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Queer Historical Fiction Book Bracket: Round 2B

Book summaries below:

The Vampire Chronicles (Interview with the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, The Queen of the Damned, The Tale of the Body Thief, Memnoch the Devil, The Vampire Armand, Merrick, Blood and Gold, Blackwood Farm, Blood Canticle, Prince Lestat, Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis, Blood Communion) by Anne Rice

This is the story of Louis, as told in his own words, of his journey through mortal and immortal life. Louis recounts how he became a vampire at the hands of the radiant and sinister Lestat and how he became indoctrinated, unwillingly, into the vampire way of life. His story ebbs and flows through the streets of New Orleans, defining crucial moments such as his discovery of the exquisite lost young child Claudia, wanting not to hurt but to comfort her with the last breaths of humanity he has inside. Yet, he makes Claudia a vampire, trapping her womanly passion, will, and intelligence inside the body of a small child. Louis and Claudia form a seemingly unbreakable alliance and even "settle down" for a while in the opulent French Quarter. Louis remembers Claudia's struggle to understand herself and the hatred they both have for Lestat that sends them halfway across the world to seek others of their kind. Louis and Claudia are desperate to find somewhere they belong, to find others who understand, and someone who knows what and why they are.

Louis and Claudia travel Europe, eventually coming to Paris and the ragingly successful Theatre des Vampires—a theatre of vampires pretending to be mortals pretending to be vampires. Here they meet the magnetic and ethereal Armand, who brings them into a whole society of vampires. But Louis and Claudia find that finding others like themselves provides no easy answers and in fact presents dangers they scarcely imagined.

Originally begun as a short story, the book took off as Anne wrote it, spinning the tragic and triumphant life experiences of a soul. As well as the struggles of its characters, Interview captures the political and social changes of two continents. The novel also introduces Lestat, Anne's most enduring character, a heady mixture of attraction and revulsion. The book, full of lush description, centers on the themes of immortality, change, loss, sexuality, and power.

Setting: Various time periods

Horror, historical fiction, fantasy, paranormal, gothic, series, adult

Our Hideous Progeny by C.E. McGill

It is not the monster you must fear, but the monster it makes of men. . .

For readers of Circe or Ariadne, a brilliant literary revisiting of Mary Shelley's classic Frankenstein with a fresh, queer, provocative twist.

Mary is the great-niece of Victor Frankenstein. She knows her great uncle disappeared in mysterious circumstances in the Arctic, but she doesn't know why or how…

The 1850s is a time of discovery, and London is ablaze with the latest scientific theories and debates, especially when a spectacular new exhibition of dinosaur sculptures opens at the Crystal Palace. Mary, with a sharp mind and a sharper tongue, is keen to make her name in this world of science alongside her geologist husband Henry, but without wealth and connections, their options are limited.

But when Mary discovers some old family papers that allude to the shocking truth behind her great-uncle's past, she thinks she may have found the key to securing their future… Their quest takes them to the wilds of Scotland, to Henry's intriguing but reclusive sister Maisie, and to a deadly chase with a rival who is out to steal their secret.

Our Hideous Progeny is a sumptuous tale of ambition and obsession, of forbidden love and sabotage; an adventure story that blends classic, immersive storytelling with contemporary themes.

Setting: London, 1850

Historical fiction, retelling, gothic, Victorian, 1850s, adult

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Queer Historical Fiction Book Bracket: Round 2B

Book summaries and submitted endorsements below:

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley

1883. Thaniel Steepleton returns home to his tiny London apartment to find a gold pocket watch on his pillow. Six months later, the mysterious timepiece saves his life, drawing him away from a blast that destroys Scotland Yard. At last, he goes in search of its maker, Keita Mori, a kind, lonely immigrant from Japan. Although Mori seems harmless, a chain of unexplainable events soon suggests he must be hiding something. When Grace Carrow, an Oxford physicist, unwittingly interferes, Thaniel is torn between opposing loyalties.

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street is a sweeping, atmospheric narrative that takes the reader on an unexpected journey through Victorian London, Japan as its civil war crumbles long-standing traditions, and beyond. Blending historical events with dazzling flights of fancy, it opens doors to a strange and magical past.

Setting: England, 1883

Fantasy, historical fiction, mystery, science fiction, 1880s, Victorian, adult

All the Painted Stars by Emma Denny (14th Century Oxfordshire #2)

Endorsement from submitter: "What if A Knight's Tale was about lesbians? That's it, that's the book. Also the author's fixation on medieval brewing. Swords, jousting, and the lesbian yearning of being secretly in love with your best friend and not being able to do anything about it. Lily is good at two things: hitting guys with a stick, and ruining marriages."

Oxfordshire 1362

When Lily Barden discovers her best friend Johanna’s hand in marriage is being awarded as the main prize at a tournament, she is determined to stop it. Disguised as a knight, she infiltrates the contest, preparing to fight for Jo’s hand. But her conduct ruffles feathers, and when a dangerous incident escalates out of Lily’s control, Jo must help her escape.

Finding safety with a local brewster, Lily and Jo soon settle into their new freedom, and amongst blackberry bushes and lakeside walks an unexpected relationship blossoms. But when Jo’s past catches up with her and Lily’s reckless behaviour threatens their newfound happiness, both women realise that choices must always come at a cost. The question they need to ask is if the cost is worth the price of love…

Setting: Medieval Oxfordshire, 1362

Historical fiction, romance, medieval, 1360s, series, adult

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Here he is, baby!! Featuring...

A marriage of convenience

A sexy nonbinary wifesband

Emotional support hounds

Being in love with a ghost

A devastating love triangle lol just joking it's poly

Ash getting topped like his life depends on it (it does)

Ye Olde Sex Toyes

Out 12th Feb in the UK and 17th Feb in the USA! That's right, you lucky usamericans don't have to wait this time!!

Watch this space for more updates and the full blurb!

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Work in Progress Wednesday Thursday

I don't remember the last time I was quite this excited about a skin that I'm making. I have no idea if all of this will end up in the final version, but I'm just having so much fun with seeing what I can actually do that I wanted to share some work in progress shots.

(honestly? the hardest part has been finding the images. any tips on where to get medieval illuminated artwork would be much appreciated!)

In the first image, the AO3 title and the lady/dragon are separate images so on a desktop monitor the AO3 part is on the left and the dragon piece is on the right.

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It never fails to bum me out the direct correlation between how hard someone leans into the "We should all just get along!!" narrative and the likelihood of them being a raging bigot. Like if someone says "I wish there was world peace", that person is almost certainly normal. But if they say "We're all just one people!!! 🥰❤️ It breaks my heart to see everyone FIGHTING and JUDGING each other when we could be LOVING each other despite our differences!!! ✨💞🫶 EMBRACING our neighbours rather than pushing them AWAY!!! 💕🥰 Sure, we might all have different politics and beliefs, but that doesn't mean we have to fight!!!!!!!!!!! We can still be friends!!!!!" that's a Trump supporter who's just been disinvited from her daughter's wedding for posting on facebook how she thinks all immigrants should be fitted with GPS tracking chips

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^ All of the above, and also: I believe a very important point that's often missed out of the conversation is that all of us pay vastly more for housing than we ought to. If all of our money wasn't poured into paying hugely inflated amounts for rent and mortgages, then we would, in fact, likely have the room in our budgets to pay more for all the 'big' things in life.

And I've got proof. Consider Victorian England; we can all agree that life in the 19th century was, in many ways, not good. However. When I read this in an 1860s book on household management a while ago, I was absolutely furious:

It recommends that rent should take up roughly 10-17% percent of your income.

Yes, you read that correctly.

...So where did all the rest of their money go? Well, here's an example budget from another guide on household management from 1823 (admittedly a lot earlier, but we can see that the percentage of income spent on rent is in the same ballpark - actually less than the 13.6% written here, because that's not accounting for the 8% of total household income already set aside for savings):

That's more than half the household income on food and drink. This example 1823 family is even spending more on clothes than on rent, and almost as much on "other household items," which likely includes things like furniture, rugs, cooking pots, coal/wood/candles... essentially, 86.4% of their entire expenditure is on items that take a lot of labor to produce.

(...of course, how much of that money actually made its way to the people making these items? Probably very little, or none at all in the case of enslaved workers. I'm not trying to say that 19th century Britain fairly compensated people for their labor, not in the slightest - only that the norm of spending thousands each month to landlords and only having a pittance leftover to spent on all the other necessities of life that take actual human labor to produce is very new and very, very abnormal.)

To put this in perspective, by the way - if you're working full time in the US at minimum wage ($7.25.hr), you should earn about $15,000 a year. This means that, if your budget was allocated according to the same percentages as the 1823 budget above, it would look like this:

Food - $665.73/mo Other Household Items - $132.92/mo Clothes - $191.35/mo Rent - $155.83/mo Savings - $104.17/mo

The average rent in the US is currently $1600 a month.

This website sometimes seems to think that leftism is when you can buy cheap things, and the cheaper they are, the more leftist it is. I really don't know how to explain the world to people like that.

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Queer Historical Fiction Book Bracket: Round 2B

Book summaries and submitted endorsements below:

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley

1883. Thaniel Steepleton returns home to his tiny London apartment to find a gold pocket watch on his pillow. Six months later, the mysterious timepiece saves his life, drawing him away from a blast that destroys Scotland Yard. At last, he goes in search of its maker, Keita Mori, a kind, lonely immigrant from Japan. Although Mori seems harmless, a chain of unexplainable events soon suggests he must be hiding something. When Grace Carrow, an Oxford physicist, unwittingly interferes, Thaniel is torn between opposing loyalties.

