Queer as in "fuck you"

So, been there, done that for a couple of years with daily chronological booklists for pride, and thought I’d try something different this time. Each weekend this month, I’ll put out a themed list of 7 queer SFF books for your consideration. Given the current vibes around the world, I feel it’s only appropriate to kick off with 7 books themed around “queer as in ‘fuck you’”. There might be community building in these, there might be some found family vibes, but the queers in these books also set bombs, chuck molotovs, kill homophobes, and occasionally even shatter continents. Rage isn’t always righteous, but in these cases it’s certainly fun to read. (As always, buy links, to non-Amazon sources where possible, are in the titles)

The Dominion of the Fallen series by Aliette de Bodard

To quote the author’s website, this is “A series of dark Gothic fantasies set in a turn-of-the-century Paris devastated by a magical war–featuring magicians, witches, alchemists,  Fallen angels, and the odd Vietnamese ex-Immortal…” Incredibly cool vibe and setting, multiple queer characters, but the murderqueer vibe is personified in one falled angel; Asmodeus. Extremely keen on control, extremely keen on murder, and also extremely keen to protect what is his, especially his people (and, later in the series, his husband; Thuan is a hypercompetent but somewhat less murdery delight).

The Amberlough Dossier series by Lara Elena Donnelly

The publisher’s tagline is “Le Carré meets Cabaret,” and as long as you also take note of the secondary world setting that’s about right. Queers and spies – and queer spies – navigate the creeping encroachment of fascism in an art deco-y setting. All about the risks and compromises you have to take to survive in such an environment, let alone challenge it. Not at all devoid of joy or beauty (and some of the genuinely best queer sex writing I’ve read in SFF in ages), but our queer set bombs & deal in betrayals and generally deal in anger as well. Unlike much else in the SFF genre (complimentary).

Escape from Hell! By Hal Duncan

You can’t really do better than the blurb here:

That really is what it comes down to. Novella as the fleshed out script of a schlocky action movie, which Duncan has said came to him while drunk. Profane, angry, a bit silly, and crafted in the sort of bravura prose you expect from Duncan it culminates with Definitely Not Matthew Shepherd obliterating the angel Gabriel. (The buy link is to an ebook on Duncan’s Bandcamp (?!), but also available on Kindle).

Insatiable by Jeff Mann

Derek Maclaine, an immortal Scottish vampire leather daddy who has lived in Appalachia for decades goes all Magneto on climate criminals and homophobic Republicans. That’s it, that’s the book. And it’s a hell of a good concept. Explicit (see: horny vampire leather daddy), unapologetically vengeful, a pure distillation of visceral queer dude id. Not going to be for everyone – heavy on the BDSM, heavy on the not entirely interrogated vengeful violence – but Mann is a skilful writer & he knows what he’s doing here; I’m glad this book and its rage exist (if you want more history on Maclaine, the collection Desire and Devour has most of his backstory).

The Rifter by Ginn Hale

The Rifter is an expansive portal fantasy, where our protagonist and some of his friends find their way (accidentally?) to a fantasy world with a very strict, homophobic church which has significant influence on politics and society. Said protagonist ends up, through various <spoiler> shenanigans, joining a rebellion against the prevailing society, while our deuteragonist is an assassin who works for the other side. You might be able to guess they eventually kiss. In between we have guerilla warfare, assassination plots, and worldshaking magic borne of queer rage and grief. One of the rare books I actually think spoilers do spoil, so I’m talking around a fair bit here. Suffice to say it’s a very impressive series, formally ambitious in a couple of ways, that almost entirely pulls of what it’s trying to do.

A Necessary Chaos by Brent C Lambert

Gay fever dream Mr & Mrs Smith with interesting science-fantasy dystopian setting. An anarchist activist and a corporate-imperial agent keep running into each other, and keep sleeping together, despite both knowing who each other is (and kind of pretending they don’t). Ridiculous chemistry between the leads, great action sequences involving queers smashing interdimensional capitalism and very effective worldbuilding in a very short page court.

Let The Mountains be my Grave by Francesca Tacchi

Queer partisan in occupied Italy, 1944, blows up Nazis, helped by the blessing of his village’s goddess. Breakneck action and great character work given just enough room to breathe (I particularly love the communist boyfriend), well-crafted setting and concept and it is, I repeat, literally queers blowing up fascists. “Inglorious Basterds but gay” is reductive but it’s not entirely wrong, either!