SFFKit Augut : Female Authors

Welcome to this month's SFF-Kit, Female Authors




Top row (l-r) Margaret Atwood, Anne McCaffrey, Tanith Lee, Carol Berg
2nd row (l-r) Becky Chambers, Aliette de Bodard , S.A. Chakraborty, Michelle Sagara

My genre reading is still dominated by male authors and much to my chagrin I seem unable to correct that imbalance. Thankfully as each year passes the awards categories seem not to be reflecting this with women deservedly dominating the nominations. For example all 6 finalists for the Hugo Awards are all by female authors.

There's plenty to choose from whether you want to go the classic route, young adult or children's books, urban fantasy or someone who just happens to be the current flavour of the month. Hopefully you all have something to hand and can join in with this month's topic. If you're having trouble deciding then here's a few resources you can take a gander at for some inspiration:

LT List
SF Mistressworks List
100 Must read SFF novels by female authors

You may even be surprised to discover an author you've heard of but didn't realise was female maybe because of using initials or even a male pseudonym (C. S. Friedman or James Tiptree Jr. spring to mind).

And if you're still stuck then check out last year's thread for more inspiration:

2020 Female Author SFFKit Thread

Whatever you choose to read I hope you enjoy and let us know about it. Also don't forget to update the Wiki.

My choice will be A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle.

I don't usually do the KITs but it fits my reading, so yay!
I'll be reading Aftermath by Ann Aguirre. I am loving the Sirantha Jax series, this is book 5.

My most likely choice for this challenge is Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin or Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

I was looking for female-authored SFF books on my shelves that would also work for the V AlphaKIT, and I found two: A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab and The Velocipede Races by Emily June Street. So I'll likely read one of those. But I've got a ton of other possibilities on my shelves...hopefully I'll get to some Carol Berg or Martha Wells or Sharon Shinn as well!

>1 AHS-Wolfy: I love that you included S.A. Chakraborty in your photo gallery. Her Daevabad Trilogy ( The City of Brass, The Kingdom of Copper, and The Empire of Gold) has been my favorite new series over the past two years.

I'm planning to read The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden for this challenge.

I am turning to some of my favorite female authors and catching up on some series as well with:

Scout's Progress by Sharon Lee
Beguilement by Lois McMaster Bujold
Instauration by Sarah Lyons Fleming

What about CJ Cherryh?

I've read almost everything she's written, so if you want my input just ask. I think she's superb!

I might read a Murderbot Network Effect that's been on my shelves since December, or maybe I'll get back to Robin Hobb. Or I could pick up one of my unread by Lois McMaster Bujold.

>8 fuzzi: what did you think of Regenesis the sequel to Cyteen?

This is an easy category for me, because I tend to read more women authors than men in any fiction genre. I might read Becky Chambers' latest, A Psalm for the Wild-Built, The Freedom Race by Lucinda Roy, She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan, or maybe something by Seanan McGuire.

I may need to change my choice as I just realised this Japanese fantasy is due back at the library in a few weeks - Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura.
I love Japanese fiction and portal fantasy, so looking forward to it.

Female authors is my year-long reading theme so this one should be a no brainer! :)
My most likely choices will be to keep going with my re-re-re-re-reading of the Death Gate series by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman with Firesea, or to read Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells which for some reason I stll haven't read yet!

For those looking for new authors I've discovered this year Patricia A. McKillip with The Bards of Bone Plain that I highly recommend, and apparently many of her books are really good!

I can also recommend Juliet Marillier. I loved the Sevenwaters series.

Nice to see so much traction on the thread already.

>6 VioletBramble: Pictures were chosen mostly to complement last year's choices (partly why I included the link back to that thread also) and S.A. Chakraborty's trilogy has been getting a lot of good press lately and her LT pic fit witht the gallery dimensions too.

Haven't totally settled on my own selection(s) as yet. Most likely candidate at the moment is Seed to Harvest by Octavia E. Butler but could just as easily pick up something by Ursula K. Le Guin or Lois McMaster Bujold or maybe continue with a series for Kristin Cashore or Fuyumi Ono or start a new one with Ann Leckie or Christine Feehan

Choices, choices!

Oh what a lovely thread! I think I will be able to read at the very least a SFF book in August by a female author.

Some of my favorites are:

Juliett Marillier >13 JayneCM: - have you read The Light Isles series as well? Loved it almost as much as the Sevenwaters Trilogy

Patricia A. McKillip - have read her since the mid-70's and totally agree with >12 chlorine:!

Ursula LeGuin - Loved loved loved Tehanu >4 Robertgreaves:. It's nice to see such a deft author bring beloved characters back.

Katherine Arden - I've had her trilogy and read the first two in order to make them last. >6 VioletBramble: Thanks for reminding me that I may need to finish #3 as part of a reading challenge!

Madeline L'Engle is such a grande dame and had such a hard time getting published in the 60's. A Wind in the Door has been staring at me for a while and may have to be a re-read.

>15 threadnsong: That series is on my extremely long TBR as well! Too many books to get to, aren't there?!

I'm going to plan on reading Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse.

>13 JayneCM: Actually Daughter of the forest by Juliet Marillier is what I'm planning to read for July's SFFKit. :) I'm a bit late for that though as I still have a lengthy book to finish so I probably won't finish it in July.

>18 chlorine: I am planning to reread the series one day!

>1 AHS-Wolfy: The State of the Thing newsletter I received today mentions this list on LT itself:

https://www.librarything.com/list/42911/all/Favorite-Science-Fiction-by-Women-Au...

>20 Robertgreaves: Great list!

>20 Robertgreaves: Thanks Robert, I already included it as the first of the 3 resource links in the OP but shortened off the heading so possibly why you missed that. The thought is appreciated though so if there's any more likely candidates then feel free to post.

Here's hoping everyone finds something good to read this month.

I have settled for Seed to Harvest to start with this month and very positive early impressions so far.

>18 chlorine: The first time I read Daughter of the Forest I read it halfway through till 1 AM! I do hope you enjoy it, whenever you get a chance to read it.

Some author news to report:

Megan Lindholm (some may know her better as Robin Hobb) has just been announced as the co-recipient of World Fantasy Convention Lifetime Achievement Awards along with Howard Waldrop. Congratulations to both.

>24 threadnsong: I finished it two days ago and posted about it in the July thread.
It was indeed a captivating read that kept me reading later tha I originally intended at night! :)

>26 chlorine: Yay! Glad to hear it and that you found it a captivating read. I also responded to your July posting ;).

I started the month off with reading 2 books for this Kit:

Instauration by Sarah Lyons Fleming is the third book in her zombie trilogy entitled "The City". I am a fan of this author and enjoyed all 900 pages of this book.

Beguilement by Lois McMaster Bujold is the first in an older trilogy, originally published in 2006. I am also a huge fan of this author and will definitely be continuing on in this fantasy series.

Currently reading Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse, and The Heart of Valor by Tanya Huff.

I finished A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher - delightful. And I started Rolling in the Deep by Mira Grant.

>30 Crazymamie: I really enjoyed A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking as well.

I read and enjoyed The Velocipede Races by Emily June Street. It's technically fantasy because the world of the novel is invented -- all the cities and locations are fictional. But the book reads more like a historical romance than a fantasy novel, so I'll definitely try to read something else for this KIT as well.

>32 christina_reads: I am fascinated by this book - it sounds bonkers! I definitely must get to it.

>33 JayneCM: I liked it overall, though I don't think it's one I will reread. Picked it up at a library sale based solely on the title and cover, so I wasn't expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Aftermath by Ann Aguirre Sirantha Jax book 5

SFFKIT August 2021 Female SFF authors

I was so badly itching to read this one that I almost did not wait for the KIT. I've never participated in a KIT before, so I really wanted to hold out. Wow! This one was certainly worth the wait. This series is gold. It's hard sci-fi and yet surprisingly poignant and emotional at times - Aguirre handles that balance so beautifully. She takes you places you had no idea you were going. This is book 5 of 6 and is aptly named. You can see all the storylines of the previous 4 books being dealt with and handled. Sirantha goes to trial for treason for her actions with the Grimspace beacons and she's determined to right her wrongs. We get big, meaty backstory on March and Vel and I appreciated having them more fleshed out. The ending honestly broke my heart, like in itty, bitty pieces. I'm still picking them up off the floor. I honestly don't know what Aguirre is setting up for the last book but I know I've got to read it!

>35 VictoriaPL: Thanks for waiting :)

I quite enjoyed the 1st of that series but haven't gotten around to picking up any of the follow on books yet. Good to hear that you're still relishing them 5 books in.

I have finished my first (or should that be fourth) story for this month's kit by reading Seed to Harvest. An omnibus edition that contains 4 of the 5 stories of the Patternist series by Octavia E. Butler. The first two of which are very interconnected as a couple of the main protagonists feature in both despite the time span numbering hundreds of years. You're then thrown a curveball with a total shift away from everything in the third story before the last brings them all together again. It's an excellent collection with that third story being only slightly weaker than the others but overall very enjoyable.

I read Uncharted Territory by Connie Willis. It is a short novella length read which can easily be read in a day. The story is about a team of explorers who explore a planet called Boohte. It is very funny and satirical about political correctness. I found it very fun to read. I think I can use if for travel too.

The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey

“A trippy domestic thriller which takes the extramarital affair trope in some intriguingly weird new directions” - Entertainment Weekly.

Evelyn Caldwell's life's work has been in the field of cloning. She's just received an award for her achievements and that recognition will open so many doors for her. But while her professional life is going great, her marital life with Nathan, well, not so much. She's just met Martine, her husband's mistress. A woman who has Evelyn's face, body and DNA but not her strong will, her psychological trauma or her office hours. A woman who can give Nathan everything that Evelyn cannot.

