Queer (adult) Science Fiction and Fantasy Books Releasing in 2021

The list of queer (adult) SFF gets longer and longer every year and I thought it was handy to have the full list in one place, not just for myself, but for others to find even more queer book releases as well.

Below you’ll find a list of queer adult science fiction and fantasy titles, and if known to me, details on queer identities they include. (even if no details are given, there is always at least one main character who is queer. I’m adding books based on what authors themself identified as a queer book or assumed based on previous books in a series)

The list is in no way meant to be complete but it’s all the queer titles I found matching my personal interests.

You can also find my list of 2020’s releases here.

Note: Release dates are always subject to change and I can’t guarantee that this list is always accurate, but I’ll always be looking out for newly announced release dates, especially for those books that have no date yet as of me adding them to the list. All covers link to a book page with a full summary (blurbs are from authors or their publishers, not written by me).

(this list is a work in progress as of now and constantly updated, so excuse the occasional chaos and missing data)

January

05
Persephone Station by Stina Leicht
  • space opera
  • non-binary MC
  • pan MC
  • sapphic MC
A semi-organized band of beneficent criminals, wayward assassins, and washed up mercenaries with a penchant for doing the honorable thing.
12
The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Waggoner
  • historical fantasy
  • sapphic
  • ff
A down-and-out fire witch and a young gentlewoman join forces against a deadly conspiracy.
Across the Green Grass Fields (Wayward Children #6) by Seansn McGuire
  • (portal) fantasy
  • intersex MC
A young girl discovers a portal to a land filled with centaurs and unicorns.
21
The Mask of Mirrors (Rook & Rose #1) by M.A. Carrick
  • (epic) fantasy
  • queernorm world
  • queer MCs
In Nadežra, known as the City of Dreams, a con artist tries to pull off the ultimate scheme.
(behind Carrick is the author team of Marie Brennan and Alyc Helms!)
26
Dealbreaker (The Bounceback #2) by L.X. Beckett
  • scifi
  • lesbian MC
About the Bounceback Generation, the first to be raised free of the troubles of the late twenty-first century.
We could be Heroes by Mike Chen
  • scifi
  • pansexual MC
The vigilante and the villain must team up to stop a mad scientist who threatens the city, while trying to figure out who they really are.
31
A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson
  • (historical) fantasy
  • bi MC
  • polyamory
A lyrical and dreamy reimagining of Dracula’s brides.

February

02
Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell
  • scifi
  • mm
In an unforgiving empire, a scandal-prone prince and a dutiful scholar, who are forced into a political marriage, try to prevent an interplanetary war.
09
Engines of Oblivion (The Memory War #2) by Karen Osborne
  • scifi
  • bi MC
  • ff
Corporations running the galaxy are about to learn not everyone can be bought.
Fireheart Tiger by Aliette de Bodard
  • fantasy
  • ff
F/f The Goblin Emperor meets Howl’s Moving Castle in a precolonial Vietnamese inspired universe.
Voidbreaker (The Keepers #3) by David Dalglish
  • (epic) fantasy
  • queernorm
  • trans MC
When magical creatures storm the gates of Londheim and declare it for themselves, Devin, a warrior priest, must decide who the true monsters are.
(Note: the trans MC is  a new character and wasn’t in the previous books!)
The Velocity of Revolution by Marshall Ryan Maresca
  • (urban) fantasy
  • pansexual MC
A secondary-world dieselpunk latinx pansexual fantasy filled with tacos, motorcycles and psychic mushrooms.
16
Soulstar (Witchmark #3) by C.L. Polk
  • historical fantasy
Assassinations, deadly storms, and long-lost love.
18
The Galaxy, and the Ground Within (Wayfarers #4) Becky Chambers
  • space opera
  • queernorm world
When a freak technological failure halts traffic to and from the planet Gora, three strangers are thrown together unexpectedly, with seemingly nothing to do but wait.
The Black Coast (The God-King Chronicles #1) by Mike Brooks
  • (epic) fantasy
  • queernorm world
  • queer MCs
When a freak technological failure halts traffic to and from the planet Gora, three strangers are thrown together unexpectedly, with seemingly nothing to do but wait.
23
Out Past the Stars (Farian War #3) by K.B. Wagers
  • scifi
  • bi MC
Gunrunner empress Hail Bristol must navigate alien politics and deadly plots to prevent an interspecies war.
Sun-Daughters, Sea Daughters by Aimee Ogden
  • scifi
  • bi MC
One woman will travel to the stars and beyond to save her beloved.
Escaping Exodus: Symbiosis by Nicky Drayden
  • scifi
  • queernorm world
A society lives in the belly of a beast—and an entire civilization’s survival depends on a pair of uneasy allies who must come together for one epic battle.
Alien into Charybdis by Alex White
  • scifi
  • bi MC
  • non-binary MC
A rogue colony where terror lurks in the tunnels of an abandoned Weyland-Yutani complex.

