Female science fiction authors

[Teresa Edgerton]

Wierd to hear you say that about CL Moore's S&S, in classic S&S Gollum,J.D was talking about her classic S&S. It seems like she is most know for that series when i read about her and her works.

Well, Jirel of Joiry always makes me want to slap her -- but perhaps she's more offensive to female readers than she is to men. Northwest Smith, Moore's SF hero, is a lot more interesting (and about ten times smarter).

 

[Connavar]

Well, Jirel of Joiry always makes me want to slap her -- but perhaps she's more offensive to female readers than she is to men. Northwest Smith, Moore's SF hero, is a lot more interesting (and about ten times smarter).

Its easy to forgive pulpy writing of those days when they are good specially in S&S.

For example i have recently been reading her husband Henry Kuttner. His S&S is pretty good and when its the way he writes about the hero's slim waisted girl its easy to overlook those things. Like sometimes even in REH's Conan it get annoying to a modern day reader how always Conan's women being mostly about being scared out of their minds and screaming.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Its easy to forgive pulpy writing of those days when they are good specially in S&S.

Well, I didn't find Moore's stories so good that I was able to put up with Jirel. Good, yes, but not good enough for that.

 

[Omphalos]

I've just produced an anthology of original short stories, Myth-Understandings, which features only female authors, split fairly evenly between SF and fantasy Untitled Document You might find a few authors in here to your liking.

Does this tie in with that Robert Asprin series of books that all have titles that are some bastardization of a phrase with the word "myth" in them?

 

[Ian Whates]

Does this tie in with that Robert Asprin series of books that all have titles that are some bastardization of a phrase with the word "myth" in them?

No, not at all, Omphalos. I basically gave would-be contributors the brief of producing stories themed around 'communication'. As the submissions started coming in, I was struck by how many of them bore a strong mythological element. However, a roughly equal number didn't.

So I decided to divide the final book into two sections:

Myth -- seven stories of myth-steeped fantasy (though none that are traditional 'high fantasy') including those by Gwyneth Jones, Storm Constantine, Liz Williams, Freda Warrington, Kim Lakin-Smith and Sarah Pinborough

and

Understandings -- eight predominantly science fiction stories, including those by Pat Cadigan, Justina Robson, Trisha Sullivan, Leigh Kennedy and Deborah J. Miller (aka Miller Lau)

This also enabled me to link the two subtitles to produce a 'communication'-linked title for the book itself: Myth-Understandings. I did check first to make sure that Asprin hadn't used this yet!

Untitled Document if you want to see more (and also see the fabulous cover art from the wonderful Anne Sudworth).

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

That's an impressive group of contributors, Ian.

(And the cover art is gorgeous.)

 

[Ian Whates]

Thanks, Teresa. I have to admit, it's a volume I'm really proud of.

 

[Omphalos]

No, not at all, Omphalos. I basically gave would-be contributors the brief of producing stories themed around 'communication'. As the submissions started coming in, I was struck by how many of them bore a strong mythological element. However, a roughly equal number didn't.

So I decided to divide the final book into two sections:

Myth -- seven stories of myth-steeped fantasy (though none that are traditional 'high fantasy') including those by Gwyneth Jones, Storm Constantine, Liz Williams, Freda Warrington, Kim Lakin-Smith and Sarah Pinborough

and

Understandings -- eight predominantly science fiction stories, including those by Pat Cadigan, Justina Robson, Trisha Sullivan, Leigh Kennedy and Deborah J. Miller (aka Miller Lau)

This also enabled me to link the two subtitles to produce a 'communication'-linked title for the book itself: Myth-Understandings. I did check first to make sure that Asprin hadn't used this yet!

Untitled Document if you want to see more (and also see the fabulous cover art from the wonderful Anne Sudworth).

Sounds good. And for my money, thank God Asprin has nothing to do with it.

 

[Connavar]

Joanna Russ is probably the most competent of the 1970's writers. All of her stuff is good, but The Female Man is probably her best.

James Tiptree, Jr. is the pseudonym of Alice Sheldon. Her stuff is amazing. There are two novels and a bunch of short stories, and you wont go wrong with much.

Octavia Butler is probably the best female SF writer the world has ever known (at least IMHO). She is mainly a novelist, but there is a book of excellent short stories.

Joan Slonczewski wrote a book called A Door into Ocean. Its not my favorite, but Slonczewski was a Quaker, and the book has a unique voice because of that.

Wilhelm, mentioned above, wrote one of my favorite books of all time called Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang. You should not miss that one.

Madeleine L'Engle write a Newberry Award winner called A Wrinkle in Time. Its a great story, and suitable all around for kids.

Elizabeth Ann Scarborough worte a book called The Healer's War, which is quite good.

Vonda McIntyre wrote a few books, The Moon and The Sun and Dreamsnake are two of the better ones, but she doesnt often miss the mark.

I also really like Nancy Kress, mentioned above. Her first Sleepless book is excellent, and so is the novella it sprang from.

Sheila Finch is starting to make a name for herself, with her Xenolinguist series. I think that there is a novel and a fix up, or maybe an anthology out there.

Mary Doria Russell has two excellent, excellent books out, called The Sparrow, and a sequel whose name I forget. She is probably the most recognizable woman writing SF today.

Pat Cadigan is called "The Queen of Cyperpunk" and was one of the only notable women ever to write in the subgenre, if the only one.

Carol Emshwiller is a strong author from the New Wave era, and she has finally started putting out novels. So far they are pretty good. I have always loved her short stories, and you could spend a lifetime finding them all.

