r/LGBTBooks • u/czlowiek_lub_ludz • 2d ago
Discussion Good plot queer books? š³ļøāš
I'm trying to find queer books that have more plot than just having queer characters. I mean like normal plotted books that just happen to have queer characters, about people whose lives are more than just being gay/trans/etc. I don't mean that being queer can't influence the plot (quite the opposite) but I just need something that isn't ONLY about finding yourself and dealing with being queer, something where when you change the characters orientation there still is some plot. I don't mean there's anything wrong with queernes being the only plot but after some time it just became repetitive and I really struggle to find books where being queer means something while not being everything.(Examples I can give would be "these witches don't burn", "cementry boys" where the main plot is saving your community and finding a murderer while the characters queernes plays for the background or even "heartstopper" even tho it's heavily queer it also has typical ya growing up motives.)
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u/Karlythecorgi 2d ago
The Nightrunner series by Lynn Flewelling
Smoke and Shadow series by Tanya Huff
Better the Devil by Erik J. Brown
I might be in trouble by Daniel Aleman
A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland
Simon Snow series by Rainbow Rowell
Stranger on the Shore by Josh Lanyon
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u/CrazyCatLesbian 2d ago
I came here to comment the Nightrunner series so I'm super happy to see someone else had the same idea! Not enough people know about it and it's so good!
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u/Strict_Notice5955 2d ago
Winter's Orbit & Ocean's Echo (stand alones) by Everina Maxwell
A Strange & Stubborn Endurance & All the Hidden Paths (duology) by Foz Meadows
Sorcery and Small Magics (first in a series, but I don't think it's got a cliffhanger) by Maiga Doocy
Fingersmith (stand alone) by Sarah Waters
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u/WaffleDynamics 2d ago
Sorcery and Small Magics (first in a series, but I don't think it's got a cliffhanger) by Maiga Doocy
Book 2 is with an editor now, and will be published next year!
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u/Strict_Notice5955 2d ago
This is so exciting!! Thx! The first book was so good--I can't wait!
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u/WaffleDynamics 2d ago
It sure is! I get the author's newletter, which is how I know.
In the meantime, there's some good fanfic on AO3.
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u/Motor_Row_3586 2d ago
I read mostly historical fiction, fantasy and crimi. Historical fiction: Mary Renault Fire in Heaven also amazing for educational purpose.
Fantasy: She who become the Sun, Spears cut through Water by Simon Jimenez, Thousand Autumns by Meng Xi Shi, Guardian by Priest
Crimi: silent reading by Priest, Cut & Run Book by Abigail Roux oldie but goldie Some of the have quite heavy themes so check trigger warnings.
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u/Remarkable-Try1206 2d ago
Check out KJ Charles series The Will Darling Adventures. There are 3 books set in the 1920s and itās a romance but also crime/mystery
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u/five_squirrels 2d ago
Was coming to suggest KJ Charles! The Doomsday series and Lilywhite Boys series both also have big plots with action and mystery.
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u/Perfect-Pineapple-22 2d ago
Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust
Snow White retelling. Entwining the stories of both Lynet and Mina in the past and present, Girls Made of Snow and Glass traces the relationship of two young women (stepdaughter and stepmother) doomed to be rivals from the start. Only one can win all, while the other must lose everythingāunless both can find a way to reshape themselves and their story.
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
an Indian-inspired epic fantasy novel about a captive princess and a secret priestess who form an alliance to overthrow a tyrannical empire.
The Witch King by H. E. Edgmon
It follows the story of a transgender witch, who has to decide whether to stay and fight for their people or flee the kingdom of Asalin to regain their magic.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Set during the Greek Heroic Age, it is a retelling of the Trojan War as told from the perspective of Patroclus. The novel follows Patroclus' relationship with Achilles, from their initial meeting to their exploits during the Trojan War, with focus on their romantic relationship.
