Female epic fantasy authors with biography

There's little romance, little magic. It's entirely about the female epic fantasy authors with biography journey. Read if you like: Steampunk, political fantasy. Say what you may, but on a list of fantasy books with female authors, J. Rowling, likely the most popular female fantasy author of all time, can hardly be left out. The Harry Potter series created engaged, imaginative readers out of an entire generation, thanks to Rowling's intricate and well-fleshed out world within a steaming train's ride of our own.

Rowling draws a lot upon mythology in her work, including mythological animals like hippogriffs, character names, and incorporating the story lines of myths themselves into various plots and subplots, giving the so-called children's book a depth not usually found in books this easy to read. Adults that didn't read the series growing up might shy away from starting this series later in life, but this would be a mistake.

The series belongs on this list especially for its strong female characters, most prominently Hermione Granger and Professor McGonagall, both highly intelligent women who steer the Harry and others back on track when they go astray. Bottom line though, the books are transporting, enjoyable reads that will unleash the imagination of readers of any age.

Read if You Like: coming of age stories, wizards and witches, mythology. It was in the 80s that the subgenres of fantasy we know today started. If this is the only reason you decide to give it a try, you'll find it's time well spent. Why it made the list Some authors get so caught up in their own worlds that they can't bring themselves to the level of the reader when explaining the details of their creation.

When this happens, the explanations they provide can seem patronizing. Bull never does this to the reader. Instead, she gives you enough information to understand the War for the Oaks universe, but trusts that you have the intelligence to fill in the blanks. In doing away with the overly condescending and lengthy descriptions that many fantasies are plagued with, action and character development are given all the attention.

Bull's writing style is uncomplicated but not overly simple, making it easy to read. Can you really think of anything more entertaining than a rock musical with faeries? That's what Bull has created here. You should already be convinced that this deserves some attention. But if you need another reason to do so, then the characters in War of the Oaks are it.

What can I. The Golden Key is the only book on this list with multiple authors and three of them at thatperhaps because such works have a tendency to be disjointed, a result of the difficulty caused by attempting to meld multiple authors' differing styles. This isn't the case here, with each author writing one section of the three part book Jennifer Roberson wrote the first, Melanie Rawn wrote the second, and Kate Elliott wrote the third.

Tying the three stories together is a unifying plot, following two forever interconnected families whose histories are recorded using paintings instead of words. The Grijalva family of gifted painters guide events around them according to their desires, while the royal do'Verradas rule Tira Virte, the story's country of focus, a country which is in many ways an alternate version of Spain.

The novel spans multiple generations over the course of years, but mostly follows the main characters, Sario and his beloved cousin Saavedra, both gifted members of the Grijalva family. Creative readers will love this intricately woven story where art is magic, and the protagonist is in fact an antihero who often goes too far in the pursuit of what he wants.

While each of the three authors intended to write another novel in this world, only Melanie Rawn has done so in her book The Diviner, a prequel to The Golden Key which was published in Read if You Like: art, magic, complex characters and relationships, family sagas, deep world-building, antiheros. The story opens with a moderately well-to-do family gathering at the deathbed of their father, and fighting over the inheritance - not his gold hoard, which has been divided equitably, but what portion each of his children and their spouses will get to eat of his dead carcass.

And if all this talk of eating puts you off, don't worry, it is not at all gory, and treated as an entirely reasonable part of dragon life, and indeed, the only way that dragons can grow is by consuming dragon-flesh. This comedic story deals with one family's quest to grow, nurture and establish themselves properly in society, and of course find true love.

Why it's on the listThis is a fun, charming book. Imagine Jane Austen with dragons. The culture of dragons depicted is not merely a mirror of Victorian culture with dragons substituted for people; it is a fun re-imagining of dragon lore with subtle plotlines. Although it tackles familiar themes of love and courtship, class equality, revenge, and moral obligation, Tooth and Claw explores these through a different lens, creating a remarkable and entertaining reading experience.

Read if you likeElizabethan mash-ups, comedy, dragons. Prisoner Of The Horned Helmet. Lords Of Destruction. Plague Of Knives. Rise Of The Death Dealer. This gritty novel follows the stories of its two stubborn main characters, Ash, and Raif, both of whom are a little different from the world in which they live. Ash is locked away by her adopted father, tormented by reoccurring nightmares for which she has no explanation.

