Kevin's Watch

Who are your favorites? I haven't read many books written by women. Maybe it used to be relatively rare for women to write fantasy/sci-fi? But when I take a quick look at the shelves in B&N, it seems more women than men these days.

Ursula K. Le Guin will likely always be my favorite. She's amazing. I've also enjoyed what I read of Julian May and Madeleine L'Engle. The first Harry Potter book was a good romp, but not particularly memorable. I'm told they get moreso as the series goes on.

I own Storm Constantine's Wraeththu, but haven't read it yet.

So who is everyone's favorites?

Anne McCaffrey
(without Todd, thank you very much)

Robin Hobb

Marion Zimmer Bradley
Janny Wurts
Margaret Weiss

--A

Katherine Kurtz
Connie Willis
Robin Hobb (sort of)

Patricia McKillip-The Riddle Master of Hed trilogy and other works
Melissa Scott-The Silence (SF) trilogy, especially the last book: Five-Twelfths of Heaven
Susanna Clarke-Mr. Norell & Johnathon Strange
some Andre Norton, the Witch World books, for example.
Tricia Sullivan-Lethe (SF)
The "Outlander" books by Diane Gabaldon

danlo wrote: The "Outlander" books by Diane Gabaldon

I'm just beginning Dragonfly in Amber. I see Gabaldon rapidly becoming a favorite of mine as well.

oh wow I'd forgotten about andre Norton's witchworld books I used to love those as a teenager! (but I thought andre was a man's name?)

Haha, I forgot about her too. Wasn't that keen on Witchworld...but she wrote a lot of young-adult books that I remember fondly to this day. The "Magic" series, (Fur, Steel, Octogon, Crystal (that I remember), The Beastmaster and it's sequel, Lord of Thunder, and one in particular called Starman's Son. Great books.

--A

Not many females in my favorites. Patricia McKillip. Sherri Tepper for the most part. Julian May.

Margaret Atwood.

Ooooh, yeah, Margaret Atwood! And another vote for Patricia McKillip. And I'll sneak in one for Tamora Pierce, even tho she writes YA fantasy -- but since JK Rowling has been mentioned, it seems only fair.

LeGuin, Tepper, Willis, Hobb -- yup, I like them, too.

So I guess you liked "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell," then, danlo, if you've put Susanna Clarke on a favorite-author list...

I'll second Tamora Pierce, although I have still only read the "Circle of Magic" books, and have yet to read the most recent in that series.

Ah! Well, since I own, but haven't yet read, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, maybe I'll make that one of my next reads. I'll try The Killer Angels and that before Toll the Hounds comes out, and start Bakker after I read TtH.

Fist and Faith wrote:Ah! Well, since I own, but haven't yet read, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell...

Was pretty good. Enjoyed it, though not what I was expecting.

--A

I guess I'll be ok, because I have absolutely no idea what it's about.

JS&MrN: It's good, but not all THAT good; you don't get on my list of fave female authors with just one good book, no matter how extremely long it is.

Didn't know this was favourites only...Anyway, agree with WF...a bit overdone Dickensen.

Just thought of a great one though...Pamela Sargeant, author of the brilliant Earthseed. (Which I only recently discovered has sequels.)

--A

I am shockingly not that well read in female authors. I do like Gabaldon alot. McKaffrey is a fun light read.

Avatar wrote:Didn't know this was favourites only...

I'm hoping to find out which women are the most respected in the field.