Female Authors

I am a long-time sci-fi reader, and as I get older I find that I tend to prefer female authors. I don't dislike the male authors, but I seem to connect more with books written by women. I am a huge fan of Sheri S Tepper. Ironically, I don't particularly like LeGuin. I'm hoping to get some good recommendations of female authors, and/or books in which the main character is a woman. I enjoy sci-fi and fantasy pretty much equally. Thanks for your help!

Elizabeth Bear. I've read a few short stories of hers, and they were pretty good. She seems to be well regarded by her peers as well. Her website (elizabethbear.com) is pretty comprehensive, if you want to know more about her.

# 2: I liked Elizabeth Bears first book in the Jenny Casey series, but never made it through anything else she's written.

I would recommend most of what C. S. Friedman has written. This Alien Shore and In Conquest Born particularly.
In the fantasy department Martha Wells is one of the best - Wheel of Time, City of Bones, The Fall of IleRien trilogy are great.

Do you know Octavia E. Butler? I really enjoyed her near future dystopic novel Parable of the Sower. A strong female protagonist, and a great world building. Doris Lessing's Mara and Dann has a lot of parallels to it, despite being a far future post apocalyptic novel.
Some of Connie Willis works like Bellwether (probably near future), Doomsday Book (steampunk style future) has interesting female protagonists.
The first books in Karen Traviss Wess'har series are pretty good - spacetravels and aliens, but no space opera.
Some of Nancy Kress works are interesting too, and reminds me a bit of Sheri S. Tepper - but I suspect it may be because I read them for the first time in the same period.

I have read Butler extensively and Love her. I really liked Doomsday Book, but for some reason have not really enjoyed Willis' other novels. I'll try the others! Thanks!

Octavia E. Butler is wonderful. I'm reading her last book, Fledgling now. Her Xenogenisis Series is excellent.

I would also recommend Sharon Shinn. Her Twelve Houses Series, starting with Mystic and Rider is more on the fantasy side and her Samaria Series, starting with Archangel is more Sci-fi. She is one of my favorite authors and I would read anything she writes.

Not many people like Stephenie Meyer as a writer but I did really like her adult novel Host.

Not really Fantasy or Sci-fi but I would also recommend Margaret Atwood's book The Handmaid's Tale as well.

Amy Thomson writes some very well-developed science fiction; I liked The Color of Distance and Storyteller quite a bit. Julie Czernada has a couple of series that are pretty good. I liked Jennifer Wingert's first book, Grasp the Stars, and am waiting for more. I'm a big fan of Sharon Lee's Liaden series--Agent of Change is the first. And I'm a big fan of Lois McMaster Bujold, both her sf and her fantasy. Karen Traviss does good work. For military sf, I like Elizabeth Moon, Tanya Huff's Confederation books, and Kristine Smith's Jani Killian books. New authors Linnea Sinclair, Sandra McDonald, and Ann Aguirre try to blend sf and romance but don't do it as well as Catherine Asaro, although Sinclair has some humor in several of hers that raise them up a level. I really enjoy Joan Vinge; her Psion series is very accessible. Kathleen Ann Goonan has done some really interesting work as well. Sharon Shinn's science fiction, the Samaria series and her mystery Wrapt in Crystal, are far better IMHO than the fantasy series. Older books you might look for are by Phyllis Gotlieb, Lee Killough, and Suzette Haden Elgin.

Over in fantasy, P. C. Hodgell's God Stalk series is quite good, as is anything by Nina Kiriki Hoffman. Jane Lindskold's books are good--I especially like Changer and its sequel, as well as Child of a Rainless Year. I enjoy Patricia McKillip, Robin McKinley, and Patricia Wrede. You can check out my library for more if you like.

Hope this gives you some scope!

Kage Baker's series about time traveling cyborgs, In the Garden of Iden is excellent as is the rest of her work.

Rebecca Ore's Becoming Alien trilogy is very good, in my opinion.

I always liked Janet Kagan's short stories, but she might be hard to find.

Pat Cadigan is the "great-aunt of cyberpunk" or some such title but I liked books like Mindplayers and Dervish is Digital.

And, while in no way SF, I have been enjoying Sarah Monette's fantasy series including but not necessarily starting with Melusine. (maybe The Virtu is first?)

Oh, I almost forgot Lyda Morehouse and her Archangel Protocol series but don't forget her arch-rival Tate Hallaway with her series set in Madison, WI starting with Tall, Dark, and Dead.

