Welcome to my list of queer adult science-fiction and fantasy books published in 2024!
If you’re new to this dance, this list and the ones before (see: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019) – are my answer to every, “Where are all the queer/LGBTQIA/QUILTBAG adult fantasy and science-fiction books?”
I’ve been answering this question for quite a few years now. I almost stopped this year; creating and curating lists like this is time-consuming and there’s always the guilt when somebook falls through the cracks. I took a several-months-long hiatus from the list during the first half of the year when life became too much, seriously considered being done entirely during the second half of the year because wow, we’ve made so much progress since I first started tracking queer books in 2019, and then… November came, and with it, the U.S. election.
And I realized maybe we hadn’t come so far, after all.
The list is sorted by publication month. When possible, I included the specific queer rep, along with any side characters. “Queer” here is used as the inclusive umbrella term for anyone on the LGBTQIA+/QUILTBAG spectrum. The representation on this list is gleaned from reviews, readers, and the authors themselves and, even though I try my best to get it right, sometimes I get it wrong. I also only include books published with a publisher, who are distributed on more than one platform, and had pub dates, as I have to draw the line somewhere or risk being overwhelmed.
Additions and changes can be found in a change-log at the end of this post.
| JANUARY | |
|---|---|
 |
THE SLAIN DIVINE by David Dalglish: – sapphic MC – god’s come to fuck things up – the rebellion is fracturing – and this cursed mask might be the only thing that can stop a god — but at what cost? – last in THE VAGRANT GODS |
 |
THE PRINCIPLE OF MOMENTS by Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson: – m/m – a fugitive engineer plans to rescue her sister, no matter the cost the universe – a time-traveler in regency London in a fling with the crown prince – their paths are intertwined by prophecy and space – space opera + found family! |
 |
FAEBOUND by Saara El-Arifi: – sapphic – elves, fae, & humans once co-existed, but now only the elves remain – except wait, we just found this long-lost city and it’s… fae?? – and now their politics are kinda our problem, as well as their relationships |
 |
VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED by Frances White: – queer male MC – twelve heirs to a centuries’ old empire embark on a voyage to celebrate peace – then, the murders began – Death on the Nile, but with magic & chaotic queers |
| FEBRUARY | |
 |
THE TAINTED CUP by Robert Jackson Bennett: – gay, disabled MC – a Sherlockian murder mystery, with a leviathan horror that routinely wrecks havoc, magical & poisonous blood, body-altering plant magic – and a detective who is almost too good at her job |
 |
AN EDUCATION IN MALICE by S.T. Gibson: – lesbian MC – would you like a Carmilla retelling?? yes you would – but make it dark academia where academic rivals become a quite a bit… more – bloodthirsty professors, gorey murders, and sexy sexy times |
 |
WHAT FEASTS AT NIGHT by T. Kingfisher: – enby MC – our retired soldier returns to a haunted home and a dead caretaker 😦 – it can’t be the fault of a creepy ghost woman as the neighbors say, but then everything’s just a little bit… wrong? – sequel to WHAT MOVES THE DEAD |
 |
THE IMPOSITION OF UNNECESSARY OBSTACLES by Malka Ann Older: – f/f – cozy gaslamp mystery, but on Jupiter – missing university students take us to Io… and to questioning our understanding of this colony’s past – sequel to THE MIMICKING OF KNOWN SUCCESSES |
 |
TO CAGE A GOD by Elizabeth May: – f/f – two sisters have been raised as living weapons – against a royal family possessed by gods – gods are inherited and caged by the elite, but commoners learn how to graft them onto bone – NA romantasy inspired by Imperial Russia |
 |
