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Not too long ago I logged into the Science Fiction forum at Beeb.com, to find that they were running a best author vote. And guess what, the choices available were all male. I wrote a (I felt as tactful as possible) list of women they could have included, and waited a couple of weeks before getting the response (and this is a full quote) ‘you're bein sexist.’ (Sic). It’s incidents like these that make you realise that while things have come a long way, there are still improvements to be made.
I intend this list to be a basic intro, not the final word on what is and is not worth reading. After all, I haven’t read everything, and some of the books I read some time ago. There are also quite a few female authors whose work I haven’t read. I have also stuck to authors published in book form; maybe I’ll get around to a fan fic list sometime, but this is not it.
This is a work in progress. I intend to include basic impressions of the authors’ work, notes on particular books that I think are worth individual note, and links to further information on the Web.
Besides individual links, people may also like to check out the following site, which has sections on many of the authors covered, and considers their relevance to feminism.
Feminist Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Utopia
Use these links to move directly to an author, or just scroll down. They’re in no particular order – just how they came off the shelves in my bedroom.
Sheri S Tepper / Mary Gentle / Joan D Vinge / Ursula K LeGuin / Kate Wilhelm / Connie Willis / Octavia E Butler / Marion Zimmer Bradley / Tanith Lee / Anne McCaffrey / Joanna Russ / Vonda N McIntyre / Andre Norton / James Tiptree (Alice Sheldon)
Sheri’s books defy description. Though her worlds are peopled with fantastic characters and creatures, from wizards, shape-changers and dragons to less traditional creations all her own, she still manages to portray them in such a way that you could believe a spaceship could one day end up on such a world. Sheri’s creations are vivid – often beautiful, but sometimes horrible. Sensitive readers should be warned that while she does not go in for long gory descriptions, some of the ideas she comes up with are quite disturbing. She also has some negative attitudes towards sex (whether homo or hetero, people having sex often come to a sticky end) and also has a thing about coming up with very nasty religions.
Personally, I’ve yet to find a book by her that I don’t like, but here’s notes on just a few.
'The Chronicles of Mavin Manyshaped' is one of my favourites. It tells of the escape of a female shape shifter from an oppressive family, and her exploration of a range of incredible environments. A book of quite astonishing imagination. The resolution of the relationship between Mavin and her male lover is also unusual and thought provoking.
'The Gate to Women’s Country'. This, of all Sheri's books which I have read, is the least fantastical, and also most obviously feminist in theme. It tells of a post-holocaust world with a culture based on Greek myth. In the end it proposes a solution to the problem of violence that is highly controversial. Very thought provoking.
'Grass'. Compared to her earlier books, such as Mavin, there seems to be some shift in Sheri’s work away from fantasy. There are no dragons or wizards in this, instead people moving too, and making a home on a new planet. However the imagination is still as apparent, surprising and multi-toned.
Sheri also writes in other genres under other names.
I only recently read my first book by this author, ‘The Parable of The Sower’, and I was totally blown away by it. In it she takes the old faithful the end of the world story and gives it a whole new reality. Instead of some massive upheaval, the end is gradual. And her characters are vivid and believable. She is a black American, and writes from that perspective, however, as a white person I did not feel in any way excluded by her writing. Whether black or white her characters are fully rounded with both faults and strengths. Very believable and powerful.
The web site below is one devoted to black women writers, and has an excellent section on Octavia.
I have to admit that I’m not a massive fan of Tanith Lee. She writes well, and creates some beautiful imagery, but I have yet to read a book by her that really sticks with me. Having said that, I feel this is a personal thing; basically I don’t really go for straightforward sword and sorcery type fantasy – I have the same lack of interest in Michael Moorcock’s books in this genre though I like some of his other work.
So, if you’re looking for some escapist fantasy, you may want to ignore me and give Tanith a try.
Daughter of the Night: An Annotated Tanith Lee Bibliography
As a teenager, Anne McCaffrey was probably my favorite author. I grew up reading her books about the dragons of Pern, such as 'Dragonflight' (the first written) and 'Dragonquest'. To a lonely child, the idea of a constant companion, bonded to you, and you alone, was appealing. Having such a companion and one that is also able to teleport and breath fire is surely the central appeal of these books. It's no accident that of the 200 or so sites on the Pern Web Ring (listed below), most are 'virtual' weyrs, where people can adopt/impress their own imaginary friend.
Besides having a great central idea, the Pern books are generally very good reads. They have high adventure plots, told from the viewpoint of female central characters. As a series they create an elaborate history, both of a world and of the characters in certain periods of that history. However, it has to be said that there is some variation in quality. Some of the books, while still quite readable, come across as being 'fillers'. They seem to be written to fill in the gaps in stories that are the b-plots of other books. 'Renegades of Pern' would be an example.
Anne McCaffrey has also read several other series, notably a series about Telepaths starting with the excellent collection 'To Ride Pegasus' and moving on to stories about 'The Rowan' and her children (and in case you are wondering, I was using the name long before these books came out!). As with the Pern books there is some variation in these books. I think it is fair to say that Anne's series do tend to lose their initial sparkle.
It's also interesting to look at her attitude towards sexuality. Her books are very much concerned with romances between the major characters. The author herself in real life is a follower of the British Conservative party, and goes fox hunting (a sport in which the fox is chased by a pack of hounds, and which is quite likely to be banned within the next few years). However her books do present worlds in which women in general are very much self determining. Many have power, multiple sexual relationships (eg Kilashandra in the 'Crystal Singer' series), and are able to give over the raising of their children to others (fostering is traditional on Pern). So while writing in a boddice-ripping vien, she also gives her female characters opportunity for considerable sexual autonomy.
Her attitude to homosexuality is also intruiging. As a side effect of the way Pern is set up it is inevitable that as some of the female dragons are ridden by males, their mating will lead to liasons between their male riders. The first time this fact is mentioned is when it is noticed by a character who is shocked to find this about dragonriders. I can't help wondering if this is in fact a little corner that Anne wrote herself into! Well, if so she obviously overcame any negative attitude. 'Morretta' includes a gay couple as secondary characters who are portrayed as quite normal and accepted as such by the other characters. She has yet to write any lesbian characters though as far as I am aware.
As a final note, I would like to mention Anne's first book, 'Restoree'. It's a stand alone book about a woman who is taken by hostile aliens, and then finds herself in a mental institution on another planet. As with most of Anne's books it's basically a romance, but it's well written and in my mind remains one of the author's best works.
I grew up in a science fiction mad household. I was reading my parents books as soon as I was able. By my teenage years I was spending a good portion of my money on my own collection. And many of those books seemed to have one thing in common; in the back there would be an advert for Vonda McIntyre’s ‘Dreamsnake’. I had to wait many years before I actually got to read it, and it could easily have been a disappointment. I’m glad to say it wasn’t. It has an engaging plot and characters, and a good few twists and surprises. She’s an author whose name is not often seen in bookshops here in England, and I think that is a great shame.
'The Exile Waiting'. I’d describe this book as being the other side of the coin from 'Dreamsnake'. Both are set on a post nuclear holocaust world. However ‘Exile’ is set inside a closed enclave, while 'Dreamsnake' shows the outside world. No characters or events are shared – in fact it is impossible to tell if they are set at the same time.
‘Exile’ is set in an underground, paranoid world, where inbreeding is producing grotesque mutations. This allows Vonda to explore one of her favourite themes – characters that are transformed humans. While it contains grotesque and fantastic creatures, it could not be described as fantasy. A very good read.
'Superluminal'. A book that combines dimensional mathematics, transformed humans and whales. Lots of intriuging ideas, emotional decisions for characters, and a good plot to tie it together.
Vonda also writes some children’s fiction, and has written well-received Star Trek adaptations.
The sites that follow are largely mirrors of each other. The second at least is maintained by Vonda herself, and contains some very good advice for budding authors.
Vonda N. McIntyre -- Home Page
Vonda N. McIntyre's SFF-Net Web Page
Tiptree Bibliography -- Primary Sources
This page is part of
The Borg
Grail. If you have not already done so, please visit the
Main Page for news and an introduction to my
site.
Site Guide / Consideration
is Puerile / The Hall of Innocence /
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All original material, unless otherwise credited, is Copyright © 1999 Rowan Green. All rights reserved.