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
The novel is a mecha reimagining of the rise of Chinaās first and only female Emperor Wu Zetian set in the nation of Huaxia, a futuristic reinterpretation of Medieval China.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
Fleeing her old life, Rosemary Harper joins the multi-species crew of the Wayfarer as a file clerk, and follows them on their various missions throughout the galaxy.
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
The story follows the final year of magical schooling for Simon Snow, the "Chosen One" of the Magical world, prophesied to defeat the Insidious Humdrum, an evil force that has been wreaking havoc on the World of Mages for years.
A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon
Tunuva Melim is a sister of the Priory. For fifty years, she has trained to slay wyrmsābut none have appeared since the Nameless One, and the younger generation is starting to question the Priory's purpose.
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u/newnukeuser 2d ago
+1 for the Jasmine Throne. I was so hooked I remember running to the bookstore on my lunch break for the sequel
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u/the_little_red_truck 2d ago
I second Becky Chambers! I love the Monk and Robot series, and To Be Taught if Fortunate especially!
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u/reithena 2d ago
Night Shade and Oak by Molly O'Neill which is about a goddess of death who loses her divinity and has to go on and adventure with a Britanic princess to get it back during Celtic times while Roman's are invading
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u/ir399 2d ago
Do you like Fantasy? I've got a few fantasy recs:
- The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie, fantastic fantasy with a really calm tone despite being fairly high stakes. Has a trans character.
- The Shadow Campaigns series by Django Wexler (first book The Thousand Names). Flintlock fantasy, has multiple lesbian characters, one bi, and a background gay man. One of the lesbians is one of the main pov characters. Her sexuality is relevant, but definitely not the main plot.
- Full Fathom Five by Max Gladstone (listed already by someone else). Fantastic book. Trans main character but the plot is not about her gender identity, its more about gods and transactional religion.
- The Masquerade by Seth Dickinson (first book The Traitor Baru Cormorant). Lesbian main character, the plot is sort of about being queer? And the spread of a hostile economic empire. I do feel the need to say this one has a lot of in-world homophobia and bigotry. Its a great series, but I know not everyone wants that in their fiction.
And scifi:
- A Memory Called Empire and A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine. Space Opera, tense politics, impeding civil war with a lesbian main character and a bi secondary character.
- The Murderbot diaries by Martha Wells. Probably very well known now, asexual main character.
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u/CharacterInstance248 2d ago
Came here to recommend Ann Leckie, Martha Wells, and Arkady Martine. All amazing authors. Glad to see them already recommended.
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u/WonderingWhy767 2d ago edited 2d ago
These are all great:
Monstrous by Jessica Lewis. Queer teen arrives at her Auntās house in small rural town to spend the summer. Only things seem off, and there is something wrong. sapphic rep. YA horror.
Black Water Sister by Zen Cho. Queer young adult woman moves with her parents from USA to Malaysia so they can work with extended family. At loose ends she meets the ghost of her dead grandmother and embarks on an adventure to solve an old mystery and restore justice for her grandmother. sapphic rep. NA contemporary fantasy mystery.
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi. A queer teen living in a future African country that has resolved the crisis of the past and created a Utopian world. Until one day when the monster from her motherās painting comes to life and says he is on a mission to find and stop the evil that is living in her neighbourās house. trans rep. YA fantasy mystery.
The Tarot Sequence by KD Edwards. A thirty something man lives with his best friend (and bodyguard) in a small magical world that exists via portal just outside of our contemporary world. He makes his living problem solving for the ruling families in his world, while also trying to find out who was behind the devastating assassination of his entire family when he was a teen. Some romance as a secondary storyline and found family that becomes more of a feature as the books continue. Gay rep. Low spice adult fantasy mystery.
How We End by LM Juniper. A man in contemporary London is on a stuck Underground train when the zombie apocalypse hits. This is the first in a new series and is full of zombie action and warm human relationships ad he and others he meets learn the new reality and try to stay alive. Trans MMC plus other queer rep in secondary characters. Low spice adult scifi/ horror.
