Does anyone have a suggestion where a character (doesn’t have to be the main character) is asexual.
I want something where it’s obvious the character is ace, but it doesn’t have to be explicit. And not something like the author confirmed it years later… if that makes sense? Basically something that feels real?
I usually read fantasy, magical realism, horror and historical, but I’ll take anything you have (even YA if it’s not too tacky, e.g. I hated “Let’s Talk About Love”).
Bonus points : Romance between the ace character and an allo character. I’ve been getting more into that genre but im not a fan of like 2 aces characters that are perfectly in sync and where boundaries are not discussed or challenged because “it’s obvious”.
by ugh_cam
25 Comments
The Murderbot Diaries has a mc who is ace
Also if you like webcomics, Dumbing of Age has Dina
The Murderbot series by Martha Wells.
Psalm for the Wild-Built and its sequel Prayer for the Crown Shy by Becky Chambers
Both sci fi
Loveless by Alice Oseman – the main character is asexual and aromantic (as is Oseman)
The main character in Ruthanna Emrys’s
Innsmouth Legacy duology is asexual (though I don’t think it becomes clear on page until the second book)
**Some recs from r/RomanceBooks:**
https://www.reddit.com/r/RomanceBooks/s/vawJYp5nFs
https://www.reddit.com/r/RomanceBooks/s/9R2qEWcf0f
If you’re open to books where the main character is *aro*ace, I highly recommend [The Hands of the Emperor](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/af2bba9c-8f41-4a3e-b87a-8532a44ccb67) by Victoria Goddard. It’s a beautifully written slice of life book about the personal secretary to the emperor of the world, with a heavy focus on platonic relationships. The second book leans even more into the aroace-ness, but I’m aroace myself and I felt extremely seen by both.
*Every Heart a Doorway* by Seanan McGuire
You may like Sayaka Murata’s novels – *Convenience Store Woman* and *Earthlings* come to mind. She writes kind of surrealist/weird fiction.
TJ Klune’s *In the Lives of Puppets* may satisfy the fantasy side.
Don’t Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews is ya horror with an ace main character! And there’s romance between said ace character and an allo character
Not a romance – Elatsoe by Darcy Little Badger.
The Underdogs series by Chris Bonnello.
The Charm Offensive has a MC (who is the star on a bachelor-esque show) figuring out that he’s ace while also exploring sex with a coworker (his handler on the show) It’s super cute and sweet.
The Daniel Faust series by Craig Schaefer. Urban fantasy. Pixie is canonically ace, though it’s not revealed right away. It’s a pretty gritty world, dark and violent, but very well written
The Deed of Paksinarrion by Elizabeth Moon has an ace main character, although it’s never explicitly discussed, and there’s no romance in the books at all. There is some SA in books 1 and 3 though, so if that’s an issue be warned.
Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino
Love Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood.
Man O’ War by Cory McCarthy. It’s a side character who is ace, but they get married to their ace girlfriend. I loved that the ace characters got married!
The Farseer series,
Jasnah (sp?) In Stormlight Archive, Sanderson
Loveless, Alice Oseman
Eye Spy, Mercedes Lackey. It’s book 2 in a sequel series, but the series follows a different MC each book and it’s largely standalone
“At the Feet of the Sun” by Victoria Goddard. It’s the sequel to “Hands of the Emperor” but I think it could be read solo. I’ve never read a book where ‘I love you but not that way’ is more profound.
_All Systems Red_ and its sequels, by Martha Wells
This might be a stretch, so read a synopsis first, but The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Leguin made me feel really affirmed as an ace person. The MC is not ace, strictly speaking, but he does have to directly confront a lot of his prejudices around gender and sex.
Robin Hobbs Realm of the Elderlings series
Edited to add the word ‘series’
Horror you say?
Someone to build a nest in, by John Wiswell.
It’s an asexual romance story between a shapeshifting people-eating monster and the daughter of a family of famous monster hunters. If “cozy horror” exists, this is it.
Check this post out https://www.reddit.com/r/QueerSFF/s/2RzDMwU8j5