REDSIGHT by Meredith Mooring: – f/f – space opera with magic, pirates, and priestesses with the ability to manipulate space-time – one priestess can either chose to remain in service to her military empire or run off with a notorious criminal – i know which one *I’d* choose |
| MARCH | |
 |
WELCOME TO FOREVER by Nathan Tavares: – gay MC – in a near-future sci-fi, death loses meaning when you can just upload your consciousness to a new body – & memory editing is a necessity and art – but when one editor wakes up without his memories, his reality soon spirals out of control |
 |
THOSE BEYOND THE WALL by Micaiah Johnson: – sapphic MC – same world as SPACE BETWEEN WORLDS – outside the wealthy Wiley City is Ashtown, a climate-ravaged place where the less well-off live – when mutilated bodies start showing up, it’s not that weird; except there’s no murderer |
 |
THESE FRAGILE GRACES, THIS FUGITIVE HEART by Izzy Wasserstein: – trans woman MC – set in a near-future, dystopian Kansas City – when you’re trying to solve your ex’s murder – and your would-be assassins are also clones of your pre-transition self 😱 |
 |
THE WOODS ALL BLACK by Lee Mandelo: – trans MC, t4t – nurse does a stint in a backwoods village – expects to help out, maybe heal a little – instead is ostracized by smalltown religiosity – and there’s something monstrous brewing in the woods |
 |
CASCADE FAILURE by L.M. Sagas: – queer found family – a chaotic crew stumble upon a dead planet – with one lone survivor who has horrors to share; this isn’t the first or the last dead planet – now they have a massive galaxy-spanning capitalist enterprise to stop |
 |
THE WEAVERS OF ALAMAXA by Hadeer Elsbai: – f/f MC – woman’s suffrage and water magic in a fantastical Egypt – war is no longer looming but Here, but can a society get past their fear of women long enough to survive? – sequel to the DAUGHTERS OF IZDIHAR |
 |
FLOATING HOTEL by Grace Curtis: – enby, bi/pan, and lesbian MCs – cozy sci-fi on a space cruiseship where everyone has secrets – but when spies, assassins, and Problem Solvers all come aboard at once, things get a bit… dicey |
 |
A BOTANICAL DAUGHTER by Noah Medlock: – gay MCs – what could possibly go wrong crafting intelligent life from plants? – especially when you use a corpse as the start of your project – taxidermy + botanical horror with a dash of family & fungus in Victorian London |
 |
THE MARS HOUSE by Natasha Pulley: – gay MC, agender society – refugees from Earth to Mars have an advantage over natives; they’re naturally stronger, due to the lower gravity of Mars – There’s a Surgery For That, but it’s dangerous – one refugee is offered a marriage of convenience instead – which might end up just as dangerous |
| APRIL | |
 |
SOMEONE YOU CAN BUILD A NEST IN by John Wiswell: – f/f with ace MCs – a shapeshifting monster falls in love – …with someone determined to lift a family curse by killing a monster – cue body horror shenanigans, familial trauma, wayward children, and Wiswell’s token poignancy |
 |
COURT OF WANDERERS by Rin Chupeco: – bi MC and queer side characters – vampirism as mutating virus – a vampire hunter with some vampire besties – who may have to confront his own vampire mother – sequel to SILVER UNDER NIGHTFALL |
 |
A SWEET STING OF SALT by Rose Sutherland: – f/f – queer reimagining of the Selkie Wife – a village midwife helps a mysterious woman give birth – only to discover she’s the wife of a local sailor, with secrets of his own |
 |
EYE OF THE OUROBOROS by Megan Bontrager: – lesbian MC – alcoholic park ranger searches for missing people to atone for losing her own sister years ago – but when Search and Rescue gets a little too close to cosmic horror, the Federal Bureau of Reality intervenes – alternate realities, creepy doors, and government bureaucracy, oh my |
 |
EARTHFLOWN by Frances Wren: – m/m – a post-flood London that rises out of the sea – the heir to a pharmaceutical empire controlling the water supply – and a massive reconstruction effort to combat rising sea levels |
 |
