Celebrating the women authors who shaped science fiction and fantasy

Robin Hobb

Few fantasy authors have had as much of an impact on the genre as Robin Hobb, the creator of The Realm of the Elderlings. Beginning in 1995 with Assassin’s Apprentice, the Elderlings series is comprised of multiple sequences of books which all take place in the same world. Together, they tell a grand, overarching tale. Hobb’s fantasy world is vividly realized in a way that sets it apart from many other series, and the emotional weight of everything that her main character FitzChivalry goes through over the course of the series is nothing short of incredible. And it may bring you to tears, so be warned.

Hobb’s works have influenced countless fantasy authors, including heavyweights like Brandon Sanderson. She’s won numerous awards over the years, including a Hugo, Locus, and Nebulas, as well as the World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement award in 2021. Really, there’s just no overstating the effect that Robin Hobb has had on fantasy over these past 27 years since she launched her Farseer trilogy. It’s enough to say that if you are a fantasy fan and haven’t read Robin Hobb, you’re missing out on one of the greatest series the genre has ever seen.

Elizabeth Moon

Elizabeth Moon has published more than 25 novels and over 50 short stories, and is especially important to recognize because she not only writes fantasy novels, but also military science fiction. We began this list with the premise that women authors have always shaped the science fiction and fantasy that we all know and love, but military sci-fi is one area that’s historically been dominated by men. Which did absolutely nothing to stop Elizabeth Moon.

Reading Moon’s resume is dizzying; she’s served on library boards and town councils, been a teacher and a Marine Corps veteran among many other things. Her book series include The Legend of Paksennarion, the Serrano Legacy, and the Vatta Universe, but perhaps her best known novel is the standalone story The Speed of Dark, which won her a Nebula award in 1997. The Speed of the Dark is a thought-provoking examination of an autistic character in a near future where disease has been all but eliminated. It’s a novel that asks us to reconsider how we look at the world, and is done with powerful finesse.

Moon’s military science fiction novels have influenced many of the writers that have come after her, and the genre is much better for her contribution.