Last but not least in our trip through LGBT adult fantasy is the second trans & nonbinary rec list! As you might expect, this was a little trickier to fill out than the others (and yes part of that is down to my pickiness), but numbers are increasing! These are just 10 books I’d rec, but there are plenty more on our releases posts (fantasy is here & here!).
And hey, a lot of these titles are available on the artist formerly known as Scribd, so if you want to check out that service but don’t have an account yet, use my invite code to get 2 months for free! (This also gives me one free month.)
You can find the previous posts here, along with the part twos, as I post them:
Lesbian (I) | Gay (I) | Bi/Pan (I) | Trans (I)
Lesbian (II) | Gay (II) | Bi/Pan (II)
No Gods, No Monsters
Cadwell Turnbull
Goodreads
Rep: biracial bi ace transmasc mc, Black bi mc, Puerto Rican American sapphic mc, nonbinary side character, Black bi side character
CWs: implied sexual abuse, drug abuse, implied domestic abuse, police brutality, gun violence
Why Should I Read It?
Fancy a little more urban fantasy in your life? Well, No Gods, No Monsters (and its sequels) are for you! Yes, I started this list with the intention that all are high fantasy, but sometimes a book is good enough you just have to break all your own rules.
The Mirror Empire
Kameron Hurley
Goodreads
Rep: genderfluid mc, achillean mc, sapphic mc, nonbinary side character
CWs: gore, violence, rape, self harm
Why Should I Read It?
If you’ve read any Kameron Hurley, you know you’re in for some of the most creative worldbuilding going in SFF at the minute and The Mirror Empire is no different. If you want something that’s immersive, something to spend a few hours absorbed in at a time, then you’ll want to pick this series up.
Among the Hollow
Roman Ankenbrandt
Goodreads
Rep: nonbinary mc, lesbian mc
Why Should I Read It?
Bit more of a quest fantasy now for fans of lighter(ish) reads, with a story involving a disembodied soul and a mysterious traveller going on a search for the soul’s missing body. But what starts out as a simple quest progressively becomes more and more complex, revealing dangerous secrets about the world the characters live in. So, super fun times!
Arclight
Brandon Graham & Marian Churchland
Goodreads
Rep: genderqueer mc
Why Should I Read It?
Don’t have the time and/or attention span to start a long fantasy series right now? Check out Arclight, a graphic novel, instead! Strange alien creatures taking over bodies, loyal knights, gorgeous art — what more could you want!
The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water
Zen Cho
Goodreads
Rep: nonbinary mc
Why Should I Read It?
Can I interest anyone in a book described as a found family wuxia fantasy? Yes? Good because that’s exactly what The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water is! Not fancying anything long and slow with world-ending stakes? Get yourself a short, low-stakes novella to pass the time instead!
Wild and Wicked Things
Francesca May
Goodreads
Rep: nonbinary lesbian mc, lesbian mc
CWs: domestic violence, child abuse, magic requiring self harm, blood
Why Should I Read It?
Looking for a lesbian witch Great Gatsby retelling? Well, if you weren’t before, you must be now right? Wild and Wicked Things is a retelling in the best way: staying true to the original, while adding a fresh new twist to it all (and deviating from the plot as need be). So make sure this is one you pick up asap!
The Stone in the Skull
Elizabeth Bear
Goodreads
Rep: transfem mc, bi transmasc mc, nonbinary side character
Why Should I Read It?
If you’re looking for some sprawling epic fantasy, then The Stone in the Skull should be your pick. It’s set in a world that’s already had a trilogy in it, but that doesn’t mean you can’t just start here. Pick this one up and you’ll find yourself wanting to dive right into the rest of the books set in this world.
Full Fathom Five
Max Gladstone
Goodreads
Rep: transfem mc, lesbian side character
Why Should I Read It?
Yes, this is book #3 of a series (or #5, depending on how you order it), but it’s less a series in a conventional sense and more a set of stories within the same world (with some crossover of characters). They’re mostly fantasy mysteries and indeed, as the blurb to this one says, addictive and compelling. Once you’ve read this one, make sure to check out the rest!
The Sapling Cage
Margaret Killjoy
Goodreads
Rep: pan transfem mc, sapphic li
CWs: misgendering, transphobia
Why Should I Read It?
For those of you who want something with a little more YA-crossover appeal, The Sapling Cage should be your go-to. It’s a quick read with a sympathetic (if occasionally naive) heroine, and a world that you’ll want to go back to because there’s just so much more of it still to explore.
Mistress of Lies
K. M. Enright
Goodreads
Rep: transmasc li, pan mc, m/m/f
Why Should I Read It?
Looking for something a little darker? Mistress of Lies is set in a world which divides people into two classes: those who can work magic using blood, and those who can’t (and thus are the blood “”donors”” to the magic users). Of course, our protagonist wants to undo this system, but how far will she go in order to see her plans into fruition?
What would you rec?
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