15 October 2002

My Favorite SF/F/H Books By Women
by Andre Norton
www.andre-norton.org/index.html

Known as the grande dame of sf/f, Andre Norton has published numerous books and received too many awards to list. Norton, born Alice Mary Norton in 1912, is the first woman to receive the Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy Award. She was named a Nebula Grand Master in 1984, inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 1997 and given the World Fantasy Convention Life Achievement Award in 1998. Although she has worked in many genres, Norton is probably most famous for her fantasy, particularly the Witch World series. As director of High Hallack Genre Writer's Research and Reference Library, Norton reads as many new titles as she can each year.

Recently it was necessary to read my way into vampire series. Of these I discovered that were by Mercedes Lackey, those by Tanya Huff and the ones by P. N. Elrod were the most to my taste. This is a subject which can slide very easily into unpleasant presentation. However, these writers, though they use a great deal of violence, introduce it in a fashion which does not offend.

In the fantasy field, a newcomer, Cecilia Dart-Thornton, an Australian writer, has presented an outstanding volume with her recent The Ill-Made Mute.

Three books that have kept me reading steadily are the Owl series by Mercedes Lackey — Owlflight, Owlsight, and Owlknight (Valdemaar: Darian's Tale, Books 1-3).

Since I have been reading fantasy for more than 80 some years, beginning with the gems of the Oz books, my lists of favorites is now too long to copy. The field is very rich in books which capture interest and awaken a need for rereading.