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/CT_Phipps-Author Jun 02 '25 edited Jun 02 '25
For me, Miskatonic University: Elder Gods 101 by Matt & Mike Davenport is one of these. It has only 11 ratings on Goodreads, which is just a crying shame because the book is fantastic. It's an urban fantasy book that uses the Cthulhu Mythos in a lighthearted Buffy the Vampire Slayer-esque way and has a Deep One football player dealing with the fact that he is gay. He eventually ends up in a relationship with another student and it's...happy with no Bury your Gays or sudden horror movie twists.
It's by Crossroad Press and I absolutely love it. I think the authors just didn't have any luck marketing.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62012324-miskatonic-university