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I have always liked science fiction and fantasy. When I was a kid, I was really into Doctor Who, Harry Potter and any stories about magic and the future. I loved how these stories imagined what was possible.Ìý

As I grew older, I started to feel that science fiction wasn't for me. I wasn't interested in space battles, and it seemed like most science fiction was written by men. It wasn't until I discovered science fiction written by women and with female protagonists, that I truly discovered my love for the genre.Ìý

So without further ado, here is a list of my favourite science fiction novels written by women and non-binary people:Ìý

• The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula Le Guin. PublishedÌýin the 1960s, this book was one of the first to imagine a society without a strict gender binary.Ìý
• The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood. Made popular by the tv series, this book imagines a near-future dystopia where women are only valued for their ability to reproduce.Ìý
• Parable of the Sower - Octavia Butler.ÌýSet in California in a state of economic and social collapse, this is a story of a girl who sows the seeds of a new religion whilst trying to survive. It's my favourite book!Ìý
• Kindred - Octavia Butler.ÌýWritten by the same author, this book is about a woman who travels back in time and encounters her ancestors who are slaves held violently captive on a plantation.Ìý
• The Power - Naomi Alderman.ÌýThis book imagines what would happen if one day, all women suddenly had to the power toÌý instantly hurt or kill someone with an electric shock.ÌýÌý
• The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet - Becky Chambers.ÌýThis is a comfort read, about a bunch of space travellers who become friends. It's so nice and I recommend it to everyone!Ìý
• A Closed and Common Orbit - Becky Chambers.ÌýSimilarly comforting and fascinating, this book is about identity and finding your place in the world / universe.Ìý
• An Unkindness of Ghosts - Rivers Solomon. Abstract and imaginative, this story is set on a futuristic space craft whose power structures mimic those of America in the era of slavery.Ìý
• Ancillary Justice - Anne Leckie.ÌýThis book is mind-blowing. It's about the AI of a warship who suddenly becomes confined to a human body.Ìý
• Paul takes the form of a Mortal Girl - Andrea Lawlor.ÌýThis book is more speculative fiction than science fiction, but it's so great! It's about a young person who has the ability to shape-shift, and uses it to explore his gender and sexuality.Ìý
• Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel.ÌýI have already written a whole blog post about this book! It's about a group of artists who have survived a brutal global pandemic.Ìý
• The Fifth Season - N.K. Jemisin. My latest read. This captivating story is set on a planet where every few hundred years, apocalyptic disasters occur, wiping out most people.Ìý

And some honorary mentions go to these excellentÌýbooks which are writtenÌýby men but have female protagonists:

• Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro. This surreal story is set in a society almost identical to our own, but in which people are cloned to produce organs forÌýtransplants.Ìý
• Leila - Prayaag Akbar. The story of a woman who is on a quest to find her daughter many years after being separated by a futuristic caste system.ÌýÌý