Teddy Baron Lives

The Tensorate Series - JY Yang: four fantasy novellas about the guild of Tensors, magic users who can control elemental forces known as the Slack. V political, v beautifully written. Gender is a key theme but also there are dragons (naga), so there’s something for everyone tbh. 

Love Beyond Body, Space And Time - anthology: a collection of indigenous sci-fi / spec fic stories with LGBTQ and two-spirit characters and themes. Stories include narratives of transition, love stories, and just good ol’ space romps. 

The Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday Horror - Daniel M. Lavery: a collection of fairytale retellings with a spooky and disturbing twist. Some of these are darkly comic, and others are just plain dark. All are beautifully written, because Lavery is just That Writer. 

The Spirits Series - Jordan L Hawk: a very spicy paranormal romance trilogy about Henry Strauss, an inventor, and Vincent Night, a psychic, whose differing approaches to communing with the dead cause (I’m so sorry) friction. These ones ain’t for the kiddies, but they’re so good and spooky.

The Mechanical Universe - EE Ottoman: a romance series (w a trans male protag!) set in a sort of steampunk universe, where spellcraft and mechanical animation are vying for equal respect. Tbh, everything by EE Ottoman is Very Good And Trans - The Doctor’s Discretion is my personal fave. Recommend 100%.

Peter Darling - Austin Chant: a trans retelling of Peter Pan, where Peter returns to Neverland to find that his place there is now much less certain than it was before, and he no longer belongs anywhere. There is also a romance with Captain Hook, but it works! I promise! 

The Danielle Cain series - Margaret Killjoy: a duology of novellas following Danielle Cain, a queer punk rock nomad, as she solves spooky mysteries. The first book is set in an anarchist settlement, and the theme of found family + community is prevalent throughout. 

An Unkindness of Ghosts - Rivers Solomon: on board the spaceship HSS Matilda, the last of humanity make their journey towards the Promised Land. Conditions on board are akin to the Antebellum South, and protagonist Aster is driven to find her way off the ship - if she can. 

I Wish You All the Best - Mason Deaver: a non binary teen, Ben, comes out to their parents and is kicked out. Their sister takes them in and they start a new school, where their life begins to change for the better. This one is v sweet and deals well with mental illness. 

Resilience - anthology: a collection of poetry and prose by trans women and amab trans people, featuring work by Casey Plett, KOKUMO, Magpie Leibowitz and many more. 

Small Beauty - jia qing wilson-yang: a mixed race Chinese trans woman returns to her small town Canada home after the death of her cousin, and she deals with her trauma and grief. Beautiful and sad, and absolutely honest about grief. 

Little Fish - Casey Plett: a trans woman begins to believe that her late Mennonite grandfather may have been trans, and while her own life starts to cave in, she attempts to connect with him through those who knew him. This one is A Lot but it’s phenomenal.

A Boy Called Cin - Cecil Wilde: a romance novel (so it’s SPICY) about Cin, a young trans man, and Tom, an older genderqueer billionaire. This is not your typical billionaire romance AT ALL; healthy relationships are depicted beautifully here alongside the reality of transition.

Confessions of the Fox - Jordy Rosenberg: a retelling of Jack Sheppard, the famous jailbreaker and thief. It’s told as though a trans man has discovered a manuscript about Jack (who is trans) and Jack’s story unfolds alongside the personal narrative of the manuscript discoverer. 

Nameless Woman - anthology: a collection of fiction by trans women of colour. There’s something for everyone here - romance, sci fi, personal narratives and more. A lot of the topics covered are very heavy but they’re treated honestly and sensitively. 

Maiden, Mother, Crone - anthology: a collection of fantasy stories about trans women and femmes. You want a story about a dread trans chthonic goddess? Of course you do. It’s right here. Enjoy. 

Caroline’s Heart - Austin Chant: a romance between a trans man (a COWBOY nonetheless) and a trans woman (a WITCH). Cecily has been trying to bring her lover, Caroline, back from the dead via magic, but when Roy gives his life to save her, she has a choice to make. 

The Queen of Cups - Ren Basel: a novelette about Theo, who’s about to set sail on their first voyage. As per their village’s custom, they ask the Oracle to bless their voyage, and she agrees - if she can come along. A great treatise on bravery, loyalty and independence. 

Amateur - Thomas Page McBee: not fiction, but OH WELL!! You gotta read it!! The autobiography of a trans man who learns to box and asks questions about what kind of man he wants to be; can he avoid repeating the toxic masculinity he fears? 

