The Best Sci-Fi Books Written By and For Women, According to Reddit Users
From snarky, soap-opera-loving cyborgs to fierce female space pilots, these thrilling, world-building reads are the ultimate escape
Key Takeaways
- Reddit readers recommend five sci-fi series with sharp heroines and immersive worlds.
- Borrow them free with a library card on Libby, or find cheap used copies at ThriftBooks.
- Every pick kicks off a series, so there’s plenty more to read if you get hooked.
We’ve lived through enough actual history to know that sometimes, you just need a temporary break from reality. Science fiction isn’t just about cold spaceships and technical jargon—it’s about reinvention, breaking the rules and discovering what we’re truly capable of. If you’ve ever felt overlooked or underestimated, there is something deeply satisfying about diving into a sprawling, epic universe where women are saving the day on their own terms.
Whether you’re a lifelong fantasy fan or just looking for an immersive weekend read to curl up with, these highly rated series—written by women and beloved by the denizens of Reddit’s Suggest Me A Book forum—offer the perfect ticket to a whole new world. Best of all, you can easily download them for free using your local library’s Libby app or grab steeply discounted gently used copies on ThriftBooks.
‘All Systems Red’ by Martha Wells
Meet your new favorite, highly relatable protagonist: a deadly, socially anxious android who has hacked its own control module but would rather just hide in its room and binge-watch soap operas. In this Hugo Award-winning kickoff to The Murderbot Diaries series, our grumpy narrator must begrudgingly pause its stories to save some human scientists from a sinister plot.
What GoodReads readers are saying: “I’ve never felt an emotional connection to the protagonist of a book like this before. I’ve never felt more of an empathetic connection to a character as strong as this before. Ever. I can’t recommend this book enough. It was fun and funny. It made me laugh, and it broke my heart. It is smart, quick and well-written. It’s unique in its concept and excellent in its execution.”
What Redditors are saying: “What a rollercoaster ride of books! I have never rooted or felt that I related to a main character more than in [this] series.”
‘The Space Between Worlds’ by Micaiah Johnson
In this gripping, beautifully written story, multiverse travel is real, but there’s a major catch: You can only visit a parallel universe if your alternate self in that world is already dead. Enter Cara, whose marginalized, dangerous background means she’s died in almost every other timeline, making her a highly valuable traveler for a wealthy mega-corporation. The novel weaves themes of class, identity and second chances with page-turning suspense. And once you fly through this one, a sequel, Those Beyond the Wall, is waiting for you.
What GoodReads readers are saying: “Johnson’s The Space Between Worlds is a beautifully-crafted science fiction novel that breaks all the rules of time travel… The writing in this novel is excellent. The pace is tremendous and it is hard to put it down. Few have done such a great job of combining hard science fiction ideas with interpersonal relations and allowing both to flourish.”
‘How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse’ by K. Eason
What GoodReads readers are saying: “I didn’t realize quite how much I needed How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse by K. Eason in my life until now. It’s exactly my kind of mashup as a fairytale space opera. Think of the most epic combination of The Princess Bride, meets Star Wars, plus The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, and Sleeping Beauty and this is what you’ll get. I need more of Rory and her world.”
What Redditors are saying: “How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse is a lot of fun — politics, war, princesses. Really great voice.”
‘The Calculating Stars’ by Mary Robinette Kowal
Imagine if the space race started not out of political rivalry, but pure survival. In this brilliant alternate-history version of 1952, a massive meteorite strikes Earth, triggering an impending climate disaster that will make the planet uninhabitable. Mathematician and pilot Elma York joins the desperate international effort to put humanity in space, fighting sexism at every turn to prove women belong in the stars, too. It’s the inspiring, rigorously researched first book in the acclaimed Lady Astronaut Universe series.
What GoodReads readers are saying: “The accurate technical details, the basis in real history, the exposing of society’s darker aspects would be pointless without a compelling story with engaging characters, I’m happy to report that Kowal crushes that part of it, too. This book is so great on so many levels that this is a serious contender for my favorite book of the year.”
‘Unconquerable Sun’ by Kate Elliott
If you love political intrigue, high-stakes family drama and strong women refusing to bow down, this is your next obsession. Reimagining the legendary conquests of Alexander the Great with a fierce female protagonist set in space, this action-packed novel follows Princess Sun as she outmaneuvers ruthless enemies and her own mother’s shadowy court to secure her rightful throne. This is the first book in the epic, three-part Sun Chronicles series, promising hours of edge-of-your-seat escapism.
What GoodReads readers are saying: “Unconquerable Sun is incredible. It blends tightly written heart-pounding sci-fi action with sharply observed and complex characterisation, in a richly detailed universe. It had me turning pages at 2AM, wanting to know what happened and not wanting the story to end… This is a glorious space opera, filled with personal conflicts, with love and tragedy in equal measure, with starships sweeping between solar systems in epic geometry and soldiers face down in the mud. It’s a soaring epic, this narrative, but focused by its strong characterisation on the human element.” (link to review)
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