Some queer dude SFF to look forward to in 2025

Every man and his dog will be doing “most anticipated books of 2025”, so I thought I’d do something a bit more specific. And a list of queer SFF generally is probably duplicative of this absolutely fantastic, really comprehensive database set up by Kila Greene. Do check that out for a broader view of the field, but I’m going to focus here on 10 works centring queer men in the SFF space.

I’d originally wanted to do 10 works of SFF by queer men, but the simple fact is those are desperately thin on the ground. A bit more in the self-pub and small press space (notably, Neon Hemlock’s 2025 novella series will almost certainly have some, but the blurbs have yet to be released), but even then books in my favourite genre by people like me, about people like me, for people like me are thin on the ground.

Own voices demands can (and have been) abused, and shouldn’t be a requirement; some of my absolute favourite queer male characters in SFF are by women and enby people. But there is something to being seen and heard by your own community, and that being added to the collective imagination that pop culture represents. If there’s stuff I’ve missed here (particularly outside the romantasy sphere), please do let me know, I’d love to read it.

With that said, here are 10 works of SFF prominently featuring queer male characters where the blurb has interested me. Obviously no idea of the execution at this point, but hopeful many of these will be great. (Ordered by expected publication dates, which are subject to change)

Karin Lowachee - The Desert Talon (11 Feb) & Covenant of Ice (17 Jun)

The exciting sequel to the gunslinging, dragon-riding world of The Mountain Crown

Sephihalé ele Janan sits in a prison cell in the southern island of Mazemoor, dreaming of escape. After months in a provisional prison for fighting for the imperial Kattakans, Janan is sponsored by another refugee who was once a part of his scattered family. Yearning to build a life on his sister’s land with the dragons their people revere, the peace Janan seeks is threatened by a ruthless dragon baron who covets both Janan’s connection to the earth and the battle dragon to which he is covenanted.

The conflict may drive Janan to acts of violence he hoped to leave behind in the war, and bring more death to the land Janan now calls home.

THE DESERT TALON is a story of two groups of people who, despite a common ancestry, have diverged so far in their beliefs that there appears to be little mutual ground—and the conflict may well start to unravel the burgeoning hopes of a country, and a man, still recovering from the ravages of war. *Blurb to Covenant of Ice ommitted because it seems super spoilery for the previous two books.

The first novella in this series was one of my favourties of 2024; really looking forward to the final two. The POV characters are each of two men in a relationship with each other.

Cory O’Brien - Two Truths and A Lie (4 Mar)

From the beloved internet humorist, a debut novel that introduces an unforgettable investigator to the drowned streets of L.A. in a hugely imaginative and heartfelt blend of noir and cyberpunk.

In a mostly underwater near-future Los Angeles, aging combat-drone veteran Orr Vue now lives a simple and small life, trading snippets of what's become the most valuable information. So when the cops show up at his door looking for data on a murder he’s not even aware has happened, things get interesting for the first time in 25 years.

At first, Orr is happy to exchange whatever he knows about the demise of InfoDrip’s top exec to buy booze and pay rent on his memory storage, but that plan goes to hell when Orr’s old boyfriend, Auggie Wolf, shows up as the number one suspect. Forced to stretch his atrophied spy skills and take his illegal horde of drones out of retirement alongside his busted knees, Orr finds himself in the crosshairs of the militarized police, a family of megarich corporate heirs, a clan of emancipated AIs, and a cult. Barely avoiding getting killed with every clue he collects, Orr realizes he's uncovered not just a murder, but a conspiracy that threatens Auggie’s very existence. Ahh, the things we do for love... 

But in a world where memories can be bought and sold, how can you truly know who anyone is—or what you yourself are capable of? Fast paced, funny, and shockingly romantic, Two Truths and a Lie is Raymond Chandler reinvented for the 22nd century.

Near future post climate disaster hard boiled detective story with quips and homosexuals? Very much will depend on execution, but in theory absolutely sign me up.

Katherine Addison - The Tomb of Dragons (11 March)

Thara Celehar has lost his ability to speak with the dead. When that title of Witness for the Dead is gone, what defines him?

While his title may be gone, his duties are not. Celehar contends with a municipal cemetery with fifty years of secrets, the damage of a revethavar he’s terrified to remember, and a group of miners who are more than willing to trade Celehar’s life for a chance at what they feel they’re owed.

Celehar does not have to face these impossible tasks alone. Joining him are his mentee Velhiro Tomasaran, still finding her footing with the investigative nature of their job; Iäna Pel-Thenhior, his beloved opera director friend and avid supporter; and the valiant guard captain Hanu Olgarezh.

Amidst the backdrop of a murder and a brewing political uprising, Celehar must seek justice for those who cannot find it themselves under a tense political system. The repercussions of his quest are never as simple they seem, and Celehar’s own life and happiness hang in the balance.