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street is a sweeping, atmospheric narrative that takes the reader on an unexpected journey through Victorian London, Japan as its civil war crumbles long-standing traditions, and beyond. Blending historical events with dazzling flights of fancy, it opens doors to a strange and magical past.

Setting: England, 1883

Fantasy, historical fiction, mystery, science fiction, 1880s, Victorian, adult

All the Painted Stars by Emma Denny (14th Century Oxfordshire #2)

Endorsement from submitter: "What if A Knight's Tale was about lesbians? That's it, that's the book. Also the author's fixation on medieval brewing. Swords, jousting, and the lesbian yearning of being secretly in love with your best friend and not being able to do anything about it. Lily is good at two things: hitting guys with a stick, and ruining marriages."

Oxfordshire 1362

When Lily Barden discovers her best friend Johanna’s hand in marriage is being awarded as the main prize at a tournament, she is determined to stop it. Disguised as a knight, she infiltrates the contest, preparing to fight for Jo’s hand. But her conduct ruffles feathers, and when a dangerous incident escalates out of Lily’s control, Jo must help her escape.

Finding safety with a local brewster, Lily and Jo soon settle into their new freedom, and amongst blackberry bushes and lakeside walks an unexpected relationship blossoms. But when Jo’s past catches up with her and Lily’s reckless behaviour threatens their newfound happiness, both women realise that choices must always come at a cost. The question they need to ask is if the cost is worth the price of love…

Setting: Medieval Oxfordshire, 1362

Historical fiction, romance, medieval, 1360s, series, adult

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Remember kids! NEVER save left-over antibiotics! You should never have leftover antibiotics, because you have to finish the whole course! Not doing so, or giving your antibiotics to someone else who hasn’t been prescribed them is how we got superbugs, that are resistant to antibiotics! 

ALWAYS finish your antibiotics, even if you don’t think you’re sick anymore! NEVER give your antibiotics to other people, there is no guaruntee they will have any effect, or the same effect, and without a full course, will not help them even if it is the right medicine for the job. 

BOTH cases result in resistant superbugs, which are dangerous to everyone, and hurt everyone. You might think you’re helping your poorer friends who cannot afford an antibiotic/to be seen by a doctor, but you’re not. You’re just hurting everyone. 

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Queer Historical Fiction Book Bracket: Round 2A

Book summaries and submitted endorsements below:

The Sworn Soldier series (What Moves the Dead, What Feasts at Night, What Stalks the Deep) by T. Kingfisher

When Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, they race to the ancestral home of the Ushers in the remote countryside of Ruravia.

What they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife, surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her brother Roderick is consumed with a mysterious malady of the nerves.

Aided by a redoubtable British mycologist and a baffled American doctor, Alex must unravel the secret of the House of Usher before it consumes them all.

Setting: Turn-of-the-century

Horror, fantasy, gothic, mystery, historical fiction, turn-of-the-century, retelling, novella, series, adult

One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny (14th Century Oxfordshire #1)

Endorsement from submitter: "One Night in Hartswood takes the premise of "what if we were queer and ran away together" but they actually DO run away together. And it all goes well and no one gets shot with anything. A big gay medieval romantic romp about yearning and being bad at talking about your feelings."

Oxford 1360

When his sister’s betrothed vanishes the night before her politically arranged marriage, Raff Barden must track and return the elusive groom to restore his family’s honour. William de Foucart ― known to his friends as Penn ― had no choice but to abandon his fiancé, and with it his own earldom, when he fled the night before his enforced marriage. But ill-equipped to survive on the run he must trust the kindness of a stranger, Raff, to help him escape. Unaware their fates are already entwined, their unexpected bond deepens into a far more precious relationship, one that will test all that they hold dear. And when secrets are finally revealed, both men must decide what they will risk for the one they love…

Setting: Medieval Oxfordshire, 1360s

Historical fiction, romance, medieval, 1360s, series, adult

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Ever since I've started lightly dipping my toe into the Clubbing Life i've noticed that friends and even near strangers will often come up to me and ask "Are you OK????" even when im just vibing, which leads me to believe that two-drinks-In Charlie has some kind of "Resting Haunted Face" situation going on

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happy pride month my friends <3

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Do not think for a moment that this admin is only going after trans folks. They are ultimately going after the whole LGBTQ community. They start small, like getting rid of a hotline option, then go BIG.

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people in books and tv shows are always getting so upset they throw an untouched meal in the trash. that would never be me. i'd receive the worst news of my life and still be like Let me put this in the fridge.

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I am disheartened by the way westerners talk about Iran. Even some of the pro Palestinian ones. Many talk about Iran as a force of resistance against the west being “under attack” by Israel. Which is true but more importantly, hundreds of innocent civilians were slaughtered by Israel (and the US by proxy). My grief is as it’s always been indescribable.