March

02
A Desolation Called Peace (Teixcalaan #2) by Arkady Martine
  • scifi
  • ff
An alien armada lurks on the edges of Teixcalaanli space. No one can communicate with it, no one can destroy it, and Fleet Captain Nine Hibiscus is running out of options.
The Councillor by E.J. Beaton
  • (high) fantasy
  • bipan MC
  • fm
A scholar’s quest to choose the next ruler of her nation amidst lies, conspiracy, and assassination.
23
The Unbroken (Magic of the Lost #1) by C.L. Clark
  • fantasy
  • sapphic
A tale of rebellion, espionage, and military might on the far outreaches of a crumbling desert empire.
26
The Bone Way by Holly J. Underhill
  • fantasy
  • sapphic MC
  • ff
A novella featuring a descent into the Shadow Realm, inspired by the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.

April

01
The Princess and the Odium (Odium Trilogy #3) by Sam Ledel
  • fnantasy
  • f/f
06
Local Star by Aimee Ogden
  • space opera
  • polyamorous
Guttergirl Triz saves her hub from invaders from the Cyberbionautic Alliance, all the while negotiating her rekindled romance with ex.
06
First, Become Ashes by K.M. Szpara
  • fantasy
  • gay MC
The Fellowship raised Lark to kill monsters. But were those monsters ever real? (NOTE: contains explicit sadomasochism and sexual content, including rape)
Peaces by Helen Oyeyemi
  • fantasy
  • mm
About a couple forever changed by an unusual train voyage.
13
Malice by Heather Walter
  • (epic) fantasy
  • sapphic
A princess isn’t supposed to fall for an evil sorceress. But in this darkly magical retelling of “Sleeping Beauty,” true love is more than a simple fairy tale.
Gifting Fire (Stealing Thunder #2) by Alina Boyden
  • (epic) fantasy
  • trans(fem) MC
The Helm of Midnight by Marina Lostetter
  • fantasy
  • queernorm world
A legendary serial killer stalks the streets of a fantastical city.
The Light of the Midnight Stars by Rena Rossner
  • fantasy
  • bi MC
  • f/f
Darkness is creeping across Europe, threatening the lives of every Jewish person in every village. Each sister will have to make an impossible choice in an effort to survive – and change the fate of their family forever.
15
Sistersong by Lucy Holland
  • historical fantasy
  • GNC MC
A tale of three siblings and three deadly sins.
20
Defekt by Nino Cipri
  • scifi
  • queer MC
Find out if five Dereks are better than one…

May

04
Firebreak by  Nicole Kornher-Stace
  • scifi
  • aroace MC
One young woman faces down an all-powerful corporation.
Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon
  • gothic horror
  • intersex MC
  • trans (fem) MC
Vern—seven months pregnant and desperate to escape the strict religious compound where she was raised—flees for the shelter of the woods.
Oaths of Legacy (The Bloodright Trilogy #2) by Emily Skrutskie
  • space opera
  • mm
Torn between loyalty and love, a young prince will learn how much he’s willing to sacrifice as he tries to destroy the rebellion that threatens his throne.
11
We are Satellites by Sarah Pinsker
  • scifi / literary fiction
  • ff
About one (queer) family and the technology that divides them.
The House of Always (A Chorus of Dragons #4) by Jenn Lyons
  • (epic) fantasy
  • bi MC
What if you were imprisoned for all eternity?
A Master of Djinn (Fatma el-Sha’arawi #3) by P. Djèlí Clark
  • fantasy
  • sapphic MC
When someone murders a secret brotherhood dedicated to one of the most famous men in history, al-Jahiz, Agent Fatma is called onto the case.
Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
  • fantasy
  • bi/pan MC
When Danso stumbles across a warrior wielding magic that shouldn’t exist, he’s put on a collision course with Bassa’s darkest secrets.
13
Blackheart Knights by Laure Even
  • (urban) fantasy
  • sapphic MC
  • gay, bi, non-binary SC
Imagine Camelot but in Gotham: a city where Arthurian knights are the celebrities of the day, riding on motorbikes instead of horses and competing in televised fights for fame and money.
18
The Lights of Prague by Nicole Jarvis
  • (historical) fantasy
  • bi MC (m/f relationship)
In the quiet streets of Prague all manner of otherworldly creatures lurk in the shadows. Unbeknownst to its citizens, their only hope against the tide of predators are the dauntless lamplighters – secret elite of monster hunters.
25
Hard Reboot by Django Wexler
  • scifi
  • ff
Giant mech arena battles and intergalactic diplomacy. When did academia get to be so complicated?
27
The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley
  • (aternate) historical fiction
  • gay MC
Joe’s journey to unravel the truth will take him from French-occupied London to a remote Scottish island, and back through time itself as he battles for his life – and for a very different future.

