10 Must-Read Fantasy/Sci-Fi Books with Autistic Main Characters
By: Alyssa Aspiotis
April is World Autism Awareness Month and is intended to increase the understanding and acceptance of people with autism. There is no better way to educate yourself further than with some incredible fantasy and sci-fi books that feature an autistic main character! Here are ten books to get you started in April, but make sure you add these to your 2025 TBR to read them all year round!
An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon
An Unkindness of Ghosts is a compelling dystopian / sci-fi blend that follows Aster who lives in the slums aboard the “HSS Matilda,” a space vessel similarly organized like the antebellum South. This brutally segregated spaceship has been shipping humans from a dying planet to a mythical Promised Land for generations. Unfortunately, living in the slums means struggling to survive, unless Aster can find a route off the ship and sow the seeds of civil war.
The Outside by Ada Hoffman
The Outside is an epic space opera novel that follows a young autistic scientist who has developed a new radical energy drive. However, when she activates this drive, reality warps in a way that destroys the spaceship and everyone that's on it. The AI Gods who rule the galaxy declare Yasira’s acts as heretical and she is abducted by their agents, but instead of executing her, they offer her mercy in exchange for her help in their chase against a more dangerous target. Yasira is torn between who to trust, and this decision could change life as she knows it.
To a Darker Shore by Leanne Schwartz
To a Darker Shore follows Alesta who has been attempting to convince her kingdom she’s too useful to be sacrificed to appease the infernal monster in Hell. When her best friend, and heir to the throne, takes her place, she embarks on a journey through Hell to save her. The deeper they go through Hell, the more they learn about the sacrifices, and their growing feelings for each other.
The Spirit Bares its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White
The Spirit Bares its Teeth is a haunting historical YA horror fantasy blend that follows Silas, an autistic transgender 16 year-old that would rather die than become an obedient wife. Following a failed attempt to escape his arranged marriage, Silas is diagnosed with “Veil sickness” which is a peculiar disease sending violet-eyed women into fits of madness. He is then shipped off to Braxton’s Sanitorium and Finishing School, where he slowly uncovers the truth about this wretched school.
Tell Me How it Ends by Quinton Li
Tell Me How it Ends is a coming-of-age cozy fantasy following Iris, a tarot card reader who can predict the future and uncover a person's secrets with the flip of her fingers. When she starts straying from the family business, she’s given an ultimatum: either earn a thousand coins, or risk leaving the family forever. Then Iris gets recruited for a mission that could get her the money she needs, but only if she learns to trust herself, this new magical world, and race against the clock ticking.
Unseelie is a YA fantasy duology that follows twin sisters, Iselie and Isolde, who are on the run. While they may look alike, they couldn't be more different. Iseile is an autistic changeling, trying to master her magic and fit into a world that will never understand her. When they get caught up in a heist gone wrong, they make unexpected allies and start to uncover a mystery that could change the history of humans and changelings forever.
Seven Devils by L. R. Lam and Elizabeth May
Seven Devils is a compelling space opera with queer characters, found family, and full of space adventures. We follow Eris who thought she left her old life behind when she faked her death, but when she’s recruited by the resistance, she’s thrown right back into it. When Eris is assigned a new mission for the resistance with a mechanic that has a grudge against her, they find themselves on the spaceship they’re supposed to infiltrate with three fugitives. Together, they conspire to bring the empire down, but only if they hurry before time runs out.
Key Lime Sky by AI Hess
Key Lime Sky follows Denver, the sole witness of a UFO exploding over xyr small town of Muddy Gap. Xe starts to question people of this event, but no one will acknowledge what happened, making Denver the eccentric, autistic pie blogger looking for something that isn’t there. However, when the people of Muddy Gap start acting strangely and disappearing altogether, Denver is set to uncover the truth of what's happening. Along with the town's new arrival Ezra, xyr is racing against time to find out what’s really happening, and why the town won't let xyr leave.
Junker Seven by Olive J. Kelley
Junker Seven is a romantic queer sci-fi that follows Castor, a bounty hunter that makes a living off of collecting and selling valuable waste. They live a quiet life, until they are offered a mission they can't refuse: smuggle transgender activist Juno Marcus against the watchful eye of the INtergalactic Police Force. It’s dangerous to accept, but too intriguing to refuse, and Castor is thrown into a whirlwind of those who want Juno dead, making it a heart pounding race throughout the galaxy.
The Reanimators Heart by Kara Jorgensen
The Reanimators Heart is an adult historical fantasy following a necromancer working as the medical examiner for the New York Paranormal Society. Dr. Oliver Barlow must hide his powers as a necromancer, until the investigator he’s been secretly in love with is murdered and Oliver brings him back from the dead. Together, Oliver and the investigator embark on a journey to find who murdered Felipe, but end up discovering a plot centuries in the making.
Time to Start Reading!
Now that you have ten fantasy and sci-fi books with autistic main characters added to your TBR, it’s time to start reading them! You can read these in April for National Autism Awareness Month, or have these to help you further diversify your reading. I hope you find this list helpful, and I hope you’ve found some books you haven’t seen before. Happy reading, everyone!
