21 Books with Characters that Aren’t Quite Human

You know there’s something special about them, these characters. Maybe you can name it, maybe you can’t. But one thing’s for sure:

They’re not quite human…

For the Beat the Backlist 2021 challenge, one of our prompts is a book with non-human characters, but we didn’t want to leave you without options!

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This list views “non-human” in the broadest sense. Some characters are more human than others, but none of them are entirely human. With that said… 21 books with characters that aren’t quite human!

Books with Non-Human Characters

The Paranormal Sort

You’re probably familiar with at least some of these. They appear often in paranormal romance and urban fantasy. Yes, we’re talking vampires and werewolves and the fae and everything in between!

Some books like Patricia Briggs’ Moon Called and the rest of the Mercy Thompson series include all sorts of non-human characters. Werewolves, shapeshifters, fae, vampires, etc. Jeaniene Frost’s Halfway to the Grave as well as the rest of the Night Huntress universe books also add ghosts, demons, and demigods to the mix!

If you’re looking to stick to the traditional vampires, Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neill and Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead are both excellent options.

Are fae your thing? You have plenty of options, including Holly Black’s Tithe and The Cruel Prince, both set in the same universe but part of different series. There’s also one of my favorite series, Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr, or the popular A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas.

But perhaps you want something even more out there, yes? Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead might be just what you’re looking for. Or Donna Grant’s Dark Heat and the rest of the Dragon King books (dragon. shapeshifters. in case you were wondering). Or even Not Even Bones by Rebecca Schaeffer which has an unusual assortment of non-humans, some familiar, some not.

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All the Fantasy

From here, we head into the realm of high fantasy with books like Elise Kova’s The Alchemists of Loom which puts a spin on chimaeras and dragons I don’t think I’ve ever seen anywhere else. Then Desdemona and the Deep by C.S.E. Cooney gives us the real fae story we’ve been craving. After which I recommend diving into Melissa Bashardoust’s Girl, Serpent, Thorn with a cursed young woman, god-like monsters, and all manner of beasties.

At this point, I believe the perfect transition is to the fabulous Daevabad series and the first book, The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty. Filled with djinn/daevas, ifrit, and a number of other magical beings, these books certainly fulfill this prompt (and are really good stories!). After which I recommend picking up these two books: The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood which features an orc priestess and all manner of adventuring, and Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth which gives a new meaning to necromancer.

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Make it Sci-Fi

These other three recommendations all feature AI technology in some form, but specifically in a character role. For the more hardcore sci-fi fans, I recommend Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff (well, actually the whole series if I’m being honest). Softer sci-fi readers may enjoy the reverse Cinderella re-telling Rogue Princess by B.R. Myers. And finally, for those seeking more of a dystopian story, you can’t go wrong with Neal Shusterman’s Scythe which features the AI Thunderhead (who has point-of-view scenes in the second book of the series).

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This list only captures a small number of books featuring non-human characters and there are no doubt more books to come in 2021!

What are some of your favorite books with non-human characters?

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