Military SF Written by Women is Amazing

This morning I was sipping my coffee and blinking back the very little sleep I got (because reading) and also perusing the older posts on this blog. I came to a realization that there are now very few genres that I won't at least try. I used to be very picky, nay, actually snooty about my book choices. I definitely used to think that because I didn't read romance or James Patterson that I was better than others. Well clearly I just hadn't found the right romances, because that's changed. If you see my Goodreads shelves, you'll see that I've definitely added a few romances here and there. (The jury is still out on James Patterson...as a library employee, I have come to despise him because his very mediocre writing and repetitive plots fill up nearly three entire shelf sections and leave less space for truly wonderful books because somehow he's popular. I feel the same about Nora Roberts and Danielle Steel but now I'm rambling.)

I guess I'm still a little snooty. Annnyway.

That's not really what I'm talking about here. Actually I want to gush about two science fiction (hereafter referred to as SF) trilogies that at first I had mixed feelings about. One, I never really thought military SF would be something I would devour in one sitting. I'm not a fan of regular military reads, usually. Just not my thing. But set it in space and I'm apparently sold. Maybe this is more obvious to others since I'm a huge Star Wars and Star Trek fan but whatever.

The best part about both the series that I'm recommending? They were written by women. In fact, the Indranan War trilogy centers around a matriarchal society, which I found pretty cool. It's different, and so much appreciated in today's world. Take that however you will.

****************************************

Elizabeth Bonesteel's Central Corps series

  

From the very first scene in The Cold Between to a heart-shattering finish in Breach of Containment, I was hooked on Elizabeth Bonesteel's CC series. I would not have come across these if Felicia Day hadn't recommended them on her Goodreads account, and I'm so so happy she did. The plight of Elena Shaw, Greg Foster, Jessica Lockwood, the rest of the crew of Galileo, and everyone else involved really meant a lot to me. The relational interplay is fantastic. I really believed these were real people, and in some part of my heart, they will always live. Again, did not expect this series to be so deep. There were a few scenes in the third book that made me sob, which is not typical at all for me when I'm reading SF.

****************************************

K.B. Wagers' Indranan War trilogy

  

The Indranan War series is one that popped up on Goodreads as similar to the CC series above. Naturally, I had to give it a go. (Actually, I read both of these trilogies more or less concurrently, having both the first books at the same time, etc. I could almost see them being set in the same far Earth future, the Indranan War series being about 1000 years into our future and the CC series being centuries beyond that even. It worked in my mind, which was cool. Anyway.) This series is about a woman named Hailimi Mercedes Jaya Bristol, princess of Indrana and also runaway who became a gunrunner named Cressen Stone because the idea of royal life was not an appealing thought to her at all. It opens up 20 years into her gunrunner life being interrupted because there is chaos in the empire and she is now the only heir. The three books tell a wonderful story of space battles, political intrigue, a small amount of romance, and a whole lot of fierce love of a reluctant queen and her battered people.

******************************************

There you have it. Two amazing military SF trilogies written by women, and honestly some of the best books in the SF genre I've read in a long time. (The Martian and Artemis, both by Andy Weir, are also up there.) Also K.B. Wagers has another book coming out in October set in the same universe/timeline and I'm sooooooooooooooooooo excited!!!