10 Queer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Novels That’ll Rock Your World

After NASA intercepts a message from aliens promising “Earth’s judgment” in one week, humanity collectively loses its marbles and decides to live it up like there’s no tomorrow—considering there might not be. Enter Jesse, who decides to use a machine his father left behind to make a quick buck. For a little cash, he’ll “send” your message to the aliens. But once the handsome Corbin enters the scene, wanting to help his dying sister, Mari, send a message, Jesse begins to feel conflicted. Does he keep his lucrative scam going, or does he admit he’s a fraud and potentially lose Corbin? And that’s just one of the three great teen POV story lines that this book offers.

When I first read that this book was about “queer necromancers in space,” I thought, “Wow, that’s a lot to unpack.” I never could have imagined how amazingly Muir would pull this off. From the world-building to the witty banter between characters, Gideon the Ninth hit me right in the funny bones (see what I did there?) and hooked me from the first page. Harrow the Ninth, the second book in the planned trilogy, coming out this August, is perhaps my most anticipated read for 2020. I’m dying for this book. And hey, if I actually do die, Harrow can always reanimate me so I can read her story.

If you love the fantasy genre but recognize that very often, unfortunately, women play smaller parts in the larger sweeping narrative than men, then The Priory of the Orange Tree, a world-building epic that puts kickass women front and center in the action, is going to be right up your alley. We follow three women at a time of great change, when the “Nameless One” is returning and set to destroy the entire world. These women—Queen Sabran, dragon rider-to-be Tané, and the mage Ead Duryan—are linked by their mission to save the world, using magic, dragons, and wit to survive and thrive. Blending and representing both European and Asian cultures and history in the narrative, Samantha Shannon builds an extensive and nuanced world, and at over 800 pages, you’ll get to spend a lot of time escaping from reality.

I love superheroes; that’s no secret (one of my most prominent tattoos is Iron Man). So when I found a book that pitched “trans girl becomes the next Superman,” I was in. One day, Dreadnought drops out of the sky, and Danny Tozer inherits his powers, which transforms her into her ideal body, as well as gives her super strength and the ability to fly. Of course, that doesn’t magically fix Danny’s problems; there are still the supervillains to deal with, and Danny’s parents, who don’t know that she is trans. Oh, and some of the other superheroes (cough TERFs cough) aren’t exactly happy to have a new Dreadnought on the team. There’s also an amazing f/f romance in an action-packed plot in a story that I couldn’t put down.

What if cities were trans-dimensional and had avatars that could fight for them when the darkness comes? Honestly, if that alone doesn’t catch you, Jemisin’s tight plotting, great cast of characters (many queer!), and lyrical prose will. When Jemisin taught at the Odyssey Writing Workshop in 2016, I, as a student, got a first look at her short story “The City Born Great,” which the author called a “proof of concept story” for The City We Became. After reading it, I knew, without a doubt, that the novel would be amazing, yet I was still blown away by it.

In a world where trillionaires get richer while the poor lose more, Elisha, determined to release his family from crippling debt, becomes a Docile, a servant whose body and mind belongs to his contract holder. The one who purchases him turns out to be none other than Alexander Bishop III, whose family is at the center of both the drug Dociline (so named for its docile effect) and the Center for Debt Resolution. While this book is kinky in the extreme, it is also a tale of healing from trauma, taking back one’s agency, and defeating an unjust system.

You might see a hint of Marie Rutkoski’s fantastic The Winner’s Curse series in her new novel, The Midnight Lie. Set twenty years later, it also works excellently on its own. On an island ripe with magic, Nirrim and her people are punished by absence: a lack of sweets; forbidden from wearing color. But when Nirrim meets Sid, a handsome traveler from another land, she falls in love with both Sid and the world around her.

I was so enchanted by this novella that I read it in one sitting. While I’m not usually a fan of the “story within a story” format, this one was so well written that both plot threads had me on the edge of my seat. Chih is a nonbinary cleric, out to collect stories. Rabbit, an elderly woman who was once a handmaiden to the exiled empress, has one to tell. With prose like an elegant song, this story is not one to miss.

Wild West. Rebels. Librarians. If any of those intrigue you, imagine them all together in Sarah Gailey’s Upright Women Wanted, and you’ve got only a hint of the greatness this novella offers. This story had me hooked from start to finish, particularly because of the nonbinary character, Cye, and their relationship with Esther, who recently lost their best friend and lover to the hangman’s noose.

Florian is a pirate on the Dove. Evelyn is a noble traveling to a husband she doesn’t want. When the crew finds a mermaid, whose blood causes those who drink it to forget, Florian and Evelyn throw their fates together to save the mermaid and receive the blessing of the Sea. The story is especially beautiful because of Florian/Flora accepting their genderfluid identity and the nb/f romance between the main characters. And don’t even get me started on how cool the nonbinary Pirate Supreme, protector of the Sea, is.…

Combining the social commentary of The Handmaid’s Tale with the white-knuckled thrills of Red Rising, this epic space opera follows a comfort woman as she claims her agency, a soldier questioning his allegiances, and a non-binary hero out to save the solar system.

First Sister has no name and no voice. As a priestess of the Sisterhood, she travels the stars alongside the soldiers of Earth and Mars—the same ones who own the rights to her body and soul. When her former captain abandons her, First Sister’s hopes for freedom are dashed when she is forced to stay on her ship with no friends, no power, and a new captain—Saito Ren—whom she knows nothing about. She is commanded to spy on Captain Ren by the Sisterhood, but soon discovers that working for the war effort is so much harder to do when you’re falling in love.

Lito val Lucius climbed his way out of the slums to become an elite soldier of Venus, but was defeated in combat by none other than Saito Ren, resulting in the disappearance of his partner, Hiro. When Lito learns that Hiro is both alive and a traitor to the cause, he now has a shot at redemption: track down and kill his former partner. But when he discovers recordings that Hiro secretly made, Lito’s own allegiances are put to the test. Ultimately, he must decide between following orders and following his heart.

A stunning and sweeping debut novel that explores the power of technology, colonization, race, and gender, The First Sister is perfect for fans of James S.A. Corey, Chuck Wendig, and Margaret Atwood.