So many of your favorite television shows are based loosely or explicitly on books, including a whole lot of queer series Autostraddle has covered through the years. Sometimes, the books they’re based on are also queer in similar or divergent ways. Often, the series inject queerness where there previously was none. That’s how adaptation should work in my opinion! Each iteration of a story should get queerer and queerer. If you’ve been curious to check out the book versions of the queer shows you love but have been wondering if the books are queer or not, we’ve got you covered with this massive list of over 65 book-to-series adaptations.
A note on methodology: I certainly have not read every book/series of books on this list. For any entries I hadn’t read myself, I started by asking friends I thought may have read them to give me a quick gay book report. From there, I used reader review aggregate sites, reviews, and BISAC subject codes as well as just good ol’ search engine keywords to try to determine just how queer the books are. It’s not a perfect system! Even more so with literature than with visual mediums like film and television, “queerness” can look like a lot of different things and doesn’t necessarily mandate there be explicitly defined queer relationships. If you feel like I’ve inaccurately assessed a book’s queerness, feel free to say so! I’ll update entries as needed. And if there’s something not on the list that you think should be, let me know that, too!
13 Reasons Why // 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Is the book queer? Not really!
In this case, the series adds a lot of LGBTQ characters to the mix and gives them more focus.
American Gods // American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Is the book queer? Yes!
Like much of Gaiman’s work, the book is suffused with queerness and queer characters. Gaiman was recently accused of sexual assault by three women, so this is not an endorsement of his work.
Anne With An “E” // Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Is the book queer? Yes! Well, subtextually.
Okay, don’t let that disclaimer dissuade you. The sapphic subtext in Lucy Maud Montgomery’s classic 1908 novel is thick.
Apples Never Fall // Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
Is the book queer? Nope!
To be fair, I wouldn’t really call the show all that queer either, even though there is a lesbian main character. In the book though, that character isn’t canonically queer.
The Baby-Sitters Club // The Baby-Sitters Club series by Ann M. Martin
Are the books queer? No…but…
Okay, so Ann M. Martin’s beloved series might not be textually queer, but plenty of queer people have connected deeply with the series, so it really does have a place in queer pop culture, which made the explicit queerness of the television adaptation that much more exciting. Soooo many queer people contributed to We Are the Baby-Sitters Club: Essays and Artwork from Grown-Up Readers, including my wife!
Black Cake // Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
Is the book queer? Yes!
As with the series, Benny is queer in the novel.
Carmilla // Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
Is the book queer? Yes, but subtextually.
Of course, the webseries is more explicitly queer, but the homoeroticism is palpable in the original novel, a classic of vampire lit.
Conversations With Friends // Conversations With Friends by Sally Rooney
Is the book queer? Yes!
The same relationship dynamics between Frances/Bobbi/Melissa/Nick present in the series are present in the book, and Frances and Bobbi are exes.
Daisy Jones & the Six // Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Is the book queer? No!
The novel does not have explicitly queer characters like the series does, though Taylor Jenkins Reid’s other popular novel The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo does.
Dare Me // Dare Me by Megan Abbott
Is the book queer? Yes, but not quite as queer as the series.
A lot of the queer storytelling in Dare Me the novel is quite subtle, but I appreciate that about it. The series leans into the queerness more. If you like to read thrillers, this is a fun one.
A Discovery of Witches // A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Is the book queer? Yes, but…
From what I’ve gathered in reviews, the queer characters are the best parts of the book and also aren’t a huge focus.
Dopesick // Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company That Addicted America by Beth Macy
Is the book queer? No!
The series significantly fictionalized or combined people and narratives from the nonfiction book, so they’re quite different in a lot of ways. The book is a tremendous work of journalism, but I wouldn’t really call it queer.
Expats // The Expatriates by Janice Y. K. Lee
Is the book queer? It does not appear so!
Based on everything I read about the book, I cannot find evidence that it has queer characters like the series.
Gossip Girl // Gossip Girl series
Are the books queer? Yes!
In the book series of Gossip Girl, Dan dates both men and women. There are other characters who seem bisexually inclined as well. Now, are the books good? That’s a different question.
Heartstopper // Heartstopper series
Are the books queer? Yes!
The series of graphic novels is indeed very queer.
Interview With the Vampire // The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice
Are the books queer? Yes and before you try to argue with me let me finish?????
Sure, it’s subtext, I guess, but IS IT? The homoeroticism and sex-adjacent acts between vampires of the same gender are difficult to miss in Anne Rice’s oeuvre. Is the television series more explicitly queer and full of gay sex? Well, sure! But don’t discredit the iconically horny books!
Fingersmith // Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
Is the book queer: Yes!
And it’s very gay and very good. In addition to being adapted into a BBC miniseries, it was also adapted into the film The Handmaiden.
