Recs if you like Magic's Pawn...

JK Rowling is a bigot who uses her platform to hurt transfolks and other marginalized groups (plus she literally just quoted Mein Kampf on the bird site). If you're still supporting her in 2025, don't bother talking to me.

Lately I’ve been craving that old school fantasy, but much more diverse than what you’d generally think of when you think of old school fantasy. So this list will be queer epic/high fantasy full of high stakes adventure and perhaps magic, but specifically that has the VIBES. vibes are essential.

As a note I haven’t read all of these books yet but I am making my way through them, and if any of them are not the match I think they are I’ll remove them (or feel free to comment to let me know!)

less of the usual culprits if you please!

A list of fantasy where colour plays an important role. There is a colour based magic system or colour in some way that has a strong significance or ties in with the plot intricately.
ETA : Please also look at the comments here for some amazing recs from the community here

Books on my TBR with LGBTQIA+ characters or themes.

Note: Only the first book in a series are added. The goal is to try it, not dedicate oneself to it. Marion Zimmer Bradley has been added with caution--buy from a small business if not able to check out at the library.

Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar books were hugely impactful to me as a teenager, and as such I have very specific ideas about the best order in which to read the first 26 books because of the way that they work together to tell a single cohesive story. 😅 If this is your first introduction to the country of Valdemar and the world of Velgarth, start at the top of the list and work your way down to the bottom. I have an explanation in the pinned comment, and feel free to ask any questions here!

magic but what if we were making a commentary on academia. (JK who? idk who that is sorry)

A collection of older, sometimes lesser-known, fantasy (or science fantasy) books written by incredible women and published primarily between the 1980s and early 2000s (with nods to a few older ones). In a time when female fantasy authors were few and far between, these authors carved out their own space in the genre. These stories might not be mainstream hits today, but they are full of brilliant magic, deep characters, and/or worlds that helped shape the genre. (First in Series / standalones only for now - open to suggestions!)

Romantasy but for the gays. Fantasy in this list includes: magic, fairies/fae, mythical, mystical, supernatural.

Each year, for Chinese New Year, we do a rec list with books aligned to the Chinese zodiac animal for the year. Most of these books are queer, though often it's subtextual. We've done 3 lists so far: 2024, dragons; 2025, snakes; 2026, horses. Find all the recs for these lists here! (This list is presented by Duck Prints Press, the indie publisher focused on publishing queer art and stories by queer creators!)

before romantasy became its own genre, there were fantastical stories with romantic subplots and they are peak

requirements: -published before 2012 (first book if in a series at least) -no scifi

looking for: -more authors of color -more queer fantasy romance

top tier gay romance that includes feminine men, men of color, and trans/nonbinary men. + 2 if it has a pretty cover

books featured on the podcast Shelved By Genre

"I want to know about elfs. I want to know about dwarves. I want to know about: wizards. I want to know about: goblins. I want to know about: cyberpunks. I want to know about: rampant AI. I want to know about: Master Chief. I want to know about: gay wizards. Okay? Like that’s what I want to know about." - Cameron Kunzelman

older fantasy with queer characters! on a bit of a personal male authors timeout so probably all with female authors! i have not read these yet ✨

A publication order list of Lackey’s Valdemar books because most of the lists I found online were in-world chronological order. Note that this list does not include anthologies and yet-to-be-published novels.

Earliest books are at the bottom of the list, and the most recent are at the top!