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3 Must-Read LGBTQ Fantasy and Science Fiction Novels

by  | October 23

There is so much LGBTQ fiction to read, that when I thought about pulling together a list for Get Lit, I knew I had to narrow it down. Science fiction and fantasy are among my favorite genres tackling writing from and about the LGBTQ community today. Their authors and stories are pushing the form and expanding representation in new and exciting ways. Here are a few of my picks.

Space Opera

Space Opera

by Catherynne M. Valente

Space Opera is a very funny novel that mashes up space travel and Eurovision. Planets compete in an intergalactic music contest that happens once every cycle, and now one band, representing Earth, must battle it out—with song—if the human planet is to survive. It’s queer and fun, and people have likened it to Douglas Adams’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which I’m happy to support. Definitely one you should pick up!

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The Light Brigade

The Light Brigade

by Kameron Hurley

The Light Brigade, from Kameron Hurley, threw me for a loop. Space wars are really not my first pick in genre, but very quickly, this book won me over. Soldiers go off to war, shipped off by a strange stream of light that can transport them anywhere, but when they come back, they’re changed. When Dietz starts experiencing things differently from the platoon, during and after “drops,” the recruits know that something is up. There’s great representation in this book, a very serious look at what war is like and who it’s good for, and an interesting mystery for readers to solve along with Dietz.

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The Fifth Season

The Fifth Season

by N. K. Jemisin

The Fifth Season, a book I have recommended so many times, the first in a trilogy, is also one of my favorites for its great representation of LGBTQ characters. Briefly, this is the story of Essun and her search to get her daughter back from her husband—who has also murdered her son—and so much more besides. It’s so subversive, so engrossing. And that’s even before mentioning how intricate and inventive this alternate world is, and the magical structure, the lore, behind it all. It’s an incredible fantasy, which I really make everyone in my life read. You should definitely read it too.

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Photo Credit // Teddy Österblom on Unsplash

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Cara Nesi is a sales rep at Simon & Schuster who sells to independent bookstores in the Midwest. She grew up in the suburbs of New York and attended the University of Pittsburgh before returning to start her career in publishing. She enjoys reading literary fiction, especially absurdist authors like George Saunders, but she also reads A LOT of fantasy, science fiction and young adult books. Occasionally, she writes some fiction and non-fiction too. You can find her on twitter at @caranesi.
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