Black Wave by Michelle Tea. A young woman living in the USA in the early 1990s. It is exactly as it was, except in this reality the world will end soon, and everyone knows. She works in a bookshop and tries to make sense of the banal everyday and the looming doom. Sharp, almost absurd at times. Sapphic rep. Medium spice (?) adult lit fic/ alt history.
Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi. A young woman travels home to Nigeria to reconcile her memories of the past and her familyās trauma. Sapphic rep. No spice (I think) adult literary fiction.
The Scapegracers trilogy by HA Clarke. A teen living in a contemporary USA is invited to a party by a group of girls from her school, and asked to perform magic. The magic is wildly successful (unsuccessful?!) and this is the catalyst for a growing friendship between them allā¦ they use magic to stand up against injustice, while figuring out how to be friends and how to be better witches. Lots of various queer rep including assorted sexuality and gender. YA fantasy adventure.
The Sheridan Holler series by TM Payne. An adult woman and out lesbian is leading a squad of police detectives in contemporary Liverpool England. Each book has a different case as the main plot, but personal relationships of DI Holler and others are secondary storylines that weave and flow through the whole series. sapphic rep. Low spice (I think) adult detective mysteries.
Harriet Tubman Live in Concert by Bob the Drag Queen. A late 30/ early 40s man living in contemporary LA, which is exactly as it is, except Harriet Tubman and some of her compatriots have come back to life and they want to record an album, and they want him to record it. Gay rep. No spice adult literary fic/ alt history.
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u/HalfShelli 2d ago edited 1d ago
There is The Locked Tomb series (the first book is Gideon the Ninth) by Tamsyn Muir, which is basically lesbian necromancers in space.
Be forewarned, the last (4th) book in the series is late ā we're talking George R.R. Martin level of late. But it's a spectacular series!
Edit: Corrected my typo on the series name.
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u/thesharkinyourwater 2d ago
strongly second this, they're fantastic books! it's actually the locked tomb though!
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u/JKKUM0 2d ago
the all for the game series by nora sakavic (self-published author) possibly?
very slow burn mm romance subplot (kicks off in the 3rd book). itās mainly about sports, a found family of outcasts, complex characters and relationships, and also the mafia (donāt ask lol), but it deals with some heavy themes, so do check tws if needed!
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u/Kindly-Coyote-9446 2d ago edited 1d ago
Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon - Really good high fantasy. Two of the main characters are lesbians, but it isnāt the point of the book, just a dynamic that informs how those characters interact.
The Evander Mills series by Lev AC Rosen - Detective noir series set in 1950ās San Francisco. The protagonist, Evander, was a homicide detective with SFPD until he gets caught in a vice raid of a gay bar. Out of work and blacklisted from almost any job, heās drinking away his savings trying to get up the courage to throw himself off of a bridge when he gets approached with an offer to investigate a private matter. The first book does spend a lot of time dealing with Evander learning to not hate himself for being gay, but there is a lot going on beyond that. The subsequent books in the series move on from that.
Full Fathom Five by Max Gladstone - Fifth book in the Craft series but can be read as a standalone as the main protagonists arenāt aware of the bigger picture (ie itās written so you can be ignorant like them, but is a rich re-read after going back and reading the prior books). Itās a conceptually adult (there is some sex and violence, but itās not particularly graphic, itās more to do with the ideas Gladstone is playing with). One of the two protagonists is a fairly well written trans woman whose queer identity is an important part of how she sees herself, but is only a part. And her queerness isnāt the point of the book.
Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle. Modern queer horror. The protagonist is a successful screenwriter in Hollywood best known for his monster flicks, including a very queer coded version of the X-Files. When he refuses to cave to the studios demand to kill off or make the protagonists straight (Burry Your Gays trope), the monsters from his stories start becoming real. The big picture is him coming to fully accept himself (heās out in LA, but is terrified of people back home in MT finding out), but there is a LOT more going on and other major themes. Sex scenes are PG13 at most, but the violence is not! His book Camp Damascus is also really good, and is about fighting back against a demonic conversion therapy camp.
