A collection of older, sometimes lesser-known, fantasy (or science fantasy) books written by incredible women and published primarily between the 1980s and early 2000s (with nods to a few older ones). In a time when female fantasy authors were few and far between, these authors carved out their own space in the genre. These stories might not be mainstream hits today, but they are full of brilliant magic, deep characters, and/or worlds that helped shape the genre. (First in Series / standalones only for now - open to suggestions!)
starryravyn commented...
I don't know if you're taking recs, but here are some other ideas!
A Magical Girl Retires by Park Seolyean (translated from Korean) The Rainfall Market by You Yeong-Gwang (translated from Korean) Eartheater by Dolores Reyes (translated from Spanish) The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar (translated from Farsi) The Moonday Letters by Emmi Itäranta (translated from Finnish) Memory of Water by Emmi Itäranta (translated from Finnish) Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko (translated from Russian) The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa (translated from Japanese) The Gray House by Mariam Petrosyan (translated from Russian) 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Blue Bear by Walter Moers (translated from German) Lost Souls Meet Under A Full Moon by Mizuki Tsujimura (translated from Japanese) The Man Who Died Seven Times by Yasuhiko Nishizawa (translated from Japanese) The Swarm by Frank Schatzing (translated from German) The Elven by Bernhard Hennen (translated from German) The Man Who Spoke Snakish by Andrus Kivirähk (translated from Estonian) Six Heirs by Pierre Grimbert (translated from French) Empire of the Ants by Bernard Werber (translated from French) The Cardinal's Blades by Pierre Pevel (translated from French) The Complete Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino (translated from Italian) Creative Surgery by Clelia Farris (translated from Italian) Amatka by Karin Tidbeck (translated from Swedish) The Sacred Book of the Werewolf by Victor Pelevin (translated from Russian) The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma (translated from Spanish) The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende (translated from Spanish) Slipping by Mohamed Kheir (translated from Arabic) The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami (translated from Japanese) The Goddess Chronicle by Natsuo Kirino (translated from Japanese)
Some might lean a bit more magical realism than true fantasy though, but figured I'd share some I'd found when researching this very topic! :)