Fleishman Is in Trouble // Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
Is the book queer? Not really!
I mean, the series isn’t super queer either. The queer character Alejandra is indeed in the novel and has a wife, but her role in the overall story is brief.
Fresh Off the Boat // Fresh Off the Boat by Eddie Huang
Is the book queer? No!
Though initially loosely inspired by Eddie Huang’s memoir, the series Fresh Off the Boat expanded its world far beyond the perspective of Eddie and injected some queerness along the way, which makes sense as it was created by the openly queer Nahnatchka Khan.
Gentleman Jack // The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister by Anne Lister, edited by Helena Whitbread
Is the book queer? Yes!
Anne Lister was gay, so her diaries were gay.
Good Omens // Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
Is the book queer? Not as much as the show!
Though I do think it is fair to consider the novel heavily queer coded, Good Omens the television series is much more explicit in its depictions of queerness. As a reminder, Gaiman was recently accused of sexual assault and harassment.
Harlan Coben’s Shelter // Shelter by Harlan Coben
Is the book queer? No!
The television adaptation injected queerness into the narrative, and that was pretty much the only reason why I watched!
High Fidelity // High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
Is the book queer? No!
Also, like the 2000 film adaptation of it, the book is about a man named Rob instead of a bisexual woman named Rob.
High School // High School by Tegan and Sara Quin
Is the book queer? Obviously!
Perhaps it will not surprise you to learn the memoir co-written by Tegan and Sara about their youths is gay, much like the underrated series adapted from it.
I Love Dick // I Love Dick by Chris Kraus
Is the book queer? Not especially.
The series is much more queer, Joey Soloway’s adaptation adding Devon and Toby.
Killing Eve // Killing Eve series Luke Jennings
Are the books queer? Yes but…
I gather from reviews that the author doesn’t do a great job of writing queer women, so read at your own risk! I’ll probably be sticking to Killing Eve fic!
Little Fires Everywhere // Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Is the book queer? No, but…
There are some queer vibes, but the novel is not explicitly queer in the way the series is. It’s a great novel though!
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart // The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland
Is the book queer? No!
From what I can gather, the book sounds aggressively heterosexual?
Love, Victor // Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
Is the book queer? Yes!
This is a bit of an outlier on this list though, as Love, Victor isn’t a direct adaptation in the way the movie Love, Simon is but rather more of an adapted spin-off inspired by the universe of the novel but about a whole new cast of characters.
Masters of Sex // Masters of Sex: The Life and Times of William Masters and Virginia Johnson, the Couple Who Taught America How to Love by Thomas Maier
Is the book queer? Well…sure…
The book does chronicle the sexuality studies conducted by Masters and Johnson, but this also includes information about how Masters utilized and championed conversion therapy.
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries // The Phryne Fisher series by Kerry Greenwood
Are the books queer? They contain queer supporting characters.
It also sounds like there’s ample subtext to be found in some of the books in addition to some queer characters.
Mr. Mercedes // Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King
Is the book queer? Not really!
As with a lot of King’s work, there may be some references to gay characters here and there, but it’s not really queer.
Nancy Drew // Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene
Are the books queer? No, even if queer people do love them.
This is another instance of the series injecting queerness where there previously was none or only subtext! Thrilling! All adaptations should be more queer than their previous iterations!
Nine Perfect Strangers // Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
Is the book queer? Not really!
Don’t let the rainbow on the book cover fool you: There is technically one queer character in the novel (a gay man), but it sounds like he’s written a bit stereotypically, and overall the book isn’t particularly queer.
One of Us Is Lying // One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
Is the book queer? Yes.
That said, readers seem very divided in their reactions to the queer representation in the novel.
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit // Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
Is the book queer? Very!
A classic of lesbian literature!
Orange Is the New Black // Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison by Piper Kerman
Is the book queer? Sure!
Piper Kerman does detail past relationships with women but also refers to herself as straight throughout. Make of that what you will!
Pretty Little Liars // Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard
Are the books queer? Yes.
Emily is gay in the book series as in the show. The show is more queer overall than the book though.
Queen Sugar // Queen Sugar by Natalie Baszile
Is the book queer? No.
The TV adaptation of Queen Sugar takes a lot of liberties, including adding the character Nova.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off // Scott Pilgrim vs. the World by Bryan Lee O’Malley
Are the books queer? Yes, but not as much as the series.
Ramona’s bisexuality is explored even more in the animated series than in the film adaptation.
Self Made // On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker by A’Lelia Bundles
Is the book queer? Not really.
While the series is more explicit about A’Lelia being queer, her granddaughter A’Lelia Bundles’ biography of Sarah Walker and A’Lelia doesn’t find much evidence for A’Lelia’s queerness other than a possible relationship with a woman after one of her marriages. A’Lelia’s sexuality is not a focus of the book the way it is in the miniseries.
