Sapphics in Space
By Alyssa Aspiotis
Happy Pride Month everyone! I thought for this month we could combine my two favourite things: books with sapphic romances, and books that take place in space! I’ve curated 10 books for you all to read this month (& beyond!) that feature both indie and trad published books. I hope you all enjoy these wonderful stories! <3
A Quiet Universe by Kay F. Atkinson
A Quiet Universe is part sci-fi, part horror, and part mystery wrapped up in this compelling novel. This book follows CERHA, a fabricant (a biological android), who has one job, to keep Annalise Fletcher safe. That’s what CERHA was made to do, but neither girl expected that this assignment could lead to love. But then Annalise vanishes, leaving only a cryptic warning and a frantic CERHA who must go on an illegal mission to save her lover. As CERHA is trying to bring Annalise home alive, they are both ensnared in a web of secrets that neither expected to be in.
These Burning Stars by Bethany Jacobs
These Burning Stars is the first book in an explosive space opera trilogy that features a dangerous cat-and-mouse quest for revenge. We follow Jun Ironway, a con artist, thief, and hacker who obtains proof that implicates the almighty Nightfoot family. Of course, the Kindom, the ruling power of the solar systems, can’t let Jun expose the truth. They set two of their most brutal clerics on Jun’s tail, but what happens when both clerics are both haunted by a figure from their shared past? Read this book if you love betrayals, manipulations, and morally grey characters!
The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
The Space Between Worlds is set in a place where multiverse travel is possible, but there’s one catch: you can’t visit a world where your counterpart is alive. We follow Cara, whose parallel selves are exceptionally good at dying, making Cara the perfect candidate for multiverse travel. She spends her days travelling to other multiverses, shamelessly flirting with her handler, Dell, and collecting off-world data for the Eldridge Institute. But what happens when one of her eight remaining counterparts dies under mysterious circumstances? Cara is plunged into a new world with old secrets that reveals her own role in a dangerous plot.
A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
A Memory Called Empire is the first book in an intriguing, diplomatic sci-fi duology. We follow Ambassador Mahit, who arrives in the centre of the multi-system Teixcalaanli Empire where she discovers that her predecessor has died. No one will admit that his death wasn’t an accident, and that Mahit may be next in line to die. Amid rising political tensions, she must uncover who is behind the murder of her predecessor, all while navigating an alien culture and hiding a deadly technological secret. Will she be able to rescue her Station from the Teixcalaan’s expansion from annihilation? Or will she lose herself, and the secrets she’s managed to discover?
The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown
The Scourge Between Stars is a sci-fi/horror blend novella that is set aboard a doomed generation ship that has been harboring something terrible. As the captain of the starship, Jacklyn is responsible for keeping humanity alive on their journey back to Earth. They are faced with constant threats of destruction and starvation through their treacherous journey, and a new threat emerges: Jacklyn must hunt down the ship’s unknown intruder as they pick off crew members in a bloody fashion. Will they make it back alive?
Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
Light from Uncommon Stars is a standalone novel that features alien courtships and cursed violins. We follow Shizuka, who has made a deadly deal to escape damnation - she must tempt seven violin prodigies to trade their souls for success in the industry. With only one more to go, Shizuka can almost feel the curse lifting when she catches wind of a talented violinist, a young transgender runaway named Katrina. This is all Shizuka is focusing on, until she meets Lan in a donut shop, who may be able to redefine what a soul is worth. This is a compelling story of identity, curses, and hope where the lives of three women become entangled by fate.
The First Sister by Linden A. Lewis
The First Sister follows a priestess of the Sisterhood, who has no name and no voice. She travels alongside the soldiers of Earth and Mars, the same people who own the rights to her body and soul. First Sister is forced to stay on her ship with a new captain after her former one abandons her, and is commanded to spy on her new captain by the Sisterhood. We also follow Lito, an elite soldier of Venus, who’s partner disappeared after being defeated in combat. But Lito learns that his former partner is alive, and a traitor. His new mission to hunt down and kill his former partner, but what happens when he is forced to decide between following orders, or his own heart?
Escaping Exodus by Ricky Drayden
Escaping Exodus is an Afrofutrurist love story following Seske Kaleigh, the heir of a biological, city-size starship carved up from the insides of a beast. Seske’s clan just got their latest ship, and the workers are busy rerouting the circulatory system and stripping down bonework for materials. This is all part of a generation-long cycle, where they must kill the new beast, carve into its barely-living carcass for inhabitation, extinguish its resources, and then escape back into stasis until it’s time to cull the next beast. Everything is going along as planned, until things start to go terribly wrong.
Cosmoknights by Hannah Templer
Cosmoknights is an engrossing graphic novel following a ragtag band of space gays. In this graphic novel we follow Pan, who works in her dad’s body shop, sneaks out with her friend, and watches the skies for ships. Her life was simple and small, until it wasn’t. It didn't matter that her friend Tara was a princess, until the day Pan had to say goodbye forever. Many years later, off-world gladiators show up on Pan's doorstep and she soon discovers the hidden secrets of her neo-medieval world and toys with the idea of burning it all down.
No Shelter But the Stars by Virginia Black
No Shelter But the Stars is a space opera adventure story packed with romantic endeavors, warring worlds, and intriguing characters. We follow Kyran Loyal, the last heir to the lost throne of a forgotten planet that has been undergoing the galactic tyranny of a brutal regime. Then comes Cavia Sifane, the daughter of an imperial despot who has become unrecognizable. What happens when the two are pit against each other in battle and they are the only two survivors? They must rely on each other for survival on a barren moon and uncover secrets that could change the galaxy forever.
Happy Reading!
And there you have it everyone, 10 must-read books that feature sapphic romances and space adventures! I tried to curate my list of books that feature other genres as well (horror, fantasy, romance) so that everyone can find a book that they can read and enjoy this month. Have the most amazing time going on journeys with these badass characters, and happy Pride Month!