June

01
The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo
  • (historical) fantasy
  • sapphic MC
A reimagining of The Great Gatsby told through the eyes of a queer, Asian-American Jordan Baker.
Future Feeling by Joss Lake
  • fantasy
  • trans (masc) MC
An embittered dog walker obsessed with a social media influencer inadvertently puts a curse on a young man–and must adventure into mysterious dimension in order to save him.
08
The Jasmine Throne (Burning Kingdoms #1) by Tasha Suri
  • (epic) fantasy
  • ff
A long-imprisoned princess and a maidservant in possession of forbidden magic come together to rewrite the fate of an empire.
10
Black Water Sister by Zen Cho
  • fantasy
  • lesbian MC
A stressed zillennial lesbian fights gods, ghosts, gangsters & grandmas in 21st century Penang.
15
The Tangleroot Palace by Marjorie Liu
  • fantasy
You will find unexpected detours, dangerous magic, and even more dangerous women.
22
Catalyst Gate (The Protectorate #3) by Megan E. O’Keefe
  • scifi
  • bi/pan MC
The universe is under threat and an ancient alien intelligence threatens to bring humanity down.
Star Eater by Kerstin Hall
  • fantasy
  • bi MC
She swallowed a star, and the Sisterhood called her the Eater.
Elfreda Raughn will avoid pregnancy if it kills her, and one way or another, it will kill her.

July

01
Beast (The Blood of Reckoning #1) by Ollie Doherty
  • fantasy
  • queer MC
An adult fantasy with elements of dark folklore about a woman torn between protecting her family and fulfilling her duty to justice.
13
The Fallen (The Outside #2) by Ada Hoffmann
  • scifi
  • lesbian MC
  • ff
The Splinter King (The God-King Chronicles #2) by Mike Brooks
  • (epic) fantasy
  • queernorm
A Psalm for the Wild-built (Monk & Robot #1) by Becky Chambers
  • scifi
  • agender MC
One day, the life of a tea monk is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of “what do people need?” is answered.
20
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
  • fantasy
  • genderqueer MC
  • trans MC
Mulan meets The Song of Achilles in this reimagining of the rise of the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty.
22
A Desert Torn Asunder (The Song of the Shattered Sands #6) by Bradley P. Beaulieu
  • (epic) fantasy
  • bi MC
The twelve kings of Sharakai tried to bury their secrets in the sand. But no matter how deeply they are buried, secrets want to be found.
27
Hold Fast Through the Fire (NeoG #2) by K.B. Wagers
  • space opera
  • pan MC
  • ace MC
  • non-binary MC
The crew of Zuma’s Ghost must contend with personnel changes and a powerful cabal hellbent on dominating the trade lanes.
Once Stolen by D.N. Bryn
  • science fantasy
  • bi MC
  • non-binary love interest
A steampunk-inspired world of merfolk in a fun, fast-paced adventure with a hate-to-love romance, a boat-load of sass, and even more heart.
The Sea Wolf (Compass Rose #2) Anna Burke
  • scifi
  • lesbian MC
For Compass Rose, her ongoing mission aboard a mercenary ship brings an unexpected conflagration of adventure, danger, and romance.

