The Best Gay Fiction I Will Never Sell
Explore a curated list of the best gay fiction books that defy conventional sales. Discover hidden gems and unique stories in LGBTQ+ literature that deserve more recognition.
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The Pedlar and the Bandit King
by Kirby Crow
As bloody battles rage through the lawless region of Nemerl, Scarlet of Lysia is trying to cross the land but encounters Liall, the Wolf of Omara who demands a toll too high to pay.
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Exquisite Corpse
by Poppy Z. Brite
From the acclaimed author of Lost Souls, Drawing Blood, and Wormwood comes the provocative and thrilling serial killer novel that #1 New York Times bestselling author Peter Straub calls “a guidebook to hell.” To serial slayer Andrew Compton, murder is an art, the most intimate art. After feigning his own death to escape from prison, Compton makes his way to the United States with the ambition of bringing his art to new heights. Tortured by his own perverse desires and drawn to possess and destroy young boys, Compton inadvertently joins forces with Jay Byrne, a dissolute playboy who has pushed his own art to limits even Compton hadn’t previously imagined. Together, Compton and Byrne set their sights on an exquisite young Vietnamese American runaway, Tran, whom they deem to be the perfect victim. Swiftly moving from the grimy streets of London’s Piccadilly Circus to the decadence of New Orleans’s French Quarter, Poppy Z. Brite dissects the landscape of torture and invites us into the mind of a killer. With “intelligence, sweep, nerve, knowledge, and deeply unsettling erotic power” (Dennis Cooper, author of Frisk), Exquisite Corpse is a novel for those who dare trespass where the sacred and profane become one.
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A Strong and Sudden Thaw
by Rebecca W. Day
Dragons terrorize a Virginia town, and one young man finds friendship--and love--in unlikely places in this near-future, post-apocalyptic romance from Lambda award finalist Day.
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Caught Running
by Madeleine Urban
Ten years after graduation, Jake "the jock" Campbell and Brandon "the nerd" Bartlett are teaching at their old high school. High school is all about image, even for the teachers, and the two have to get past their preconceived notions to find the friendship needed to work together. (Adult Fiction)
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Frost Fair
by Erastes
Gideon Frost is willing to do whatever it takes to earn enough money to save the printing shop that was left to him by his father. But when faced with the prospect of having to engage in acts society deems unnatural and the law declares punishable by death, he realized there are limits as to how far he'll go. Then he meets the privileged and handsome Joshua Redfern, the one man who tempts Gideon to break his own rules. Joshua Redfern has no title or important relations, but his independent fortune allows him a life that is more than comfortable. And more importantly, it enables him to offer assistance to the unfortunate but beautiful Gideon just when the man needs it most. Joshua realizes his interest in Gideon is far more than charitable, but is the man similarly attracted or merely indebted? When the Thames freezes over and London hosts the great Frost Fair of 1814, trouble and necessity bring Gideon and Joshua together. But just as ice is destined to eventually crack, will the circumstances break these two men as they learn that life isn't always fair?
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Orphan's Quest
by Pat Nelson Childs
Rokey, a poor orphan, has lived his entire life sheltered within the walls of the Noble Contemplative Monastery. Growing up, he never dreamt anything would haunt him more than the riddle of his parents' identity. But at seventeen, Rokey is discovering that while his roommate, Ely, can think only of girls, his own feelings draw him toward other boys instead. Soon the question of whether or not he is a "samer" is occupying his mind to the exclusion of all else. But when a tragedy results in his expulsion from the only home he has ever known, and an unknown enemy begins trying to kill him, Rokey's mind abruptly returns to the mystery of his parentage. Solving that puzzle, he determines, could mean the difference between life and death. On the road, Rokey soon meets up with a charming elf named Flaskamper. Captivated by the handsome young man, the elf promptly volunteers his help, as well as that of his three unlikely companions. Before long, the five become swept up in the effort to solve the riddle of Rokey's origins and to find out who is trying to kill him, and why. Along the way, Rokey endures some harsh lessons about disappointment and betrayal, but also delights in the joy and excitement of first love. Foiled in initial attempts, Rokey's enigmatic foe escalates the attacks. As the young orphan and his new-found friends pursue the trail of clues that leads them across the land of Firma, they find themselves battling an ever-deadlier array of assassins. When they finally do uncover the truth, it is in the last place Rokey had ever expected to find it.
