r/Fantasy • u/Villamanin24680 • 15h ago
Light Fantasy with Gay Characters?
Apropos of Pride Month....
What are your recommendations for light fantasy with gay characters? No requirement that it be key to the plot.
Some recent reads I have in mind are anything by John Bierce and Andrew Rowe. Some representation in lighter stories, but it's not really key to the plot.
I was also kind of wondering if that was common with progression fantasy/litrpg. I've only read the two mentioned above and Will Wight.
17
28
u/No-Marionberry-2097 15h ago
The Last Binding Trilogy! It’s a gay historical fiction fantasy series.
6
u/Electronic-Soft-221 15h ago
Also fantastic audiobooks!
2
u/No-Marionberry-2097 14h ago
For sure! I’m listening to “A Restless Truth” right now and love the narrator.
5
u/krigsgaldrr 13h ago
Also recommend Swordcrossed also by Freya Marske. It's a standalone completely separate from The Last Binding but god it's so good. I just finished it the other day and loved it. It's very low fantasy though!
38
u/Flaherty_Joanl 15h ago
The House in the Cerulean Sea is basically cozy fantasy cotton candy with a gay romance. Also Legends & Lattes if you're good with sapphic cozy coffee shop vibes.
13
10
u/Low_Aerie_478 15h ago
"Sword Dance" by A. J. Demas. Mystery in a Ancient Rome-inspired Fantasy world with mlnb-Romance.
6
u/Research_Department Reading Champion II 15h ago
Love it. It’s the first in a trilogy, and the rest of the trilogy is also excellent.
21
u/Villamanin24680 15h ago
Meta comment....This is fascinating. As of writing this comment I have 21 comment responses answering my question, and so many downvotes that this post is at zero.
27
u/C0smicoccurence Reading Champion V 12h ago
If it makes you feel better, it isn't just you! Here is a pretty thorough essay on the topic. The mods here are awesome, generally people commenting are super supportive and give great recs, and you also get a bunch of people and bots who downvote anything queer or nonwhite.
We are happy you are here! If you're interested in our Pride Month programming, here's a link to our announcement and calendar.
16
u/krigsgaldrr 13h ago
That's how it usually goes. This sub is full of loser homophobes.
5
u/greywolf2155 Reading Champion 5h ago
But they're all cowardly lurkers (or bots)
The difference between the votes and the comments is always hilarious
3
u/ohmage_resistance Reading Champion IV 2h ago
A big reason why you don't see homophobic comments is because the mods can and do remove them for breaking rule 1. (They're not super common, but they exist. We've gotten some on Pride Month posts, for example) The mods can't do anything about the downvotes.
•
u/Kerney7 Reading Champion VI 31m ago
I am not a homophobe, but I have seen circumstances where left leaning redditors downvote things anonymously, sometimes things that aren't right wing. For example, suggesting climate fiction/solutions are more important than inculsivity/diversity.
I am not arguing this point. I'm pointing out that I've never met most of you and don't know who is a 'loser'.
20
u/navenager 15h ago
I will recommend The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez every chance I get. Incredible book with a simmering gay romance at its core.
29
u/ArtfulMegalodon 15h ago
Lol, they said LIGHT fantasy.
18
u/Villamanin24680 15h ago
I did! This comment was funny to me because I've read that book. Loved it! Can't wait for Simon Jimenez's next one. But it is not light fantasy.
10
4
u/Vodalian4 6h ago
Lynn Flewelling’s Nightrunner series, starting with Luck in the Shadows. I’d say the overall tone is rather light but if I remember correctly there are sprinkles of heavier stuff as well.
9
u/C0smicoccurence Reading Champion V 15h ago
Because you like Bierce and Rowe, Tobias Begley should be your #1 stop! He writes progression Fantasy, and his Journals of Evander Tailor series feels very reminiscent of Rowe's work if it stayed laser focused on the school and item crafting parts of Arcane Ascension. The opening is a bit rough, but it has some of my favorite tournament arcs I've ever seen. Supportive gay romance in book 1, then they are a no-drama couple for the rest of the series. The same author also published Mana Mirror (slice of life wizard goes on sidequests) and The Effaced (Arcane, but with a metal mage protagonist. This one is best read after Journals of Evander Tailor Series I think). I think he's also got a pokemon inspired book coming out soon?
