This year we’re rounding up our favorite speculative fiction books written by women. From fantasy epics to disturbing and eerie horror stories, we have compiled eight books by women from all different backgrounds. We hope one of these catches your eye!
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
A classic for a reason. Le Guin’s novel poignantly explores gender and how people (or aliens) relate to one another because of these social constructs. Beyond that, this novel is also an adventure one, with Le Guin masterfully creating a whole wide universe of different planets and cultures. Loyalty is a big motif throughout the novel as well as how we approach relationships. With a lot of social and political commentary, Le Guin presents the idea of human expansion as a means of division and further alienation. This is a pillar of science fiction narratives, however you look at it.
The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa
Ogawa’s novel is definitely not for the faint of heart. The protagonists starts losing memories and is thrust into a world of despair and loneliness that she doesn’t quite understand. The novel touches upon the fleetingness of relationships and how easy it is to turn against each other with the correct conditions. Ogawa creates an atmospheric sci-fi world without really introducing other-worldly elements and packs punch after punch mercilessly.
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Besides the obvious (lesbians and swords), Gideon the Ninth is truly an experience. Building worlds and lore comes so naturally to Muir it’s envy-inducing. Muir juggles several genres at once without compromising one, and this almost plays out as a murder mystery! While the sequel Harrow the Ninth is a more in-depth exploration of grief and loss, Gideon is chaos and adventure, which pretty much reflects the title characters’ personalities. I didn’t know gay space operas were my thing, but I learned a lot about myself while reading this. I treated myself to a good time, and I’ve been chasing that first-read high ever since.
Mouthful of Birds by Samantha Schweblin
Argentinian writers are at the forefront of a Latin-American horror boom and we’re here for it. Schweblin’s book is a compilation of short stories, not all of them horror-oriented, but all of them definitely quite creepy and insidious. One of the recurring themes is cruelty and violence and how we have started to normalize them and even expect them in some situations. Schweblin’s writing is shocking and uncomfortable, but it never feels exploitative.
Agents of Dreamland by Caitlin R. Kiernan
This is cosmic horror in its whole splendour and the first entry of a three-part series around a secret government agency reaching out to Eldrich beings. There’s just something about secrets and spies and unbearable heat that will always go well together. Although relatively small, this is a novella after all, Kiernan’s narrative never takes anything for granted. The vibe is immaculate as a spy tries to understand why a fungal virus is spreading and how that fits into the general cosmic narrative. I am yet to read the other two books in the series, but if this one is anything to go by, then the others are also fun and eerie.
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
A very simple way to approach Shannon’s novel would be to say that it’s about court drama, the burden of legacy and bloodline, and dragons. However, this novel provides this and so much more. For starters, it’s a rewriting of the Saint George myth and it also introduces a secret magical sisterhood in charge of protecting the world from bigger threats. It’s about espionage in court, finding purpose in life, hubris and bravery, and the friendships we make along the way, but that sounds really corny. World-building here is a wonder, and although Shannon has expanded this universe with a prequel, The Priory of the Orange Tree remains the superior book.
We Eat Our Own by Kea Wilson
Wilson’s novel centers on a filming crew that travel to the Brazilian jungle to shoot a horro film. The vibes are really close to a Mario Bava or Dario Argento film as the heat is stifling, the locals don’t trust the filming crew, and the characters begin to feel paranoid in regards to the content of the film. It feels a lot like a found-footage film as you never really know what is happening because no one has the full true story. With a lot of twists and turns, Wilson manages to create absolute dread and eeriness. Not to mention the points of view are quite entertaining and keep you turning the pages.
The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin
Jemisin is a household name due to her Broken Earth series and all her other ventures into fantasy, science fiction, and weird fiction in general. She’s a generational talent, and that is not an overstatement. Jemisin takes the idea of urban fantasy to a whole new level by presenting avatars for cities, and furthermore, avatars for the five New York City boroughs. The novel has cosmic horror at its center, but it mostly denounces H. P. Lovecraft’s racism and criticizes the rise of the alt-right in the United States. It’s got action, it’s got social commentary, and most importantly, it’s fully about New York City.
Adriana Acevedo is an editor, writer, and sleep paralysis demon. She's been published in magazines like samfiftyfour and Impostor. She's bilingual and living in the monstrous Mexico City. Whenever she's not reading horror stories or watching horror movies, she's baking sourdough bread. Read more of her writing here.