Own-Voice Non-Binary Science Fiction Books
In this list every author has publicly identified as non-binary. These books are all own-voice, which means the author shares the lived experience they are writing about—in this case, a shared non-binary identity.
I have curated a list of non-binary science-fiction books that I have personally read or written. I am working on a part two of this list, so let me know in the comments which own-voice non-binary science-fiction books you recommend.
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Click here for the complete Bookshop.org list.
An Unkidness of Ghosts
By Rivers Solomon
An Unkindness of Ghosts is Rivers Solomon's debut novel. It follows Aster, an autistic and intersex healer living on a generation starship where Black and brown passengers are segregated and oppressed by a white ruling class. Gender exploration is central to the book.
Iron Widow
By Xiran Jay Zhao
Iron Widow is the first book in the duology by Xiran Jay Zhao. Set in a world inspired by Chinese history with mecha and Tang dynasty empresses, it follows Zetian, who volunteers to be a concubine-pilot to assassinate the ace pilot who killed her sister. The non-binary rep develops across the series.
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Inside a Dark Space
By MJ James
Inside a Dark Space is a dual-POV science fiction novel about Finch, who is autistic and non-binary. They were sent to the moon as a canary to risk their life for the "real" astronauts, but a decade later they are still alive. Inside a Dark Space is the first book in the Lunar Abyss trilogy, a series about finding hope in the darkness.
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The Terraformers
by Annalee Newitz
The Terraformers is a science fiction novel by Annalee Newitz spanning generations on a corporate-terraformed planet. It features non-binary characters and explores personhood, ecology, and what it means to belong to a place.
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The Outside
by Ada Hoffmann
The Outside is the first book in the trilogy by Ada Hoffmann. Yasira Shien, an autistic scientist, accidentally summons cosmic horrors and is recruited by AI Gods to hunt down her former mentor. Features own-voice autistic and non-binary representation.
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Finna
by Nino Cipri
Finna is a novella by Nino Cipri. Two retail workers, recently broken up, must travel through dimensional wormholes that appear in their IKEA-like big box store to retrieve a lost grandmother. Features non-binary representation in a workplace dystopia that's funnier than it sounds.
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The Future of Another Timeline
by Annalee Newitz
The Future of Another Timeline is a science fiction novel by Annalee Newitz about time-traveling geologists fighting to preserve reproductive rights and queer existence across history. Features a non-binary character named C.L.
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Jupiter J'neii is fired from their job for being a little too autistic and a little too non-binary. Unsure what to do next, they receive a mysterious message inviting them to apply for a new job—one that comes with a mythical virtual reality headset. What follows is more than Jupiter can imagine, where they are thrust into a role advocating for their community—a position they are unsure they have the skills or patience for.
Out There: Into the Queer New Yonder
By. Various
Out There is a YA science fiction anthology featuring seventeen stories from queer authors, including non-binary contributors Z Brewer, Mason Deaver, and Z.R. Ellor. Stories range from consciousness uploaded into Martian bodies to time loops at space stations to a non-binary translator decoding the future.