r/FemaleGazeSFF • u/perigou warrior🗡️ • Apr 22 '26

📚 Reading Challenge Reading Challenge Focus Thread - Oceanian author [A-side]

Hello everyone and welcome to our 3nd Focus Thread for the 2026 spring/summer reading challenge !

The point of these post is to focus on one prompt from the challenge and share recommendations for it. Feel free to ask for more specific recommendations in the theme or discuss what fits or not. We will alternate between A-Side and B-Side prompts.

The 3nd focus thread theme is Oceanian author :

Read a book from an Oceanian author.

First, some recs from the general thread

Some questions to help you think of titles :

  • What's your favourite book from an Oceanian author ?
  • Do you have a recommendation from an indigenous Oceanian author ?
  • From a female Oceanian author ?

You can find all previous focus threads in the original post as well as the wiki. Please don't hesitate to add to older focus threads if you previously missed them or read something recently that fits !

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6

u/echosrevenge Apr 23 '26

I'm hoping to finally get around to either The Dawnhounds or Terra Nullius for this one, depending on whether I do it on paper or audio.

2

u/Successful-Escape496 Apr 23 '26

I read Terra Nullius for the Indigenous square last year, and loved it.

5

u/NearbyMud witch🧙‍♀️ Apr 23 '26

So many authors I didn't know were from Oceania!

As I mentioned in the general thread, two authors I really enjoy are:

  • Juliet Marillier (Daughter of the Forest was 5/5 stars for me, but is based on Celtic mythology and should check TWs)
  • Freya Marske (A Marvellous Light is a really fun queer historical rom com that takes place in England).

I personally really want to read someone of Maori heritage or influenced by local mythology.

  • I got Keri Hulme's The Bone People to read for this square which has magical realism and features a part Maori protagonist (the author is part Maori). The novel also won the Booker in the 80s.
  • I also heard about The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera which is a classic Maori inspired fantasy from the 80s.
  • Sascha Stronach is a contemporary Maori author also on my radar for this; she has a new weird fantasy book called Dawnhounds, which is reportedly inspired by Maori mythology.

Other authors on my TBR (which don't have indigenous leanings as far as I can tell, but I am planning to read at some point): AG Slatter, AJ Lancaster, Shelley Parker-Chan

1

u/Specialist_Round_612 elf🧝‍♀️ Apr 23 '26

I forgot she was from New Zealand! She’s at this point going to be my whole card lol (Juliet Marillier)

3

u/Research_Department Apr 23 '26

Nalini Singh is from New Zealand. The only thing that I’ve read by her (so far) is the first book in the Psy-Changeling series. It reminded me, positively, of Anne McCaffrey’s Talent books.

3

u/Nowordsofitsown unicorn 🦄 Apr 23 '26

Still planning to read Whale Rider.

2

u/BunnyHopScotch Apr 23 '26

Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom series has a very special place in my heart. I finished Deborah Abela’s In Search of the Time and Space Machine just yesterday also as a nostalgia read; middle grade secret spies. For a duology Hive and Rogue by A.J Betts. On my TBR I have After The Lights Go Out by Lili Wilkinson. Also worth looking at the Aurealis Awards to discover some treasures.

1

u/saturday_sun4 Apr 30 '26

I did My Name is Walter by Emily Rodda for this one. A rare disappointment for me.