NECROBANE by Daniel M. Ford: – f/f – whoops, just released an army of undead when your sole job is to Not Do That – now we’ve got to unwind curses, brave the wilderness, and slay some dread monsters – maybe with a little help from a half-orc friend, a dwarf, and a sexy elf mercenary – sequel to THE WARDEN |
| MAY | |
 |
THE SINS ON THEIR BONES by Laura R. Samotin: – gay male MC – when your ex starts a civil war against you, takes your throne, and then turns himself into a lich, well – you gotta do *something* right?? – …no, not the spymaster. Some*thing* not some*one* – fictional Russia w/Jewish mysticism |
 |
THE BRIDES OF HIGH HILL by Nghi Vo: – enby MC – our friendly Cleric must accompany a bride to her wedding – only to discover her soon-to-be husband’s estate is haunted – and maybe questions should be asked about what happened to the previous wives – 5th in the Singing Hills Cycle |
 |
THE BOUND WORLDS by Megan O’Keefe: – queer MC, trans & enby sides – a blight has been killing worlds, but our MCs might have found a safe home – psyche — peace is short-lived and now the end might be here for the whole universe – 3rd in Devoured Worlds trilogy |
 |
BLOOD ON THE TIDE by Katee Robert: – sapphic MCs – a vampire pirate wants her family heirlooms back, but she needs a guide to find them – a rescued selkie might be that guide, if they can help the selkie get her skin back |
 |
THE HONEY WITCH by Sydney J. Shields: – f/f – becoming the island’s resident witch means also accepting a curse that means you can never find love – which is Fine, of course, up until a grumpy but cute skeptic comes to the island – and it’s not that she *can’t* fall in love, but there are consequences if she does |
 |
ROAD TO RUIN by Hana Lee: – bi MC – climate-ravaged post-apocalyptic wasteland with magical motorcycles and massive storms?? – a courier braves the wasteland between domed cities – when she reads the love letters of a princess desperate to escape her abusive family, she can’t help but step in – now she’s got bounty hunters, monsters, and a looming Mega Storm on her tail |
 |
HOW TO BECOME THE DARK LORD AND DIE TRYING by Django Wexler: – bi MC – when you’ve tried 1000+ times to save the kingdom, but failed every time – then on the 1001st go-around, it’s time to try something different – taking “if you can’t beat ’em, join them” to the next level, but with orc unions, sexy fox-people, and massive, well-paid hordes |
 |
THE SHABTI by Megaera C. Lorenz: – gay MC – a reformed con-man uses his ill-gained knowledge to debunk claims of ghosts and ghoulies – but when an Egyptologist shows up with an artifact that might *actually* be haunted – it will take all of his skill (and luck) to clear the curse |
 |
EVOCATION by S.T. Gibson: – poly/pan MC – high-powered attorney by day, powerful psychic by night – but power comes with a price, and the Devil has come to collect – reaching out for help also comes with a price, but that one’s sexier |
| JUNE & JULY | |
 |
DIGGING FOR DESTINY by Jenna Jarvis: – lesbian MCs – dragon rider and ex-dragon slayer team up to search for a cure to the dragon sickness plaguing the land – dragon politics, witchy entanglements, and brewing war – oh my – sequel to DIGGING FOR HEAVEN |
 |
LORD OF THE EMPTY ISLES by Jules Arbeaux: – aroace MC, queerplatonic bonds – after losing his brother to a curse, Remy saves up to cast the same curse on the murderer – only to have it go awry and curse him, too – to save himself, he’ll have to get to know his brother’s killer – and find out everything’s a lot more complicated than he could dream |
 |
RUNNING CLOSE TO THE WIND by Alexandra Rowland: – queer & enby MCs – stole a secret so big you gotta go to your pirate ex to help you fence it – just gotta get through these seas full of serpents, doom, and politics first |
 |
THE STARS TOO FONDLY by Emily Hamilton: – sapphic MCs – when you “accidentally” steal a spaceship – and ship’s captain is a hologram who keeps haranguing you – and now time-space is getting all twisty – and you’re catching feels for that hologram? |
 |
