I’m not afraid to admit when I’m wrong. For most of my life, I avoided sci-fi like the plague; I’m a fantasy girl, through and through. But it turns out the imagination it takes to tell stories about alien races or artificial intelligence is just as vast and exciting as those that focus on dragons and wizards.

I owe this newfound love of science fiction to Shaun David Hutchinson’s At the Edge of the Universe. While much of it is based in our contemporary world, the mystery and fear surrounding a shrinking universe that only one person can remember had me awake until the wee hours of the morning trying to find out what happened to the protagonist’s boyfriend! While I think this book is a one-of-a-kind, I know there are other authors with amazing stories featuring LGBTQIA+ characters. So if you’re eager for more LGBTQIA+ characters in sci-fi and fantasy, here are a few to try.

23 Must-Read Sci-Fi & Fantasy Books with LGBTQIA+ Characters