Did I combine my love of book recs and my appreciation of LGBTQIA authors? Heck yes, I did. LGBT Lit Recs is a monthly series of guest posts where LGBT+ authors recommend their favourite queer books! There'll be a post every last Wednesday of each month.
This month I am super, super excited to have Claudie Arseneault, author of a whole bunch of queer-inclusive books, on Words From Saruuh. Here's Claudie's recommended reads:
A Timeline of LGBTQIAP+ SFF
Hey, wonderful strangers! It is my great pleasure to occupy this space
today, and do one of my favourite things of all: sneeze great SFF recs written
by LGBTQIAP+ authors, and featuring those characters, and infect everyone with
them!
And because I can, these will be presented not in order of my favourite
(I could never pick), but in “chronological” order. Not that they’re in
the same world. Or on a clear Earth-like timeline in relation to one another…
but hey. It’s a thing! *throws confettis* Let’s get to the fun part right away.
1. DAUGHTER
OF MYSTERY, by Heather Rose Jones
First of a historical fantasy novel featuring two amazing women
unraveling mysteries, falling in love, and carving their place into the high
society and politics of Alpennia. It is a-ma-zing. The prose fits the period,
the characters are deep, with complex and often conflicting relationships, the
plot builds and flows and captivates.
2. ARIAH, by B.R. Sanders
I always have a hard time describing this novel. ARIAH is not an
adventure novel. The story follows the eponymous character throughout formative
years of his life, as he learns to master and understand his magical gift. It’s
an exploration—of cultural shock, of friendship and love, of the mutual
influence people have on each other. ARIAH is intense and captivating, somehow
feeling both slow and inexorable. Perhaps it’s its depth, perhaps it’s the
subjects touched upon. Whichever the case, this is one of my favourite recent
reads.
3. CHAMELEON
MOON, by RoAnna Sylver
Aaah, this book. I will never make a LGBTQIAP+ recs without a mention
for the Chameleon Moon series. I cannot. Set in Parole, a city barely holding
above a lava lake and threatening to sink in, contained by a force field and
filled with people wielding superhero-like powers, CHAMELEON MOON features an
amazingly diverse cast and tells a story of friendship and love and hope in the
face of overwhelming odds. A dys-hope-ia, as RoAnna loves to call it (and I
like to parrot). Get this book. Now. And keep an eye out for the second in the
series, coming out this fall!
4. FOURTH
WORLD, by Lyssa Chiavari
Who’s up for an archeological mystery on Mars? Not one, but two ace
spectrum protagonists? Reading this book has given me some of the most amazing
“it me” feels, and considering how far you sometimes have to dig for good ace
rep by ace writers? Yes yes yes. But don’t be fooled, it has a thrilling
plot, great characters, solid and sometimes gorgeous prose, and an amazing
worldbuilding to go with it. Plus if you fall in love with the novel, a sequel
novella (DIFFERENT WORLDS) is coming out this fall!
5. ASCENSION, by Jacqueline Koyanagi
From semi-near future sci-fi, we jump into starships and space opera.
ASCENCION is a masterful novel, led by a black lesbian with chronic pain who
stows away on a ship. It’s intense, both in action and emotion, and it has one
of my favourite tropes: Crew Before All. I love stories with group of
friends who stick together above all else. It also explore complex sibling
relationships, and grief, and disability, all of it while taking you on a
non-stop ride of events. I devoured this book and highly recommend it to, well,
anyone.
There are, of course, many others. Kiran Oliver was here last month and
you should definitely watch for his, DAYBREAK RISING. And he mentioned Shira
Glassman’s Mangoverse, another eternal source of joy for me. But five sounds
like a good number, doesn’t it? And if you want more, you can always check out
my own stuff! I have a political fantasy with a friendship focus lined up for
publication with a large and almost exclusively LGBTQIAP+ cast, and I’m really
excited about it. Add it on Goodreads if that’s your jam, or
take a look at my sci-fi adventure novel, already on
the shelves!
About Claudie:
Stories have always been an important part of Claudie's life. From reading to roleplaying to writing, characters have lived in her head for years, growing and evolving with her. Proud québécoise, asexual, and lover of squids and hot air balloon, she aims to provide awesome LGBTQIAP+ science fiction and fantasy. Her next novel, the first of a political fantasy trilogy, CITY OF STRIFE, comes out this Fall 2016.