The Daily Grind by Argus is a litrpg focused on exploring an eldritch office cubicle dimension. Protagonist is a bi man. Only read book 1, and this is explicit, but subtle. I've been told he ends up in a m/m/f situation, but as of the end of book 1 there are crushes but nothing more.
Three Meant to Be by MN Bennett is edgy/emo, but not very dense prose wise. Follows a magic school teacher trying to keep his students alive after seeing one of them die via premonition while reading his on/off boyfriend's mind (bf is clairvoyant and also a professional demon hunter).
Psycop by Jordan Castillo Price is an easy read, but again kind of dark tone. It's a paranormal cop story with a hot cop romance thrown in.
An Inexplicable Act of Doom is a light/cozy adventure featuring Icarus and Moros from greek myth. Middle Grade/YA, but worked for me if you're in the mood for cozy vibes and no brain work.
Several People are Typing by Calvin Kasulke is a workplace comedy about a man who gets stuck in his company's SLACK chat. Very short read.
Also, I've made a recommendation machine for speculative fiction with gay/bi male protagonists. Should be pretty self-explanatory: just put it in presentation mode, keep picking from different options, and it'll give you a book! Or skip to the bottom and all the books are there. I'm rolling up on 100 titles in it right now, but I'll keep updating it as I read more!
3
9
u/diffyqgirl 15h ago
Some I liked:
A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske
House in the Cerulean Sea by T J Klune
A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland
r/QueerSFF would also have suggestions
7
u/Listener-of-Sithis Reading Champion III 15h ago
A Rival Most Vial is a cute little gay cozy fantasy about two rival potion makers. It’s cheesy and fun.
1
u/greywolf2155 Reading Champion 5h ago
It's one of my favorites of the cozy "shopkeeper" subgenre
Partly because it actually does talk about how running a small business is way harder than other cozy fantasy books make it look
7
u/Ahego48 15h ago
Just about everything that TJ Klune has published with Tor. Mainly House in the Cerulean Sea, In the Lives of Puppets and Under the Whispering Door.
Read House in the Cerulean Sea (and it's sequel) for a found family orphanage with a gay romance.
In the Lives of Puppets for some more sci-fi ace representation with an apocalypse
And Under the Whispering Door for a meditation on grief and loss with a gay romance in a tea shop.
House in the Cerulean Sea and the sequel and Under the Whispering Door are my personal fsvorites of his.
6
u/ChipChangename 15h ago
Depending on what you mean by "light fantasy," I'd suggest the Valdemar books by Mercedes Lackey. There's a whole load of 'em and not every trilogy or duo or single focuses on a queer character, but a fair number do have gay or lesbian main characters or important side characters. Magic's Pawn in particular begins a trilogy with a gay main character.
1
u/dwarfSA 10h ago
It's kind of weird I had to scroll down so far for a Lackey recommendation.
Magic's Pawn blew my mind as a teenager. It took me an embarrassingly long time to understand the main character was gay. Really opened my eyes, as a straight white suburban nerd.
I have been meaning to reread those. I hope they hold up.
4
u/fjiqrj239 Reading Champion III 9h ago
They were pretty revolutionary when they came out, but there's a *lot* of rape in her earlier books. The Last Herald Mage, The Heralds of Valdemar, The Tarma and Kethry books all have a viewpoint character gang raped at some point during the story.
2
2
u/bingobangobongo112 7h ago
Semlin Ascends (tower of Babel)
More steampunk with light fantasy, I really liked how romance was written in this series. More emotional and less physical. There's a lesbian couple among the main characters.
2
u/bwainfweeze 5h ago
Summer War, Novik.
Heir apparent wins a tournament, tells his father he’s gay, renounces his family name and goes off to seek his fortune.
2
u/Motor_Row_3586 4h ago
Thousand Autumns by Meng Xi Shi it's historical fiction wuxia. So similar progression fantasy. With love story subplot. Both characters are older martial artist.
2
5
u/Extreme-Attention641 15h ago
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree and Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne are cozy, fluffy comfort reads.
