100 Must-Read Sci-Fi Fantasy Novels By Female Authors

While we at the Riot take some time off to rest and catch up on our reading, we’re re-running some of our favorite posts from the last several months. Enjoy our highlight reel, and we’ll be back with new stuff on Monday, July 11th. This post originally ran May 2, 2016.

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  Ready for your TBR list to explode? I’ve gathered the 100 best sci-fi fantasy novels by female authors and there is sooooo much reading goodness to dig into. From YA to adult lit, from magical realism to epic fantasy to post-apocalyptic sci-fi feminism, from short stories to series, there’s a book on this list for every single reader. Do note that I’ve only listed the first book in any given series, so expect that this list could easily give you ten times as much reading power (especially with those stick-to-your-gut epic fantasy series). I’ve also only included one book per writer to showcase the widest range of voices from sci-fi fantasy novels by female authors. So if you want to sink into a really prolific writer like Ursula K. Le Guin or Octavia Butler, you’ve got loads more to work with as well.   1. Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce 2. The Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia 3. Among Others by Jo Walton 4. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie 5. Ancient, Ancient by Kiini Ibura Salaam 6. The Antelope Wife by Louise Erdrich 7. Arrows of the Queen by Mercedes Lackey 8. Ash by Malinda Lo 9. Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb 10. The Pyramid Waltz by Barbara Wright 11. Biting the Sun by Tanith Lee 12. The Blazing World by Margaret Cavendish 13. The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter 14. Boneshaker by Cherie Priest 15. Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson 16. Cast in Shadow by Michelle Sagara 17. China Mountain Zhang by Maureen F. McHugh 18. Chorus of Mushrooms by Hiromi Goto 19. Cinder by Marissa Meyer 20. The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart 21. The Darkangel by Meredith Ann Pierce 22. Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor 23. Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop 24. Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier 25. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris 26. Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente 27. The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen 28. The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin 29. Doomsday Book by Connie Willis 30. Dragon Sword and Wind Child by Noriko Ogiwara 31. Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey 32. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir 33. The Etched City by K.J. Bishop 34. The Female Man by Joanna Russ 35. Flesh and Spirit by Carol Berg 36. The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip 37. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley 38. The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo 39. Graceling by Kristin Cashore 40. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood 41. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling 42. The Hearing Trumpet by Leonora Carrington 43. Her Smoke Rose Up Forever by James Tiptree Jr. 44. Hild by Nicola Griffith 45. His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik 46. The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende 47. The House on the Lagoon by Rosario Ferré 48. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones 49. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 50. Ink by Sabrina Vourvoulias 51. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke 52. The Island of Eternal Love by Daína Chaviano 53. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke 54. Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear 55. The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin 56. Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey 57. Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling 58. Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link 59. The Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley 60. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley 61. Moving the Mountain by Charlotte Perkins Gilman 62. Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi 63. My Christina & Other Stories by Mercè Rodoreda 64. My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due 65. Native Tongue by Suzette Haden Elgin 66. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern 67. Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler 68. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender 69. The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen 70. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater 71. The Red by Linda Nagata 72. Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord 73. Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire 74. Salt Fish Girl by Larissa Lai 75. The Second Mango by Shira Glassman 76. Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold 77. Shikasta by Doris Lessing 78. The Snow Queen by Joan D. Vinge 79. Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh 80. So Far from God by Ana Castillo 81. Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho 82. Soulless by Gail Carriger 83. The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell 84. The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon 85. Spirits of the Ordinary by Kathleen Alcala 86. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel 87. A Stranger in Olondria by Sofia Samatar 88. Sunshine by Robin McKinley 89. Swamplandia! by Karen Russell 90. Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner 91. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner 92. Valor’s Choice by Tanya Huff 93. War for the Oaks by Emma Bull 94. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson 95. Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor 96. Wicked As They Come by Delilah S. Dawson 97. Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy 98. The Woman Who Thought She Was a Planet and Other Stories by Vandana Singh 99. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh 100. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle Thankfully a list of 100 sci-fi fantasy novels by female authors simply isn’t enough to cover all the amazing books out there. Hit the comments to share your favorites!