Recs if you like Tehanu...

JK Rowling is a bigot who uses her platform to hurt transfolks and other marginalized groups (plus she literally just quoted Mein Kampf on the bird site). If you're still supporting her in 2025, don't bother talking to me.

books featuring older women protagonists, age 30 and up, in sci-fi and fantasy. for books containing multiple povs/protagonists, older fmcs should hold equal weight and presence in the story as other mcs. ideally, aiming for more women centred additions, but open to all suggestions and feedback!

A list of well-rated sci-fi and fantasy books featuring a woman who's 30 or older as the main character. I'm open to recommendations - I'd love this list to be long

A list of all the novels which won the Best Novel category of the Nebula Awards. To be nominated for this award a story must be 40,000 words or more and published in English in the US and it must be either a science fiction or fantasy story. This list should be in descending order (most recent winners first while earlier winners are further down.

Science fiction and fantasy books with female protagonists who are NOT teenage girls!

All of Ursula K. Le Guin's major works. Not exhaustive due to some writing being hard to source sadly. Still a work in progress!

A woman's place is in the revolution. Featuring magical/gifted women who disobey the powers that be and rage against the machine.

Your favourite female fantasy writer's... favourite female fantasy writer. Works of SFF by female writers which proved critically lauded or influential to subsequent writers.

The most comprehensive list of award winning sci-fi and fantasy novels. The books on this list have won either 1 or multiple awards out of the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Locus Sci-Fi, Locus Fantasy, goodreads Choice Fantasy, or goodreads Science Fiction Awards.

Books which don't treat you like you're an idiot, and trust you to engage with them; complex naming conventions, elaborate worldbuilds, large casts of characters, narrative tricks, beautiful prose, heavy intertextuality.

classic, sprawling second-world epic fantasy books that feature traditional tropes, large ensemble casts and heavy political maneuvering.

Women (or nonbinary) winners of the Nebula award for best novel

Feminist masterpieces from female writers in every genre ✨ Recommendations are very welcome here!:)

This is based on a lot of best list researching and only some of my own opinions. It is mostly a wish to read list. Please add your best lady writer picks so we can all have an army of lady writers to recommend to each other and celebrate!

books featured on the podcast Shelved By Genre

"I want to know about elfs. I want to know about dwarves. I want to know about: wizards. I want to know about: goblins. I want to know about: cyberpunks. I want to know about: rampant AI. I want to know about: Master Chief. I want to know about: gay wizards. Okay? Like that’s what I want to know about." - Cameron Kunzelman

winners of the best fantasy novel locus award 1978-2026.

Influences for the award-winning actual play podcast.