I remember reading Frankenstein in high school English, like I’m sure that many of you did as well. However, what stuck with me more than the story itself (which for me, was mostly just important to better my understanding of the Mel Brooks classic movie Young Frankenstein) was the story of the author, Mary Shelley. Here was a woman who was not afraid to redefine a genre of fiction, carve her own path in the world and be more famous than her husband. In the 19th century. She was a radical and learning about her when I was 16 really opened my eyes.

Since then, women have continued to thrive in the science fiction space, writing worlds and futures and pasts that are big enough to fit all of us and that have ample opportunities for all kinds of people. If you don’t like this world we’re living in, shine a light on it by building a better one through words or showing the hard truths of what’s happening on the page. Science fiction is revolutionary and brings change, and there are a whole bunch of strong, brilliant women who are making sure that their voices are heard through the genre.

Here are some female-authored sci-fi novels to enjoy this Women’s History Month (and beyond) on the Libby app:

If you have a strong stomach:

Sister, Maiden, Monster by Lucy A. Snyder

A pandemic is running through humankind. What starts as a (sadly) familiar premise takes a real turn for the macabre in this sci-fi horror mashup, where we follow three different women as they try to survive in this new world. This virus transforms every single aspect of a person, and to say that this book isn’t for the squeamish is an understatement! This book stares down survival and makes us question just how much we’re willing to do in order to keep going.

If you know you’re more than the sum of your parts:

Noor by Nnedi Okorafor

If you’ve yet to read any Afrofuturism, this is a great place to start! Our main character, AO, is a person who’s full of technology that’s replaced many of her organs and keeps her alive and part of her community in Nigeria. While she’s comfortable in her skin, the world around her isn’t as accepting. When she’s caught up in an act of violence in a marketplace, she finds herself on the run in the desert, where she meets a fellow outcast, DNA. Together, they must make a dangerous journey and try to become free of all that threatens them, both from nature and society.

If you’re looking to make a deal at the crossroads:

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

If you like books that have deals with the devil, aliens, classical music and donuts, then this is the book for you! Shizuka is near the end of her deal, seven souls to save her own. She needs just one more, and she’ll be free from her bargain. When she meets Katrina, a transgender runaway with her own demons chasing her, Shizuka thinks that she’s found the final soul to release her from her own bargain. But when she happens into a local donut shop, she meets Lan Tran, an interstellar captain and refugee on Earth, and they experience a connection and hope that they might break this curse and save their souls, together.

If all of the A.I. chatbots have you worried:

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

It’s the future. Humans and robots are living together in space and beyond. All space travel and technology is approved by The Company, which happens to like to give their contracts to those with the lowest bid, not necessarily the best product. Our narrator, a security robot who calls itself “Murderbot,” has become sentient enough to know that it doesn’t like humans, security or any of the other things it was programmed to do. It wants to be alone and watch “entertainment videos,” not do its job. If this feels a bit too real for some of you, take the time to read this novella and enjoy our crabby robot narrator trying to find its footing.

If you enjoy your science fiction blended with historical fiction:

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

This book is all the gothic vibes that you’ll get from classic sci-fi and horror, such as those written by Shelley, set against the Yucatan Peninsula in the late 19th century. Carlotta is the only daughter of Dr. Moreau, the creator of creatures called hybrids. They live in relative isolation until they’re sent a new overseer, Montgomery, by the financiers of Dr. Moreau’s experiments, and things begin to change. When the son of their benefactors shows up years later, things begin to really turn and long-buried secrets must come to light. Moreno-Garcia is a talented wordsmith who can draw out setting and story in a truly beautiful fashion.

If you don’t want history to be doomed to repeat itself:

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

You didn’t think I could not mention Butler, did you?!? It’s 1976, and Dana has just celebrated her 26th birthday when she finds herself journeying back in time to Maryland in 1815, a place that’s not safe for any Black woman, especially one out of time like her. Here, she saves a white boy named Rufus, then slips back into her own time. She time hops, always to Rufus, discovering that they’re connected and kindred—she believes that this man is the “Rufus” from her family Bible. Using sci-fi time travel elements to highlight the horrors of the past and how they affect us to this day is what keeps readers still coming back to this novel decades later. We’re all kindred.

To be honest, I’ve barely scratched the surface of all of the wonderful women writers of science fiction (Margaret Atwood! N.K. Jemison! Becky Chambers! Ursula K. Le Guin!), but as this isn’t a bibliography of women’s science fiction, I’m going to have to leave this woefully underdone. But I can send you to this great list of women writers of science fiction for more, with my deepest apologies if I forgot your favorite writer.