(no subject)
Okay, because I was asked by one person and became intrigued enough to start listing books for my own satisfaction, here is a list of fantasy/science fiction books that I have found with gay aspects. FYI, I will keep editing this with the new books I find and remember.
The Fire's Stone, Tanya Huff.
The Stone Prince, Fiona Patton.
Luck in the Shadows, Stalking Darkness, Traitor's Moon, Lynn Flewelling. The second and third books are slashier than the first. Just so you know...
Night Sky Mine, Melissa Scott (female protagonist).
The Merro Tree, Katie Waitman. Er, watch out. This is interspecies, so if that squicks you, look away. Male to male, though! And I loved it.
Gaywyck, Vincent Virga - more Gothic supernatural than fantasy, and a trifle romance genre-esque, but fun all the same.
Drawing Blood, Poppy Z Brite - I wouldn't recommend her other works, but oh boy. This is a wonderful story; also more supernatural than anything else, but I wouldn't call it horror.
Crossover, Breakaway, Joel Shepherd - borderline, as the protagonist isn't gay, but her best friend has a crush on her and keeps trying to sway her.
Warchild, Karin Lowachee. Included because, dammit, Jos and Niko are beyond beautiful together, even though nothing happens. Ever.
Cagebird, Karin Lowachee. Positively gay hero, in this one. It is the third in a series, but each book focuses on a different protagonist (and, incidentally, on a different front of the war: aliens, humans, pirates and there's a fourth coming out in a year or so. Very interesting way of examining the realities of intergalactic wars.).
The Stars Dispose, The Stars Compel, Michaela Roessner. More supernatural and semi-historical; set in the Florence of the de Medici, story of a young man and Michelangelo Buonarotti.
Wraeththu, Storm Constantine. Weirdness abounds...
Kirith Kirin, Jim Grimsley. Didn't like it much, but it should be included anyway.
The Chosen, Ricardo Pinto.
The Heritage of Hastur, Marion Zimmer Bradley. Also by MZB, not in the fantasy genre, The Catch Trap. It's a very good book, though, set in the 1950's amidst a circus.
The Vampire Armand, Anne Rice. Yes, I know, *cringes dutifully*, but in the interests of providing a fairly full list, it is included. Also, this book doesn't suck as badly as some of her other, later, ones.
Magic's Pawn, Magic's Promise, Magic's Price, Mercedes Lackey. The three books of the Last Herald-Mage trilogy I mentioned previously. Beautiful books. *loves all over them*
Tanya Huff's characters are generally bi at least, and a lot of Mercedes Lackey's characters are flexible;
everyone recommends Ellen Kushner (I don't really like her style, so I don't comment...);
apparently The Wandering Unicorn, which I haven't read yet, is about a mythical being who wishes to be a beautiful human so that she can woo her knight in shining armor, only she becomes a beautiful male...
And I have to say, Katharine Kerr's Dragon-Mage Cycle includes a certain amount of slash.
Authors I only wish would slash their characters:
Robin Hobb comes perilously close, in her Fool trilogy;
Carol Berg, Transformation, really creates a beautiful friendship that I can squint and declare something *other* (and do so with great delight, too);
Michael Stackpole, in Talion Revenant, for some reason makes me want to utterly ignore the female characters...
Not at all fantasy, but oh so good: The Alexander Trilogy, Mary Renault.
I will be perusing my shelves in order to locate more, but if any of you know of any books that I have missed, please, please do tell me in the comments. Please?
ETA - 6 years later...
Ginn Hale, Wicked Gentlemen - pure fantasy with angelic and demonic references, male protagonists.
Jesse Hajicek, The God Eaters - fantasy, male protagonists. Can also be read online at fictionpress, but it's been published by Dreamspinner.
Catherine Cooke, The Winged Assassin, Realm of the Gods , The Crimson Goddess - a wonderful (sadly out of print) trilogy, but worth looking up.
Josh Lanyon, Strange Fortune - his only fantasy book at the moment, I think. However, every one of his books but particularly his Adrien English series, is worth reading.
T.P. Macer, The Sorcerer's Web - fantasy, published by Wayward Books.
Nicole Kimberling, Turnskin - fantasy, werewolves (or kind of...).
James Anson, The Larton Chronicles - Not Fantasy. Very realistic, day-to-day English love affair. Published by Wayward Books. Truly enjoyable, low-key.
Sarah Rees Brennan, The Demon's Lexicon, The Demon's Covenant - young adult fantasy; the last book of the trilogy should be published in a couple of months. Gay little brother.
Holly Black, Valiant - young adult fantasy; gay friend. (Loved it).
Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett Havemercy - dragon fantasy.
Sarah Monette, Melusine - fantasy. Really good.
Patricia Briggs, her Mercy series has a gay best friend.
W. A. Hoffman, Brethren, Matelot, etc. Historical novels set in the Caribbean during the buccaneering period. Really wonderful, though the prose can get a little philosophically purple at times...
Sam C. Leonhard, Tainted Blood - fantasy, runes (first of a series, other books unpublished as of yet - be warned).
