Old School SFF from female authors Public

Created by radio-appears

Keeping track of the fantasy/sci-fi/horror novels I've read from female authors, focusing on little known authors/books and on anything pre-2000.

  1. Parable of the Sower by 

    4 stars

    In 2025, with the world descending into madness and anarchy, one woman begins a fateful journey toward a better future. …

  2. radio-appears says:

    Very prolific author, best known for her series of vampire romances. Found through SFem, a small series of science fiction by women translated into Dutch.

  3. Wilding by 

    No rating

    Three generations of women gather in the silver glow of the moon, ready to initiate their newest member into the …

    radio-appears says:

    Amazing werewolf novel. Very dark and sexual.

  4. radio-appears says:

    Probably the first openly transgender author in fantasy literature. This is her only horror novel, but dark themes abound in her work.

  5. What did Miss Darrington see? by ,

    5 stars

    Winner of a 1989 Lambda Literary Award, this collection of twenty-four entertaining and haunting 19th-and 20th-century tales from the US, …

    radio-appears says:

    An important mission of this anthology was to showcase work by female authors from the 19th- and early 20th century, but I mostly preferred the more modern stories. The big exception, and my favorite story overall, was The Debutante by Leonora Carrington.

  6. Kindred by 

    4 stars

    Dana, a modern black woman, is celebrating her twenty-sixth birthday with her new husband when she is snatched abruptly from …

    radio-appears says:

    Octavia Butler hardly needs an introduction. A harrowing tale that explores the intertwined black and white family histories of the US.

  7. Dawn (Xenogenesis, #1) by 

    4 stars

    Lilith Iyapo has just lost her husband and son when atomic fire consumes Earth—the last stage of the planet’s final …

  8. Islands by 

    No rating

    radio-appears says:

    Classic new-age-y 70s sci-fi, especially notable because of its elderly female protagonist. Marta Randall doesn't have a very big bibliography, but judging by this one novel, it's worth exploring.

  9. The Riddle-Master of Hed (Riddle-Master #1) by 

    5 stars

    In seeking the answer to the riddle of the three stars on his forehead and the three stars on the …

    radio-appears says:

    A dream-like fairy tale in a very interesting setting. Beautiful prose. From what I've read, this series was very popular in the 80s, but seems forgotten now, which I don't think is deserved.

  10. Dreamsnake by 

    4 stars

    In a world devastated by nuclear holocaust, Snake is a healer. One of an elite band dedicated to caring for …

    radio-appears says:

    A post-apocalyptic Western in which the protagonist gunslinger doesn't kill with bullets but heals with snake venom. A prime example of sci-fi that values "feminine" qualities over "masculine" combat and such.

  11. Daggerspell by 

    4 stars

    In a world beyond physical reality, Nevyn, the wandering and mysterious sorcerer who relinquished a maiden's hand in marriage and …

    radio-appears says:

    One of the most famous epic fantasies from a female author. The added layer of reincarnation is fun, but makes reading these with large time gaps between books pretty impossible.

  12. Darkspell by 

    4 stars

    On the long roads of Deverry ride two mercenaries whose fates like hidden deep in that of their own land. …

  13. The Bristling Wood (Deverry Series, Book Three) by 

    4 stars

    Against the passionate sweep of Deverrian history, the powerful wizard Nevyn has lived for centuries, atoning for the sins he …

  14. Witch World by 

    5 stars

    Ex-colonel Simon Tregarth was a hunted man--and the hunt was beginning to come to its inevitable deadly end. Tregarth was …

    radio-appears says:

    Good ol' sword and planet/planetary romance about a shoot-y man with a gun. The linking between magic and virginity in women really dates these books, but they are a fascinating peek into the history of SFF genres.

  15. Web of the Witch World by 

    5 stars

    Simon Tregarth, whose own Earthly prowess had won him a throne and a witch-wife on an alien world, knew that …

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