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Luck in the Shadows
by Lynn Flewelling
"A new star is rising in the fantasy firmament...teems with magic and spine-chilling amounts of skullduggery."–Dave Duncan, author of The Great Game When young Alec of Kerry is taken prisoner for a crime he didn’t commit, he is certain that his life is at an end. But one thing he never expected was his cellmate. Spy, rogue, thief, and noble, Seregil of Rhiminee is many things–none of them predictable. And when he offers to take on Alec as his apprentice, things may never be the same for either of them. Soon Alec is traveling roads he never knew existed, toward a war he never suspected was brewing. Before long he and Seregil are embroiled in a sinister plot that runs deeper than either can imagine, and that may cost them far more than their lives if they fail. But fortune is as unpredictable as Alec’s new mentor, and this time there just might be…Luck in the Shadows.
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Faire Grounds
by Willa Okati
When gypsy wanderer Lightning meets Traveler--a man he thinks has turned his back on the nomadic lifestyle of the gypsies--Lightning refuses to believe that hes found his soulmate. Can Lightning get past his natural suspicion and the wounds of his childhood to make a life with Traveler? Magic, mayhem, and true love reign in this gypsy tale. (Adult Fiction)
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The Master of Seacliff
by Max Pierce
The year is 1899, and Andrew Wyndham is 20 years old - no longer a boy, but not yet the man he longs to become. Brought up by a harsh and stingy aunt and uncle in New York City after the death of his parents, young Andrew dreams of life as an artist in Paris. He has talent enough but lacks the resources to bring his dream to fruition... When a friend arranges for him to work as tutor to the son of a wealthy patron of the arts, Andrew sees a chance to make his dream come true and boards a train heading up the Atlantic coast. His destination is the estate called Seacliff, where he'll tutor his new charge and save his pay to make the life he dreams of possible. But danger lurks everywhere and nothing is quite as easy as it seems...
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Revenant
by Olivia Lorenz
Would you sell your soul for the find of a lifetime? Could you give up your life for love? On Santorini, vampires are more than folklore - and the workers on Jack Hunter's archaeological dig know the body he's found is meant to stay buried. But Jack isn't one for superstition. Despite the warnings, he takes the skeleton to his house for safekeeping. There, he finds a mysterious letter from a man named Belas, offering directions to a site of great importance in return for a small favour: his blood. Belas is a vrykolakas, the most feared and dangerous of all Greek vampires. Millennia ago, the island's high priest sacrificed his family to calm the rage of the volcano. Belas committed suicide to ensure that his spirit would remain restless, thereby cursing the high priest to suffer a similar fate. But the priest escaped to Crete, and as a vampire cannot cross salt water, Belas has been waiting four thousand years to exact his vengeance. Now he intends Jack to be the agent of his revenge. Warning, this title contains the following: m/m sex.
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The Blood of Kings
by John Michael Curlovich
Jamie is a college student who takes a summer class in Egyptology, taught by the magnetic Dr Danilo. Several of the University's star athletes are found murdered while Jamie starts a passionate affair with his new teacher. Things turn darker when he joins his lover on a trip to Paris and Egypt. Danilo is on a quest to invigorate a race of ancient kings by initiating young men along the bloodline. Those who are not fit will die. Jamie must now decide whether or not to join Danilo in a life of passion, power and blood in this dark and sexy new thriller.
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Blood Prophet
by John Michael Curlovich
The gripping sequel to John Michael Curlovich's bestselling The Blood of Kings finds 21-year-old Jamie Dunn desperately searching for his lover and mentor Danilo Semenkaru, a charismatic vampire who had initiated Jamie into a blood cult of ancient kings before vanishing. Jamie returns to Egypt, the place he last saw Danilo, and uncovers a plot by rival immortals to gain power over a fundamentalist Christian organisation. Can he stop their plans and save his lover, or will he have to choose between love and power?