THE UNRELENTING EARTH by Kritika H. Rao: – bi MCs – humanity has taken refuge in the sky – but that refuge is faltering – the only thing that might save them is a magic they fear and try to control – big birbs, bigger monsters, and a crazy-cool magic system – sequel to THE SURVIVING SKY |
 |
MISTRESS OF LIES by K.M. Enright: – poly MCs, trans MC – a spymaster and a lost heir team up to hunt a serial killer – …among vampires, blood magic, and vengeance |
 |
SAINTS OF STORM AND SORROW by Gabriella Buba: – sapphic MC – the colonizer’s have tried to eradicate any religion but their own, but gods don’t go quietly – one nun leads a double life as a magically-chosen daughter of a repressed god – but the gods refuse to stay repressed, and so do their people – storm, volcano, tide magic – oh my! |
 |
NAVIGATIONAL ENTANGLEMENTS by Aliette de Bodard: – sapphic MCs – crossing space requires entering an unreality full of dangerous creatures – one of those creatures escapes. did we mention they’re invisible? – now two apprentices from separate clans must work together to find the creature before it eats civilization – and before politics gets involved |
| AUGUST | |
 |
THE SUNFORGE by Sascha Stronach: – queertastic cast – our favorite returned from the dead detective is BACK – this time with a dieselpunk setting, robots run amok, and a nuclear reactor beneath the city about to go critical – sequel to THE DAWNHOUNDS |
 |
THE PALACE OF EROS by Caro de Robertis: – enby MC – Psyche and Eros retelling, but make Eros enby – Aphrodite is jealous of Psyche’s beauty, so sends Eros to curse her to fall in love with a monster – instead, Eros falls in love with Psyche – the Gods are Not Amused |
 |
TIME’S AGENT by Brenda Peynado: – married sapphic MC – what if you could access a pocket universe where time goes faster or slower than our own? – …what if capitalism could? – when an archeologist gets trapped in one and comes out 40 years later, she gets to find out |
 |
THE PHOENIX KEEPER by S.A. MacLean: – sapphic MC – is cozy magical zoo-keeper a thing? – phoenix conservation can be trying, especially when you have to work closely with your hot arch-rival from college – heists, carnivorous water horses, and the future of a species all tangled together |
 |
THE SEA OF CLOUDS by Sheila Jenné: – lesbian and bi MCs – cloud cities on Venus, populist revolutions on Mars, and violence inbetween – space pirates, regency vibes, and zero-g sword fights! – 2nd in Imperial Mars series |
 |
BETWEEN DRAGONS AND THEIR WRATH by Devin Madson: – queer MCs in a queernorm world – a glassblower’s apprentice, a laundress with magic, and a dragon rider are drawn into brewing political chaos in a shattered empire – creepy plant magic, wild sand seas, and glass-scaled dragons with more than a dash of political intrigue |
| SEPTEMBER | |
 |
OUT OF THE DROWNING DEEP by A.C. Wise: – m/m, genderqueer MC – deep space sci-fi, but give it angels, demons, and gods – when the Pope is murdered, an obsolete robot, a PI who feeds his trauma to his lover, and an angel intent on solving crime (whether the mortals want it solved or not) must find the killer – before creepy killer nuns rise up to cleanse them all |
 |
THE GODS BELOW by Andrea Stewart: – bi and sapphic MCs – humans destroyed the world, so one god decided to remake it – in the remaking, you’ve got a 50% chance of disappearing or turning into something… else – as can be expected, some folks aren’t okay with this – but how do you stop a god? |
 |
COUNTESS by Suzan Palumbo: – sapphic MC – Count of Monte Crist retelling – but make it Caribbean & anti-colonial & in SPACE – when you’re framed for murder, then it’s time to bring down an empire |
 |
SOMEWHERE BEYOND THE SEA by T.J. Klune: – m/m – you and your former caseworker boyfriend and your six magical children and your island’s sprite and her girlfriend the mayor all = one beautiful family – until someone starts to dig into your not-so-bright past – sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea |
 |
