Top 10 Most Original, Talented Current Female Authors

An opinionated but by no means complete list of the ten current sci-fi and fantasy female authors found to be the most original and talented in their field, and breaking the rules of dumpy, squint-eyed writers.

10. Terry McGarry

Via terrymcgarry.com

New York author known for Illumination,The Binder's Road, and Triad. She has a way of writing internal struggle that really makes you feel the same emotion the characters are.

9. Ekaterina Sedia

wordpress.com / Via ekaterinasedia.com

Russian author of The Alchemy of Stone and The House of Discarded Dreams and others. She brings an originality to science fiction and the field of alchemy that simply entertains.

8. Cornelia Funke

Via corneliafunke.com

German author ofDragon Rider,Thief Lord, Inkheart, and most recently, Reckless, and Fearless. A children's storyteller who manages to capture the hearts of even the most reticent of adults.

7. Naomi Novik

Via temeraire.org

Another New Yorker, Naomi is the author of The Temeraire Series, and gives a good historical foundation to her creative writing.

6. Jennifer Fallon

Via jenniferfallon.com

Australian author Fallon is a master of intrigue and suspense. With series like The Second Sons,The Hythrun Chronicles, and Tidelords, it is hard to pin Fallon down, but she maintains her excellent control of word and mind games alike, and forces readers to lose many hours of sleep just to finish her works so they know what's going on.

5. A.B.B. Olson

Via yayeniaertiena.wix.com

Idaho native and youngest to be published on this list, Olson is the author of The Graves of Good and Evil trilogy. Though not widely known yet, she made this list because of her classic dark fantasy style that channels Tolkien and R.Jordan, and is often placed in the war/military section due to the accurate portrayals of battle in her books.

4. Veronica Roth

Via veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com

Illinois raised, and perhaps the most popular author on this list at the moment, Roth is the author of the Divergent trilogy. The second youngest to be published on this list, she has taken the world by storm with her dystopian fiction and simple first-person narrative.

3. Anne Bishop

Via annebishop.com

New York writer Bishop is the author of the wildly popular Black Jewels series, as well as many others such as Tir Alainn and Ephemera. Another dark fantasy author, she is known for deeply disturbed characters who stand alone among friends to battle the ever-present darkness.

2. Jacqueline Carey

Via jacquelinecarey.com

The highly imaginative Illinois author of the Kushiel Legacy and the Naamah Trilogy as well as several others, Carey is not simply a force to be reckoned with, but surely she has imprinted herself firmly in the annals of dark fantasy. Known for vividly graphic details, Carey has won over her fans by sheer talent.

1. J.K.Rowling

Via jkrowling.com

The current queen of all fantasy authors, UK native Rowling is the renowned author of the Harry Potter series, as well as the adult fiction novel The Casual Vacancy. On top of being one of the world's most successful writers of all time, she is extremely generous with her wealth and simply classy. Certainly deserves the number one spot on any list.

Obviously these are my picks, and by no means could I ever contain all the great female authors in one page, but I think these ten deserve accolades for standing out in a massive genre, and for shunning the contemporary form of pop-fiction. There were not chosen for amount of success or fame, but for their works and talent.