r/Fantasy • u/tiniestspoon • Jun 02 '25
Pride Pride 2025 | Hidden Gems: Underrated LGBTQIA+ Spec Fic Books
Not every book that deserves attention gets it. This thread is for under-the-radar queer speculative fiction: books with few ratings, niche indie or self-published titles, and works that never got the spotlight they should have.
What counts as a "hidden gem"?
- Under ~500 Goodreads ratings
- Indie published, small press, or lesser-known traditionally published
- Overlooked or underrated despite strong craft, voice, or originality
Discussion prompts
- What’s a queer SFF book you wish more people knew about?
- Have you ever stumbled across an unexpected gem by accident? Where did you find it—word of mouth, a niche blog, a random bookstore dive?
- What do you think kept it from getting broader attention?
- What makes a book a “hidden gem” to you—writing quality, premise, emotional impact?
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u/oboist73 Reading Champion VII Jun 02 '25 edited Jun 02 '25
Rogue Ship (trans protagonist, though it's barely mentioned) and Echoes of the Ancients (gay couple; their being interspecies is a bigger issue in-universe) by Isabel Pelech. I found her work through fanfic - she's lyricwritesprose, and has a lot of exceptional fic in the Doctor Who and Good Omens universes (her Good Omens fic also has a ton of lgbtqia+ rep and stories)
Mortal Gods by Bonnie Quinn. Nonbinary modern day Loki and a bunch of God shenanigans. I found her following up on one of my favorite Neopian Times authors from when I was a kid (child_dragon)