Ok, those are one fellow's favorite female writers. Probably I am leaving someone out.

Repeating what others have said about Butler, I'm currently reading Kindred. The only others of her that I've read have been Fledgling and Blood Child and Other Stories.

Nalo Hopkinson is one of my favorites. A lot of her stories tie into Afro-Caribbean mythology. Skin Folk, in particular, is fantastic.

If you like young adult books, Nnedi Okorafor is really interesting. She writes far future scifi set in Africa.

Storm Constantine's Wraeththu books are really cool if you enjoy post-apocalyptic stories.

I second Sarah Monette if you like fantasy.

Most of my favorite female writers have already been mentioned so I'll just have to second or third some of them.

Sarah Monette is one of my favorites for character development in dark fantasy. Her Doctrine of Labyrinth series begins with Melusine.

Another of my favorites is Elizabeth Bear, who writes beautiful prose and also tends toward dark stories. Her urban fantasy Blood and Iron was excellent, as was her post-apocalyptic cyberpunk/fantasy All the Wind-wracked Stars. Then of course, there is always A Companion to Wolves, which she co-wrote with Sarah Monette.

I also second the Wraeththu trilogy by Storm Constantine if you like dense stories with a lot of focus on character interaction.

Lois McMaster Bujold writes entertaining space opera with some humor and an energetic main character with tons of personality. I haven't tried any of her fantasy yet but will after I've read all the books in the Miles Vorkosigan series.

For romantic space opera, I love the Skolian series by Catherine Asaro. Others I enjoy are Ann Aguirre and Linnea Sinclair.

Other female authors I like are C.S. Friedman, Lyda Morehouse, Nancy Kress, Ekaterina Sedia and her The Alchemy of Stone, Lane Robins (fantasy), Carol Berg (fantasy), Robin Hobb (fantasy), Jacqueline Carey (fantasy), and Vera Nazarian and her Lords of Rainbow (fantasy).

What LeGuin books have you tried? Perhaps you might have got a dud book or two from her oeuvre.

I feel so guilty for not having read anything by Butler yet...

I notice that no one mentioned Andre Norton. (Not that I've read anything by her either, though I've meant to... I started Beast Master once...)

Having 120 books by Norton, it's not like I'm ignoring her, but her best stuff was her earlier stuff, and that is pretty dated these days. Back when books were under 200 pages and I could read one a night. I still love Catseye and Night of Masks and Moon of Three Rings and Storm over Warlock and Year of the Unicorn, though. But as a young teen, I sat on the edge of my chair reading Galactic Patrol--would they make it back? Rereading it now, though, it is surprising how slight it seems.

I'm surprised no one's mentioned James Tiptree Jr. She's an amazing writer with a very bold, well-crafted style. I haven't read any of her novels, but her short stories are some of the best examples of the genre I've come across, and my favourite short stories period. You can find a few of them online, otherwise look for the anthology Her Smoke Rose Up Forever.

I would disagree with a previous post that Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale isn't really sci fi - it is, it just isn't conventional sci fi. Oryx and Crake by the same author is also excellent.

First of all what type of SF do you want to read? There is a wide range from female authors from romance tinged to mil-SF to hard-SF with all points in between.

Some ideas no-one else has mentioned -

Joan Slonczewski would be my first choice. Try A Door Into Ocean which is the first of the Elysium Cycle.
Spin Control and Spin State by Chris Moriarty.
Kage Baker's Company series.
Pretty much anything by Gwyneth Jones
Liz Williams is also a pretty good writer - I've only read her more SFnal work and not the Inspector Chen books.
Justina Robson has written some good stuff although I like her more serious work better than her current trilogy featuring Lila Black.
If you can get hold of any Louise Marley books then give them a try.

I second the recommendation of Gwyneth Jones. Also good is Mary Gentle, and L Timmel Duchamp's Marq'ssan Cycle.

I've read the classics, Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed. I found them interesting intellectually, but they didn't capture me. Oh, and I've read Earthsea, of course. But so long ago that I don't remember it. That might be worth a reread...

Thanks to everyone for the recommendations! I'm familiar with some of the authors mentioned (Monette, Shinn, Carey, Atwood) but a lot of them are new to me, which is very exciting. I had no idea that Andre Norton was a woman. In response to other comments, I read all kinds of sci-fi, as long as its well-written. Anyway, thanks again! I will start reading ASAP. :D

I can endorse André Norton's Catseye and Year of the Unicorn, though I now find - imaginative and absorbing though the Witch World books are - their dialogue is horribly clunky in a faux-medieval way.