So, yes, Martine is a clone. This is not a spoiler, it tells you in the hook on the front flap. But I believe the meat of the story would hold up even if she wasn't. This book is a fascinating look at psychological behavior in relationships. How Evelyn and Martine view each other and how it changes over time. And their understanding of the man they both love but love differently. Such beautifully crafted work. And, I think, a story that could have only been written this well by a woman. I loved it.

As planned I have re-read Fire Sea by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.
This third book in the series takes us to the world of earth, which is again very original. The overall story mixes with the local story of the characters which is well thought-of. A pleasant continuation to this series.

>39 VictoriaPL: That sounds good - adding it to The List.

>41 Crazymamie: enjoy!

Lonely Castle In The Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura

If I could give this book ten stars, I would! Loved it from start to finish! Although it started out slowly, the last section just has to be read in one sitting, at a furious pace, as the story all comes together and you have to keep reading to find out all the twists.

This is the story of seven teenagers who each are 'called' to enter a castle through mirrors. It takes a while for them to work out their connection to each other and why they particularly have been summoned to the castle. The girl in the wolf mask is there when they arrive to offer advice and set out the rules.

As the main character says when she is contemplating whether to enter her mirror for the first time, "How could a portal into a different world not be appealing?" I agree - ever since reading Narnia as a child, I have been WAITING for my portal to appear! :)

Highly recommended! And that cover - I would drawn to this book up for that alone!

I picked Phantom Banjo by Elizabeth Scarborough from the shelf, but unfortunately it didn't hold my interest.

>43 JayneCM: About waiting for "your" portal, have you read Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire ? :)

>45 chlorine: Love that series! I enjoyed the books about Jack and Jill the best - must be my dark side coming through! They are definitely read in one sitting books.

I have finished reading the whole (so far) of The Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells.

My review:

Murderbot (aka SecUnit) is an android security guard constructed out of robotic and human elements which has managed to override its governor module, giving it the capability of independent action without having its circuits fried if it does not follow orders.

Having read the whole series one after the other, it is the narrative voice of Murderbot that really stands out: snarky and baffled by the motivations and reckless behaviour of human beings. Its strongest desire is simply to be left alone to enjoy the soap operas it downloads.

For the most part, the actual stories are only interesting as a vehicle for Murderbot to the point where they have mostly merged together in my mind. The second novella in the series, in which Murderbot investigates the incident from which it took its name for itself, left me totally unclear as to what had actually happened. For me, the best story was the most recent one, "Fugitive Telemetry", where Murderbot helps investigate a murder on a space station.

>46 JayneCM: I only read the first two books so far and loved the second book which is about Jill and Jack.
I love the novella length but am completely unable to focus long enough to read them in one sitting! :)

>47 Robertgreaves: I love the Murderbot series! :) I agree that the main appeal is Murderbot's voice and the stories are secondary (I was disappointed to that regard by Network effect because I felt the story simply didn't hold up, though I still enjoyed the book).
I'm glad to learn you liked Fugitive Telemetry best as I still haven't read it and look forward to it! :)

He is the Harbinger of Death, he who comes before. Sometimes as a warning, sometimes as a courtesy. Oh and his name is Charlie.

The End of the Day by Claire North will probably end up as my book of the year. It's certainly not going to be the case for everyone though as this is not a plot driven story but more just getting to know a character. It is at times funny, sad, uplifting and doom-laden often all of these within the space of a few paragraphs. Probably veers towards the darker end of the spectrum though so be warned if you feel intrigued enough to pick this one up.

>50 AHS-Wolfy: I will pick it up! I really liked The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August.

I just finished Troubled Waters by Sharon Shinn, the first book in her Elemental Blessings series. It's a traditional fantasy novel with a really interesting magic system based on five elements (air, water, fire, land, and wood). There's romance, court intrigue, and a heroine with unexpected magical powers. I enjoyed it a lot and am definitely planning to continue with the series!

I re-read A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle and boy did it stand up over the decades! It is still my favorite, perhaps because it was the first one I read, and while all the hype was over the Tesseract concept, I really got into the concept of kything. And the cherubim! Such a cool character.

My final read for this topic was Feed by Mira Grant. Another book that I really enjoyed (even the sad bits). It's an interesting look at the news media industry masquerading as a zombie story. Will definitely be on the lookout for the sequels.

I read Megan O'Keefe's Protectorate trilogy - starting with Velocity Weapon - which was outstanding. Great characters, impressive world-building, and a plot that keeps you reading. Highly recommended to sci fi fans, and others if they just want a good story.

My work here is done. Hope you all had a good month and found something worth your while to read this month. I now pass you over to the more than capable hands of @luvamystery65 whose thread can be found here.