Recommend me some girly science fiction

[Icerigger]

A have read a couple from Melissa Scott that were good.

Melissa Scott

[Der_Trihs]

Mirabile by Janet Kagan is a good collection of connected biology-themed stories set on the world of Miribile with a strong female protagonist. Her Hellspark was good too IIRC; sadly she died before being able to write much else.

@Tamerlane

Hell, I dig Zenna Henderson. Or I did when I was younger, I don’t think I’ve read any of her work since I was in my late teens. Her stories tend to be very…gentle, I guess. Her background as an elementary teacher often stands out.

I’m male too and liked her stuff, I have several books by her I inherited from my mother.

[runcible_spoon]

@Tamerlane

Oh, not at all. There is sex ( not particularly explicit, but certainly suggestive ) in most of the dragon books. I think the popular dragonsinger books were deliberately pitched to younger audience, like LeGuin’s Earthsea novels. But McCaffrey, like a lot of working sf writers I understand, even stuck her toe into the softcore sf short-story field when that was paying some bills in the 1970’s.

I think cringe-inducing softcore sci-fi fits perfectly into the young adult genre…

[Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor]

Author-- Zenna Henderson

[Zsofia]

@Tamerlane

Oh, not at all. There is sex ( not particularly explicit, but certainly suggestive ) in most of the dragon books. I think the popular dragonsinger books were deliberately pitched to younger audience, like LeGuin’s Earthsea novels. But McCaffrey, like a lot of working sf writers I understand, even stuck her toe into the softcore sf short-story field when that was paying some bills in the 1970’s.

Ha, I read a few novellas by her in the 70’s, maybe? That were quite a bit more than softcore, at least I thought they were in ninth grade.

[carnut]

I like Walter Jon Williams. His female characters are definitely girls and he is not sexist. I really liked Maureen McHugh but she is not writing any more - she’s doing some pretty cool stuff with alternate reality games. But go find her old books.

If you want girly, try Robin McKinley - but it is definitely fantasy, not SF. “Sunshine” was great.

I love LeGuin. Very worth getting yourself past the first chapter. “The Dispossessed” is still awesome. She is still writing and has tons of stories.

Have you tried Sheri Tepper? Some of her stuff is kind-of silly but “The Gateway to Women’s Country” is powerful stuff.

[Tamerlane]

@Zsofia

That were quite a bit more than softcore, at least I thought they were in ninth grade.

Yeah, I have no doubts :). I was being cautious as I only remember reading one or two of her racier stories and they weren’t Philip Jose Farmer explicit ( then again, I guess not much is ). But weird porn and near-porn was definitely one way to earn grocery money for younger authors back in the day.

[lshaw]

@Cat_Whisperer

I haven’t read much Octavia E. Butler, but what I have read, I have really liked.

I had no idea she was considered a sci-fi writer, as I’ve only read one of her work - Fledgling (which I enjoyed). Which of hers would you recommend?

[infinitii]

What about Joanna Russ? I’ve mostly read fantasy by her, but its definitely feminist works, although I don’t necessarily know about girly.

[carnut]

@infinitii

What about Joanna Russ? I’ve mostly read fantasy by her, but its definitely feminist works, although I don’t necessarily know about girly.

I had forgotten her work. Shame on me. I liked her women.

[Left_Hand_of_Dorkness]

@lshaw

I had no idea she was considered a sci-fi writer, as I’ve only read one of her work - Fledgling (which I enjoyed). Which of hers would you recommend?

My personal favorite of hers is Wild Seed. It’s on the border between SF and fantasy. Lilith’s Brood, a trilogy about humanity’s end as it’s changed irrevocably by contact with an alien race, is also pretty good.

[Lynn_Bodoni]

@lshaw

I had no idea she was considered a sci-fi writer, as I’ve only read one of her work - Fledgling (which I enjoyed). Which of hers would you recommend?

@Left_Hand_of_Dorkness

My personal favorite of hers is Wild Seed. It’s on the border between SF and fantasy. Lilith’s Brood, a trilogy about humanity’s end as it’s changed irrevocably by contact with an alien race, is also pretty good.

Seed to Harvest contains Wild Seed, Mind of My Mind, Clay’s Ark, and Patternmaster. Oddly, Butler wrote Patternmaster first, and then kept working her way back through the history of the Patternist peoples.

I liked all of her books, and her short stories, and I was deeply saddened by her untimely death.

[liirogue]

I recently read Origins Spinward Fringe by Randolph Lalonde and loved it. It’s a free download you can read on the Kindle or on the computer. I’m not a big space scifi fan, but I was engrossed in this from the beginning. There is great character development and the story was enthralling.

[raspberry_hunter]

Bujold, Bujold, Bujold! Hard SF but with a twist that the technology is practical for women’s issues, a great sense of humor… brilliant stuff. I think she is somewhat like Connie Willis but better (although I love Willis as well).

I also concur with Zenna Henderson and the Lilith’s Brood Butler books.

If you don’t need your SF to be strictly, um, accurate, you could try Diane Duane’s books. As sloppy as all get out, but fun reads. Oh, same goes for Kate Wilhelm. Wince-inducing science, but good books.