Strong women in Science Fiction

[crittersmum]

Any suggestions for science fiction books featuring strong women? I loved Cordelia in Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold. Can you think of any other books to recommend?

[GoBecGo]

Any Terry Pratchett book with Esmerelda Weatherwax (granny Weatherwax) might be good. Witches Abroad and Carpe Jugulum spring to mind. In Carpe Jugulum there are some amazing scenes between her ad some vampires which have stayed with me from my teens. My daughter is named after her

[philomom]

Juniper in S.M. Stirling's Dies the Fire series.

Emergence by David Palmer

Any book by Pamela Sargent

[annettemarie]

My absolute favorite, that no one has ever heard of but is excellent beyond belief, is The Psalms of Herod by Esther Freisner.

[~Megan~]

The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon is full of strong women (and a few meek ones too).

[journeymom]

Meg Murray in A Wrinkle in Time. etc. She grows and becomes strong.

Terry Pratchett writes wonderful women characters! They're all sharp and hardworking. I love, love, love his Tiffany Aching.

[Masel]

Maureen in multiple Heinlein books. My favorite is To Sail Beyond the Sunset. He has some remarkably sexist characters even considering the times but I still love Maureen.

I recently read Endymion and Endymion Rising by Dan Simmons. Aenea is a very strong character though the story is told from a male character's point of view. There are also lots of minor female characters liberally sprinkled though the books in roles ordinarily assigned to men in SF. This is done without comment which I rather admire. Two other books in the series Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion have section with female character's voice but it has been much longer since I read them.

Lessa in the Dragonriders of Pern is pretty darn tough.

I feel like I should have a better answer to this question but I'm drawing a blank.

[gcgirl]

Almost any of Octavia Butler's books feature strong women characters, usually women of color.

[SleeplessMommy]

Robert Heinlein: Friday

various books by Mary Gentle (more historical/fantasy)

[Keeta]

Originally Posted by gcgirl

Almost any of Octavia Butler's books feature strong women characters, usually women of color.

:

Anything by Sheri S. Tepper is going to have strong women. I *LOVE* Gate To Women's Country. The Fresco is really interesting, too. The Family Tree is kind of mind-blowing in a particular way. Beauty is a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story, and it's hilarious and very SF despite its fantasy roots.

There's a really excellent series by Julie E. Czerneda called Web Shifters, the first one is called Beholder's Eye. The main character is an alien who identifies as female and she's a shapeshifter. It's hilarious and touching and has lots of good action. There are 3 books total.

The Color of Distance by Amy Thomson is a really excellent first-contact story with a female lead. Very anthropological feel to it - she gets stranded on an alien planet and learns all about the alien life forms there. Really interesting. There is a sequel that's good, but not as good as the first. She's also got a really good standalone called Storyteller that is more fantasy than SF, but still really interesting.

And if you like Bujold, I really haven't read anything by her that I didn't like. I really really liked The Sharing Knife series. It's split between two characters' POVs, one being Fawn. She's kind of a country girl who doesn't have a lot of formal education, etc, but she's super strong, smart, and passionate. Really good series.

[Aubergine68]

Strongly second the "anything by Butler and Tepper" recommendations.

Also, C.J.Cherryh has some great ones. I loved the Cyteen series -- a sequel was recently published. Also, Rimrunners.

[Aubergine68]

Originally Posted by philomom

Juniper in S.M. Stirling's Dies the Fire series.

Emergence by David Palmer

Any book by Pamela Sargent

These.

I don't like everything by Stirling, but he has some tough female characters in his Island in the Sea Of Time series as well.

[zinemama]

Oh yeah, Octavia Butler. I'm not so into her Exogenesis series, but Parable of the Sower and Kindred are terrific.

A Woman of the Iron People by Eleanor Arnason is an excellent first contact novel about an anthropologist on a new planet.

Suzette Haden Elgin's Native Tongue trilogy is really good. It's about a future where linguists are the despised elite, and it's also a future where women are extremely downtrodden - subversive rebellion from within ensues.

Joan Slonczewski's A Door into Ocean is a good one, too.

[Keeta]

Originally Posted by zinemama

Joan Slonczewski's A Door into Ocean is a good one, too.

Second that! I forgot all about that book. Really good.

[lilabet]

Any Anne McCaffrey book will have strong women in it, you can't get tougher than the Rowan/ I love Lessa. Her Killashandra books are also fabulous.

I second Friday too.

[Pinoikoi]

Originally Posted by lilabet

Any Anne McCaffrey book will have strong women in it, you can't get tougher than the Rowan/ I love Lessa. Her Killashandra books are also fabulous.

I was thinking of her Crystal Line? Singer? series.

I think there is a series by Modessitt? about singers with magic powers? More fantasy than scifi, but I really liked them.. let me see.. Ah yes, the Spellsong Cycle.

[Amaranth]

Any of Steve Miller & Sharon Lee's Liaden books - I think the first one is Local Custom.

[ACsMom]

I think it's geared toward teenagers, but I loved the book "Graceling" - not sure who the author is. The main character, Katsa, is about as tough as they come, even when she falls in love. Never once does she compromise her own values.

[Rhiannon Feimorgan]

Many of Ursula K. Le Guin's stories, particularly her short stories have strong female characters.

[Keeta]

Originally Posted by ACsMom

I think it's geared toward teenagers, but I loved the book "Graceling" - not sure who the author is. The main character, Katsa, is about as tough as they come, even when she falls in love. Never once does she compromise her own values.

Loved that too - and the author is Kristin Cashore. She also has a sort of prequel to Graceling that was published very recently called Fire - another strong female lead in that one, too!

Oh, and has Hunger Games been mentioned yet? By Suzanne Collins. Katniss, the main character, is soooo tough and amazing. It's part of a trilogy, the second installment is Catching Fire. The third one will be published next year I believe. I'm dying to read it!