Abigail Roux and Madeleine Urban, Cut and Run, Sticks and Stones, Fish and Chips - truly wonderful Not Fantasy series about FBI agents.
The Fire's Stone, Tanya Huff.
The Stone Prince, Fiona Patton.
Luck in the Shadows, Stalking Darkness, Traitor's Moon, Lynn Flewelling. The second and third books are slashier than the first. Just so you know...
Night Sky Mine, Melissa Scott (female protagonist).
The Merro Tree, Katie Waitman. Er, watch out. This is interspecies, so if that squicks you, look away. Male to male, though! And I loved it.
Gaywyck, Vincent Virga - more Gothic supernatural than fantasy, and a trifle romance genre-esque, but fun all the same.
Drawing Blood, Poppy Z Brite - I wouldn't recommend her other works, but oh boy. This is a wonderful story; also more supernatural than anything else, but I wouldn't call it horror.
Crossover, Breakaway, Joel Shepherd - borderline, as the protagonist isn't gay, but her best friend has a crush on her and keeps trying to sway her.
Warchild, Karin Lowachee. Included because, dammit, Jos and Niko are beyond beautiful together, even though nothing happens. Ever.
Cagebird, Karin Lowachee. Positively gay hero, in this one. It is the third in a series, but each book focuses on a different protagonist (and, incidentally, on a different front of the war: aliens, humans, pirates and there's a fourth coming out in a year or so. Very interesting way of examining the realities of intergalactic wars.).
The Stars Dispose, The Stars Compel, Michaela Roessner. More supernatural and semi-historical; set in the Florence of the de Medici, story of a young man and Michelangelo Buonarotti.
Wraeththu, Storm Constantine. Weirdness abounds...
Kirith Kirin, Jim Grimsley. Didn't like it much, but it should be included anyway.
The Chosen, Ricardo Pinto.
The Heritage of Hastur, Marion Zimmer Bradley. Also by MZB, not in the fantasy genre, The Catch Trap. It's a very good book, though, set in the 1950's amidst a circus.
The Vampire Armand, Anne Rice. Yes, I know, *cringes dutifully*, but in the interests of providing a fairly full list, it is included. Also, this book doesn't suck as badly as some of her other, later, ones.
Magic's Pawn, Magic's Promise, Magic's Price, Mercedes Lackey. The three books of the Last Herald-Mage trilogy I mentioned previously. Beautiful books. *loves all over them*
Tanya Huff's characters are generally bi at least, and a lot of Mercedes Lackey's characters are flexible;
everyone recommends Ellen Kushner (I don't really like her style, so I don't comment...);
apparently The Wandering Unicorn, which I haven't read yet, is about a mythical being who wishes to be a beautiful human so that she can woo her knight in shining armor, only she becomes a beautiful male...
And I have to say, Katharine Kerr's Dragon-Mage Cycle includes a certain amount of slash.
Authors I only wish would slash their characters:
Robin Hobb comes perilously close, in her Fool trilogy;
Carol Berg, Transformation, really creates a beautiful friendship that I can squint and declare something *other* (and do so with great delight, too);
Michael Stackpole, in Talion Revenant, for some reason makes me want to utterly ignore the female characters...
Not at all fantasy, but oh so good: The Alexander Trilogy, Mary Renault.
I will be perusing my shelves in order to locate more, but if any of you know of any books that I have missed, please, please do tell me in the comments. Please?
ETA - 6 years later...
Ginn Hale, Wicked Gentlemen - pure fantasy with angelic and demonic references, male protagonists.
Jesse Hajicek, The God Eaters - fantasy, male protagonists. Can also be read online at fictionpress, but it's been published by Dreamspinner.
Catherine Cooke, The Winged Assassin, Realm of the Gods , The Crimson Goddess - a wonderful (sadly out of print) trilogy, but worth looking up.
Josh Lanyon, Strange Fortune - his only fantasy book at the moment, I think. However, every one of his books but particularly his Adrien English series, is worth reading.
T.P. Macer, The Sorcerer's Web - fantasy, published by Wayward Books.
Nicole Kimberling, Turnskin - fantasy, werewolves (or kind of...).
James Anson, The Larton Chronicles - Not Fantasy. Very realistic, day-to-day English love affair. Published by Wayward Books. Truly enjoyable, low-key.
Sarah Rees Brennan, The Demon's Lexicon, The Demon's Covenant - young adult fantasy; the last book of the trilogy should be published in a couple of months. Gay little brother.
Holly Black, Valiant - young adult fantasy; gay friend. (Loved it).
Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett Havemercy - dragon fantasy.
Sarah Monette, Melusine - fantasy. Really good.
Patricia Briggs, her Mercy series has a gay best friend.
W. A. Hoffman, Brethren, Matelot, etc. Historical novels set in the Caribbean during the buccaneering period. Really wonderful, though the prose can get a little philosophically purple at times...
Sam C. Leonhard, Tainted Blood - fantasy, runes (first of a series, other books unpublished as of yet - be warned).
Abigail Roux and Madeleine Urban, Cut and Run, Sticks and Stones, Fish and Chips - truly wonderful Not Fantasy series about FBI agents.