Trying to find six sci-fi and fantasy novels with enby characters and i had it in my head to find three and three but dang there's a lot more of us in spaceships than there are casting spells :) anyone got any suggestions ?

[retroinstinct@mastodon.world]

@snosrapkungfu I'm currently slowly reading "Slow Gods" by Claire North. While I don't think it matches exactly what you have in mind, it does explore personal identity and cultural concepts of gender.

I think the MC might be intended to be interpreted as non-binary; the author uses a non gendered first person style, and I didn't realize till the 2nd or 3rd chapter that they were considered a man in the world.

I'm enjoying what I've read so far, and would recommend it.

[costa_b@mastodon.social]

@snosrapkungfu the most relevant thing I read recently was "The Left Hand of Darkness" by the absolute genius Ursula K. Le Guin. Some bits may sound a little dated today (maybe), but the fact that she wrote it in 1969 makes one suspect that she came from the future

[aspiringluddite@medievalist.masto.host]

@snosrapkungfu

Veo Corva's ( @vicorva ) 'Non-Player Character' ticks all the boxes, I think. And is a jolly good read, too.

[substandard@chaosfem.tw]

@snosrapkungfu The Unbalancing by RB Lemberg? Other works in their Birdverse may also be of interest.

[vicorva@mastodon.art]

@AspiringLuddite

[quatermasstools@infosec.exchange]

@snosrapkungfu Charlie Stross’ "Tales of the New Management" set of three.

[zeborah@mastodon.nz]

@snosrapkungfu Mary Gentle's eponymous Ilario is intersex but it's been ages since I read it so I don't recall what if any gender they identify with, or how well it holds up.

Hm... the protagonist of Ann Leckie's _The Raven Tower_ is *technically* nonbinary but that's because they're a rock/god so not exactly representation.

[baronesswinter@beige.party]

@snosrapkungfu I'm desperately trying to remember a novel I read a few years ago which had a group of nomadic people whose society had three genders. It was based on African mythology and had flavorful, non-Euro magic; one of the main characters gets corrupted by his power and one of his eyes continually leaks as a sign of that corruption. The overall main theme, as I recall, was attempting to stop desertification of the land, with the desert growing from the east. I can't find it on the internet this morning for the life of me; I thought it was by Nnedi Okorafor, but looking at her titles, none of them seem to be the right one. I'll keep looking and get back to you if I find it.

[scholar_farmer@zirk.us]

@snosrapkungfu T. Kingfisher's Swordheart series and Becky Chambers' Wayfarer series (e.g. The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet) both have strong enby characters. And Martha Wells Murderbot Diaries -- it was a shock to me when Apple TV gendered the main character

[aram@aoir.social]

@snosrapkungfu oooh, I wrote one!

Amazon.com

(www.amazon.com)

[willyyam@mastodon.social]

@snosrapkungfu I don't have them in front of me, but @annaleen wrote The Terraformers, which I think has some enby characters. I think it's a good sign that I remember the characters, but not their genders.

Also, I have a similar thought. about @r_emrys The Half-Built Garden.

[brainwane@social.coop]

@snosrapkungfu I'm reasonably sure several works on the Otherwise Award lists (that have received the award or been on the honor lists or long lists) https://otherwiseaward.org/award#previous-awards fit your criteria!

[msbellows@c.im]

@snosrapkungfu "Monk & Robot" belongs on your list. I'll call it "soft sf"?

[eruonna@lgbtqia.space]

@snosrapkungfu
I recently read Parksville Community Witch, which is probably more romance than fantasy, but the main character is a nonbinary witch

[adrianh@mastodon.social]

@snosrapkungfu Maybe Alex Easton in Kingfisher's Sworn Soldier series? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Moves_the_Dead

[jmarkockerbloom@mastodon.social]

@snosrapkungfu I think of the Sworn Soldier series of novellas by T. Kingfisher more as horror than fantasy, but the publisher classifies them as fantasy: https://us.macmillan.com/series/swornsoldier _What Moves the Dead_ is the first in the series. They're all inspired by various classic horror stories, and the "sworn soldier" gender of the main character is one of seven that are socially and linguistically recognized in the character's home country.

[bikil@mastoart.social]

@snosrapkungfu I recommend @vicorva 's Non Player Character which is a beautiful cozy fantasy book with a nonbinary protagonist and lots of diversity throughout!

[caitelatte@cloudisland.nz]

@snosrapkungfu Vi Corva's books are really lovely, Non-Player Character for sure! A ttrpg isekai with thought put into folks' upkeep medications.
Becky Chambers' Monk & Robot series has a really well-treated nonbinary main character (though after writing this I remembered it's more on the sci-fi side of the aisle).
Casey Blair's Tea Princess Chronicles has a nonbinary side character introduced in the second book (and a trans man from the first).
T Kingfisher's had some great characters, the white rat lawyer is so nice.
Olivia Atwater has genderfluid/agender angels in Small Miracles which was a delight.

[caitelatte@cloudisland.nz]

@snosrapkungfu Also, Rebecca Thorne's Tomes & Tea series has a great nonbinary side character (who's getting their own novella soon!)

[gaditb@icosahedron.website]

@snosrapkungfu Children's magical-world fantasy like Wonderland and Oz rather than high fantasy, so not casting spells, but
Chick The Cherub of "John Dough and the Cherub" (1906).