Female Science Fiction Authors

[jeffreyab]

Who are the up and coming female science fiction, not fantasy, authors?

I grew up with Anne McCaffery, Andre Norton and Marion Zimmer Bradley and moved on to C.J. Cherryh, Lois McMaster Bujold and Connie Willis.

I read them because they wrote science fiction because back then that was what sold but they have gotten older or moved into the fantasy field because that is where the market is now so I read them less.

I have yet to find new female authors to replace them in the subgenres I like to read.

These are space opera like the Miles Vorkosigan books or adventures like "Space Odyssey" by Bradley, cyberpunk, alternate history like Andre Norton's crosstime books.

Comments

[benet.livejournal.com]

It may not be immediately obvious that Chris Moriarty is a woman, but Spin State and Spin Control fall into both the cyberpunk and space opera buckets.

[ghostwes.livejournal.com]

Well, she's newish, I guess, but I just started reading Memory by Linda Nagata. Seems good so far.

Jo Walton's Farthing is a good alternative history novel. Hey, it's not fantasy!

[jeffreyab.livejournal.com]

I have read and enjoyed Farthing and look forward to Ha'Penny still only the two books so far.

[shsilver.livejournal.com]

As I mentioned over ay Jay Lake's blog, Julie Czerneda, Tanya Huff, and Catherine Asaro all are relatively recent and write SF. Chris Moriarty, Jo, and Linda have been mentioned. There are also Elizabeth Bear, Linnea Sinclair, Kristine Smith, Kathleen Ann Goonan.

[shsilver.livejournal.com]

And looking at my collection, the following have all published sf (as opposed to fantasy) books in the 21st century:

Kage Baker
Sheila Finch
Eileen Gunn
Kay Kenyon
Nancy Kress
Louise Marley
Susan R. Matthews
Syne Mitchell
Elizabeth Moon
Lyda Morehouse
Pat Murphy
Rebecca Ore
Kit Reed
Justina Robson
C.J. Ryan
Wen Spencer
Steph Swainston
Karen Traviss
Liz Williams

[benet.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, I forgot about Karen Traviss! +1 to that.

[ktempest.livejournal.com]

check out sfbookswap.wordpress.com. Every month we post links to all of the online fiction by women published in the previous month. That's a good place to start - just look at the names that keep coming up over and over again.

[daveamongus.livejournal.com]

In addition to all those above (and I particularly recommend Kristine Smith, Tanya Huff, and Julie Czerneda), I'd say look for Sandra McDonald. Only the one book so far, The Outback Stars, but I imagine she has more forthcoming.

ETA: In fact, Kristine has the final book in her Jani Killian series, Endgame recently out (I think) and SFBC is omnibussing the whole series into two volumes.

[rikhei.livejournal.com]

You might be interested in Feminist SF, too.

[supergee.livejournal.com]

Elizabeth Bear

[shsilver.livejournal.com]

And Mary Gentle's AH (Ash, 1610: A Sundial in a Grave, and Ilario), although that may have too many fantasy elements for your tastes.