I liked the Goblin Emperor very much; I adore the Cemeteries of Amalo spinoff series. Celehar is a masterful piece of character writing; a miserable sadsack of a person who’s been treated very poorly by the world yet who has endless empathy for it. I keenly await the conclusion of his story, and hope he is granted a measure of peace.

Robert Jackson Bennett - A Drop of Corruption (1 Apr)

The brilliant detective Ana Dolabra may have finally met her match in the gripping sequel to The Tainted Cup—from the bestselling author of The Founders Trilogy.

In the canton of Yarrowdale, at the very edge of the Empire’s reach, an impossible crime has occurred. A Treasury officer has disappeared into thin air—abducted from his quarters while the door and windows remained locked from the inside, in a building whose entrances and exits are all under constant guard.

To solve the case, the Empire calls on its most brilliant and mercurial investigator, the great Ana Dolabra. At her side, as always, is her bemused assistant Dinios Kol.

Before long, Ana’s discovered that they’re not investigating a disappearance, but a murder—and that the killing was just the first chess move by an adversary who seems to be able to pass through warded doors like a ghost, and who can predict every one of Ana’s moves as though they can see the future.

Worse still, the killer seems to be targeting the high-security compound known as the Shroud. Here, the Empire's greatest minds dissect fallen Titans to harness the volatile magic found in their blood. Should it fall, the destruction would be terrible indeed—and the Empire itself will grind to a halt, robbed of the magic that allows its wheels of power to turn.

Din has seen Ana solve impossible cases before. But this time, with the stakes higher than ever and Ana seemingly a step behind their adversary at every turn, he fears that his superior has finally met an enemy she can’t defeat.

Another sequel to a 2024 favourite, our long-suffering point of view character Din is queer, and I read a number of other characters as such as well. Honestly I’ll read as many of these as Bennett cares to put out.

Isaac Fellman - Notes from a Regicide (15 Apr)

Notes from a Regicide is a heartbreaking story of trans self-discovery with a rich relatability and a science-fictional twist from award-winning author Isaac Fellman.

When your parents die, you find out who they really were.

Griffon Keming’s second parents saved him from his abusive family. They taught him how to be trans, paid for his transition, and tried to love him as best they could. But Griffon’s new parents had troubles of their own – both were deeply scarred by the lives they lived before Griffon, the struggles they faced to become themselves, and the failed revolution that drove them from their homeland. When they died, they left an unfillable hole in his heart.

Griffon’s best clue to his parents’ lives is in his father’s journal, written from a jail cell while he awaited execution. Stained with blood, grief, and tears, these pages struggle to contain the love story of two artists on fire. With the journal in hand, Griffon hopes to pin down his relationship to these wonderful and strange people for whom time always seemed to be running out.

In Notes from a Regicide, a trans family saga set in a far-off, familiar future, Isaac Fellman goes beyond the concept of found family to examine how deeply we can be healed and hurt by those we choose to love.

Fellman is a staggeringly good writer, and I’ll follow him wherever he wants to go. This sounds like it will be exactly as good as I’ve come to expect.

Blair Fell - Disco Witches of Fire Island (6 May)

In the late 1980s, a coven of queer witches on New York's Fire Island strives to protect a young man facing a devastating tragedy.

A gripping novel of magic, romance, and hope—perfect for fans of The House in the Cerulean Sea, the Tales of the City series, and Red, White, and Royal Blue.

It’s 1989, and Joe Agabian and his best friend Ronnie set out to spend their first summer working in the hedonistic gay paradise of Fire Island Pines. Joe is desperate to let loose and finally move beyond the heartbreak of having lost his boyfriend to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

The two friends are quickly taken in by a pair of quirky, older house cleaners. But something seems off, and Joe starts to suspect the two older men of being up to something otherworldly. In truth, Howie and Lenny are members of a secret disco witch coven tasked with protecting the island—and young men like Joe—from the relentless tragedies ravaging their community. The only problem is, having lost too many of their fellow witches to the epidemic, the coven’s protective powers have been seriously damaged.

Unaware of all the mystical shenanigans going on, Joe starts to fall for the super-cute bisexual ferryman who just happens to have webbed feet and an unusual ability to hold his breath underwater. But Joe’s longing to find love is tripped up by his own troublesome past as well as the lure of a mysterious hunk he keeps seeing around the island—a man Howie and Lenny warn may be a harbinger of impending doom.

The Disco Witches need to find help—fast—if they’re to save Joe and the island from the Great Darkness. But how? Fans of queer romances with a dash of fantasy will fall in love with this stunning novel of community, love, sex, magic, and hope in desperate times.

