#diverse sci fi

[rachel-sylvan-author]

Sci-fi Sunday!

"Noor" by Nnedi Okorafor

Thank you @mpaxauthor for the cool read! ❤️

[lezzybeaverman]

Also highly recommend Octavia's Brood, a book of short stories by various authors, many of which still live in my head almost daily.

PLEASE for the love of the universe read anti-colonial science fiction and fantasy written from marginalized perspectives. Y’all (you know who you are) are killing me. To see people praise books about empire written exclusively by white women and then turn around and say you don’t know who Octavia Butler is or that you haven’t read any NK Jemisin or that Babel was too heavy-handed just kills me! I’m not saying you HAVE to enjoy specific books but there is such an obvious pattern here

Some of y’all love marginalized stories but you don’t give a fuck about marginalized creators and characters, and it shows. Like damn

[fiercestpurpose]

A complete list of books with female protagonists:

Pride and Prejudice

The Hunger Games

The Locked Tomb series

The Haunting of Hill House

Wonder Woman comics

[prince-liest]

I’m reading Witch King by Martha Wells, and now that I have read more than one (1) series by this author, I have been suddenly brained with a two-by-four sharpied over with “realizing that I really enjoy novels by Martha Wells because they live in the specific niche created by the intersection of casually and thoroughly queer casts and non-romance storylines”

I am as ever a sucker for non-human main characters struggling with their very human feelings, which is why I jumped on Witch King the moment I saw “the author of Murderbot wrote another book with a main character that’s non-human,” but I live in this dichotomy where I can really enjoy reading queer romances but I don’t really identify with non-ace characters (which is not actually something I figured out how to differentiate until I was Last Week Years Old). so there are lots of books out there that I enjoy reading but it’s comparatively rare for me to read something that feels like it was written For Me and Martha Wells does that very well

anyway, give me more ace it-pronouns human-spliced robot main characters and people-eating demons who consider rank over gender when finding new bodies to inhabit

[djrusso-romance]

From my instagram:

Mon Reyes did the artwork!

Before there was Xavian, the sweet-and-spicy bodyguard space elf... there was Five. An equally smart but deadly gargoyle-like alien just trying to get the F off the planet so he can be left alone in peace.

He gets more than he bargains for, of course, when he crash lands in the Netherlands and meets Sanne.

Parents aren't supposed to have favorites, but as an author, I definitely do. Stroopwafels & Starlight's Five and We Own the Stars's Xavian are two of my favorite MMCs I've written!

If you read and enjoyed We Own the Stars, then I highly recommend moving straight into Stroopwafels & Starlight.

***

Something I haven't mentioned in the past because it never comes up in the plot itself is that yes, this book is still inherently queer, because Five is pansexual! If you're cute, have a cute personality, then you're game to him.

Sanne, on the other hand, is straight. No one has asked me about her, but I figured I'd mention it anyway hahaha.

[sapphicbookclub]

Author Spotlight: Jill Gaudio

Interested in hearing more about one of our current club reads, The Fleet Admiral's Daughter by Jill Gaudio? Read on for a guest post about authentic representation and how to get a sneak peak before the book releases on February 4th, 2025!

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to guest blog!

I want to talk about authentic representation in literature - it’s something close to my heart and can be tricky to get right!

Funny enough, when I started writing my first book, I didn’t plan on including a love story. I had one in mind for the sequel, but it was for a totally different character. Annie, my main character Sarah’s love interest, was originally supposed to be her rival—someone to clash with. But as I kept writing Annie, I couldn’t help but fall in love with her character. So, I pivoted, and their romance ended up becoming a key focal point of the story.

When I started developing their relationship, I knew I didn’t want to rely on some of the usual tropes like “will they, won’t they,” “enemies to lovers,” or even a “slow burn.” I know, I know—those tropes are popular for a reason, but I wanted to explore something different. I’ve always been drawn to stories where the romance doesn’t end with the two characters getting together, but instead shows what happens after. Like, what does their love look like in the day-to-day? The growing pains, the quiet intimacy, the sweet moments—it’s the stuff we experience (or hope to) in real life, and I wanted to capture that. I always find myself wanting to know more (looking at you, Saff and Maddy).

And I know I’m not the only one! Most fan art and fan fiction depicts the ongoing relationship and how they wish for it/imagine it to be after the story has ended.

But wait—doesn’t that get boring? Where’s the drama?

Here’s the thing: I don’t love drama for drama’s sake. It feels forced, and honestly, it pulls me out of the story. For example, I was so excited about the sapphic relationship in the tv show Station 19. I even skipped ahead to the season where it starts because I couldn’t wait to see how Maya and Carina’s romance would unfold. I loved how Carina’s character helped Maya grow as a person. But then…(spoiler alert) they had Maya cheat. For no good reason! It soured the whole thing for me. I couldn’t keep watching, even though I knew they eventually got back together.

Forced drama like that doesn’t feel authentic. Fiction is fantasy, something we like to get lost in, and when authors/writers throw something in simply to get an emotional reaction, it pulls us out of the world instead of reeling us in deeper.

“Good writing doesn’t need to kill the dog to make the reader feel something.”

- Me, who will die on this sword.

Instead, it should make us feel deeply because it’s honest and relatable. Authentic writing makes your heart pound, your stomach swoop, your eyes well up, your pulse race, your temper flare, your fist pump into the air. That’s what I hope readers experience when they see Sarah and Annie’s relationship unfold in The Fleet Admiral’s Daughter.