Shadow and Bone // Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Are the books queer? Yes.
The author’s Six of Crows duology — which takes place in the same universe — informs some of the TV series’ queer characters.
Shrill // Shrill: Notes From a Loud Woman by Lindy West
Is the book queer? Not especially!
The TV series is more queer than the memoir as it opens up its story beyond its protagonist.
Snowpiercer // Snowpiercer series by Jacques Lob
Are the books queer? Not especially!
The TV series adds a lot more LGBTQ storylines.
Station Eleven // Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel
Is the book queer? Yes!
It’s also very good! So if you’re a fan of the series, definitely read the novel.
Sugar Rush // Sugar Rush by Julie Burchill
Is the book queer? Very!
As with the TV series, the book is a coming-of-age queer story.
Survival of the Thickest // Survival of the Thickest: Essays by Michelle Buteau
Is the book queer? Not like the series, no.
But it’s a great, funny, incisive feminist read. The TV series opens up its world though to include more characters.
Sweetbitter // Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler
Is the book queer? Sure!
There’s a queer woman featured in the novel who the protagonist does kiss, but by my reading, it’s not a particularly nuanced or interesting book in terms of its queerness. The TV series is stronger in my opinion!
Tales of the City // Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin
Is the book queer? EXTREMELY!
Another classic of queer lit!
The 100 // The 100 series by Kass Morgan
Are the books queer? No.
The series adds wayyyyy more queerness into the mix than the YA series contains.
The Big Door Prize // The Big Door Prize by M. O. Walsh
Is the book queer? Not really!
The TV series adds some queerness.
The Buccaneers // The Buccaneers by Edith Wharton
Is the book queer? No, but…
Edith Wharton’s unfinished novel is so much better than the television series inspired by it.
The Fall of the House of Usher // The Fall of the House of Usher and additional works by Edgar Allan Poe
Is the short story queer? I mean, no…
But there are plenty of possibilities for queer and trans readings of Edgar Allan Poe’s body of work. But as far as the explicitly queer content of the Netflix series, no, you won’t be getting that.
The Flight Attendant // The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian
Is the book queer? No.
The TV series made a lot of character changes to the original work.
The Handmaid’s Tale // The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Is the book queer? Yes.
And as in the TV series, that doesn’t go great for the characters.
The Haunting of Bly Manor // The Turn of the Screw and Other Stories by Henry James
Is the book queer? No.
But “Turn of the Screw” should be read by queer horror nerds! A classic ghost tale!
The Haunting of Hill House // The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Is the book queer? Yes!
A lot of it is subtextual technically, but it’s thinly veiled. Jackson’s work is extremely queer and I love that the TV series brings a lot of that to the surface more fully.
The Last Thing He Told Me // The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
Is the book queer? No.
There’s a brief reference to a gay couple, and that’s all.
The Man in the High Castle // The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
Is the book queer? No.
The series takes a lot of liberties with the original source material while maintaining its overall premise.
The Other Black Girl // The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
Is the book queer? No.
Malaika’s queerness is made more explicit in the TV series than in the novel.
The Sandman // The Sandman series by Neil Gaiman
Are the books queer? Yes.
Again, a lot of Gaiman’s work is suffused with queerness, however Gaiman was recently accused of a pattern of assault.
The Shannara Chronicles // The Sword of Shannara series by Terry Brooks
Are the books queer? No.
You’ll have to stick with the TV adaptation if you’re wanting queer characters.
Tipping the Velvet // Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
Is the book queer? Yes, very.
All of Sarah Waters’ novels are queer.
True Blood // Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris
Are the books queer? Yes, but…
Not as queer as the TV adaptation of them.
Under the Dome // Under the Dome by Stephen King
Is the book queer? No.
Stepen King’s track record with queer characters isn’t great, though a lot of adaptations of his work do feature queer characters, including Castle Rock, which isn’t on this list because it isn’t adapted from a specific book or series but rather a wide swath of King’s work (which is sort of true for the Mike Flanagan series on this list, too, but those usually do have at least one specific anchor text).
The Vampire Diaries // The Vampire Diaries series by L. J. Smith
Are the books queer? Not really!
Even though so much vampire stuff does just read inherently queer to me, but alas! To be fair, it took a while for the TV adaptation to become queer.
The Wheel of Time // The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
Are the books queer? Not explicitly so.
But many readers have cited queer coded elements.
Wilderness // Wilderness by B.E. Jones
Is the book queer? No.
I did not find evidence that the novel has queer characters like its TV adaptation.
Y: The Last Man // Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan
Is the book queer? No.
And the original work seems way more gender essentialist than its adaptation, so know that before you dive in.