Meanwhile, Raif is a fiercely loyal member of the Hailsmen tribe who begins to question that loyalty as certain things come to light about his clan. The novel unravels slowly in a stark, cold climate, the perfect backdrop for the types of visceral scenes that Jones describes in often agonizing detail. Readers will enjoy the dark magical elements, multiple characters Raif's sister and uncle also play prominent roles and sweeping epic fantasy not normally written by a female author.

Although Jones isn't as well-known as some of her fantasy counterparts, her work is well worth a read, and has even been compared to the likes of popular fantasy authors George R. Martin and Robin Hobb. Read if You Like: deep world-building, epic fantasies, magic, multiple character plotlines, heroes who suffer a lot. A Fortress Of Gray Ice.

A Sword From Red Ice. Sword Of Shadows. A Fortress Of Grey Ice. Yeine suddenly is named heir to this throne, despite the fact that she grew up outside of the political arena, and arrives in the floating city of Sky only to be immediately thrust into the middle of a struggle for power. She remains concerned with her own agenda though: uncovering the mysterious circumstances surrounding her mother's sudden death.

As a black woman interested in racial and cultural tensions, Jemisin's captivating fantasy world is also rife with conflict between races, albeit those of gods, demons, and mortals. Her unique characters are driven by emotion, politics and other very believable motives, imperfect gods included. There's a lot to keep track of here, from the various settings to the cast of characters, but it never feels overwhelming.

At the center of it all, Yeine, an emotionally complex and likeable heroine, will weave her way easily into reader's hearts. The trilogy is already completed, so no need to wait for subsequent novels if you end up loving this one. Read if You Like: political intrigue, family sagas, first person POV, deep world building, racial conflict, mythology romance.

The Broken Kingdoms. The Kingdom Of Gods. In Wecker's debut novel, two very unusual immigrants arrive, separately, in 19th century immigrant New York. These two characters are unsurprisingly a golem named Chava, created by a Jewish rabbi in Poland, and Ahmad, a jinni originating in ancient Syria. Their chance meeting ends up sparking an unusual yet believable friendship of polar opposites, and the strength of the novel is undoubtedly their conversations on a variety of subjects including free will, desire, and of course their differing reactions to dealing with the isolating struggles of being inhuman in a human world.

The resulting story is a multiple award winning novel where magic exists in a historical space, a novel where the characters grow and change as result of select incidents and resulting introspection. For example, Chava is an unusual character in that she is a woman containing decidedly for the time unwomanly characteristics such as strength and the ability to protect others around her.

Her time and circumstances limit her ability to use these powers however, and she must learn to live within these societal restrictions so as not to draw attention to herself. Any female reader will easily emphasize with her struggle. Fans of the book will be please to know that Wecker recently announced a sequel, due out in Read if You Like: mythology, historical fiction, immigrant stories, romance, folklore.

Norrell Perdido Street Station. See our Best Literary Fantasy Book s for more of the literary type fantasy recommendations. One of the more recently published novels on this list, Queen of the Tearling has elicited strong reactions; this seems to be one of those love it or hate it books. The premise may seem somewhat familiar: a princess must claim her thrown after the unexpected death of her mother, as well as combat the evil sorceress who attempts to dethrone female epic fantasy authors with biography.

Yet the book is so much more than that, and far from being a traditional princess, the main character, Kaleigh, is one that changes significantly over the course of the novel. She starts off as a timid girl with low self-confidence who must suddenly learn how to rule when the job of Queen is thrust upon her. Critics may dislike her initially weak character, but it only makes her growth more believable as she truly comes into her own.

The setting, while not as deeply developed as some other fantasy epics, is perhaps more intriguing for that, leaving readers to wonder what is really going on in this somewhat dystopian but at the same time medieval world. With a movie adaptation both starring and produced by Emma Watson as well as the second novel of the planned trilogy in the works, it's clear that Johansen isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Read if You Like: fairytales, coming of age stories, good vs. Warning: get ready to commit if you enjoy this stories; The True Game series is not just a trilogy, it's a trilogy of trilogies. This unique delivery of her story, comprising of a short novels instead of longer ones, makes for a pleasurable, if different reading experience.

Follow her for all things related to classic Hollywood, musicals, the romance genre, and Bruce Springsteen. Here at EW, we're always looking for the next great sci-fi or fantasy epic. Consequently, a much-maligned National Review articlewhich dismissed the Bechdel Test and wrote off an absence of women in blockbuster films as a result of the lack of women writing blockbuster-worthy stories, had us raising our eyebrows.