Take a situation like this: What would you do if the person you love decided to move somewhere you didn’t want to go? Maybe not outer space (like Sarah and Annie), but it’s a real question. Do you follow them? Do you stay behind? Is your love strong enough to take the leap? These are real-world questions that I think a lot of readers can relate to, even if the story is set in a futuristic, sci-fi world.

I saw a meme recently that was humorous, but it got me thinking about how some people still have these wildly skewed ideas about what same-sex relationships are like.

To me, showing a sapphic couple as just a couple—full of ups, downs, twists, turns, and, most importantly, love—feels like a step in the right direction.

At the end of the day, I want The Fleet Admiral’s Daughter to show readers that love is love. It’s universal, whether it’s between two women or anyone else. And it’s not just about representation—it’s about crafting stories that feel authentic and human, even if they’re set in space.

My hope is that Sarah and Annie’s love story will resonate with readers as both extraordinary and relatable—an example of how love, in all its forms, can transcend the stars.

Hope to see you all in the Space Legion soon!

Jill (@jagauthor)

If you’d like to see how Sarah and Annie’s story unfolds—and experience a sapphic love story that’s grounded in authenticity and full of heart—you can check out my upcoming book, The Fleet Admiral’s Daughter, releasing on February 4, 2025. 

But if you can’t wait until then and want a little taste, you can download Duty’s Edge, a free novella that introduces Sarah’s journey and her first meeting with Annie. It’s the perfect way to dive into their world before the adventure truly begins!

Duty's Edge - Sapphic Sci-Fi Novella Prequel to The Fleet Admiral's Daughter

[mwritesmonsters]

400+ Trans Books!!

A friend of mine is hosting a Storygraph reading challenge centering trans books and authors! Over 400 books!!

Even if you don't care for Storygraph, feel free to simply use it as a database of trans fiction.

(i'm also on it hehe)

[gabibookworm]

Happy book birthday to this week‘s new releases! 📚

[allthatmay]

I think one of my favourite (??) quirks of sci-fi is when the main characters go to a small tribe or village on another planet and all the people there speak incredibly formally and without any particular vernacular. I know it's supposed to show they're people of intellect and dignity or whatever (and I'm not going to go into the racial implications of that) but it sounds so stilted. They don't even use contractions!!! You couldn't pry my wouldn'ts, couldn'ts and shouldn'ts from my cold, dead fingers.

[yemme]

I do not care where this story takes me, I am strapped in... It could be a damn fairy that glimmers at the end of this rabbit hole for all I care. I am engaged. Intense. Intrigued. Another time travel show got me...

[2percentsugar]

>read book by man hailed as the best spec fic writer working today

>its mid

>express confusion that it is so well known on reddit

>"oh dude thats his worst book, read this one instead"

>read it

>its worse

[poebrey]

gonna write a whole thing someday about how characters of color who clearly have a history of trauma or mental health issues aren’t given consideration or acknowledgement in the fandom imagination

[rachel-sylvan-author]

"Prime Deceptions" by Valerie Valdes

Thank you @mpaxauthor for the second fun read! ❤️

[acoupofowls]

OTHER & DIFFERENT: A Diverse Short Fiction Anthology by marginalised and/or underrepresented writers exploring what it is to be Other & Different. Expect Folklore, Fantasy, Gothic, Spec Fic, Sci-Fi, Weird, Horror, and Modern Fiction.

BACK OUR KICKSTARTER NOW!

Other & Different is the first print anthology brought to you by A Coup of Owls - home of online quarterly anthologies from creators from marginalised and/or underrepresented communities or backgrounds.

Other & Different will feature a collection of stories exploring the theme or Other and/or Different in whatever way the author has wished to explore or interpret it.  THE STORIES

With a range of styles and genres expect: Folklore, Fantasy, Gothic, Speculative, Supernatural, Science Fiction, Weird, Horror, and Modern Fiction from our wonderful contributors -

Find out more about the writers and their stories on our website: acoupofowls.com/otherdifferent REWARDS

WHY KICKSTARTER?

We had hoped to cover all the costs of this anthology, however due to a change of circumstances this has become difficult and we want to ensure that we produce the high quality product that we know we can. To that end, our initial Kickstarter goal is for only partial coverage of the costs.

Help us continue to raise voices of marginalised and/or underrepresented writers by backing our Kickstarter!

[the-mountain-flower]

When you realize that you unintentionally made your main WIP's primary romantic relationship:

neurodivergent(AuDHD)-coded, fat, disabled, POC-coded, woman, queer + neurodivergent(autistic)-coded, fat, disabled, mixed, enby queer

🥰

[syfypr]

I JUST WANT TO SURVIVE   ─

amtransa airways flight 78 was supposed to be a routine flight from san francisco to sydney on december 31, 1999.

the only concern of the crew at the time of takeoff was making sure to avoid possible stormy weather in the skies over the pacific ocean. oh, and the potential of the y2k crisis   ! but things went wrong. the next thing passengers knew was the importance of their oxygen masks as they were released and the lifejackets beneath their seats as the water grew closer.

pristine white sand was now littered with the wreckage from the plane, luggage, and their contents scattered. everyone was now an unwilling inhabitant of a deserted island full of mysteries & enemies. from missing passengers to abandoned operations buildings to creatures running amok. this island is not for the faint of heart   !  

TO GO HOME AGAIN   ─  

⌱   SYFYHQ is an 18+ (mun/muse) adventure survival horror tumblr roleplay inspired by jurassic park , lost , sweetheart , and other survival media. this roleplay will explore different mysteries & various creatures while muses are stuck on a deserted island. the story begins with a plane crashing into the pacific ocean during the turn of the millennium and will only get wilder   !  

VIEW THE MAIN  ⌱ JOIN THE BUZZ   ⌱ TRACK THE TAG