If you don't like LeGuin, do you mean the Earthsea series? Why not try Left Hand of Darkness which is a different proposition altogether.

I can endorse André Norton's Catseye and Year of the Unicorn, though I now find - imaginative and absorbing though the Witch World books are - their dialogue is horribly clunky in a faux-medieval way.

If you don't like LeGuin, do you mean the Earthsea series? Why not try Left Hand of Darkness which is a different proposition altogether.

I love Lois McMaster Bujold and her Vorkosigan books! (Start with any of the first three - Shards of Honor, Barrayar, or Warrior's Apprentice - her books are often more easily found in omnibuses. Here you'd be looking for Cordelia's Honor and Young Miles.).

Bujold writes a really fascinating world (or worlds!) with complex social, political, and military dynamics, has an excellent eye for character, and an excellent ear for dialog. One of my favorite authors hands-down.

Let us not leave out Marion Zimmer Bradley and Jo Clayton. They wrote of strong female characters in other worlds. Half Scifi and half fantasy. Great escapism.

Great thread!
Kristine Kathryn Rusch and her Retrieval Man series.

Stupid touchstones.
Here's her author page: http://www.librarything.com/author/ruschkristinekathryn

and the series link http://www.librarything.com/series/Retrieval%20Artist

I absolutely adore Kate Wilmelm - although she writes mysteries these days, she wrote some great sf early on - somewhat dated, but still enjoyable.

I also love Sherri S. Tepper, but her earlier stuff is really hard to find. Alas, the flood that killed my library ...

If you like your reading lightweight and romantic, try Nora Roberts writing as J.D. Robb - mysteries set in the future.

I personally love LeGuin's The Word for World is Forest - still a favorite.

Marion Zimmer Bradley is always fun, too.

Seconding the Bujold recommendation! She's a deft touch at humor and pathos, and lets characters shine against a sci-fi backdrop. If you like fantasy as well, she has a fantasy series as well (though I'm less a fan of that series).

Lots of my favorites are already listed. Love Elizabeth Moon's books, and Bear, Bujold, Rusch, Bradley . . . I really liked Kate Wilhelm's SF, especially Welcome Chaos, Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang, and Margaret and I.

I've been rereading some of C J Cherryh's books lately - still like them! - recent reads being Downbelow Station, Merchanter's Luck, Forty Thousand in Gehenna, and Serpent's Reach.

Two favorite series with female main character but by male writers: The League of Peoples, the first book being Expendable, by James Alan Gardner; Thomas Harlan's Wasteland of Flint and House of Reeds.

I'm mostly reading SF currently, but some recent favorites for fantasy are T A Pratt, Michelle Sagara (West), Laura Anne Gilman, Anne Bishop, C E Murphy. Charles de Lint's Newford series, such as The Onion Girl with Jilly Coppercorn, or Saskia, et al. in Spirits in the Wires.

(ETA - I included a couple of male writers - but I like the main characters so much I wanted to include them. :)

I'm surprised not to have seen a mention of Connie Willis, or maybe I just missed it I've enjoyed almost everything I've read of hers. Another female SF author I discovered last year is Sara Zettel, who writes interesting characters of both genders as well as AIs. Nancy Kress's sleepless books, beginning with Beggars in Spain, were very interesting.

Thought of a few more ...

Pat Murphy, some of her books are The Falling Woman, Adventures in Time and Space with Max Merriwell, and The City, Not Long After.
Connie Willis - Lincoln's Dreams, Doomsday Book, To Say Nothing of the Dog, and more... I've liked everything I've read by her so far.
Diana Palmer - The Morcai Battalion
S. L. Viehl - Stardoc, Blade Dancer, etc.
Karin Lowachee - Warchild, Cagebird, and Burndive

On the fantasy side: Greywalker, and Underground by Kat Richardson. War for the Oaks by Emma Bull. Also, my fave is her SF, but I also enjoyed Elizabeth Bear's fantasy books New Amsterdam, and All the Windwracked Stars.

I can't believe no one has mentioned Joanna Russ! The Female Man and Extra(Ordinary People) are magnificent, as is We Who are About To.

