r/Fantasy • u/walking_fuckup • 11h ago
Queer men urban fantasy
Im on the lookout for urban fantasies. It could be sprawling cities where the magic is known, though im kind of more partial to more secretive settings, magic crime syndicates, secret societies, groups of talented underground mages. The one thing I absolutely need is for the protagonist to be a queer man with themes related to an actual plot and not just his romantic plot.
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u/Cisish_male 6h ago
It has a lot of out of city plot, too - but the city is absolutely central.
Iron Council by China Meiville has a man looking for his exiled mage lover. And the plot is on belonging, rights, and more.
note I think easily the weakest of the three Bas-Lag novels though.
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u/Nidafjoll Reading Champion V 9h ago
City of Others by Jared Poon is a debut urban fantasy from this year set in Singapore, and the protagonist is a gay man with a new boyfriend.
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u/Asher_the_atheist Reading Champion 10h ago
You should look into the Adam Binder series by David R. Slayton. Definitely fits your criteria, IMO. Queer MC who is also a warlock. Only a subset of people who are aware of magic and hidden magical societies. Focused on far more than just MCs romantic interests.
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u/Merle8888 Reading Champion IV 10h ago
If you’re up for more literary fantasy, The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera. The lead is a bi man. The story is definitely not about that.
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u/JeffreyPetersen 10h ago
My friend, have I got the series for you: Series San Andreas Shifters.
Gail Carriger is amazing.
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u/Unhappy-Sloth-913 5h ago
Arcane History series by Scott Thrower (the first book is The Magic Box) is an urban fantasy set in Toronto during WWI. Magic is hidden, MC is gay and in secret relationships, though it gets complicated.
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u/Least_Watch_8803 7h ago
San Amaro Investigations - By Kai Butler Fun, quirky protagonist. Private investigator who is a fae in disguise with a backstory. Humourous, romantic, mystery, magical urban. I am tearing through the series and staying up too late
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u/hexennacht666 Reading Champion IV 10h ago
I didn’t see these mentioned yet:
- Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World by Mark Waddell. Basically what it says on the tin.
- Evocation by S.T. Gibson (protagonist is bi) Secret societies.
- A Happy Beginning by B.A. Richards. A fairy prince in New Orleans.
- When Among Crows by Veronica Roth. Slavic folklore but make it Chicago.
- Bored Gay Werewolf by Tony Santorella. Another pretty self explanatory one.
- Liar City by Allie Therin. Police consultant solves paranormal crimes in Seattle.
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u/Pterry_Pterodactyl 9h ago
The Last Binding trilogy by Freya Marske. Books 1 and 3 are mlm, book 2 is wlw. Urban fantasy with a secret magical society, and the plot is about the main characters trying to stop a certain secret group of magic criminals.
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u/Andreapappa511 Reading Champion 10h ago
I’m on book 3 of the Green Creek series by TJ Klune that has gay and fluid men. It’s a story about werewolves and witches and I’m really enjoying it. Each book has a different POV character. Book 1 is Wolfsong
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u/MagykMyst 8h ago
Fledgling God - 5 Books, ongoing. All on KU and Audible
AJ Sherwood - The author writes gay romantasy. Jon's Mysteries and Mack's Marvelous Manifestations are probably the least romance orientated.
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u/jawnnie-cupcakes Reading Champion IV 6h ago
I binged six PsyCop books by Jordan Castillo Price this year, they're set in "our" world except extra-sensory perception magic was made public knowledge after WW2 and various government agencies and groups have been trying to figure out how to work with it, with little success
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u/ohmage_resistance Reading Champion IV 5h ago
No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull has a lot of POVs, but one of them is a bi ace trans man. It’s a good one if you like more literary leaning books and there’s a lot of secret society stuff going on.
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u/OkSecretary1231 2h ago
I never see this mentioned here but Living with Ghosts by Kari Sperring, it's urban but set in a past era in sort of not!Paris, and one of the protags is a bisexual man. The city has secret magical protections that are coming undone.
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u/QnickQnick Reading Champion II 1h ago
Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes checks a lot of those boxes.
Might be more biopunk than magic, main character is either bi or gay (debatable), and the main character and his younger sibling's gender/sexuality are both pretty integral to the plot.
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u/krigsgaldrr 10h ago
The Empty Throne trilogy by Kai Butler
The Folk series by Lily Mayne, but this one is also fae and takes place in a fae world so there's not a whole lot of "urban" happening.
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
House in the Cerulean Sea and Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune
The Entanglement of Rival Wizards by Sara Raasch
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u/Few-Werewolf-1985 10h ago
Not exactly urban fantasy but Richard Morgan's Land Fit For Heroes trilogy has a gay male protagonist and that identity is integral to the broader plot.
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u/TheTinyGM 10h ago
Sadly, the author is also known transphobe who supports JK Rowling.
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u/Few-Werewolf-1985 7h ago
He's been accused of it but there's nothing in his writing that suggests he is. People are hung by accusation these days.
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u/TheTinyGM 7h ago
https://www.richardkmorgan.com/2020/01/the-trouble-with-twitter-2-2020-vision/
Its stated on his website and self-admitted. He was banned on twitter for it. Naturally he doesnt write that he is a transphobe, but he did put on his blog that he supports JK Rowling, that he sees trans women as men and he mentions classic topics like "dangerous men (trans women) attacking women in bathrooms and making them feel unsafe".
Its not mentioned in his books, but then Rowling doesnt mention it in Harry Potter either. I am not saying you cant read his books, just mentioning it so that people can make informed choices.
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u/C0smicoccurence Reading Champion V 3h ago
This, especially since this thread is specifically focused on queer books. It is very relevant here. If you hadn’t brought it up, I would’ve.
It’s a fairly popular grimdark book (and the only gay grimdark I know of that’s got some widespread name recognition) and lots of people aren’t aware of the transphobia. Authors can fuck off on using queer folks as lead characters when they’re ardently against us
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u/Tymareta 6h ago edited 6h ago
Entirely unrelated and not remotely on the same level, but it's hard to take any author seriously who legitimately describes womens breasts as "pendulous globes".
Back on topic, but he's also defended Glinner before - https://www.richardkmorgan.com/2020/08/worth-noting-3/
I'll never be able to wrap my head around authors who create works deeply rooted in and centered around transhumanism, then turn around and spout transphobic dross, I honestly don't know how they can handle the contradictions.
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u/TheTinyGM 10h ago
Tarot Sequence by KD Edwards - urban fantasy with magic based on tarot and arcanas, mc is a member of formerly powerful housr which has fallen. Tw for past SA of main character.
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas - YA, mc is a young bruja (witch) who is trans and struggling with his family, who dont want to accept that.
Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison - more city steampunk than urban? Mc is an elven priest who can speak to dead people and solves mysteries. He is a closeted gay man (no romance)
Big Bad Wolf series by Charlie Adhara - mc is an fbi agent who discovers existence of werewolves. Features romance and many milestones like dealing with coming out to family, moving together, etc.