
Summer season is looming across the nook. Concert events, journey, playgrounds, ocean waves, the lake, sweat, rumbles of thunder within the distance, nighttime fireworks, day lilies blooming and AC roaring: June, July, and August are right here. From the frenzy of AC popping out of shops or the primary much-needed sip of a chilly drink on a scorching day to the sound of the ice cream truck and the hissing of cicadas, all summer season’s small magics are headed in the direction of us on a crash course.
So whether or not you’re a fan of summer season or whether or not you’ll be inside craving for the pumpkin spice season to return, I wager you’re already fascinated about what guide you’ll have in your bag for the subsequent three months. Do you want a beautiful queer science fiction or fantasy learn for the summer season? If that’s the case, I’ve you greater than coated. Queer SFF is my jam — and I additionally take into account myself an knowledgeable on lovely summer season days.
With my quiz, you’ll be capable to make some selections about your excellent summer season day, from brunch to a picnic to approaching plans — and armed with all of that data, I’ll ship you the proper queer SFF guide so that you can learn by way of a super-scientific course of. Get pleasure from!
All Outcomes:
The E-book Eaters by Sunyi DeanDevon was born into an outdated, conventional household, one in all a secret few, that devours books and tales to remain alive and empowered. Devon was raised as a princess, on a curated weight-reduction plan of restrictive fairy tales and sexist tales. However when she grows up, she discovers that her household expects her to make sacrifices she isn’t ready to make. She flees along with her son in tow, and what commences is a wealthy guide about generational trauma, queerness, survival, and a mom who’s keen to do no matter it takes to guard her son. Content material warnings for graphic violence, misogyny, home abuse, little one abuse, confinement, sexual assault. |
![]() Lifeless Collections by Isaac FellmanThis guide is half trans love story and half ghost story. Archivist and transmasc vampire Sol is already form of struggling in life. He’s secretly residing within the sunless archives the place he works and getting common blood transfusions. However after they take within the collections of a deceased sci-fi creator, bizarre issues begin occurring, and he reaches out to the creator’s widow, Elsie. This guide is a enjoyable, fluffy romance that takes on deeper problems with transphobia, questioning, and queerness. Content material warnings for transphobia, dysphoria, outing, grief, ableism, homophobia, biphobia, psychological sickness. |
![]() Finna by Nino CipriDive into this lowkey foolish novella about over-worked retail workers being compelled (per their contracts) to enter the wormholes popping up at their warehouse retailer and attempt to discover a grandmother who fell into it. Naturally, the 2 chosen for this are the anxious, depressed Ava and her nonbinary ex Jules…who simply broke up per week in the past. That is an absurd portal fantasy with good character development and enjoyable motion, and it’s a speedy learn too. Content material warnings for demise, violence, psychological sickness, transphobia, homophobia, classism, anxiousness/panic. |
![]() Gentle from Unusual Stars by Ryka AokiThis guide has all of it. A secret household of interstellar refugees operating a donut store as a canopy as they attempt to repair their spaceship undercover. A lady who made a take care of the satan to get super violin expertise in change for delivering seven prodigy souls. And her latest, and final, prodigy: a younger trans lady operating away from an abusive family. This guide is queer as heck, heat and wild — an explosion of a narrative about discovered household and difficult selections. Content material warnings for transphobia, sexual assault, little one abuse, racism, homophobia, dysphoria, deadnaming, self hurt, suicidal ideation. |
![]() Magic for Liars by Sarah GaileyNon-public investigator Ivy Gamble has a magical sister who teaches at an American magic highschool. She, sadly, is regular. She’s all the time been the boring sister, however she lies to herself lots, and when she’s requested to research a homicide at her sister’s magic faculty, she lies to herself and to others that she’s completely able to uncovering the killer and staying 100% neutral and unemotional the entire time. It’s a satisfying thriller but in addition an awesome guide about love, sisterhood, dealing with the reality, and studying to let folks go. Content material warnings for abortion, physique horror, grief, demise, medical trauma, grief, substance abuse, fatphobia, psychological sickness. |