August

05
Perhaps the Stars (Terra Ignota #4) by Ada Palmer
  • scifi
  • (gender) queer MC
Humanity has engineered a hard-won golden age, forged in the aftermath of a bitter conflict that wiped both religion and nation state from the planet.
24
The Second Rebel (The First Sister #2) by Linden A. Lewis
  • scifi
  • bi MC
  • non-binary MC
31
The Devil You Know (Mercenary Librarians #2) by Kit Rocha
  • Dystopian
  • romance
  • bi MC
In the Watchful City by S. Qiouyi Lu
  • fantasy
  • non-binary MC
A lyrical, intimate novella set in a remote, fantastical city that uses a complex living network to watch over its inhabitants and visitors.

September

07
The All-Consuming World by Cassandra Khaw
  • scifi
  • queer women
Queer women of color pulling a heist off against the AI gods that run the galaxy.
Among Thieves by M.J. Kuhn
  • fantasy
  • ff
A team of queer criminals who are the best at what they do come together to pull off an impossible job and against all odds start to care about each other, all while scheming to betray each other.
You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo
  • scifi
Retired and finally free of the continual war of conquest, Niko and the remnants of her former unit are content to spend the rest of their days working at the restaurant they built together, The Last Chance.
Flowers for the Sea by Zin E. Rocklyn
  • fantasy
Survivors from a flooded kingdom struggle alone on an ark. Resources are scant, and ravenous sea beasts circle.
09
Cover to be revealed
The Bone Shard Emperor (The Drowning Empire #2) by Andrea Stewart
  • fantasy
  • sapphic MC
  • ff
14
The Actual Star by Monica Byrne
  • fantasy
  • queer and trans/non-binary
In each era, a reincarnated trinity of souls navigates the entanglements of tradition and progress, sister and stranger, and love and hate—until all of their age-old questions about the nature of existence converge
28
Summer Suns by Lee Mandelo
  • gothic
  • mm
A sweltering, queer Southern Gothic that crosses Appalachian street racing with academic intrigue, all haunted by hungry ghost.
Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
  • scifi
  • fantasy
  • trans (fem) MC
Three women, a hell-damned violin legend and teacher, a young transgender runaway and aspiring musician, and a spaceship captain fleeing a faraway war, who find each other and unexpected magic.

October

05
Blood of the Chosen (Burningblade and Silvereye #2) by Django Wexler
  • (epic) fantasy
  • mm
  • ff
Long ago a great war wreaked devastation, destroying an empire and leaving a new republic in its wake. Now a new civil war has begun.
A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow
  • fantasy
  • queer MC
Zinnia Gray: a real-life sleeping beauty who pricks her finger on a spindle’s end and finds herself Spider-Versed into a fairytale-version of her story.
12
Destroyer of Light by Jennifer Marie Brissett
  • scifi
  • queer MC
Over three hundred years in the future, all humans on the planet Eleusis are refugees following the alien destruction of Earth.
The Quicksilver Court (The Gate of Secrets #2) by Melissa Caruso
  • (epic) fantasy
  • bi MC
19
Nothing but Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
  • horror
  • (disaster) bi MC
A creepy haunted house tale, steeped in Japanese folklore and full of devastating twists.

November

02
A Marvellous Light (The Last Binding #1) by Freya Marske
  • (historical) fantasy
  • gay MC
  • mm
Queer Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, but make it sexy.
The God of Lost Words (Hell’s Library #3) by A.J. Hackwith
  • fantasy
  • pan MC
To save the Library of the Unwritten in Hell, former librarian Claire and her allies may have to destroy it first.
16
Even Greater Mistakes by Charlie Jane Anders
  • short story collection
  • queer MC
These stories tackle queerness, community, the absurdity of real life, identity, climate change, and the dangers of messing with a cult that worships a giant space testicle.

December

07
The Liar’s Knot (Rook & Rose #2) by M.A. Carrick
  • (epic) fantasy
  • queernorm world
  • queer MCs
In Nadežra, known as the City of Dreams, a con artist tries to pull off the ultimate scheme.
(behind Carrick is the author team of Marie Brennan and Alyc Helms!)
Discordia (The Nova Vita Protocol #3) by Kristyn Merbeth
  • scifi
  • demi MC (m)
  • bi MC (f)
The Kaisers are on the run from the planetary leaders who seek to bury the knowledge of the alien artifacts that will save the star system or destroy it.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *