Gay-Friendly Science Fiction & Fantasy
Explore top gay-friendly science fiction & fantasy books featuring LGBTQ+ characters and inclusive themes. Discover your next favorite read in our curated list!
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Luck in the Shadows
by Lynn Flewelling
"A new star is rising in the fantasy firmament...teems with magic and spine-chilling amounts of skullduggery."–Dave Duncan, author of The Great Game When young Alec of Kerry is taken prisoner for a crime he didn’t commit, he is certain that his life is at an end. But one thing he never expected was his cellmate. Spy, rogue, thief, and noble, Seregil of Rhiminee is many things–none of them predictable. And when he offers to take on Alec as his apprentice, things may never be the same for either of them. Soon Alec is traveling roads he never knew existed, toward a war he never suspected was brewing. Before long he and Seregil are embroiled in a sinister plot that runs deeper than either can imagine, and that may cost them far more than their lives if they fail. But fortune is as unpredictable as Alec’s new mentor, and this time there just might be…Luck in the Shadows.
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Stalking Darkness
by Lynn Flewelling
With the Leran threat laid to rest, Alec and Seregil are now able to turn their attention to the ancient evil which threatens their land. The Plenimarans, at war with Skalans, have decided to defeat their ancient enemy by raising up the Dead God, Seriamaius. The early attempts at this reincarnation--masterminded by the sinister Duke Mardus and his sorcerous minion Vargul Ashnazai--once left Seregil in a sorcerous coma. Now, an ancient prophecy points to his continuing role in the quest to stop Mardus in his dread purpose. Seregil's friend and Mentor, the wizard Nysander, has long been the guardian of a deadly secret. In a secret, silver-lined room hidden well beneath the Oreska, he has served for most of his 300 years as the keeper of a nondescript clay cup. But this cup, combined with a crystal crown and some wooden disks, forms the Helm of Seriamaius, and any mortal donning the reconstructed Helm will become the incarnation of the god on earth. Nysander holds the cup and Mardus the wooden disks--one of which was responsible for Seregil's coma--but the crown must still be located. Threatened under pain of death by Nysander to keep his quest a secret even from his loyal companion, Alec, Seregil is dispatched to find the last missing piece of the Helm so that he and Nysander can destroy it. But this is only the beginning of one of his deadliest journeys ever, for the prophecy also holds that four will come together in a time of darkness, and gradually all that Seregil values is placed at risk as he, Alec, Nysander and Micum are drawn into a deadly web of terror and intrigue.
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The Stone Prince
by Fiona Patton
Galactic Spectrum Award nomination • Locus Recommended Reading List • Epic fantasy series with character-driven intrigue and spectacular magic The royal line of Branion have been blessed, or cursed, with the power of the Flame, a magic which—if wielded properly—none can stand against. But if called upon by one untrained, the Flame is as likely to destroy its human vessel as whatever foe it has been unleashed against. Yet even the Flame is less dangerous than Her Most Regal and Sacred Majesty Melesandra the Third, an unyielding and terrifying ruler. No one understands this better than Crown Prince Demnor, who is convinced he is his mother’s most-treasured victim. Often at odds with Melesandra, Demnor knows he will receive no support from her when faced with the prospect of an unwanted, politically motivated marriage. But all his personal conflicts must be thrust aside when the realm of Branion is drawn into a far greater struggle as the eternally rebellious Heathland plots a bold new campaign of war. Only time will tell whether Demnor can survive the traitors within the Court and the ever-growing rebel forces—even as he strives to master the power which is his birthright.
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Aquamarine
by Mel Keegan
A new sci-fi adventure by the master of gay thrillers. Mel Keegan's name is a byword for thrilling gay adventure, in past, present and future. His new story is set in the late twenty-first century, when major land masses have been submerged by the rising oceans, and the Earth is a world of water. Russell is a hydrologist based on the giant floating platform Pacifica, his lover Eric one of fifty Aquarians, a new sub-species who can breathe underwater. When the pair refuse an attractive offer on Eric's services for a suspicious salvage operation, Eric is kidnapped and a fast-paced aquatic intrigue starts to unfold.
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The Gumshoe, the Witch, and the Virtual Corpse
by Keith Hartman
Welcome to 21st century Atlanta. During your stay, depending on your tastes, you can cruise gay midtown (I hear that the Inquisition Health Club has introduced manacles and chains to the aerobics class) or check out the Reverend-Senator Stonewall's headquarters at Freedom Plaza (watch out for the Christian Militia guarding it, though) or attend a sky-clad Wiccan sabbat (by invitation only). Avoid the courthouse, where the Cherokee have turned out in full war-paint to renegotiate a nineteenth century land deal. Also stay away from all cemeteries, at least until the police find out why someone is disinterring and crucifying corpses. As you can tell, this is a lively novel, full of intricate plotting and engaging off-beat characters. Among the latter are a gay detective, a Wiccan family, an ambitious televangelist with an eye on the White House, an artist whose medium is flesh and blood, a Cherokee drag queen--and then there's poor Benji, who would just like to make it to his fifteenth birthday, assuming the MIBS don't get him first or his Baptist parents don't ground him for life because his new girlfriend is a witch. Picked as one of the eight best mysteries of 1999 by The Drood Review of Mysteries. Winner of Two Spectrum Awards ("Best Novel" and "People's Choice") Nominated for Two Lambda Awards ("Best Science Fiction / Fantasy Book" and "Best Men's Mystery".)
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Stealing Sacred Fire
by Storm Constantine
Who alone can master the millennial power? In book three of The Grigori Trilogy: Stealing Sacred Fire Peverel Othman has come home, though not as himself. Through the old magic of the Grigori he is now once again Shemyaza, an angel of awesome power who led the rebellion of angles to mate with and enslave humans. Now as this millennium draws to a close Shemyaza calls his followers to him for the final battle to decide who controls the fate of humanity. Answering his call are: his six Grigori brothers and sisters who once again want to rule humanity for their own pleasure, Daniel his once human vizier who is now also becoming Grigori, and the Yarasadi freedom-fighters who will stop at nothing to see their culture recreated to be the new Eden on earth. As the final battle unfolds to decide the fate of humanity, can Daniel remember what it is to be human and convince Shemyaza that humans can share equally in the new millennium, with the Grigori before it is too late and we become their slaves forever?
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Elf Child
by David M. Pierce
Russ, a twenty-something gay man, is searching for his true identity while he struggles with keeping an other-worldly secret. Russ is a changeling, a shape-shifter who will never age and who will never die. Living a carefree beach life in San Diego, he uses his uncanny abilities to feed his desire for men - but something important is missing. This suspenseful novel unfolds as Russ realises that his obsession with image has become empty and that what he really needs is a relationship with another man that will encompass more than the satisfaction of his sexual needs.
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Stealing Some Time
by Mark Kendrick
Science fiction adventure story that follows two gay men, Kallen Deshara and Aaric Utzman, and their relationship.
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Magic's Pawn
by Mercedes Lackey
Groundbreaking epic fantasy series in Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar universe • Lambda-Award winning novels with heartfelt high adventure and magic Though Vanyel has been born with near-legendary abilities to work both Herald and Mage magic, he wanted no part in such things. Nor does he seek a warrior’s path, wishing instead to become a Bard. Yet such talent as his, if left untrained, may prove a menace not only to Vanyel but to others as well. So he is sent to be fostered with his aunt, Savil, one of the fame Herald-Mages of Valdemar. But, strong-willed and self-centered, Vanyel is a challenge which even Savil cannot master alone. For soon he will become the focus of frightening forces, lending his raw magic to a spell that unleashes terrifying wyr-hunters on the land. And by the time Savil seeks the assistance of a Shin’a’in Adept, Vanyel’s wild talent may have already grown beyond anyone’s ability to contain, placing Vanyel, Savil, and Valdemar itself in desperate peril.
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Magic's Promise
by Mercedes Lackey
Groundbreaking epic fantasy series in Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar universe • Lambda-Award winning novels with heartfelt high adventure and magic Wild magic is taking its toll on the land. Many Heralds and Herald-Mages have died fighting to preserve the peace. Even Vanyel, the most powerful of the Herald-Mages is almost at the end of his strength, in need of a respite from the dual threats of war and dark magic. But for Vanyel, there can be no rest. Not when his Companion, Yfandes, receives a summons which can’t be ignored—a desperate cry of a magical holocaust in the neighboring kingdom. Almost overwhelmed by the devastations they discover there, Herald-Mage and Companion must try to unravel this tragic mystery. Is the young Prince Tashir, a newly Chosen Herald who can’t control his magic, responsible for the destruction? Or is Tashir a pawn in a deeper, more deadly game—and, if so, will Vanyel be able to find and defeat the true destroyer before this master of dark powers can strike again?