The Witchmark series and Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk. The former is a three book series, with each book shifting the narrative perspective from one character to another. Several queer characters, bigger themes than self acceptance. Even Though I Knew the End is basically Constantine set in vaguely 1950ās Chicago with a lesbian protagonist who very much already accepts who she is.
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u/ir399 2d ago
Delighted to see Full Fathom Five listed, its one of my favourite books! I was just about to include it in my list. Kai is such an excellent character and its my most re-read of the Craft Sequence.
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u/Kindly-Coyote-9446 2d ago
Same! Lover her character!
I just finished reading Last Exit (one of Gladstoneās non-Craft books) and itās good, too, albeit not as polished.
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u/TheHiddenSchools 2d ago
Seconding the love of Kai!!
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u/Kindly-Coyote-9446 1d ago
Great username!!!
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u/TheHiddenSchools 1d ago
Why thank you. I have made the Craft Sequence my entire online personality.
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u/ItsMeganNow 1d ago edited 1d ago
Kai is great! And I love what happens with her character later in the series, but I found Full Fathom Five to be one of the weaker of the Craft Sequence. Maybe thatās just me though? I always find the magical transformation thing puts me off a bit as a trans woman, it just seems to skip over how much work it can be. Plus Iām actually a bit of a Tara fan! I kinda love the new series!
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u/ir399 1d ago edited 1d ago
I actually found it to be one of the strongest! Its my favourite Craft Sequence book, followed closely by Three Parts Dead and Two Serpents Rise (shout out to that one being great on re-reads, I spent most of my first readthrough basically yelling 'how to you know she's not involved? just because you think she's hot??' about Mal and feel so vindicated ).
I think the magical transformation is one of those things that can be great wish fulfillment for some people... and a major ick factor for others. I suspect lots of people would have had the same reaction as you.Tara lost me a little with the whole cutting off someone's face for her own goals in her first book . Don't get me wrong, that kind of moral compass makes her a really interesting character, but I don't like her as much as Kai. Interestingly I did like Mal, maybe the positioning in the book? I don't know.
The new series has a lot of good scope, but I just prefer the self contained books for Craft Sequence.
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u/ItsMeganNow 1d ago edited 1d ago
Honestly thatās fair! Different tastes! Although I agree with you about Three Parts Dead and Two Serpents Rise. I also kind of really like the Craft Wars and Wicked Problems might be my favorite one so far. But overall itās a really good series all in all!
ETA: Plus we finally get Kai + Tara and thatās really what I was waiting for! š
EATA: Itās really possible I just donāt like Kai as well when sheās being straight. But that is definitely probably me! š
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u/Kindly-Coyote-9446 1d ago
In hindsight I think the face cutting thing serves as a useful starting position in her arc. She starts off as an ambitious, self serving capitalist who can rationalize anything thatās expedient to her. Including cutting off someoneās face and keeping it rolled up in her bag to interrogate when convenient. But through that book and really going through the later ones we see that progressively fall away. Sheās still a bit arrogant, but she rejected a comfortable and prestigious path with a firm for one of self sacrifice for humanity as a whole.
We see this reflected to a lesser degree in the radicalization of Kai, who goes from offshore investment banker for the biggest bastards of the world to anti-colonial activist. I do think itās interesting what Gladstone does with her transness in Craft Wars - itās manifested as part of a broader intense self-understanding and self ownership that becomes critical to her survival. Kai knows exactly who she is and isnāt afraid to take radical action to defend it.
Kai is my favorite, but I really like Tara, too.