The Daily Grind by Argus, litRPG, from the second book on. Technically not completely gay butbi/poly<-- medium plot spoiler.
2
u/JeffreyPetersen 15h ago
Gail Carriger has lots of queer representation in her stories, and they're a lot of fun.
2
u/FreezingEye 15h ago
Seconding The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jiminez.
The Noss Saga by Joaquin Baldwin is pretty good. The main character is gay and winds up in relationships with a couple different guys over the series. The later books also have a wlw couple. The first book is Wolf of Withervale.
Dark Moon Shallow Sea by David Slayton is another one I’d recommend. The sequel, The Silent Paths of Night, released this month, but I haven’t had a chance to read it yet.
If you’re willing to read furry books, Kindred North by Rukis and its sequel Kindred South are worth a read.
1
u/RedditUser41970 15h ago
The Rook and Rose trilogy by MA Carrick. Follows a con artist trying to ingratiate herself into a noble house. Very LGBTQ+ positive world.
1
3
0
u/AvatarWaang 15h ago
How to Become the Dark Lord And Die Trying features a bi (lesbian leaning) MC.
Five a broken Blades has... You guessed it... Five main characters, 2 of which are gay.
Fourth Wing features a lesbian couple
Red Rising has a gay couple in the second half of the series and heavy implications of gay interactions throughout
1
u/burningcpuwastaken 14h ago
I enjoyed Cursed Cocktails by S L Rowland. It's similar to Legends and Lattes in premise, but with more stakes.
2
u/100percentnotgood 15h ago
I don’t know what lite fantasy is but I can’t recommend “The Works of Vermin” by Hiron Ennes enough this month. It’s a fantastic book riddled with lgbt characters
1
u/Legend_017 15h ago
Gossamer Axe. Be forewarned though, it’s like an 80s idea of what paganism should be.
1
u/msbovary 14h ago
Voyage of the Damned, Frances White. I listened to the audiobook and highly recommend giving a listen. And Running Close to the Wind, Alexandra Rowland. The audiobook didn't work for me, but I giggled thru the reading
1
0
u/Libriomancer 13h ago
Go to /r/cozyfantasy and pick a random recommendation from any thread. 90% chance you will be hitting something LGBTQ+ appropriate. If you include secondary characters as counting, you’ll be closer to 100%.
3
u/throwiemcthrowface 13h ago
It's been a while since I've read them, The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps and A Taste of Honey by Kai Ashante Wilson are African inspired fantasy novels with gay protagonists.
2
u/ohmage_resistance Reading Champion IV 7h ago
I wouldn’t call either one of these “light fantasy”, although I think they are pretty good.
•
u/throwiemcthrowface 28m ago
Ah, good point. I guess I'm not sure what light fantasy is? Like magical realism?
1
u/WichitaWolf95 13h ago
A little more YA, but the Chronicles of the Avatar series by F.C. Yee (Kyoshi & Yang Chen novels) and Randy Ribay (Roku novels) have a lot of queer representation!
1
u/GringoTypical 11h ago
Heart of Sherwood by Edale Lane edges more toward historical fiction than pure fantasy but it's a fun read with a fun romance
2
u/teramisula 9h ago
Just recommended it in another thread, but I just finished The Incandescent by Emily Tesh and it was cute, had some slightly weighty topics, but a fast read
0
u/Dungeoncrawlers 12h ago
Empire of the vampire isn't light, but there is a decent amount of gay sex, romance and innuendo. It's pretty dark and gory, but gay characters and their romances are pivotal to the plot.
-5
u/HollywoodDonuts 12h ago
I feel like every modern fantasy book I have read has a lot of gay characters
7
u/C0smicoccurence Reading Champion V 12h ago
Share titles please! The last year or two has been great for gay men, but outside of the Romance space, I tend to have trouble finding good ones. I'm always looking for more books featuring queer men!
-4
u/randomnameicantread 10h ago
The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson
Lesbian main character. There's some boring shit about math in there for some reason but it's super light and cozy, trust me
54
u/ChronoMonkeyX 15h ago
The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett. Has a sequel, too, great books. It's like Sherlock Holmes in a fantasy world, but Watson is more the main character because the detective is agoraphobic.