Happy Disability Pride Month!
As a disabled and chronically ill girlie with diagnoses that look like alphabet soup, books have allowed me to experience other places when my body cannot. Fantasy has always been my favorite genre since I read primarily for escapism, but nevertheless, I still thrive when I see disabilities incorporated into fantasy that don’t have a magical cure by the end.
It is so important for disabled people to have quality representation on the page, not only so they can see themselves portrayed in ways where their disability is not a defining factor, but also for non-disabled readers to see their resilience, get a glimpse into what their lives look like, and better understand how their capabilities go beyond their physical capacity.
Here are some wonderful fantasy books where the main characters’ disabilities range from mobility restrictions to invisible illness or autism.
Celebrate Disability Pride Month With These Books
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
“This body of mine is not big enough to contain the scale of emotion coursing through me. How could I feel a rage like this, and not be able to tear the sky open and scorch the earth?”
Set in a futuristic world inspired by medieval China, Zetian wants vengeance for her sister’s death. She must channel her qi to become a co-pilot of a Chrysalis (think of the Kaiju-fighting Jaegers in Pacific Rim!).
When she finally gets her revenge, she earns the label of an Iron Widow. With this taste of power, she must learn how to protect other girls from being sacrificed like her sister.
Zetian has chronic pain and mobility limitations as a result of foot binding and uses a cane and a wheelchair. She is the embodiment of feminine rage and has excellent character development.
A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
“The choices we face may not be the choices we want, but they are choices nonetheless.”
In this YA retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Harper tries to save a stranger on the streets of Washington, DC, and is swept into the magical world of Emberfall. She teams up with Prince Rhen to break a curse to save Emberfall from ruin.
Harper has cerebral palsy, which causes people to underestimate her capabilities. Though it affects her mobility, she also acknowledges how cerebral palsy can affect others to varying degrees. She puts up with no BS from others and works with her disability to be the ultimate badass.
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
“I am the only storm that matters now, and there is no shelter from what I bring.”
Set in a world based on pre-colonial Americas, Black Sun follows Xiala, Serapio, Okoa, and Naranpa. Xiala (a bisexual sea captain) is tasked with bringing Serapio to the city of Tova, where the Sun Priestess, Naranpa, anticipates a solar eclipse said to bring the return of a god.
As the result of a ritual in his childhood, Serapio is blind, but he is not reduced to that single feature. He is a vessel for the Crow God and is a complicated, nuanced, and loveable man.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
“The heart is an arrow. It demands aim to land true.”
If you love heists, magic, and the seedy underbelly of an Amsterdam-inspired city, READ THIS! A diverse cast of characters team up for a job that promises them riches beyond their wildest dreams, which could mean their very freedom.
Kaz is a cane user as a result of an injured leg. He also has PTSD, which occasionally causes panic attacks. Another character, Wylan, is dyslexic. Both of these characters are multidimensional, intelligent, badass, and sometimes a little bit scary, but in all the best ways!
If you want to get your hands on this book, OwlCrate will be releasing an exclusive edition of Six of Crows in the near future. You can find out more here.
Want to read more from Bardugo? The greater Grishaverse also has a character with one eye and an autistic-coded character.
Skyhunter by Marie Lu
“I feel like the phantom that I’ve trained all my life to become – a Ghost killer, a weapon of destruction, an invisible outsider in every way.”
This story follows Talin, a refugee who joins an elite fighting force known as the Strikers to push back against the Karensa Federation’s war beasts, known as Ghosts. When she encounters a mysterious prisoner, she senses there may be more to him, and wonders whose side he is truly on.
Talin is mute as a result of an injury and uses sign language to communicate. The Ghosts are attracted to sound, so her inability to speak is seen as an asset to the Strikers, who all use signs in the field. In terms of YA dystopia, Skyhunter checks all the boxes, and sign is incorporated just as in any other dialogue.
One For All by Lillie Lainoff
“We are sisters in arms. We don’t let each other fall, and we never will.”
If you want a YA gender-bent Three Musketeers-inspired story, this book is for you! Tania de Batz is a fencer at L’Académie des Mariées, a secret training school for badass women. When she comes across her first target to uncover a possible assassination plot, she learns he might have more information about her father’s death.
Tania has POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), which causes her chronic fatigue and dizziness. As someone with POTS, I was surprised to find a heroine with similar struggles. While Tania needs to listen to her body, she can rely on her found family and learn to use strengths that go beyond the body.
Unseelie by Ivelisse Housman
“If you can only love a child that exists within the boundaries of your expectations—if you would harm them to make them what you want-then you have no business being a parent at all.”
Iselia “Seelie” is a changeling who has always struggled to fit in with the humans in her village. She sets out with her human twin sister, Isolde, in hopes of starting a new life in a place where she'll be free of judgment.
After a failed heist, the sisters end up on the run with some unexpected allies, and they begin to unravel a larger mystery involving both humans and fae that may be more valuable than jewels.
Seelie is autistic, and her being a changeling in this book is a metaphor for neurodivergence. As an autistic reader, I love seeing myself reflected in her overstimulation, stimming behaviors, and emotions when it comes to her sense of belonging.
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