This content contains affiliate links. When you purchase through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
After a lifelong love affair with science fiction, it’s safe to say that it’s one of my favorite and most-read genres, along with fantasy. Whatever expertise that gives a person, I certainly have it. So when I tell you that you have to read these ten Sapphic science fiction novels because they’re equally imaginative and captivating, I mean it. They all feature Sapphic protagonists, but are also innovative additions to the science fiction canon, full of world-building and stories that pay homage to classic science fiction tropes while breaking new ground.
SFF as a whole is full of beautiful, queernorm worlds where queer characters can exist in a space where their sexuality isn’t politicized or ostracized. We’ve talked about a lot of queer SFF here on Book Riot, from the best queer fantasy to sapphic dark fantasy. There are tons of queer SFF romances, and we’ve even covered queer SFF for the genre-shy. That’s a lot of great recommendations, but it skips over one particular subgenre: sapphic science fiction. That’s where this list comes in, because I’d say it’s high time sapphic science fiction got its big break. Whether you’re looking to read more queer science fiction or expand your knowledge of excellent new science fiction, these sapphic science fiction books need to find their way onto your shelf.
The Stars Too Fondly by Emily Hamilton
Lesbian protagonist / bisexual love interest
In what will almost certainly be my favorite book of the year (and one of my favorites in science fiction), a group of twenty-somethings obsessed with the secret of a spaceship crew that disappeared years ago accidentally become astronauts themselves when a dark matter engine starts on its own. Now Cleo and her friends must rely on their considerable skills and knowledge of the lost captain’s AI consciousness, which was uploaded to the ship before the crew disappeared. The story is full of intrigue, family, and adventure—and full of lesbian beauties to boot. You won’t want to put it down.
Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh
Sapphic Main character
Kyr has trained her entire life to take on the Majoda and their idolized artificial intelligence to avenge the destruction of Earth. It’s all she wants and can only imagine. Then she is chosen to become a mother instead, giving birth to future soldiers who will continue humanity. Devastated, Kyr decides to take matters into her own hands. But when she leaves Gaea Station for the first time, the universe she discovers beyond is not the one described to her. For the first time in her life, Kyr is stunned and unsure of how to proceed. She makes a decision that will change her life, humanity, and the future of the universe forever.
Please note that this book contains a description of suicide on the page that may be difficult for some people to read.
Interstellar Megaboss by Lavanya Lakshminarayan
Sapphic Main characterS
Saras Kaveri is the first person from Earth to ever participate in the most prestigious cooking competition in the galaxy: Interstellar Mega Chef. Serenity Ko is an inventor in need of a comeback. She has an idea for a new food sim, but there’s one problem: Serenity knows nothing about cooking. A chance meeting brings Saras and Serenity together to develop a project that could change the future of food forever – but not before it changes them both.
The Wake of the Red Scholar by Aliette de Bodard
Lesbian Main characterS
Aliette de Bodard’s Xuya universe is full of romance and characters, including sentient spaceships. The Red Scholar’s Wakeone of those ships, Rice Fish, is in danger of losing control of her pirate fleet after the death of her wife. A recently captured bot maker and data analyst may be the solution to all her problems. If Xích Si can find out who was behind the attacks that killed her wife, Rice Fish may be able to root out the informants and keep her fleet intact. But to guarantee Xích Si’s protection, they must first marry. It won’t be Rice Fish’s first marriage of convenience, but it may be the first to show her that relationships can be about more than just business.
The imitation of well-known successes by Malka Older
Sapphic romance
This little novella has it all: it’s a lesbian space western. When a man disappears on Jupiter, investigator Mossa is hired to investigate the case. Her search leads her back to the colony’s university platform, Valdegeld, and to her ex-girlfriend Pleiti. Pleiti has dedicated her life to researching a possible return to Earth – something she seems to have in common with Mossa’s missing husband. What does all this have to do with a conspiracy that could threaten all of Jupiter and all hopes of a return to Earth? Hopefully Mossa’s investigative skills will be enough to find out.
Victories greater than the death of Charlie Jane Anders
Queer Main character / Sapphic love interest
Charlie Jane Anders is known for her incredible science fiction, and she’s in perfect form in this young adult book series about a girl cloned by the savior of the galaxy. Tina has always known the aliens would come for her. After all, she is one of them. But when the spaceship shows up, everything is much more complicated than the simple story she knew. Saving the galaxy won’t be so easy. In fact, her first mission will be to learn how to save herself.
Light from Unusual Stars by Ryka Aoki
Lesbian Romance
The only book on this list whose story is firmly anchored in the earth, Light from unusual stars offers a different take on science fiction and shows what a love story can look like. A family of alien refugees who run a cafe and a violin teacher paying off a deal with the devil unexpectedly cross paths and discover they have more in common than they first thought. As Shizuka and Lan try to care for the teenagers in their lives, including a transgender musical genius who has disappeared from the scene, they discover that parenting can take many different forms and that it’s possible to do better even after making a mistake.
Please note that while this book is beautiful, it contains some graphic depictions of racism, transmisogyny, and abuse.
Escaping Exodus by Nicky Drayden
Sapphic Main characterS
On a living spaceship that soars through the stars, two young women take different paths to discover the rot at the heart of their community. As heir to her people, Seske Kaleigh is not allowed to love whoever she wants, and her love for Adalla could cost her her life. As an animal worker, Adalla is tasked with helping to excavate and prepare the circulatory system of the new beast that will become their home. But the truth about the creatures that inhabit and depend on them is not as simple as the stories they have always been told. Seske may be the only one who can change things, but Adalla must be drawn into the heart of the problem to show her.
How to Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
Lesbian Romance
Enemy agents in a time war, each determined to achieve the best outcome for their faction, keep meeting on the battlefield. The messages they leave for each other start as a series of taunts and jabs, but soon develop into something more. Red and Blue may be on opposite sides in this ongoing war, but what are they really fighting for? And more importantly, do they really need to fight each other?
The Long Road to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
Sapphic Main character
This modern sci-fi classic follows a newcomer to the ragtag crew of an ancient ship called the Wayfarer. Rosemary has never met many of the alien species she meets on the crew, but she’s happy to blend in with the crowd. Anything that will help her get some distance from her past. But the crew wants to get to know the real Rosemary. It’s not easy, but if they’re going to survive the dangerous new job they’ve just taken on, digging wormholes through space, they’ll all have to learn to rely on each other. Even Rosemary.
Still looking for more queer sci-fi? Check out 15 of the best LGBTQ sci-fi books and 8 of the best queer space opera books. And if you want more sapphic SFF, try these 20 must-read sapphic fantasy books and 20 books that put the F/F in SF/F.