The article says, "Have a wander through the sci-fi and fantasy section of your local bookstore: How many of these books' authors are female? Yet these are where the big movie ideas come from. Fiction from J. Rowling Harry PotterMargaret Atwood The Handmaid's Taleand Diana Gabaldon Outlander has inspired some of the most popular films and television of recent years, but there are countless others who fly slightly more under the radar just waiting for their stories to become the next big thing.

Here are 27 female authors who've conquered sci-fi and fantasy. In her novel Fangirl, a series of books about a boy magician named Simon Snow is central to the plot—Rowell later decided she wanted to tell Snow's story herself. Clarke and Nebula Awards. Hurley has made a distinctive mark with her novels that interrogate gender identity through a sci-fi lens, and she has published an essay collection entitled The Geek Feminist Revolution.

Okorafor excels at writing both adult and YA fiction, weaving together science fiction, fantasy, and magical realism in an African setting, heralded for her ability to intertwine that culture into her work. Martin set to executive produce, and inTessa Thompson 's production company joined the team—the network may not have to look very far for the next Game of Thrones.

After building a career as an entertainment writer for AfterEllenLo burst onto the literary scene with 's Asha lesbian retelling of Cinderella, which collected a bundle of awards nominations, including the Andre Norton Award for YA Science Fiction and Fantasy and the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award. After writing a companion novel to Ash called Huntressshe penned two contemporary science-fiction thrillers, Inheritance and Adaptation.

Lo's books are celebrated for their inclusion of characters often left out of science fiction. South African novelist Lauren Beukes nearly defies her genre, having jumped between fantasy, urban thriller, cyberpunk dystopia, and more. Her release, Afterlandfollows a mother desperate to protect her son, who's one of the last men alive on earth.

If you're looking for something that stretches the limits of genre, Beukes' novels are just the thing and if you need something even more off the beaten path, she's also written short stories, nonfiction, comics, and more. Looking for a sci-fi novel that hits a little too close to home? Malka Older's Infomocracy named a "Best of Science Fiction and Fantasy " book by the Washington Postfollows characters who work for various political parties and election bodies and who use their power and the system to manipulate and influence the voting public.

Settle in for a dark and intriguing journey into a world shrouded in prophecy and power. Her naivety makes her a pawn in the dangerous game of power and control, where her every move can be swayed.

Female epic fantasy authors with biography

She stands at the center of the Darkness, her actions having the potential to change the course of the entire world. The storyline thickens as the stakes escalate, and politics and intrigue fuse with magic and betrayal. The outcome of this ruthless game depends on the control of the new Queen and, by extension, the Darkness itself. Get ready to delve into a world where allies can be enemies, and deception is as common as the air you breathe.

Alanna of Trebond is not your typical young girl; she dreams of danger, thrill, and, most of all, knighthood. Disguised as her twin brother Alan, she enters the castle of King Roald, determined to make her mark in the world of knights. On the other hand, her brother Thom goes to the convent to delve into the mystic arts of magic, defying the conventional paths set out for them.

Watch as she learns to swing a sword, tame her emotions, and pick her allies. Every challenge she overcomes, and every lesson she learns, brings her one step closer to her dream. In this enchanting fantasy tale, you will find a rich blend of romance, mystery, and personal growth, all seen through the eyes of a determined heroine. Join Coriel in her journey of self-discovery and see how her summers shape her life and destiny.

This novel sets in a world where magic intertwines with reality and where love is both a dream and a nightmare. Here, you will meet Coriel Halsinga girl who grows up in the grandeur of Castle Auburn and harbors a forbidden love for a prince. However, growing up has a way of shedding light on the grim realities hidden beneath the surface. For Coriel, that reality is the dark underbelly of her beloved castle.

As she uncovers the grim secrets lurking within Castle Auburn, she also discovers her own strength. Her growth mirrors the unfolding narrative, driving the plot forward in an intimate and engaging way. Take a plunge into the thrilling world of Dragonfly by Julia Golding. A tale packed with adventure and sprinkled with romance, it will introduce you to Princess Taoshirafondly known as Tashi.

Taoshira, from the Blue Crescent Islands, is a picture of discipline and elegance, a stark contrast to the rugged, carefree Prince Ramil of Gerfal, who she is unfortunately betrothed to. But when a formidable warlord threatens both their kingdoms, the only hope for peace is to form an uneasy alliance. The action really takes off when Tashi and Ram are kidnapped, forcing them to put their differences aside for survival.

Dragonfly is a roller coaster of a journey, where every twist and turn could mean life or death. A headstrong girl who decides to break tradition and strive for knighthood, Kel is ready to overcome any obstacle. Despite this, Kel is unyielding and determined. Can she hold her own, not just in combat but also in the face of disparity? Can you imagine being on the run for being different?