![]() The Reminiscence Librarian: And Different Tales of Soiled Pc by Janelle Monáe with Yohanca Delgado, Eve L. Ewing, Alaya Daybreak Johnson, Danny Lore, and Sheree Renée ThomasThat is one in all my favourite books of latest years. Janelle Monáe expands on her world of Soiled Pc with the assistance of 5 extraordinarily gifted authors. They carry her Afrofuturist, queer world to life. Beneath New Hope’s totalitarian authorities, a director librarian struggles with what to do a couple of blooming resistance to reminiscence logging, a scholar finds a pantry the place time stands nonetheless, and a bunch of younger youngsters see a glimpse of attainable future. It’s a good looking queer guide about resistance, gender nonconformity, and survival in a cyberpunk world. Content material warnings for homophobia, transphobia, racism, police brutality, institutionalization, grief, ableism, psychological sickness, xenophobia, classism. |
![]() Siren Queen by Nghi VoAll Luli Wei desires is to be a Hollywood star — however the movie enterprise is harmful. It runs on a fae-like system of blood magic, bought souls, sacrifice, predatory producers, and steeply priced contracts. Luli is dealing with an already bloodthirsty trade as a younger, queer Chinese language American lady from Hungarian Hill, and she or he dangers being kind forged, dismissed, and denigrated in a spot the place they’ll do something to get to you or your family members if it means a possible revenue. However Luli is fairly cutthroat herself, and she or he’s keen to do something to change into the star she is aware of she is destined to change into. Content material warnings for racism, homophobia, misogyny, xenophobia, violence, substance abuse, self-harm, demise, sexual assault, fatphobia. |
![]() A Music for a New Day by Sarah PinskerAfter a collection of terror assaults and a inflow of pandemics, the federal government shuts down all stay occasions and gatherings. Lengthy after, folks have gotten used to digital life and drone supply — a life with out bodily contact. Rosemary loves that life, however her new job desires her to infiltrate a real-life gathering of musicians resisting the system by performing illegally stay and persuade them to step into the extra worthwhile, digital highlight. A guide launched pre-pandemic that feels notably actual now, A Music for a New Day reveals why sci-fi is all the time a dependable method to discover the chances of our future, each in its attainable terrors and in its chance for hope and resistance. Content material warnings for panic assaults, terminal sickness, demise, homophobia, violence. |
![]() That is How You Lose the Time Conflict by Amal El-Mohtar and Max GladstoneI had fairly a bit to say about this guide even earlier than Bigolas Dickolas had it trending on twitter. This lush, poetic guide made up of affection letters exchanged between two time-traveling secret brokers preventing a timeline warfare on reverse sides is stuffed with among the most lovely language I’ve ever learn, however don’t be mistaken — it’s additionally a wild science fiction story of timeline braids, tweaking of historical past, and wealthy surprising worlds. The second I first learn this guide, I needed to begin over and skim it once more. Content material warnings for demise, violence, physique horror, torture. |
![]() An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers SolomonGenerations after humanity deserted earth, they stay in a regimented and classist spaceship, the HMS Matilda, with sharp limitations and harsh energy buildings. Odd, sensible scientist Aster, surgeon Theo, and paranoid Giselle, try to outlive the world they stay in any method they will — however Aster thinks her mom’s coded journals is likely to be a key to escaping the world they’re in. It is a arduous learn generally, however nicely value it for its wealthy story of queerness, discovered household, and survival. Content material warnings for sexual assault and violence, racism, violence, police brutality, little one demise, psychological sickness, torture, suicide, self hurt, transphobia, grief. |
Should you learn one of many superb books on this quiz, let me know on Twitter!
In search of extra summer season reads? For extra queer suggestions, take a look at my record of the 100 most influential LGBTQ+ books of all-time. For extra nice SFF, take a look at Liberty Hardy’s record of one of the best fantasy books of summer season 2023, or dig into our SFF archive.