Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey

What’s the first thing that pops into your head when you think of a Western? There’s a good chance it’s Clint Eastwood chomping on a cigar as his fingers twitch by his pistol. Sarah Gailey’s latest might just change that.

In a future where the US has devolved into a society that looks a lot like the Wild West, Esther Augustus falls in with the “Librarians” — an order that travels from town to town disseminating state approved books. But that’s just the surface. Esther soon learns that the Librarians are also smuggling ideas – and sometimes people – that resist fascism, homophobia and patriarchy. In the tough, no-nonsense language of Western pulp, Gailey writes a queer-awakening story set against the dusty landscapes of the Southwest.

Bonds of Brass by Emily Skrutskie

A friends-to-lovers romance set in a dangerous intergalactic empire has all the right ingredients for an action-packed space opera that straddles the gap between YA and sci-fi. Ettian saw his home planet crushed by the evil Umber Empire, but his allegiances are tested when it turns out that Gal, his roommate at the military academy, is the heir to the empire. After a failed assassination attempt on Gal, it’s up to Ettian to get her to safety, but the temptation of a brewing rebellion promises freedom for the conquered. Ettian has to decide: love or home?

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

Fairy tales are some of the earliest stories that children ever hear. They shape our imaginations and change the way we interpret the world. It’s thanks to fairy tales that we know the woods are dark and dangerous. We look for characters to identify with and stories we wish we could live inside. That’s why queer fairy tales are so important: they provide a blueprint for those who don’t often see themselves represented in the media.

Enter Melissa Bashardoust. Girl, Serpent, Thorn is about a princess who grows up with a terrible curse: she poisons everyone she touches. Hidden away by her family, she grows up feeling like a monster, touch-starved and isolated. When her best friend — and crush since they were children — marries her brother, she wants nothing more than to change, until she meets someone like herself.

The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders

This is a big, sprawling title with a lot going on, including a great deal of world-building that sci-fi fans are sure to love. There’s a dying planet where humans live in two cities along the thin margin between the frozen night-side of the planet and the burning day-side. There are the sentient crocodile-like creatures who lived on the planet first. And there’s the fact that the advanced human technology that made colonizing space possible is breaking down with no replacement. Against this rich backdrop, Anders tells a story about political organizing against failed, dystopic societies.

Little Fish by Casey Plett

Casey Plett’s debut novel is about a search for queer and trans elders. Wendy Reimer is a 30-year-old trans woman living in Winnipeg. She feels like her life has stalled in place when she receives a strange phone call from a family friend suggesting her grandfather might have been transgender himself. The information sets off a search for people who can guide her as she confronts her own volatile future.

Listen to More LGBTQ+ Stories

Find more LGBTQ+ fiction stories right here on Audible. Tons of incredible authors are doing exciting work in genres as varied as Westerns and space operas. They’re subverting tropes, queering plots and inventing worlds that you simply can’t miss.

Expand your horizons with Audible. New and exciting titles are always hitting our library, and you can always check in with us on social media for news and recommendations.