I’ve been drawn to LGBT+ characters and themes long before I knew that was a thing that a person could be—and longer still before I realized that it was something that might apply to me. Science fiction and fantasy helped me to explore identities and ways of existing within the world that were fundamentally different from my own and that instilled a love of the genre that I’ll always treasure.
I like to think I’m pretty good at guessing where a book is going to go—this is not the case with Gideon the Ninth. Every time I thought I had a grip on what was going on and where we were going, it took a turn. Every time I thought I had an idea of how I felt about a character, new lore dropped, and I fell in love (or in hate, or in a complicated love/hate thing that I have yet to figure out).
By the time I finished, I was torn between picking up the second book in the series to learn what happened next or rereading the first just to see how different it would be once I had a better understanding of the book.
15+ pages of new, original content, including a glossary of terms, in-universe writings, and more!
A USA Today Best-Selling Novel!
"Unlike anything I've ever read. " --V.E. Schwab
"Lesbian necromancers explore a haunted gothic palace in space!" --Charles Stross
"Brilliantly original, messy and weird straight through." --NPR
The Emperor needs necromancers.
The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.
Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead nonsense.
Tamsyn Muir's Gideon the Ninth, first in The Locked Tomb Trilogy, unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap off the page, as…
Maybe it’s the millennial in me, but I can’t begin to tell you how much I relate to Murderbot. All it wants to do is get through its workday so it can take a break and watch its shows—and yes, maybe my job is slightly less stressful than acting as security for a science expedition that’s pissed off a bloodthirsty super-corporation, but we all have our struggles. Like socializing with our coworkers. Or capitalism. Or man-eating space worms.
Probably my favorite thing about Murderbot is the deadpan humor with which it tells its story, which really comes to life in the audiobook thanks to Kevin R. Free’s narration.
All Systems Red by Martha Wells begins The Murderbot Diaries, a new science fiction action and adventure series that tackles questions of the ethics of sentient robotics. It appeals to fans of Westworld, Ex Machina, Ann Leckie's Imperial Raadch series, or lain M. Banks' Culture novels. The main character is a deadly security droid that has bucked its restrictive programming and is balanced between contemplative self discovery and an idle instinct to kill all humans. In a corporate dominated s pa cef a ring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by…
I’m a sucker for so many things in this book—strong socio-political worldbuilding, a royal family with actual duties that they carry out onscreen, a gay bodyguard romance, an enemies-to-lovers plot arc, a character being an absolute badass thanks to coping strategies they developed to deal with a debilitating mental illness.
I was particularly impressed with the way the political intrigue and the romance were balanced with and woven into one another.
A sweeping fantasy romance inspired by the Ottoman Empire, A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland is perfect for fans of A Marvellous Light and The Goblin Emperor.
'A delicious tangle of romance, fealty and dangerous politics' - Tasha Suri, author of The Jasmine Throne
One false coin could topple an empire.
Kadou, the shy prince of Arasht, has no intention of wrestling for imperial control with his sister, the queen. Yet he remains at odds with one of the most powerful ambassadors at court - the father of the queen's new child. Then a hunting party goes…
Confession time: I tend to be picky about mermaid stories because life under the sea is such a dramatic difference from our reality that it’s often hard to really reflect that difference. In this book, you never forget that these people aren’t human, and you never lose their connection to the sea. It’s everywhere, from the way they think about distances to their relationships with the other creatures around them to the way Yetu’s disabilities are handled.
In the same way, the trauma that created their people was always lingering at the forefront of my mind as I read, even when it wasn’t the subject at hand. This is another one where my experience was elevated even further by the audiobook, as narrated by Daveed Diggs.
WINNER OF THE LAMBDA LITERARY LGBTQ SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY/HORROR AWARD
The water-breathing descendants of African slave women tossed overboard have built their own underwater society-and must reclaim the memories of their past to shape their future in this brilliantly imaginative novella inspired by the Hugo Award-nominated song "The Deep" from Daveed Diggs's rap group clipping.
Yetu holds the memories for her people-water-dwelling descendants of pregnant African slave women thrown overboard by slave owners-who live idyllic lives in the deep. Their past, too traumatic to be remembered regularly, is forgotten by everyone, save one-the historian. This demanding role has been bestowed on…
To the surprise of nobody who knows me (and my relationship with gender) today, my favorite fairytales were Fantaghiro the Beautiful and Mulan—two stories of women who donned men’s armor and male pronouns in order to go to war. So, it’s no surprise that I’d be a fan of Polly Perks and her regiment.
I had so much fun trying to figure out which of her brothers-in-arms were actually sisters, especially with the way Pratchett deals with those nuances of gender in the midst of classic fantasy races like trolls, vampires, and igor(ina)s. Normally, I’m wary of older writers like Pratchett handling this kind of subject matter, but he handles the subject thoughtfully and sensitively without ever losing his trademark sense of humor.
A new stage adaptation of one of Pratchett's best-selling novels The Monstrous Regiment in question is made up of a vampire (reformed and off the blood, thank you), a troll, Igor (who is only too happy to sew you a new leg if you aren't too particular about previous ownership), a collection of misfits and a young woman discovers that a pair of socks shoved down her pants is a good way to open up doors in a man's army."One of the funniest English authors alive" (Independent)
Long ago, Irora Yureu’s family was given powers over fire by the magical zader who ruled their lands. But times changed, and a bloodstained revolution deposed the zader and branded those with magical gifts as traitors of the new regime. After a hundred years of keeping their abilities secret, Irora’s family is betrayed by a jealous rival. In one fell swoop, the entire family is arrested or killed—only Irora manages to escape, but the manhunt is closing in fast.
With nowhere left to go and no hope of a future, Irora makes a desperate play: ally herself with an aging mob enforcer, track down and liberate one of the last surviving zader, and take revenge against the woman who ruined her life.
I’ve adored reading a good snarky first-person story since I first read Bloodlist, so long as the snark doesn’t go too far and become total unlikeable jerk… It can be a fine line!I hope I stay on the right side of it, but having read it enough and written in it for years with my Blood Rights Series, I feel qualified to say I’m a…snark connoisseur. (If you ask my family, this is how my own internal/life narrator speaks! My mother says that my character Dakota is me if I “said everything aloud that I think in my head.” She’s probably right, and I’m okay with that.)
Bad Blood is paranormal suspense in First Person Snark, so if you like sarcastic, strong female characters set in a world where the preternatural is run amok (i.e., legal citizens in the United States), then this book and series are for you.
Follow Sadie Stanton–"poster girl for the preternatural"–as she deals with all sorts of messes and sets up her business while being a vampire in a new day...or night, really.
I’m Sadie Stanton, and I don’t know why everyone makes such a big deal out of me. I’m just like everyone else—I’m trying to start a business, not spending much time on my social life, and dealing with an obnoxious roommate...
Oh, and being a vampire. There’s that. But it’s okay, because we’re all legal now.
But believe me, that doesn’t make life easy. In fact, it might be harder now than ever before, but I did it to myself… And now vampires are attacking people seemingly at random and not even trying to feed. Everyone…