A DARK AND DROWNING TIDE by Allison Saft: – f/f – a folklorist and her academic rival must solve a murder aboard their ship of eccentric nobles while on a quest to find a magic spring – a gothic backpacking expedition with slumbering dragons, shapeshifting monsters, and forests that move |
 |
SPACE ODDITY by Catherynne M. Valente: – queer MC – first our heroes saved Earth by winning Eurovision in space – now, to keep Earth safe, they must again compete: this time in a part gladiatorial contest, part beauty pageant, part concert extravaganza – sequel to SPACE OPERA |
 |
THE NAMING SONG by Jebediah Berry: – sapphic MC – the world became word-less, and the unnamed, dangerous – an unnammed courier delivers words, even though she’s feared – linguistic magical realism with ghosts, monsters, and powerful secrets |
 |
THE SAPLING CAGE by Margaret Killjoy: – trans MC – when you dream of becoming a witch, but were born a boy and only women can be witches – so you take your bestie’s place and hope no one asks questions – because you are a girl, and that ultimately matters more |
| OCTOBER | |
 |
SWORDCROSSED by Freya Marske: – m/m – marriage ceremonies occasionally come with surprise! sword challenges – so the groom needs lessons – and he gets them from a con artist – only to become entangled in more than just business intrigue |
 |
SHOESTRING THEORY by Mariana Costa: – m/m – when your husband descends into madness and takes the kingdom with him – and you’ve only got days to live, so you figure, hey why not try to fix things with time travel? – friends-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers |
 |
THE BLACK HUNGER by Nicholas Pullen: – m/m – an epistolary gothic horror – a British Earl is blackmailed into investigating a death cult – only to find evidence of their growing influence over the decades – cannibalism and gore and religious apocrypha |
 |
SARGASSA by Sophie Burnham: – queer MC, enby li – what if north America was a client state of Rome? – and historian is an important/powerful position – so when the Historian is assassinated, we’ve got more than a murder mystery on our hands – we’ve got a revolution |
 |
ROGUE COMMUNITY COLLEGE by David R. Slayton: – gay MC – an assassin infiltrates a magical community college – but starts to fall for one of the students – and realizes that his mission – destroy the college – is more literal than he thought |
 |
ON VICIOUS WORLDS by Bethany Jacobs: – f/f – a suspicious death could be the work of a serial killer – which makes the already fraught politics of a displaced people even… more fraught – and their dream of freedom may be short-lived – sequel to THESE BURNING STARS |
 |
SORCERY AND SMALL MAGICS by Maiga Doocy: – m/m – when you accidentally magically bind yourself to your rival – it’s time for a trip to the local sorcerer – who lives deep in the creepy, monster-infested woods – and by the time you get there, maybe there’s more than magic binding you |
 |
METAL FROM HEAVEN by August Clarke: – sapphic MC – sole survivor of a union-busting massacre falls in with motorcycle-riding queer outlaws – raised on the ideals of a free society, when she gets the chance for revenge, she siezes it – the chance? court & marry the daughter of the plutocrat who murdered her family |
 |
THE REPUBLIC OF SALT by Ariel Kaplan: – queer MCs – alt 15th century Spain, magic is real – there’s a gate between worlds with monsters on one side, Inquisitors on the other – on intrepid MCs are trapped on separate sides of the gate – and salt is a powerful tool – sequel to the POMEGRANATE GATE |
| NOVEMBER and DECEMBER | |
 |
IN THE SHADOW OF THE SHIP by Aliette de Bodard: – sapphic MC – you thought you escaped the sentient ship that haunted your past – you’re back for a funeral, and children are still disappearing aboard – but now you’re an experienced investigator, and it’s time to find out what’s happening |
 |