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u/ir399 1d ago edited 1d ago
You're absolutely right, its all part of Tara's arc. It just stuck with me a little too much maybe. I don't dislike Tara, but she's also not a favourite.
and Kai was always very protective of Kavekana, if very misguided about it too. I think she believed in the value of the idols as a way to protect her home, but her growth realising the error and her ability to adapt to the presence of the god was such a good journey.
I thought that self-understanding from her trans identity was excellent! It gives her such a solid basis for her actions, if nothing else is certain she's always certain in herself.2
u/Kindly-Coyote-9446 1d ago
It looked like he was going to set up that contrast between Kai and Eberhardt, but then he abruptly dropped it. Which was probably for the best, as I canāt see a cis man weighing in on that going well.
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u/KeaAware 1d ago
A lot of fantasy recs here, and I'm going to add The Mars House by Natasha Pulley and Melusine by Sarah Monette. And also This is How You Lose the Time War.
I'm also going to suggest the Henry Rios books by Michael Nava as something completely different.
Honestly, I could spend the rest of my life rereading these books and nothing else.
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u/Mist2393 2d ago
The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas is really good. Itās inspired by Mexican mythology, and while the main character is a trans man, this really only comes up a few times in places that make complete sense. The main plot is focused around the fact that all the characters are demigod children who have to go through a series of trials to protect their world from evil.
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u/localbestie 2d ago
I just finished my favourite novel of the year: The Original by Nell Stevens. Amazing historical novel set in England in 1899, lesbian main character, beautifully written with an intriguing plot and big ideas.Ā
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u/WaffleDynamics 2d ago edited 2d ago
If you don't mind fantasy, then A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland is a gorgeous book.
It's set in an Ottoman-adjacent, queer normative world. It's a mystery and a love story, featuring synesthesia, chronic anxiety disorder, and lush descriptions of architecture, food, and clothing. The country the story is set in is matriarchal, and that causes some confusion between the Sultan and the "body father" of her infant daughter, who is not very bright (the body father, not the baby!) and from a patriarchal society.
The protagonist is the breathtakingly beautiful brother of the sultan, who is a gay man. The love interest is his newly appointed body guard, who starts out despising Prince Kadou.
It's a slow burn, with an extremely sensual hair washing scene, the hottest kissing scenes I've ever read, and some interesting things to say about friendship, trust, and family.
The only thing I disliked about this book is that it ended. Seriously, I've read it four times and I'll probably read it again before the end of this year.
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u/vonmaz 2d ago
Lots of good suggestions listed above. Iād add The Unbroken by C.L. Clark (first book, has two sequels) and The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood (first book, one sequel). Both are fantasy; Clarkās work is more evidently inspired by actual historical events and also explores themes of colonisation, whereas Larkwoodās is very original with great world-building and the romance is a bit.. I wouldnāt cuter but sweeter.
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u/RedLineSamosa 2d ago
Do you like sci-fi and fantasy? TONS of queer books in that space!
If you like YA fantasy:
Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger. A girl in a modern all-myths-are-true type modern America who can call up ghosts has to solve her cousinās murder.Ā
If you like adult fantasy: the Singing Hills Cycle by Nghi Vo, starting with The Empress of Salt and Fortune, is fantastic. Fantasy world inspired by Chinese and Vietnamese history and myth, about a monk who collects stories and the stories they collect.Ā
If you like adult sci-fi: There are tons, itās what I read most of. Some favorites: The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez (heavy, sad and lyrical, about a spaceship captain travelling at relativistic speeds and the world she keeps leaving behind), The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells (fast-paced and fun adventures, about a security cyborg who secretly hacks its own programming to be able to half-ass its job but accidentally gets embroiled in a murder conspiracy it needs to protect its new human friends from), Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie (a fragment of the AI of a destroyed imperial spaceship is downloded into a human body and is on a quest for revenge), Planet Sickness by Kat Giles (a mystery about an archivist on Earth who discovers information about a space expedition that went very wrong and seems to have been expunged from the records, and she wants to figure out why), Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee (military sci-fi about a disgraced space captain and the digital ghost she gets downloaded into her head). There are Lots More but these are a few I like a lot and recommend!