Aargh! I'm ashamed to have forgotten Russ! The Female Man is one of my favourite books too. Not the easiest thing to read, but worth the effort.

The problem is that Russ like other of the feminist SF authors of the 70s are hard to find (at least near me).

Some more ideas
Tricia Sullivan - I really liked Double Vision and Sound Mind but didn't like Maul so much.
Kathleen Ann Goonan - Light Music and In War Times
Carol Emshwiller - I enjoyed her recent novel The Secret City

Some more maybe lesser known writers.
Nicola Griffith (I don't think she has published anything for over a decade though - since Ammonite)
Doris Piserchia
Jane Palmer (you can buy her books from lulu - links from her home page. She also has free first chapters)
Josephine Saxton

Griffith has had several books published since Ammonite. Slow River was sf, but The Blue Place, Stay and Always are all crime novels.

#32

I couldn't remember whether Ammonite was first or Slow River was first - they were within a year or two of each other. I didn't know she had moved over to a career of crime (writing).

She's currently writing a historical novel, I think. Her partner is Kelley Eskridge, whose collection Dangerous Space is very good.

I read this quickly, but don't think anyone mentioned C.J. Cherryh, who has won two Hugos, for Downbelow Station and Cyteen. She is among the best, and has written more than 50 books in all, so if you like her there is lots to enjoy.

Umm - #26 (okeres) mentioned C. J. Cherryh, but Cherryh is well worth mentioning twice (or three times):

Once for her inscrutable aliens, as in Hunter of Worlds;

Once again for her strong female characterizations (of every species);

And again for her world building and her plot lines.

What I admire most though, is the way she continues to develop her skills as a writer. It has been a pleasure to read from her early novels through to her latest - Foreigner series.

Two authors not mentioned yet are Jo Walton and Marge Piercy. Walton's Ha'penny and Farthing are both excellent alternate realities while Piercy's Woman on the Edge of Time is a minor classic.

#37

We read Walton's "Farthing" for the group read, and it was quite a mixed response, if I were to be charitable towards the book.

Nicola Griffith has some of her stories on her website, which are quite good.

Griffith only wrote two sf novels, Ammonite and Slow River. Now she writes crime novels.

#38

I would be interested to know what the reservations about Farthing were...Had Ha'penny been read previously?

Farthing is the first book in the series. The chief criticism was that it failed as a murder-mystery and that the fascist Britain wasn't entirely convincing.

The group discussion on Farthing can be found here, if you're interested.

#43

Thanks for the reference to the Farthing discussion!

Scanning my shelves it seems no one has mentioned The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell, where the concept of the alien challenges theological faith.

Relatively new authors I can recommend, all of whom who can depict an active, take-charge female character:

1. Justina Robson

2. Liz Williams

3. Karen Traviss

4. Martha Wells

I used to like Melissa Scott when she was writing short, punchy SF novels, but now she tends more towards fantasy. Not that I have anything against fantasy, just not the fantasy novels Scott now writes.

I enjoyed Marge Piercy's more recent (1991) sf novel, He, She and It. She explicitly credits William Gibson for some of the cyberpunk concepts in the book.

As I noted in another thread, I enjoyed Climb the Wind by Pamela Sargent

I have not read other books by her, by I understand they've received favorable reviews.

No mention of Tanith Lee?

#48

I see Tanith Lee as more of a fantasy writer than a SF writer.

Long overlooked, I recommend finding any of the collections of stories by Zenna Henderson; most of her output of short stories concern The People, a group of aliens with psionic powers marooned on Earth and having to live anonymously amongst us.

Her stories have the homeliness of mid-period Bradbury plus a profound elegaic atmosphere.

Of Joanna Russ; a friend of mine said of her, 'I always feel she's creeping up behind me with a gelding knife.'

I just finished The Year of Our War by Steph Swainston. Good stuff!

The Sparrow and Children of God by Mary Doria Russell are two of the most poignant, heart-wrenching SF novels I've read.

#52

Is "Children of God" a sequel to "The Sparrow"? If so, I will have to procure this book.

#53: Yes!

I have read Return to Quag Keep by Andre Norton. I thought it was very good.

If yoy want to read a sci-fi book with a strong female character read Beyond Infinity by Gregory Benford. I have read it and really enjoyed it. It starts out kind of slow but you just have to keep reading.

