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These awesome symbols actually stand for, from top to bottom: Gay Humans, Gay Aliens, and Gay Robots. It's from the wikipedia page on Gay speculative fiction here.
Fantasy is arguably my favorite genre (see my article here in Crossed Genres Magazine for why) and I've long wished that there were stories I could have read when I was a Gay Teen that included a reflection of me.
One of things I love best about doing this blog is that I've discovered so many Teen books with GLBTQ characters and themes - and I'm always a little extra excited when I get to share the Gay Sci Fi and Fantasy ones with you.
But with over 200 books on this blog, it can be hard to find the ones that you absolutely MUST read ASAP! So, taking a page from bookstores and libraries who sometimes re-organize their titles to showcase a particular collection, here's a fun take on our GLBTQ Teen Book Collection:
THE GAY FANTASY BOOKSHELF!
Each book listed links to its original post with synopsis and reader reviews...
Superheroes! (Hero, Masks: Rise of Heroes, Masks: Evolution, Masks: Ordinary Champions, Ultimate X-Men, So Super Duper, Gotham Central Vol. 2 - Batman )
Ghosts and Witches! (Banshee, Vintage, Behind You, The Skull of Truth, Tripping To Somewhere)
Magical Realism! (Boy Meets Boy, Cycler, Fly On The Wall: How One Girl Saw Everything)
Fantasy Worlds of Magic & Telepaths & Mages! (Heart Sense, Heart Song, Magic's Pawn, Magic's Promise, Magic's Price, The Tenth Man, The Will of the Empress)
Faerie! (Tithe, Ironside)
Post-Apocalyptic Distopias! (A Strong and Sudden Thaw)
Fairy Tales Re-told (Ash)
If I missed any you know of, make sure to let me know in comments... and Happy Reading!
Namaste,
Lee
9 comments:
Cassie Clare's CITY OF BONES, CITY OF ASHES, CITY OF ASH all have a really beautiful gay love story in the background. It's my favorite part of the books.
I love this list! This is my favorite genre too.
How about Degranon by Duane Simolke?
Ricardo Pinto's "The Stone Dance of the Chameleon" would fall under Fantasy I think.
http://ricardopinto.com/
Lynn Flewelling's Nightrunners series (Luck in the Shadows, Stalking Darkness, Traitor's Moon, Shadows Return and the upcoming The White Road)
Jim Grimsley's Kirith Kirin
Brandon Fox's Sex Magic series (Apprenticed to Pleasure, Conjuring the Flesh and Sex Rites - warning, graphic sex, not suitable for younger readers)
Reiko Yoshihara's Ai no Kusabi (The Space Between) (now translated, finally! - warning, graphic sex, not suitable for younger readers)
Lois McMaster Bujold's Ethan of Athos (sci-fi)
Anne McCaffrey's Pern novels all have some gay relationships in the background, though you have to read between the lines to see them (green and blue riders mate when their dragons do... and only golds have female riders)
Fiona Patton's The Stone Prince (only really in the first book, though the whole series is excellent)
I don't know if these would really count, since all the main characters end up in hetero relationships, but the Kushiel's Legacy series by Jacqueline Carey takes place in an alternate Renaissance where homosexual sex and romance is completely accepted, and the main character, Phedre, frequently has sex with women and loves it!
I'm also in the middle of reading Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner. It's sortof fantasy - very medieval/ Renaissance esque setting. The main character seems to be in a homosexual relationship, but how that ends up tying in to the plot, I'm not yet sure about.
I was talking about this with someone tonight! How somehow, I seem to have read very few queer books, since I am not a huge fan of YA realism. This list is perfect - so thanks!
and I have to say, I gasped a little with excitement when I saw the words
GAY ROBOTS
under the image of the symbols.
GAY ROBOTS???
WHERE?
what a fabulous idea. i hope there is some gay robot fiction out there, somewhere (and that it's a good read).
Woo! Thanks for the list, and thanks for mentioning Tenth Man!
Can I add "The Steel Remains" by Richard Morgan to your list? It's brilliant. Not really a book for young readers, but great for, say, 16 and up. In fact, it might be superawesome.
I know I'm a bit late, but I've been trying to figure out how to say this without spoilers. I can't.
In the last book in the Gemma Doyle Trilogy, Sweet Far Thing, we find out that two of the four girls have been lovers since the beginning. It's a lot of build-up for relatively low gay content, but it's really positive and unexpected in the midst of a Victorian Era boarding school fantasy series.
I love Swordspoint! Also try Mark Anthony's The Last Rune series - It's the best. He has another series under the name Galen Beckett that isn't quite as good. Other books: Laurie J. Marks's Elemental Logic series, where it seems like everyone's gay, to the point where I don't understand how that world can maintain its birthrate...but it's a really good story. Older readers should definitely read Melusine by Sarah Monette. There's, um, a pretty graphic scene in the first chapter, but I love the books so much! She is an amazing worldbuilder. Otherwise, there's Clive Barker. There is a gay man in his Abarat series, who will probably become more prominent considering he survived the second book.
And I think that everyone who like fantasy should read Diana Wynne Jone's Tough Guide to Fantasyland. There is an entry on the Gay Mage - "A valuable companion."
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