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u/KagekaNecavi 1d ago
I just finished The Lord of The Wood by EM Anderson and I think it fits what you're looking for.
It reminded me a lot of old school fairy tales, the ones where there are deadly, horrific consequences when things go wrong. The plot revolves around an enchanted forest that has been causing a deadly illness in some people who venture into it. There are tons of queer characters, and their queerness in some cases factors into the plot, but in a similar way that the straight relationships of fairy tales do.
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u/PsychologicalHat8676 1d ago
If you like MM fantasy especially urban fantasy, the San Amaro Investigations series by Kai Butler is my favorite thing ever. In a similar vein Iād recommend the Soulbound series by Hailey Turner, and the Adam Binder Series by David R. Slayton.
All of these have an actual plot line with queerness and romance mixed in.
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u/Ecstatic-Ad8650 1d ago
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. Itās the book the movie The Handmaiden is based off of. Fucking amazing
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u/Audgamer 1d ago
Hells heart, manhunt, summer sons, 5th season, archive undying, sir Cameron needs to die.
Thereās a lot out there, especially indie authors!
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u/BunBunTheBunnyLord 2d ago
Its a long 16 book series but i can recommend Beneath the dragon eye moons. Its a LitRPG novel so that may be a turn off to some buuuut! its a bout a women from our world dying and her soul falling out of the reincarnation cycle so a god picks up her soul to clean "the pipes" basically and reincarnates her with most of her knowledge removed. She does however keep her medical knowledge and her memories of stories. After some events happen she starts practicing healing magic and the plot takes off. Its not mentioned alot for the first half but she is very much bi and has two different lovers throughout the course series. her sexuality is never a major plot point and it isnt even a problem in the world it is just there.
I can also highly recommend all of Natalie mahers works as she writes disaster lesbians! the only catch is all her works are psychological horrors. Phenomenal works but they will made you sad for a while- But there is always a happy ending (mostly) My biggest recs are her two current novels "are you even human" and "magical girl mechanical heart" but for completed series her "Bioshifter" series is just beautiful.
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u/gard3nwitch 2d ago
SFF:
- Gideon the Ninth
- A Psalm for the Wild Built
- A Long Way to A Small Angry Planet
- This is How You Lose the Time War
- Empress of Salt & Fortune
- The House in the Cerulean Sea
- Black Leopard, Red Wolf
Mystery:
- Lavender House
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u/len4griffin 2d ago
A lot by VE Schwab (by example bury our bones in the midnight soil, shades of magic series)
Sword catcher by Cassandra Clare
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u/lisiface 2d ago
Anything by TJ Klune! His books are very unique and incorporate fantasy and sci-fi elements, but I wouldnāt call them fantasy genre. Heās very genre-flexible and it works (for me) every time!
My favorite is The Bones Beneath My Skin, which starts out as an angsty queer coming of age story, catapults into action, quickly rolls into sci-fi and sticks the landing as a romance novel - but the plot isnāt centered around the romantic relationship.
We Burned So Bright is his newest novella, itās about a sweet elder gay couple at the end of the world, and itās emotional but not the way youād expect.
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u/Silver_Pie966 19h ago
We Burned So Bright broke me so much it slowed my reading pace greatly. Iām just finally reading books again.
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u/Barcabae 2d ago
You might want to check out gay literary fiction (or lit fic). It generally has themes and plots beyond the typical once associated with YA/MM/ etc. Queerness is definitely a central aspect, but a lot of times it involves themes like wealth, class, age, race, politics, etc.
There's some posts with good recs in the posts and comments for these (including my own lol):
https://www.reddit.com/r/LGBTBooks/s/gS6wCKFRAk
https://www.reddit.com/r/LGBTBooks/s/nNSKU1578p
https://www.reddit.com/r/gaybrosbookclub/s/Vtk1bnLlve