Pat Murphy is still writing. I like her stuff.

So is Eileen Gunn, but Ill be damned if I can ever remember reading anything by her. I just picked up something called Stable Strategies and Others at U-Books in Seattle, so we shall see what she can do.

Kristyn Kathryn Rausch (sp?) is still publishing. I think she and her husband, Dean, used to own a publisher called Axlotl/Pulphouse, which is the firm in the late 80's and early 90's came up with the business plan that is used by PS, Subterranean and many others today, where a trade, a limited and a leatherbound signed are produced in increasingly small numbers and marketed all at the same time, almost identically for each book. They folded.

Kathryn Cramer and Ann VanderMeer are both editors, and they are active now.

There are a few others that I like, but this should get you going.


Check out my book review site. Many of these authors are reviewed there, and soon enough they all will be. This link has them alphabetized by author:

Omphalos' Book Reviews: Browse Books

I was thinking about trying Pat Cadigan. Her books sounds very interesting. Reading more modern cyberpunk i would like.

What im wondering is one of her stand alone clarke award winners a good place to start.


Style wise is she a Richard Morgan or a PKD ?

 

[Omphalos]

I have only read three of her full-length novels, Synners, Fools and Mindplayers. I think Synners won the ACC award, and IMHO its the best of the three I have read. Her short stories are pretty cool too, and I think she has several anthologies out by now.

I have never read Richard Morgan, so I cant help you there. Is she like Dick? I suppose a comparison is there. Synners has a corporate entity bad-guy with a lot of technology on hand to work their evil will. In that sense though I always likened that book more to something like what Sterling was doing. She has some stories that are more Gobsonian, though, in that they have rebelish youths hacking into all kinds of establishment machines and worlds. Dick is kind of on his own planet in that sense. His paradoid voice and lowest-common-denominator/Johnny-Everyman type protagonists really are unique to him, at least the way he does them, and his use of technology really pales in comparison to Cadigan's, Gibson's and Sterling's, so I suppose that there is a comparison, but IMHO its vague and nebulous.

Anyone else have an opinion?

 

[Connavar]

I was talking about more like cyberpunk style. Sounds like Cadigan is more technology type like RM seemed to me. Doesnt really matter just wondering.


Synners sounded best to me too which is what i wondered.

Other authors from this thread i will try are :

Octavia E. Butler - Fledgling
Nancy Kress - Beggars in Spain

 

[Riselka]

Although she's actually an Historical Fiction author, I've read that Cecilia Holland's book Floating Worlds is a truly great Science Fiction read.

I recently got my hands on a copy of it, but haven't gotten around to reading it yet.

 

[Omphalos]

Although she's actually an Historical Fiction author, I've read that Cecilia Holland's book Floating Worlds is a truly great Science Fiction read.

I recently got my hands on a copy of it, but haven't gotten around to reading it yet.

Ive got that one sitting in my pile too. Its a big beast though. And I cant remember if its in Millenium's Masterwork series or if it was just a Gollancz yellowjacket.....

 

[Ian Whates]

Ive got that one sitting in my pile too. Its a big beast though. And I cant remember if its in Millenium's Masterwork series or if it was just a Gollancz yellowjacket.....

It's one of the Gollancz yellowjackets, Omphalos -- I've got the same edition.

Regarding Pat Cadigan, you're quite right, Synners did win the Arthur C. Clarke Award (in 1992), as did Fools (in 1995).

Pat is generally hailed as 'the Queen of Cyberpunk' (a term originally coined by the Guardian newspaper, no less) and I'm not sure her style is too much like either Dick's or Richard Morgan's... it's uniquely Pat's.

I've been fortunate enough to publish two new stories from Pat over the past twelve months (in the anthologies disLOCATIONS and Myth-Understandings) and they break new ground for her, in that they're set off-world rather than on a future Earth, being based around an alien holding and processing centre where 'abductees' are first welcomed to the wider universe, and she's promised me further 'Tales from the Big Dark' for future anthologies... Can't wait!

 

[Omphalos]

I went and looked at it last night. It must be the first US edition, because its a lot bigger than the average yellowjacket, and its got a nasty pencil sketch on the cover. That has got to be the ugliest cover I ever saw. I must have bought it sight unseen on eBay or something, because I cannot imagine myself buying that thing off of a shelf!

 

[Riselka]

Mine is the now out of print mass market paperback. This picture is from amazon.com:

 

[Omphalos]

Here's mine.

Ick!

 

[murphy]

Here's mine.

Ick!

Oh, lordy me. That is awful.

 

[Razorback]

This thread is a goldmine. I’ve been trying to increase my exposure to female Sci-Fi writers over the last couple of years or so. At this point, I’ve probably read around half of the writers mentioned above. This thread provides several additions to my hunting list.

There is only one I can add, Nicola Griffith. Slow River was an interesting, if somewhat disturbing work. [FONT=&quot]I believe it won a Hugo or Nebula for whatever that’s worth.[/FONT]

I recently stumbled across Holland’s Floating World on a dollar rack. The cover was quite different from either posted above, but not appropriate for posting on this site. I guess you could say it appealed to the pig in me.

 

[Jojo999]

I recently finished reading Nancy Kress's PROBABILITY series (Moon Sun, Space). The books were very enjoyable, particularly her depiction of the planet "World" and the idea of "shared reality". Book 3(Space) did get a bit complex though as it frittered all over the universe and involved many characters.

This was my first introduction to the author. Now I am reading a book of her short stories. Will tackle the Beggar series next.

Would definitely recommend her. Surprised that she doesn't appear to have much of a fan base here.