Looking At A Few Books (Yes, Just Looking)
by Jeff Baker
Not much this month. Just a glance over and recommendation of a few LGBT themed books that have come my way. And full disclosure, I have not actually read all of them, mainly the anthologies I just got in the mail. (I will post links, although I have no affiliation with the books themselves.)
First off I just received series editor Charles Payseur’s “We’re Here; the Best Queer Speculative Fiction 2022,” from Neon Hemlock Press. https://www.neonhemlock.com/books This edition edited by Naomi Kanakia and released in 2023. This is the third of this series of anthologies and features stories by Bogi Takacs and Carlie St. George among others.
The introduction (by Payseur) is a fine and informative overview of the state of the genre and LGBT-themed fiction, reminiscent of similar pieces in the late Gardner Dozios’ yearly best-of science fiction anthology.
Next up is “Fairy Tales My Grandma Told Me” by Johnny Williams featuring Gay and bawdy comedy versions of fairy tales. The title “Snow White And the Seven Interior Decorators,” should give readers an idea of the sort of delights that lay in store.
Author Williams recently got bopped (without knowing why) from Facebook, so here’s his Goodreads page. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58741314-fairy-tales-my-grandma-told-me
“Glitter + Ashes” is a theme anthology edited by dave ring (the small case is his preference) also from Neon Hemlock Press. The 26 stories by multiple authors imagine Queer people going on and (hopefully thriving) in a post-Apocalyptic, post-disaster world.
Titles like Lauren Ring’s “A Party Planner’s Guide To The Apocalypse” and “When The Last Of The Birds And the Bees Have Gone On,” by C. L. Clark are just the tip of an iceberg that promises, as editor ring says “an anthology centering queer joy and community in the face of disaster…” Surely after the past few years readers can identify.
Now to get to books I actually have read; ‘Nathan Burgoine’s trilogy that began with “Triad Blood” https://apostrophen.wordpress.com/the-triad-series/ has been going on for a while but I hadn’t read any of it (I thought I had them somewhere!) So I got a hold of “Triad Magic,” actually the last in the trilogy and read it first. (I do things like that!) Having grabbed the other two books and read the first (the aforementioned “Triad Blood”) I can say how much I am looking forward to the second book in the series: “Triad Soul.”
The series takes place in Ottawa, Canada but not quite the one residents normally see. It is home to cliques of wizards, vampires and demons who are incredibly clannish and bind themselves in groups of three for safety and to share power. But twenty-something wizard Curtis, ageless Vampire Luc and macho demon Anders form a triad between themselves with surprising results. As the three of them are all Gay there is some sex but are they just friends or more?
The magical details of this series are intriguingly drawn, and each book features a suspenseful mystery as well. The fact that the plots involve paranormal events (such as who is killing people with gifts to see the future and shouldn’t they see it coming?) does not hamper the books being fine thrillers and the characters, even beyond our main triad, are appealing and even charming. (Even the evil ones.)
Burgoine is a fine writer who just keeps getting better. Full disclosure; he is a casual internet friend of mine.
Happy reading!
Jeff Baker’s fiction and non-fiction have appeared in the online ‘zine “RoMMantic Reads” among other places, and he has a story in the May 2024 issue of “Schlock Webzine.” He blogs about reading and writing sci-fi, fantasy and horror around the thirteenth of each month in this same space. His bookshelves really are a mess and may get messier. Jeff regularly posts fiction on his blog https://authorjeffbaker.com/ and wastes time on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ and on Mastodon as “Mike Mayak.” https://mastodon.otherworldsink.com/@MikeMayak