THE MOONSTONE COVENANT by Jill Hammer: – sapphic & poly MC – four wives: one can communicate with trees and books; one a warrior librarian; one a concubine; and one an apothecary – together try to uncover the secrets of their strange city – while a hostile prince stirs up trouble while trying to wrest power from his father |
 |
THE LOTUS EMPIRE by Tasha Suri: – sapphic MCs – the Emperor has fallen; long live the Empress – ancient plant magic has helped the neighboring kingdom reclaim its independence – but the ancient magics of both empire and kingdom require sacrifice – and that sacrifice might end up destroying them – 3rd in BURNING KINGDOMS trilogy |
 |
THE WITCH QUEEN OF REDWINTER by Ed McDonald: – bi MC – those that see the dead are killed, so you can imagine what happens to anyone who necromances – saved from execution, now you’re stuck in a magical wasteland – and you’re not so sure you want to go home – maybe it’s time for a little necromancy to save the world – 3rd in REDWINTER CHRONICLES |
 |
THE LAST HOUR BETWEEN WORLDS by Melissa Caruso: – sapphic MC – locked room mystery where every hour everything resets and you get another chance to solve the mystery – except you also descend another layer of reality–and sanity – and every layer is another chance for mysterious entities to perform terrible, bloody acts on your friends – you just wanted a night off from parenting 😦 |
 |
THE WOLF AND THE WILD KING by K.V. Johansen: – queer MCs – in the now, assassin & shapeshifter haunted by the ghost of an immortal must find a killer – in the past, an outlaw goes to war against those who would awaken the dragons – both are confronted by an eldritch being from the forest, whose dark magic will tangle them together |
 |
AND THE MIGHTY WILL FALL by K.B. Wagers: – queer cast – adventures of the coast guard in SPAAACE – Die Hard meets A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet – a peaceful transition on Mars goes horribly wrong – and now we’ve got a highjacked space station – 4th in NeoG series |
 |
KALYNA THE CUTTHROAT by Elijah Kinch Spector: – bi MC – our fake soothsayer is a mercenary with a reputation now – and becomes a bodyguard/guide for a scholar of curses and magical history to a seeming Utopia – but even Utopia can be inhospitable to refugees – sequel to Kalyna the Soothsayer |
 |
REBEL BLADE by Davinia Evans: – gay & queer MCs – magic has returned and monsters have awakened – can the notorious sorcerer survive long enough to save his city from itself? – dragons and dangerous society ladies and mayhem – oh my! – 3rd in Burnished City trilogy |
 |
ARDENT VIOLET AND THE INFINITE EYE by Alex White: – enby MC – giant mechas from SPACE have it in for humanity – and now they’ve summoned their alien friends – a glam pop star & their new boyfriend are the only things between them and Earth’s destruction – music, morality and craaaab people! – 2nd in Starmetal Symphony series |
K. A. Doore 
Your lists are amazing! So many new TBRs! Anyone looking for M/M should include The Shabti. I don’t remember if both characters are gay or bi, but it’s definitely a romance with some heat. Creepy AF. (The book, not the heat.)
Thank you so much for all the work you have done to put this together. Now I’m off to check out the other years.
Thank you SO MUCH for compiling this again … my TBR and 2025 reading plans appreciate you so much!
A few to consider for addition:
* Toward Eternity by Anton Hur
* Lady Eve’s Last Con by Rebecca Fraimow
* The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch
* Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris
* The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons
* Rules For Ghosting by Shelly Jay Shore
Thank you so much for compiling this year’s list (and the previous ones) – your lists have become my go-to resource for finding new stuff to read. Your time and effort are much appreciated 🙂
You don’t know how much I love and appreciate these lists. They are truly so incredibly helpful and lovely. Thank you for all the work that goes into putting these together!
Please keep making these lists! They are amazing and much appreciated and well loved. Can’t wait for 2025’s list!!