Top 5 Women Authors of Science Fiction and Fantasy

Science fiction and fantasy will probably always be my favorite genres. They’re just...awesome. And I’m assuming that if you’re reading this, you agree with me at least on some level.

But like all amazing things, it has its flaws. The books and movies of these genres have been dominated by men for ages. Though we are getting there, slowly but surely, women authors (who don’t write romance) are often brushed aside and ignored. And that, well, that pisses me off.

So here is a list of my personal top five women authors of the sci-fi and fantasy genres.

Note: I am not putting J.K. Rowling on this list. Even though she’s incredible and awesome and our queen, everyone already knows about her.

Nnedi Okorafor

I’ve only read and reviewed one of Okorafor’s novels, Lagoon , and I need more. She is an incredibly insightful and gifted novelist. Her work tackles complicated social issues and explores the deepest corners of humanity. ​

April Daniels

Writer of the Nemesis series , Daniels writes young adult novels that are hilarious and sobering. Her story centers around a young transgender superhero named Danny, who has to deal with all the joys of transphobia, misogyny, and domestic abuse on top of saving the world. Twice!

Margaret Fortune

I have reviewed both of Fortune’s novels of her Spectre War series on this site: Nova and Archangel . Both are gripping sci-fi mysteries that had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. It’s supposed to be a five-book series, and I cannot wait for the next installment!

Tiana Warner

LGBTQ+ Romeo and Juliet with killer mermaids! Warner’s Ice Massacre is probably the bloodiest YA novel I’ve ever read. (Granted, I haven’t read Hunter Games , and I hear that’s pushing the limit of how much gore parents will let their teenagers deal with.) Ice Massacre is intense, sad, but also kind of hopeful. You can also check out my interview with Warner here .

Robyn Bennis

Bennis’ The Guns Above is in my top five all-time favorite sci-fi novels for a variety of reasons. It tackles sexism in the military with humor and wit. Being a military sci-fi book, it also has plenty of action and explosions to go with the tense plot. Like Warner, Bennis has also been interviewed on this site. You can check it out here .

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