Unfortunately we all just found out Neil Gaiman is a serial sexual harasser.
i did not know! but i will adjust the language accordingly thanks
About Shadow and Bone – the gay characters added to the tv show come from a different series by the same author, set in the same world – Six of Crows.
(Disclaimer I haven’t read any of them but I listened to / read a few reviews of the show by people who read the books and that’s what they said)
Y the last man includes a lesbian/bi hook up in the second part of the books (10,/20ish ?). One character is a known lesbian since her introduction.
You should include this on your queer list since she is an important character.
I say little since I try not to spoil everyone ^^
Also, Bridgerton – the show seems to be getting gayer but the books are not at all gay (and they’re also really, really white, unlike the show).
It’s great that tv series are now queerer than the books on which they were based. Not much time has passed since things were straightened up for broadcast and gay characters erased.
“Interview”, the book, has subtext, but the rest of the chronicles are explicitly queer, most of the main characters are queer.
I don’t think Carmilla could be more explicit at the time it was released.
Other shows that could fit in this list are, Runaways, Naomi, Batwoman and Harley Quinn.
totally agree about Carmilla! like it def WAS very queer/homoerotic but of course limited by its time
also re:your adds. i agree! this is a little specific, but i kinda stuck to graphic novel adaptations rather than serialized comic books since that added like at least a couple dozen more shows to the list and it’s already quite long. that said, there are also of course graphic novel-length texts for Batwoman and other comic book characters…i’ll consider adding when I update this list next quarter!
Er… not to be contrarian, but Y: the Last Man is a story about a world without men and so there were quite a number of queer people in it. Yes, it is quite gender essentialist, but there is a trans man who has a central role in one arc. I mean, Yorick’s girlfriend who flew to Australia before all the men died, one of the people he is desperate to find post-apocalypse, turns up safe and sound in a relationship with her female research partner. Is it the best representation? Heck no. But it’s a lot more explicitly queer than some of the “token gay character” series in here.
fine to be contrarian! i can adjust the language there. i just know a lot of queer readers who were pretty frustrated with the way the book handled gender + sexuality!
Piggybacking off another comment but without wanting to annoy the commenter with an in depth comment, the Shadow and Bone books – the original trilogy and the two sequel duologies – are pretty queer.
As a reader of the later books, some of the queer characters – Jesper and Wylan – are adapted from the Six of Crows duology.
And actually, the books are more queer than the series was when it got cancelled as Nina and Tolya are both queer in the books – Nina is bi/pan and Tolya is heavily implied to be aroace, which the author confirmed if that’s something you take as canon – in the third set of books Nina meets and falls in love with a character called Hanne who is queer and trans (their trans identity is a bit unclear though unfortunately but that’s a whole other comment).
There’s also a semi-main character of the Six of Crows duology, Kuwei, that is gay.
Doing a quick search for the books I haven’t read, Nadia and Tamar were queer in the original Shadow and Bone trilogy so even in the first books there’s a bit of queerness.
Hope this helps a bit!
it does help, thank you! i’ll work this info into the list
*contains killing eve spoilers*
I actually loved the Killing Eve books. As an NB person it made me laugh to see all the people struggling with the NB character’s pronouns, which change midway through the series. The NB character is extremely annoying, and obvi Eve and Villanelle are toxic 4 toxic, all wrapped up in an insane international assassination plot.
Keep in mind the novels are VERY absurdist, much more than the series (including one nefarious character who dies by exploding dildo). I loved to see crazy queers doing batshit things. Très entertaining.
I doubt readers will feel confusedly seduced by the main characters, which was so titillating about the show. Expect lots of death and mayhem. If you are feeling iffy re: the “bury your gays” trope or only want to see cool gays be good and do good things, steer clear.
While Phyrne herself is not queer in the Miss Fisher novels there are many queer characters who form part of her sleuthing team including Dr MacMillian, Phyrne’s sìster Hon. Eliza and her partner Lady Alice. Phyrne herself is polygamous and her main side piece is Chinese which is completely transgressive for someone of her class in 1920’s Australia.
FYI, Julie Burchill who wrote Sugar Rush is deeply Islamophobic, has been pretty fucking rude about bisexual people, has harassed and hounded a non-white journalist to the point she has to stay away from her, a Zionist, been sacked by the right wing press for her behaviour and has actively contributed to the hostile environment in the UK that caused to the pogroms and race riots of this weekend. If you are going to insist on including her (Sugar Rush the show was a very important piece of media for WLW in Britain at the time), please give an explicit warning of the harm and destruction she has caused as you have with others that have been included.
Also, Bridgerton – the show seems to be getting gayer but the books are not at all gay (and they’re also really, really white, unlike the show).
Also, Bridgerton – the show seems to be getting gayer but the books are not at all gay (and they’re also really, really white, unlike the show).