As a woman who writes fantasy, sci-fi, and horror I’m fortunate my family never said “why can’t you be more girly?” Instead I was supported to challenge myself; to study psychology, psychophysiology, and archaeology; and to write about my passions. From that came my love for novels like these: with women who are complicated, difficult heroes, struggling with the same feet of clay as everyone.
Desperate to escape a dead-end mining planet, Gyre exaggerates her caving experience to sign on with a mysterious company. It’s only when descending, sealed inside a technological marvel of a suit, that all the questions she never asked come back to haunt her.
The Luminous Deadis a tremendous pressure cooker of a novel, experienced almost entirely in the microcosm of the developing relationship between Gyre and her intense, driven handler Em. Both women are stubborn, obsessive, and flawed: survivors of trauma but fighting not to be defined by it. And it’s only by working together that either of them stands a chance to survive.
"This claustrophobic, horror-leaning tour de force is highly recommended for fans of Jeff VanderMeer's Annihilation and Andy Weir's The Martian." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)
A thrilling, atmospheric debut with the intensive drive of The Martian and Gravity and the creeping dread of Annihilation, in which a caver on a foreign planet finds herself on a terrifying psychological and emotional journey for survival.
When Gyre Price lied her way into this expedition, she thought she'd be mapping mineral deposits, and that her biggest problems would be cave collapses and gear malfunctions. She…
In a sparsely populated world settling into ruin, Makepeace patrols a city’s remains alone as the last sheriff. It isn’t until the shocking intrusion of people from the outside world that she realizes she will need to leave her quiet orbit and grapple with the problem of wider humanity.
One of the things I love best about this novel is how far into it you get before it’s even specified that Makepeace is a woman. Her thoughts, dreams, and ambitions are the defining points of her character rather than her gender and she won’t let any of the people around her forget it. This is a rough novel of survival but Makepeace is as tough as they come, at times providing the only positive human note.
Far North is a 2009 National Book Award Finalist for Fiction.
My father had an expression for a thing that turned out bad. He'd say it had gone west. But going west always sounded pretty good to me. After all, westwards is the path of the sun. And through as much history as I know of, people have moved west to settle and find freedom. But our world had gone north, truly gone north, and just how far north I was beginning to learn.
Out on the frontier of a failed state, Makepeace—sheriff and perhaps last citizen—patrols a city's ruins,…
Mattie is an automaton who has studied alchemy to earn independence from her creator, a man who treats her at times like a machine and at times as a woman, and who refuses to give up his control over her. She innocently takes a job to help the city’s gargoyles, never suspecting it will lead her down a path to dark political intrigue, passion, and the worst betrayal of all.
This book is deeply charming and lovely, a pleasure to read whether it’s a description of the city or a scene of action and feelings — of which there are many; Mattie’s rich interior world and her determination bring this story to life. Despite her relative lack of power she is not a woman to be underestimated.
Mattie, an intelligent automaton skilled in the use of alchemy, finds
herself caught in the middle of a conflict between gargoyles, the Mechanics, and
the Alchemists. With the old order quickly giving way to the new, Mattie
discovers powerful and dangerous secrets - secrets that can completely
alter the balance of power in the city of Ayona. This doesn't sit well with
Loharri, the Mechanic who created Mattie and still has the key to her heart
- literally.
Cancer was defeated, but at the accidental cost of longevity. Children no longer have time to grow up and are force-educated by viruses. All except for Milena, who is resistant and almost died from them; Milena with secret love in her heart, doesn’t yet know herself; Milena who, over her life, will become determined to set the children free.
The Child Garden is quite a challenging read with its non-linear structure and worldbuilding, and I admit it won’t be for everyone. But if you are up to trying something unusual you will find it richly rewarding and emotionally devastating (in the best way).
Winner of the Arthur C. Clarke and John W. Campbell Memorial Awards.
"An exuberant celebration of excess set in a resource-poor but defiantly energetic twenty-first century."—The New York Times
"A richly absorbing tale—with a marvelous premise expertly carried out."—Kirkus Reviews
"Excellent. . . . Dark and witty and full of love, closely observed, and sprinkled with astonishing ideas. Science fiction of a very high order."—Greg Bear
"One of the most imaginative accounts of futuristic bioengineering since Greg Bear's Blood Music."—Locus
In a future London, humans photosynthesize, organics have replaced electronics, viruses educate people, and very few live past forty. But…
Shannon is part of a clandestine division within the Navy utilizing possible versions of the future to solve crimes. But all timelines lead to Terminus, the end of humanity, and whenever Shannon dips into the future Terminus creeps inevitably nearer.
Leaning more heavily into science fiction is The Gone World, another complex but deeply rewarding novel. The story is grounded by Shannon’s lyrical, mournful perspective and her fierce determination to fight the injustice of a murder no matter where it takes her.
The Silence of the Lambs meets Interstellar. The terrifying, thrilling and ingenious science-fiction thriller from Tom Sweterlitsch. Film rights bought by Twentieth Century Fox with Neil Blomkamp (District 9, Elysium) to direct.
'Thrilling . . . [a] dark, page-turning thriller' The Guardian
A murdered family. A missing girl. Time is running out...
1997. Shannon Moss of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service is assigned to solve the murder of a Navy SEAL's family - and to locate the soldier's missing teenage daughter. When Moss discovers that the SEAL was an astronaut aboard the spaceship U.S.S. Libra - a ship assumed lost…
Perhaps the world ended, and we brought it on ourselves. But only Joyce noticed the whimper. And she might just be tits-out crazy. Along with smarmy Sam, life's impossible tourist, a trucker's death draws Joyce down the last highway into the desert's beating heart. And at the Judgment Day Diner they will be caught up in a maelstrom of adultery, lies, and hidden violence.
Intended for adult readers, fantasy/science fiction novel Automatons is a stripping bare of the ways people stumble blindly down the same old paths, and how we find it so much easier to be humane to our technology rather than each other.
From the time I was a girl, I’ve loved stories that put a lump in my throat even as I’m laughing. As a fiction writer, that funny-sad tone is the one I go for in my own work. I gravitate toward female protagonists of all ages who break the mold—women who are intelligent and strong but who also have unconventional, quirky personalities. Women who can be hilarious, infuriating, and heartbreaking—sometimes all at once. Because they are complex and unique, these women tend to struggle with life’s challenges more than their contemporaries. That’s what makes their stories so interesting, and why I have chosen the books on this list.
When Mar’s husband divorces her, she reacts by abandoning everything in her past: her home, her friends, even her name. Though it's not easy starting over, she’s ready for new adventures—as long as she can keep things casual. Each month, Mar goes from one acquaintance to the next: a fellow gym member down on her luck, a flirty hip-hop instructor, a bossy but comical consultant. . . and a handsome novelist who wants more than she can give. Mar learns from each encounter. But can she open herself up to true connection?
Surrounded by quirky, endearing characters, Mar navigates her…
"A fun, entertaining novel! I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't enjoy this book as much as I did." -Leslie A. Rasmussen, award-winning author
When Mar Meyer's husband divorces her for another woman, she reacts by abandoning everything in her past: her home, her friends, even her name. Though it's not easy to start over, Mar is young-looking, fit, and ready for new adventures-as long as she can keep things casual.
With each passing month, Mar goes from one acquaintance to the next. Among them: a fellow gym member down on her luck, a flirty hip-hop instructor, a bossy but comical…
