Some personal recommendations to add onto this list, if you want more authors that aren't listed here:
A Woman of the Iron People by Eleanor Arnason. Readers in the Le Guin-Leckie continuum will find a lot to enjoy in Arnason's work, like this dual narrative about an inhabitant of a planet entering its Iron Age making first contact with an anthropologist from a socialist Earth.
Trouble and Her Friends by Melissa Scott. Pitch-perfect '90s cyberpunk about the breakup of a lesbian relationship where one hacker continues to live on the margins of cybercrime while her ex goes corporate.
The Mount by Carol Emshwiller. A goofy but sincere story from the perspective of a man who's been raised to be ridden like a horse by the small alien race that's taken over Earth.
The Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard. A twist on the Holmes/Watson dynamic of solving mysteries in a culturally Vietnamese space empire, where in this case the Watson's a traumatized sentient spaceship.
The Killing Gift by Bari Wood. If Shirley Jackson made that list, Wood deserves to be here as well. A underrated horror gem about a woman whose social and economic privilege shields her from the consequences of her disquieting supernatural abilities.
Manhunt by Gretchen Felker Martin. Another great horror title that explores a what-if premise that could be a huge fumble in the wrong hands - "what if anyone with too much testosterone is vulnerable to a monstrous transformation at the hands of a plague" - and makes it an invigorating, gut-wrenching touchdown.
Cyteen by C.J. Cherryh. Surprised there's no Cherryh on this list, since she's very prolific and there are a lot of fun entry points. I recommend this one if you like reading about complex relationship dynamics on a terraforming planet, and characters thrust into some of the most existentially horrifying conundrums I've ever read.
The Past is Red by Catherynne M. Valente. A really refreshing post-apocalyptic novel with a Voltaire-like flavor. Can't wait to find more from Valente, who thankfully has plenty of short stories to explore.
