10 best sapphic fantasy books, ranked
While the current political culture for queer people is rathe grim, the counterculture is experiencing a sapphic Golden Age. The literary world has been paving the way for sapphic art since time immemorial. Looking for a fantastical read that features sapphic storylines? Here our our top 10 picks.
10. Empress of Salt and Fortune
While the sapphic romance in Nghi Vo’s Empress of Salt and Fortune is more subplot than plot, queerness in the face of an oppressive monoculture is a major theme of the novel. The tale is set in a fantastical realm inspired by East Asian myth, where we are introduced to a wandering non-binary cleric who meets an old woman named Rabbit who was the former handmaiden of the titular Empress. Through a series of literary vignettes, Rabbit tells the tale of the Empress’ rise from victim of a political marriage to one of the most powerful rulers in the realm – and the subtle love that the pair shared between them. It’s a tale about queer women who refuse to give in to the powers that be, and through their love and resilience, create explosive political change.
9. The Jasmine Throne
Tasha Suri’s The Jasmine Throne is set in an empire inspired by Indian mythology, though things are not going well in the realm’s current political climate. The princess Malini has been imprisoned by her tyrannical brother so that he may assert his claim to the imperial throne without resistance. Locked away in a far-off temple, Malini meets a mad servant named Priya who possesses a forbidden magical power. After Malini accidentally witnesses the extent of Priya’s true abilities, the pair decide to say “screw it” and bust out of the prison the holds them and stick it to their captors (i.e. Malini’s brother). It’s a story of two queer woman who bring an empire to its knees through political ruthlessness, ancient magic, and the power of slow burn sapphic love.
8. Carmilla and Laura
Decades before Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Irish author Sheridan Le Fanu penned a dark tale of sapphic vampire obsession called Carmilla. Living in an isolated castle with only her father and their servants, a young woman named Laura has her lonely world changed with sudden arrival of the beautiful and mysterious Camilla. Carmilla holds a bloodsucking secret with gory details that Laura is soon to find out. While the original novel used its queer subtext in order to shock and horrify Victorian audiences, S.D. Simpler’s retelling of the tale bestows its central sapphic romance with both darkness and dignity. It’s kind of like the spooky, lesbian version of Madeline Miller’s Song of Achilles. Romantic. Obsessive. Haunting.
7. Legends and Lattes
Travis Baldree’s Legends and Lattes is a cozy sapphic fantasy story centering around quotidian displays of love between an orc and a succubus couple who run a coffee shop. Viv is a retired orc warrior who decides to settle down and start a business, and she soon strikes up a relationship with the demonic Tandri who becomes her partner in both business and romance. The novel eschews grand adventure to tell a simple tell about two people building something together – which will prove to be harder than it seems because no one else in this fantasy realm even knows what a latte is.
6.The Ashes of the Sun
Django Wexler’s The Ashes of the Sun is the story of two siblings at war with one another. Gyre hasn’t seen his sister Maya since her parents sold her to the mysterious Twilight Order, a powerful political organization within the realm. Twelve years later, Gyre is hellbent on seeking revenge against The Order for stealing his sister away, but finds himself unexpectedly reunited with his long lost sibling, who is hardly the same person she was before. Totally devoted to the Order, Maya and her brother soon find themselves standing on opposite sides of a brewing civil war. While Gyre may be unable to change Maya’s hardened heart, the free-spirited arcanist named Beq has an uncanny ability to make Maya consider that there’s more to life than just war – love is a fine thing too.
5. The Unbroken
Set in a world inspired by North Africa, The Unbroken by C.L. Clarke is the tale of a soldier named Touraine who was stolen from her homeland as child and trained to kill for The Empire of Balladaire. Touraine and her fellow conscripts are sent back to her homeland to serve as the guards for Princess Luca, who is attempting to negotiate a peace agreement between the Empire and its rebellious colony. After Touranine saves Luca from an assassination attempt, the pair become embroiled in a quest to broker peace throughout the kingdom – though they’ll have to resort to quite a bit of violence to do it. They complete each other as partners, romantically and politically. Luca’s there to negotiate for peace, and Touraine can always stick a sword in someone if and when negotiations break down.
4. The Daughters of Izdihar
The Daughters of Izdihar by Hadeer Elsba is set in a fantasy world inspired by the Middle East, where a young Waterweaver (basically a Waterbender in the style of Avatar) named Nehal wants nothing more than to do earn glory on the battlefield. Things change when Nehal meets an Earthweaver named Giorgina, who uses her powers in support of The Daughters of Izdihar – a feminist group that seeks to forward the rights of women in the oppressive society in which they live. Once willing to give her life for the powers that be, Nehal becomes wrapped up in a battle change their society that outlaws love between women.
3. Kill Six Billion Demons
Tom Parkinson-Morgan’s graphic novel Kill Six Billion Demons is the story of bisexual sorority girl on a quest to kill God. After she and her sort-of boyfriend Zaid are kidnapped and taken to Heaven, Allison finds herself in the midst of spiritual crisis. Heaven is a corpse-city ruled by seven all powerful deities, who suck the universe dry and force its inhabitants to feed off the scraps. Allison learn to weird her divine powers with the help of angel 87 White Chain Born In Emptiness Returns To Subdue Evil and a foulmouthed demon named Ciocie “Cio” Cioelle Estrella Von Maximus the Third. And if THAT wasn’t hard enough, Allison finds herself crushing on the demonic Cio at the same time an elder god declares his intention to destroy the universe itself. This story is absolutely, beautifully bonkers, and inexplicably grounded by real and tender love between women, human and otherwise.
2. The Unspoken Name
The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood is the story of Csorwe, a girl who had a particularly rough childhood – being a sacrifice to a dark eldritch god. Poor Csorwe has to climb a mountain in order to become an honored sacrifice at the Shrine of the Unspoken, until a wandering mage gives her a better option. Now she and some vagabond wizard are stealing and killing their way through the realm in order to orchestrate the wizard’s triumphant return to a land from which he was exiled. Possibly for good reason? If Csorwe hadn’t turned to a life of crime, she wouldn’t have met Shuthmili – a young mage who is about to be forced to make a similar sacrifice of her life in order to serve ancient gods. In defiance of the universe, the pair decide to stick it to divinity and devote themselves to each other instead.
1. Spear
Nicola Griffith’s Spear is the sapphic retelling of the tale of King Arthur. It’s the story of an unnamed young woman who, after living in a cave with her mother and learning how to talk to animals, decides to journey to the land of Caer Leon and serve the mythical King Artos. Armed with nothing but a broken spear, the young woman travels throughout the land fighting powerful warriors, wooing beautiful ladies, and sticking it to evil sorcerers on her knight’s quest for renown and glory. It’s capital “R” romantic for its tale of chivalry, and features plenty of romance between women. As for prose, Spear is easily the most beautifully written entry on this list, and the words of the story are woven together with the simple grace of an old poem.
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