Another vote for Lois McMaster Bujold, especially her wonderful Miles Vorkosigan series, Elizabeth Moon, especially her addictive Heris Serrano series and The Speed of Dark, and I'll add a YA author, Suzanne Collins, for The Hunger Games.

For YA fantasy that a non-YA can enjoy(!), try Kristin Cashore and Graceling.

Speaking of YA authors... Lois Lowry

#50 Sigh. Scary feminists. Those were the days...

For complex characters and cultures, my favourite female authors have to be c j cherryh, lois McMaster Bujold, kristine smith, julie e czerneda, janet kagan, joan d vinge.

the best new female SF writer that i've recently come across is Ekaterina Sedia, the Alchemy of Stone is gorgeously written and evocative.

Pat Murphy: there and back again and the others in its set.

Lisa Mason: the summer of love, & the golden nineties - time traveling to SF

Melissa Scott - i agree w/ the earlier poster - her SF is MUCH stronger than her fantasy. night sky mine & dreaming metal are two of my favorites. I am a huge fan of her complex worldbuilding and interests in melding art and SF.

Nancy Kress beggers in spain etc.

Rebecca Ore
Élisabeth Vonarburg
Patricia Anthony cradle of splendor esp.

touchstones are funky.

"touchstones are funky"

When the damn things work! You would think the software would be intelligent enough to ignore punctuation, letter case, and subtitles... sigh

#60: Vis-a-vis Melissa Scott, some of those SF novels deserved sequels.

#62

Be careful what you wish for, Shrike58. Some of the worst novels I have ever read have been sequels to my favourite novels.

#63: Point taken.

64: Rama II, Garden of Rama, and Rama Revealed come to mind.

Yes, there's no improving on the Ramayana.

;-)

I don't know much about Jacqueline Harpman, but the one novel I read by her is a sci-fi story called I who have never known men, and that was fantastic.

>67 KromesTomes: that's a great book, Kromes. I can second the recommendation.

So many of my favorites have already been mentioned, but I would also like to add Maureen McHugh. China Mountain Zhang or Mission Child is a good place to start. Her most recent book is a collection of short fiction titled Mothers and Other Monsters (not all of the stories are SF though).

Molly Gloss has also not been mentioned. Her Dazzle of Day was quite good, if bleak. Wild Life won the Tiptree Award.

Suzy McKee Charnas's Holdfast Chronicles are stellar. It begins with Walk to the End of the World. Then follows Motherlines, The Furies and Conqueror's Child. Around the late 90s or early 2000s Tor group these together in trade paperback editions and I'm not exactly sure what the titles of the omnibuses were.

Elizabeth Moon's Speed of Dark is excellent SF but I can't speak for her other work as I haven't read it.

>68 avaland: I just finished reading all of Elizabeth Moon's science fiction a second time. Remnant Population is, like Speed of Dark, unique, plus she writes wonderful military science fiction - the series on Vatta's War and on Herris Serrano.

I am stunned that no one has mentioned Anne McCaffrey. She has strong, intelligent female protagonists.

Naomi Mitchison is great. Her Memoirs of a Spacewoman is not to be missed.

I find that I also seem to be reading more female authors these days. I can recommend the following authors:

Patricia Briggs
Wen Spencer
Patricia Bray
Robin McKinley
Lisa Shearin
Linnea Sinclair

I just posted this over at the Star Trek forum, but this seemed like a good place to re-post it as well.

Diane Duane writes the most alien-diverse Trek books, and some great Rumulan stories. She's the one that includes a Horta as a member of the crew!

Diane Carey I like the best overall though. Her style's hard to pin down, but her books tend to be more ship-centric, I gues you can say, than others

raq929,

I've enjoyed every Tepper science-fiction novel I've read. Recently I've also enjoyed:
Queen City Jazz by Kathleen Ann Goonan
Maul by Tricia Sullivan (quite!)
Spin State by Chris Moriarty (much harder SF than Tepper)
Native Tongue by Suzette Haden Elgin

My favorite female authors are Nicola Griffith and Octavia Butler. I absolutely recommend Slow River and Ammonite to you.

Other lesser-known authors to consider include Sarah Zettel, Joan Slonczewski, Cecilia Tan, Joanna Russ.

~psybre

I thought I would follow up with another book, seemingly well received by LibraryThing and Amazon reviewers alike, by an author I haven't read:

Master of None by N. Lee Wood

"In the bestselling tradition of Margaret Atwood, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Sheri S. Tepper comes a compelling novel of power and gender on a planet ruled exclusively by women."

