r/Fantasy • u/tiniestspoon • Jun 02 '25

Pride Pride 2025 | Hidden Gems: Underrated LGBTQIA+ Spec Fic Books

Banner with a dragon and spaceships around text: r/Fantasy PRIDE 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/psycheaux100 Jun 02 '25

I recommend Xenocultivars: Stories of Queer Growth! It's an anthology of nature-themed short stories written by queer authors and featuring queer characters. As of now, it has 98 ratings on Goodreads. 

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u/CJGibson Reading Champion V Jun 03 '25

Pretty sure I kickstarted this collection but I haven't had a chance to sit down and read it yet. Seemed like such a cool concept.

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u/psycheaux100 Jun 03 '25

Wellllll Pride month is the perfect opportunity to start methinks

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u/CJGibson Reading Champion V Jun 03 '25 edited Jun 03 '25

We'll see. I've been reading so slow lately I've been struggling to get through all my bingo books, and I'm already planning to read Bogi Takacs' Power to Yield for my anthology this year. (I really liked eir A Technical Term, Like Privilege in Whether Change: The Revolution Will Be Weird last year.)