Women’s Sci-Fi Book Meme
A modified version through Linuxchix and especially Caity
:
Bold the ones you read and liked, strike out the ones you didn’t like, italicize the ones you haven’t read yet but want to, and leave the rest in normal typeface.
- Parable of the Sower/Parable of the Talents — Octavia Butler
- Lathe of Heaven — Ursula K. LeGuin
- The Visitor– Sherri Tepper
- Vorkosigan Series — Lois McMaster Bujold
- Cyteen — C.J. Cherryh
- Pilgrimage: The Book of the People — Zenna Henderson
- Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang — Kate Wilhelm
- The Left Hand of Darkness — Ursula K. Leguin
- The Snow Queen — Joan Vinge
- Extra(ordinary) People — Joanna Russ
- Doomsday Book — Connie Willis
- Downbelow Station — C.J. Cherryh
- Freedom’s Landing — Anne McCaffrey
- Forerunner Foray — Andre Norton
- Don’t Bite The Sun — Tanith Lee
- Up The Walls of The World — James Tiptree, Jr.
- Star Songs — James Tiptree, Jr./Raccoona Sheldon
- Fire Watch — Connie Willis
- Holding Wonder — Zenna Henderson
- Dreamsnake — Vonda McIntyre
I have read Anne McCaffrey’s Freedom series, but it’s not my favorite of hers. I much prefer the Pern books, or the Rowan, or the Crystal Singer books over her Freedom books. I’ve also attempted to read anything by Ursula LeGuin other than her Wizard of Earthsea books, and failed miserably at it. I didn’t know Tanith Lee had done anything other than the Lioness books (young adult fantasy series). I dearly love those, so I’ll have to pick up Don’t Bite the Sun and try it.
I would have to agree that Anne McCaffrey’s “Dragonriders of Pern” is her best, and that the Pern series in general is excellent, but I find it to be more high fantasy than science fiction. The Freedom series is straightforward science fiction.
I was surprised by you comments about Ursula K. Leguin. The Earthsea series (again fantasy) is just OK. Her four Hugo award winning books (“The Disposessed”, “The Word for World is Forest”, “The Lathe of Heaven”, and “The Left Hand of Darkness”) are, to me, all brilliant. Michelle is the one who put “The Lathe of Heaven” on the list and I was honestly torn about which of the other three to include.
If there is one author I would love to get people started on it’s Zenna Henderson.
“Don’t Bite the Sun” was an award winner fot Tanith Lee and starts a series as well. Enjoy!
The Dispossessed (Le Guin) is great. It’s more likely to appeal to a reader who enjoyed the later Earthsea books (Tehanu, Tales of Earthsea, The Other Wind) than to someone who didn’t like them I think: the characterisation and the politics of The Dispossessed are more similar to the later books than to the original Earthsea trilogy.
So many books to read!
I’ve not actually read any of the books on that list, but if I had to add a couple authors, it would be Mary Doria Russell (“The Sparrow” and its sequel) and Nicola Griffith (“Slow River”). *Wonderful* authors, the both of them.
Tehanu is my favorite Earthsea book so far. I didn’t know there were others! *furiously writes list for the next trip to the library*
One of the problems with using the library to save money is that I don’t often go browsing in the bookstore anymore to see new titles. But if I know the title and author, the library can get a hold of it for me.
I personally tend to lean away from the “hardcore” sci-fi and go more for the fantasy, or the sci-fi with fantasy bits mixed in (a la Margaret Weis’ Star of the Guardians). I’m also inexplainably drawn to series. I like getting to know characters, and following them through multiple adventures, not just one then stopping.