Women in Science Fiction
respect your mothers! and their mothers, and their....
created by peryton
last updated January, 2026
Comments
Are you including non-binary people who are femme presenting? If so, Iām nominating Janelle MonĆ”eās The Memory Librarian. Soooo good. So so good.
perytonOP
YES acknowledging their nonbinary identity but also āļøtheir political and artistic devotion to šwomenš
Yay. Iām happy it fits. Itās one of those books you think about years after youāve read it. Iām probably due for a reread.
I can't talk abt scifi without talking about short stories! A lot of the genre's history is in anthologies, and a lot of its current action is in online magazines. Check out Caroline Yoachim's We Will Teach You How To Read in Lightspeed
busts down the door I got here as fast as I could
perytonOP
still building the wall the door was on I'm glad you finally made it
Thank you for making this list! Half the books were already ones I've read or plan to read!
Would dystopian also belong here? Like Handmaidās Tale from Atwood?
perytonOP
I included Cavendish's utopia, so it would be fair, but apparently Atwood hates being called a sci-fi author š
š«© the genre fiction snobbery continues
I think Becky Chambers would fit here as well! Perhaps a Psalm for the Wild Built?
Oooh may I nominate some Lois McMaster Bujold, my love, my life? The Vorkosigan series has so many books but Cordelia's Honor is the chronological starting point I believe. Epic space opera featuring a disabled protagonist with mental illness who is also a military genius. She's been at it since the eighties. Queen šš
perytonOP
absolutely, thx!
