Gay Characters in Sci-Fi & Fantasy?

[Foppish Knight]

So a general question: What books/author employ gay characters in their novels? I'm not interested in two-bit tertiary characters, such as the more common leering old man type, but in an honest rendition of a gay character. For example, Loras Tyrell in ASOIAF. (And maybe Briene, too, for that matter.)

Anyone come to mind?

 

[ravenus]

The hobbits in FOTR, I should think.

 

[Joel007]

Jal-Pur Nish in Ian Irvine's Well of Echoes books. And a few of the other characters.

 

[nixie]

Adjunct Tavore and T'amber in Erikson's Malazan series.

 

[Werthead]

Some of the cast of Ricardo Pinto's The Stone Dance of the Chameleon series are gay and Pinto apparently handles it quite well (I haven't read it). Otherwise those already mentioned are pretty well done (especially the quite subtle handling of Loras Tyrell and Renly Baratheon).

 

[bruno-1012]

Mercedes Lackey has a lot of instances of key characters being gay throughout her Valdemar novels.

The Last Herald Mage trilogy was based around Vanyel, a gay man, and his love for two people.

Then you have Firesong in the later books plus others. Well written such that sexuality is just a facet of the character not the driving force.

 

[K. Riehl]

Ethan of Athos by Lois Bujold. An entire book with the main character a gay man leaving an entire world of gay men to try and interact for the first time with the outside universe. A great action oriented, intelligent, thoughtful story about the advances of medical science leading to societies that can be self sustaining in whatever form or function we choose.

 

[dwndrgn]

The main characters in Lynn Flewelling's Nightrunner series are gay. On of my favorite trilogies.

 

[iansales]

The short stories in Bending The Landscape: Fantasy, Bending The Landscape: Science Fiction and Bending The Landscape: Horror, edited by Nicola Griffith and Stehpen Pagel

 

[jackokent]

In Ellen Kushners Swordspoint the two central characters are gay. I think the book describes their relationship wonderfully well

 

[Pyan]

Ethan of Athos by Lois Bujold. An entire book with the main character a gay man leaving an entire world of gay men to try and interact for the first time with the outside universe. A great action oriented, intelligent, thoughtful story about the advances of medical science leading to societies that can be self sustaining in whatever form or function we choose.

Is Ethan, and by extension, Athos actually gay? I can't remember it being expicitly stated at any point. I seemed to have formed the impression that it was an asexual world, having got rid of the "evil influence of women."

 

[Carolyn Hill]

The main narrator in Tanya Huff's Smoke and Shadows and its sequels are gay, and she includes gay and lesbian characters in other novels.

Karin Lowachee's main characters in Warchild and its sequels are gay.

One of the main characters (Ivy) in Kim Harrison's Dead Witch Walking series is a lesbian vampire.

The main character in Geoff Ryman's Lust is gay, and important characters in his Was are gay.

There are many gay and lesbian characters in Suzy McKee Charnas's Walk to the End of the World and Motherlines.

Joanna Russ has written several novels whose main characters are lesbian, such as The Two of Them.

And there's Samuel R. Delany's main character in Dhalgren.

There's at least one anthology of gay and lesbian science fiction and fantasy: Kindred Spirits, edited by Jeffrey M. Elliot.

 

[Dr. Atomic]

The main character in David Gerrold's short story "In the Quake Zone" is gay (or, at least, is in the process of discovering that he's gay). It's an awesome story, and can be found in The Year's Best Science Fiction, Vol. 23, edited by Gardner Dozois.

 

[Kitera]

I'm not sure, but In the Tawny Man series, the Fool seems to be in love with Fitz. Does that mean that te\he Fool is gay? Nevertheless, he is still one of my fav characters.

 

[Foppish Knight]

I'm not sure, but In the Tawny Man series, the Fool seems to be in love with Fitz. Does that mean that te\he Fool is gay? Nevertheless, he is still one of my fav characters.

"Nevertheless . . . still" ?? That should only be another reason he's your favorite. heheh

 

[Kitera]

Hello to you too Foppish knight Oh and welcome to chronicles! The cakes are in the basement.

 

[Culhwch]

A secondary character in Mark Anthony's The Last Rune series (I hope both author and title info are correct there, it's been awhile...) is gay, falling in (unrequited) love with one of the main characters. From memory it was handled quite well, with Anthony staying clear of the usual cliches of which some authors are guilty. For instance, though both Renly and Loras are great characters, there is an element of the stereotypical thre from Martin...

 

[iansales]

Kirith Kirin by Jim Grimsley is a gay high fantasy. I believe its sequels, The Ordinary and The Last Green Tree, are too, although I've not read them. Grimsley is a gay author, and also writes gay fiction.

 

[elvet]

The lead character in Sararah Monette's book Melusine is gay. The book has some erotic overtones, reminiscent of the Kushiel books. There are 2 other proposed books in the series, according to her website:
Welcome to Labyrinthine, the official website of Sarah Monette

 

[ScottSF]

There was a very couragous gay princely character in Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay. It's been a while since I've read it so I don't remember his name. The character vital to the story but he was not a main character.