Nalo Hopkinson is good. She wrote "Brown Girl in the Ring." Joanna Russ is good too, she doesn't write novels anymore. She wrote "The Adventures of Alyx," "The Female Man." Also "How to Supress Women's Writing," not sci fi.

And Woman on the Edge of Time. You can see that novel as science fiction or a polemic but it is a wonderful book.

#62 - in re Melissa Scott -
the Dreamships -- Dreaming metal set is more or less a set of 3 related novels.

Elizabeth Hand i think has been left off lists so far - tho she's mostly fantasy, there is some SF in her writings.

For YA Diane Duane's "Young Wizards" series is a nice mix of fantasy and SF. (Tends to be more SF when Nita's younger sister Dairine (sp) is the main protagonist as in high wizardry)

Lisa Mason the golden nineties and summer of love are good - the "golden Nineties" esp. so. in it's recreation of a time traveler in San Fran, CA in the end of the 19th C.

what an interesting thread. never thought about male vs female authors before, and looking at my collection of about 400 books... the only female authors are "Le Guin, Elizabeth Moon, and a few star trek books (d. duane & carey).

One 6 volume series that has a female main character is: Arthur C. Clarkes Venus Prime.
I loved it. Sorry, author is a dude. ;)

>79 virtualron: virtualron -

If you liked Star Wars, you would probably like books by Karen Traviss. I especially enjoyed her four Republic Commando books: Hard Contact, Triple Zero, True Colors and Order 66. (See my review of True Colors for more.)

Her Wess'har Wars series, beginning with City of Pearl are among my all time favorite SF books.

In addition to those already mentioned, like Bujold, Asaro, Shinn, Vinge, Tepper, Traviss... a few of my other favorites are:
Debra Doyle and James D. Macdonald, Jane S. Fancher, Valerie J. Freireich, Pauline Alama, Sherwood Smith, Juliet Marillier, and Mercedes Lackey
and if you like YA, I recommend Diana Wynne Jones and Megan Whalen Turner

On the YA note, I'd have to say Suzanne Collins - Gregor the Overlander was a middle-grade read, so even though it's good I can't really recommend that here, but The Hunger Games and its sequel Catching Fire are absolutely some of my favorite books ever. Those are technically for teens, but there's definitely a great heroine in Katniss Everdeen and plenty of action and suspense there. I'm just getting started on Sherwood Smith, though she strikes me as more of a traditional fantasy author than sci-fi. Elizabeth Kerner (Song in the Silence and the rest of that trilogy), again more fantasy than sci-fi, was interesting but I can't say she was one of my favorites.

Thanks to the people who mentioned Connie Willis here. I hadn't heard of her before but I've now read Doomsday Book, To Say Nothing of the Dog and Lincoln's Dreams and she just keeps getting better. I already put in an order for Blackout to be released in February.

also Julian May

I'll add Elizabeth Vonarburg to the mix She's a award winning Canadian Science Fiction writer. She writes in French, but the work has been translated. My favorite of her novels is IN THE MOTHERS' LAND, which is set a number of years in a post-apocalyptic future. The world is left damaged, but is healing. Something messed with the fertility rates and now the ratio of women to men is something like 100:1. Its a coming of age story for a girl in this society.

Ok #79, I just ordered all 6 of the Wess'har Wars series.

All on an Internet Strangers advice! :P

No one has mentioned Leigh Brackett!
I finished the Sea-Kings of Mars and Otherworldly Stories the other day. They were excellent. All the stories are in the 'planetary romance' genre - think Sword & Sorcery but the sorcery replaced by inconceivably advanced science. All her SF was written in a shared universe, with common locations on Mars and Venus and the rest of the planets reoccurring.
The stories were written in the days of the pulps so the New Wave hadn't even been thought of, but a lot of the stories feature dynamic independent minded Women, two of them the physical match for the male protagonist, as well as an awareness of concerns regarding Colonialism.
It contains all three of the Eric John Stark novellas in their original form and another story co-written with Ray Bradbury.
Brackett also wrote crime novels, and screenplays for Howard Hawks.

Yeah, Julian May's great, especially in The Chronicles of the Exiles and Galactic Milleu series. She has a mix of principal characters, some of them women

Also, I wouldn't discount Ursula Le Guin. The Dispossessed is a book I'll return to time and again, and one of the best novels written in the last century, SF or otherwise