For having a unique gift that terrifies a tyrant king? Meet Neryna sixteen-year-old girl with a formidable secret in the land of Alban. This gifted heroine from Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier has the rare ability to converse with the Good Folk, a fairy-like race. Capture anyone possessing magic! Fearing for her life, Neryn embarks on a perilous journey to reach Shadowfell, a legendary sanctuary for rebels plotting against the king.

The Good Folk aids her throughout her challenging journey, revealing that she must complete a sequence of tests to unlock her full potential. A handsome, enigmatic young man, Flint, becomes an unpredictable savior from her doomed fate. But can she trust him? His motives remain foggy, sparking a constant war of trust within Neryn.

She must reach Shadowfell. Not just to save herself but to liberate Alban. Get ready for a whirlwind adventure filled with magic, intrigue, and the power of a determined young woman in this epic novel. Would you embark on a quest that is shrouded in mystery, driven by the guidance of unfamiliar gods? Born into the Maghuin Dhonn, the oldest tribe in Alba, she carries the vestiges of a broken sacred oath made generations ago.

These remnants manifest as small gifts: the power to summon twilight, to become invisible, and the knack to encourage plants to thrive. Upon coming of age, Moirin is accepted by the divine, but this comes with a caveat. She must fulfill a destiny that lies beyond oceans, in a place unknown. As the First Daughter in a society deeply rooted in tradition, she carries the burden of expectations.

On her wedding day, Lia decides to take control of her destiny. She escapes to a distant village, eager for a fresh start. Hope fills her as two enigmatic and attractive strangers enter her new life. Amidst rampant deception, Lia stands on the precipice of revealing dangerous secrets. The twists and turns of her narrative will leave you guessing until the very end.

Alina is just an ordinary soldier in a war-torn land, struggling for survival. This prolific Portland-based author created stories that transported readers to imaginative worlds while delving into challenging issues such as gender, religion, and the environment. One such example is her Earthsea series. The story is a profound investigation of power, female epic fantasy authors with biography, and the balance of life, set in an island world ruled by wizards, dragons, and ancient runes.

Le Guin is another seminal work that, while classified as science fiction, contains fantasy elements. The novel, set on a planet with no fixed gender, questions established concepts of gender and sexuality. The writer is astounding when it comes to writing fiction and fantasies! Jemisin is the name you might be interested in! She is a modern fantasy powerhouse known for her rich world-building, intriguing characters, and plots that speak to the times.

Jemisin, who was born in Iowa and raised in New York, writes about oppression, cultural struggle, and the ambiguities of power. In this novel story, the Earth is a supercontinent known as the Stillness, which is frequently devastated by terrible occurrences known as the Seasons. The plot revolves around three women — Essun, Damaya, and Syenite — who are orogenesor people who have the ability to control energy and hence alter the Earth.

The series is a moving examination of institutional injustice, survival, and the extent to which people will go to defend those they love. She introduces readers to a world where gods coexist with mortals. Robin Hobb is a famous figure in fantasy fiction, known for her deep world-building and nuanced characters. She was born Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden in California and has written under two pen names, one of which is Robin Hobb, which is linked with her epic fantasy work.

In this book, we meet FitzChivalry Farseer, a royal bastard with forbidden Skill magic and the hated Wit — an archaic sort of telepathy shared with animals. Her contribution to fantasy writing is undeniable, and her books are still required reading for any fantasy reader. Naomi Novika New York native, skillfully weaves mythology and history into her fantasy narratives, creating fascinating tales of magic and adventure.

Her work has received praise for its inventive retellings of classic stories and sophisticated world-building. The nine-book series is a one-of-a-kind blend of historical fiction and fantasy, depicting the Napoleonic Wars as fought with a dragon air force. The series revolves around their evolving relationship, which is set in a beautifully researched historical setting.

Her books Uprooted and Spinning Silver are stunning fairy-tale retellings. Uprooted, based on Eastern European tradition, depicts the narrative of Agnieszka, a young woman from a small hamlet who is chosen to serve the local wizard, known as the Dragon. Novik skillfully demonstrates her capacity to breathe new life into well-known narratives and historical events in each of her novels.

Her characters are approachable, and the tales are engrossing, making her a really fascinating storyteller in the domain of fantasy literature. She is a pioneer in young adult fantasy, with a talent for creating complex characters, engrossing world-building, and thrilling action.