Keeping track of the fantasy/sci-fi/horror novels I've read from female authors, focusing on little known authors/books and on anything pre-2000.
Old School SFF from female authors Public
Created by radio-appears
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Dawn (Xenogenesis, #1) by Octavia E. Butler
4 stars
Lilith Iyapo has just lost her husband and son when atomic fire consumes Earth—the last stage of the planet’s final …
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radio-appears says: Very prolific author, best known for her series of vampire romances. Found through SFem, a small series of science fiction by women translated into Dutch.
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Three generations of women gather in the silver glow of the moon, ready to initiate their newest member into the …
radio-appears says: Amazing werewolf novel. Very dark and sexual.
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radio-appears says: Probably the first openly transgender author in fantasy literature. This is her only horror novel, but dark themes abound in her work.
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What did Miss Darrington see? by Jessica Amanda Salmonson, Emma B. Cobb
5 stars
Winner of a 1989 Lambda Literary Award, this collection of twenty-four entertaining and haunting 19th-and 20th-century tales from the US, …
radio-appears says: An important mission of this anthology was to showcase work by female authors from the 19th- and early 20th century, but I mostly preferred the more modern stories. The big exception, and my favorite story overall, was The Debutante by Leonora Carrington.
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4 stars
Dana, a modern black woman, is celebrating her twenty-sixth birthday with her new husband when she is snatched abruptly from …
radio-appears says: Octavia Butler hardly needs an introduction. A harrowing tale that explores the intertwined black and white family histories of the US.
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radio-appears says: Classic new-age-y 70s sci-fi, especially notable because of its elderly female protagonist. Marta Randall doesn't have a very big bibliography, but judging by this one novel, it's worth exploring.
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The Riddle-Master of Hed (Riddle-Master #1) by Patricia A. McKillip
4 stars
In seeking the answer to the riddle of the three stars on his forehead and the three stars on the …
radio-appears says: A dream-like fairy tale in a very interesting setting. Beautiful prose. From what I've read, this series was very popular in the 80s, but seems forgotten now, which I don't think is deserved.
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Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre
4 stars
In a world devastated by nuclear holocaust, Snake is a healer. One of an elite band dedicated to caring for …
radio-appears says: A post-apocalyptic Western in which the protagonist gunslinger doesn't kill with bullets but heals with snake venom. A prime example of sci-fi that values "feminine" qualities over "masculine" combat and such.
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4 stars
In a world beyond physical reality, Nevyn, the wandering and mysterious sorcerer who relinquished a maiden's hand in marriage and …
radio-appears says: One of the most famous epic fantasies from a female author. The added layer of reincarnation is fun, but makes reading these with large time gaps between books pretty impossible.
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Darkspell. by Katharine Kerr, Katherine Kerr
On the long roads of Deverry ride two mercenaries whose fates like hidden deep in that of their own land. …
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The Bristling Wood (Deverry Series, Book Three) by Katharine Kerr
Against the passionate sweep of Deverrian history, the powerful wizard Nevyn has lived for centuries, atoning for the sins he …
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2 stars
Ex-colonel Simon Tregarth was a hunted man--and the hunt was beginning to come to its inevitable deadly end. Tregarth was …
radio-appears says: Good ol' sword and planet/planetary romance about a shoot-y man with a gun. The linking between magic and virginity in women really dates these books, but they are a fascinating peek into the history of SFF genres.
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Year of the Unicorn by Andre Norton
The Were Riders wore the shape of men but they were not human. The price of their aid was thirteen …
radio-appears says: My favorite from the three I've read so far and also basically a romance novel.