Trans Power - Juno Roche: also not fiction! Oops! Take me to court!! Roche interviews multiple trans people about their relationships with their transness, their sexuality and their bodies, and the result is a super empowering and beautiful book. 

The Shape of My Name - Nino Cipri: a novelette about time travel. I really can’t say much about this one because it’s better to go in without knowing a lot, but the main theme is self discovery and acceptance, especially within the context of a neglectful / abusive family. 

Pet - Akwaeke Emezi: the children in the city of Lucille know that there are no more monsters. They’ve been told so. So when Jam meets Pet, who definitely seems to be a monster, she has to face the problem of saving the world from something that it refuses to admit exists. 

There are obviously many more trans fiction authors out there, but these are the ones I’ve read and can call to mind immediately. On my to read list are Juno Dawson (who writes YA primarily), Kai Cheng Thom (whose story in Maiden, Mother, Crone was my favourite), Meredith Russo (also writes YA), Leslie Feinberg, and Sybil Lamb.

The slice of life webcomic Rain by Jocelyn Samara is about a trans girl, Rain, trying to get through high school stealth.

I’ll also add the following that I forgot to include before:

Jonny Appleseed - Joshua Whitehead: Jonny, a young two-spirit indigenous queer person, is living in the big city at last. When he has to return to the reservation he grew up on to attend his stepfather’s funeral, the conflict between his new and old lives comes to a head.

Nevada - Imogen Binnie: a trans woman is dumped by her girlfriend and goes on a sort of road trip of self discovery. It’s less inspirational and cheerful than it sounds; I’d say it’s mostly a black comedy.

Darkling - Brooklyn Ray: m/m romance with a trans protag! Witches! Necromancy! It’s all here! This is the first part in a series.

Robins in the Night - Dajo Jago: an alt historical (i.e. not period authentic) retelling of Robin Hood from the perspective of Maid Marian, who is a trans woman. It’s not exactly a comedy, but also isn’t exactly… not. It’s hard to pin down. It’s funny except for where it’s tragic, and it’s tragic except for where it’s funny. There are also a lot of snails. If you like molluscs and trans heroines, then you’ll like this one.

Cemetery Boys - Aiden Thomas: this one isn’t out yet, but I’m recommending it purely based on how incredible it looks. It’s a YA novel about Yadriel, a trans Latinx boy who accidentally summons a ghost who won’t leave. Obviously, they fall in love. Because of course they do. I’m super excited for this one and preordered it as soon as the link was available, and I highly recommend you do too.

Who I Was With Her - Nita Tyndall: this is another one that’s not out yet, but US folk can preorder it from Barnes and Noble (us poor UK plebs must alas wait a while). Tyndall is bisexual and non binary, and this YA novel follows a closeted bisexual teenage girl whose secret girlfriend is killed in a car accident, and her journey with a grief she can’t talk about. It’s going to be phenomenal and I’m ridiculously excited for it. If you can, preorder it!

Juniper Lane - Dylan Morrison: important caveat: this book is only available under the author’s dead name, because the publisher is no longer active. I’m recommending it (after having sought advice on whether or not to do so!) because it’s genuinely a good book, following a young woman, Mim, who moves in with her wealthy, eccentric aunt after a breakup. In her new, affluent suburb, Mim meets Nadia, and the two of them become friends. And then more, obviously.

All the Birds in the Sky - Charlie Jane Anders: a world where science and magic are constantly at odds. The protagonists are a cynical scientist and a vigilante witch. It’s kind of weird as hell and hard to define - sci fi??? Dystopian??? Fantasy??? All of the above??? Yes, is the answer. Probably.

Bad Boy - Elliot Wake: Renard Grant is a famous trans YouTube celebrity, but he’s also secretly a vigilante who takes down abusers and oppressors. When he’s accused of being complicit in the thing he’s dedicated his life to shutting down, he has to clear his name and come to terms with his own actions. There’s a lot in here about transition, especially in the public eye, and although it’s a heavy book, it’s pacey.

River of Teeth - Sarah Gailey: Gailey has a few books out, but I’m only familiar with River of Teeth (which has a sequel that I’ve not read). And I’m going to give it to you straight: this book is about an alternative Louisiana in the 1890s where a government hippo-breeding programme has gone terribly wrong, and led to a pestilence of bloodthirsty hippopotami. The cast is gloriously diverse, and it’s a weirdly fluffy read (weird in an unexpected way, not a bad way) so if you’re looking for a serious dystopia, then this isn’t it, but it’s a fun ride.

I really like what this physicist, Lamar Glover, has to say in Behind the Curve. 

+ this part from Spiros Michalakis: