Coldfire books are amazing.

I'll also toss in Margaret Weis, especially for her work in co-authoring The Death's Gate Cycle.


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## MDIreman (Oct 30, 2014)

I'm sure there are some great women fantasy writers out there pretending to be bearded men because that's the type of fantasy author we're most comfortable reading.


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## nico (Jan 17, 2013)

I actually quite like Robin Hobb's Assassin Apprentice, but i couldn't get into the other books in the series. 

I totally second Patricia McKillip. Great, very lyrical writing.


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