I have to be honest that the comps here do not inspire confidence. But the rest of this blurb does. The AIDS era has faded from the collective memory of the queer community in recent years; here we have a novel set in that era by someone who survived it. Again will come down to execution, but I’m cautiously hopeful.

Jonathan Parks-Ramage - It’s Not The End of the World (3 Jun)

From the acclaimed author of Yes, Daddy; It's Not the End of the World is a terrifying climate thriller, a vicious takedown of the uber-wealthy, and a queer family saga that isn't afraid to punch back.

It's 2044 and life is bleak for many Americans, but not for Mason Daunt. Safe in his Los Angeles mansion, Mason can remain blissfully unaware of the relentless wildfires engulfing California, the proliferation of violent right-wing militias, and the rampant authoritarianism destroying American society. He's so rich, in fact, that he and his partner Yunho Kim are throwing a 100-person, $100,000 baby shower to celebrate their newborn-on-the-way. When a potentially apocalyptic event hits Los Angeles on the day of their celebration, though, the wealthy gay couple refuses to cancel their party. Surely it's not the end of the world? But as Mason runs a few last-minute errands, a staggering twist thrusts him into the mounting chaos, and threatens the lives of everyone he holds dear.

Shot through with biting wit, brutal gore, primal sex, and unexpected catharsis, It's Not the End of the World is a nerve-shredding roller coaster of a novel that will leave readers shocked, heartbroken, and inspired to question their most firmly held convictions. What happens when our current battles with climate change, capitalism, and white supremacy are pushed to their breaking points? And how can we find hope?

The failure state of satire is stupid and mean, so this is another one where the setup sounds great but could easily come falling down in the execution. That said, the setup IS compelling, and the promise of a messy and visceral (both literally and figuratively) queer dude narrative is one I’m here for.

Cameron Sullivan - The Red Winter (12 Aug)

The Red Winter is a historical fantasy drawing on The Beast of Gévaudan, a werewolf origin story about a small mountain village in 18th-century France that was terrorised by a mysterious creature. Written as a memoir by the immortal narrator Sebastian, it’s full of sorcery, demons and debauchery, but most of all it’s a love story about one man who will live for ever and the nobleman he fell in love with, but may have made into a monster.

A thin blurb to pin one’s hopes on, but the Beast of Gévaudan is a great resource for adaptation. In addition, the fact that I’ve recently watched the compelling adaptation of the same story in the gorgeous anime The Case Study of Vanitas makes me keen to read another (even) gay(er) take on it.

Martha Wells - Queen Demon (7 Oct)

From the breakout SFF superstar author of Murderbot comes the remarkable sequel to the USA Today and Sunday Times bestselling novel, Witch King. A fantasy of epic scope, Queen Demon is a story of power and friendship, of trust and betrayal, and of the families we choose.

Dahin believes he has clues to the location of the Hierarchs' Well, and the Witch King Kai, along with his companions Ziede and Tahren, knowing there's something he isn't telling them, travel with him to the rebuilt university of Ancartre, which may be dangerously close to finding the Well itself.

Can Kai stop the rise of a new Hierarch?

And can he trust his companions to do what’s right?

Follow Kai to the end of the world in this thrilling sequel to the USA Today-bestselling Witch King.

I have been reading Martha Wells’ fantasy since I was a teenager, and was delighted to see her return on the genre in Witch King, which was one of my favourites of 2023. Just as delighted to see a sequel; Kai is a great character and a great exploration of the nature of masculinity.

Finn Longman - The Wolf and His King (27 Nov)

Step into the resplendent courts and forests of The Wolf and His King, the luscious adult fantasy debut of medievalist and YA author Finn Longman...

Bisclavret is to live his life in exile; to take a wolf's shape involuntarily; to lie to everybody he meets. And yet he has always dreamed of knighthood, of brotherhood and belonging. When the old king dies unexpectedly, Bisclavret travels to the royal court to seek his rightful inheritance and swear fealty to the new king. It's here that he discovers the mysterious young warrior now wearing the crown is willing to offer him far more than just his father's lands, and suddenly the life that seemed like an impossible fantasy is catapulted within his grasp. But can someone who is hardly a man ever truly be a knight?

The king is recently returned to court from an exile of his own to inherit a crown he never wanted. And yet he's fascinated by his newest knight, a man who carries secrets along with his sword, and fascination quickly turns to longing. When Bisclavret is seemingly killed by a wolf, the weight of the king's grief almost destroys him. He swears to have his vengeance, but at the height of the hunt he encounters an animal that seems too intelligent to be the violent beast he seeks. One might even say it has the mind of a man...

Non-zero chance this ends up in romantasy tropes I don’t particularly love that much, but the author’s background (academic medievalist researching friendship; specific interest in the nature of monstrosity) suggests I can realistically hope for more. Hope it delivers.