“It’s Gay and it Slaps”: A Recommended Reading List

There has been an explosion of LGBTQ+ – and particularly F/F – SFF lately, and I for one am eating it up. So I present to you a recommending reading list with snapshot reviews.

Novels

• A Memory Called Empire, Arkady Martine: Empire, colonization, memory, assimilation, political intrigue
• Gideon the Ninth/Harrow the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir: What the actual fuck, so weird, slaps so hard. Space goth Catholicism and necromancy and biceps and dysfunctional broken young women and unreliable narration.
• The Traitor Baru Cormorant, Seth Dickinson: Economics and empire; will break your heart into a million pieces
• The Space Between Worlds, Micaiah Johnson: Parallel universes, Haves and Have-Nots, if Mad Max met Fringe
• Ninefox Gambit, Yoon Ha Lee: Math = magic, this actually broke my brain
• Belladona U series, Tansy Rayner Roberts: College students at magical uni, shenanigans ensue
• The Luminous Dead, Caitlin Starling: A claustrophobic horror movie of a book; caves and secrets and atmosphere for days

Novellas

• The Empress of Salt and Fortune, Nghi Vo: an exiled queen, her loyal servant, the power – and revenge – of the overlooked
• Upright Women Wanted, Sarah Gailey: librarians, rebellion, the postapocalyptic American West, everyone is queer
• This is How You Lose the Time War, Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone: Poetic, epistolary, a love story between agents on opposing sides
• A Taste of Honey, Kai Ashante Wilson: lush, romantic, gods and mortals, nonlinear narrative

10 SFF Works by Black Authors

Much of what has been shared so far in the wake of George Floyd’s death has been petitions, donation links, education materials for people to understand the impact of systemic racism in this country and fight it. That is, of course, so important.

I think it is also important to celebrate the achievements of black people, and the art they have put out into the world. I get asked quite often to share book recommendations, and I really enjoy doing it. To that end, I thought I would share a list of 10 science fiction and fantasy short stories, novellas, and novels by black authors that I found particularly enjoyable and/or impactful.

Please look through and consider reading one of these books (purchase if you are able, or request from your local library if you are not) and writing a review (reviews are the lifeblood of publishing, especially on Amazon).

Please also share any other books (don’t have to be SFF) by black authors that you have enjoyed in the comments! And if you do end up reading any of these, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

On Heroines

(Spoiler Warnings Various)

I was very fortunate that, growing up, I was able to find books in which girls were the protagonists, the chosen, the ones who saved their homes or their worlds. Particular thanks to Tamora Pierce, who practically codified this as a subgenre, but the truth is that between my school’s surprisingly large collection, given the number of students, and the vast resources of the New York Public Library, my books were full of people like me.

Where I was more lacking in representation was in films, although I never thought it was an issue. Sure, I had some complaints — Leia is undoubtedly awesome, but I wanted to wield a lightsaber goddamnit — but for the most part I accepted that the protagonists of my favorite movies were mostly male. Or that even if the main character was a woman, she would be surrounded primarily by men.

I didn’t think it was a problem.

Then, I learned I could have something different.

A Hugo Award Recommended Reading List (2017 Edition)

For Tami, because she asked.

Best Novel

• A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers (Hodder & Stoughton / Harper Voyager US)
• Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee (Solaris Books)
• The Obelisk Gate by N. K. Jemisin (Orbit Books)
• Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer (Tor Books)*

Yes, I am recommending that many. It was a really strong field!  A Closed and Common Orbit is a worthy sequel to The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, with quite a bit more in the way of actual plot, while still retaining the charm and character focus of the first book. Ninefox Gambit is brilliant military science fiction that kind of messes with your head. The Obelisk Gate is a sequel that meets or even surpasses The Fifth Season, and that set a high bar. The final book in the trilogy is coming out within the next month and I am so excited.

A Recommended Reading List (2016)

I am occasionally asked for book recommendations, which I LOVE doing although I am always baffled to be asked. I prefer to tailor recommendations toward the asker (if I know of two or three books or authors previously liked, I feel much better pulling recs from my “library”, so to speak), but I’m also happy to do a “best of the best according to Faith”, and so here is such a list for books I read in 2016*.

The Mirror of Fiction

If you’ll indulge me, dear readers, I’d like to ramble a little bit about representation in fiction.

I’m not going to dive too deeply into an analysis of why representation is a good thing; that’s been done before and better by other people — and regardless, it should be intuitively understood that seeing yourself reflected in the culture you consume is validating, normalizing, comforting. That privilege has too long belonged mostly to young-to-middle-aged cis white men, and so any deviation from that “norm” (which is, in the context of the diversity of the real world, not normal at all) is to be celebrated.

I also don’t want to dwell on representation done badly, and all the harm that can do. I’ve argued about it too much recently, what with J.K. Rowling’s latest foray into Native American mythology.

What I want to do instead is to highlight a couple of books I’ve read recently that have done a good job of representing the sort of people who are traditionally ignored or elided in fiction — because the sense of relief when you can finally see yourself on the page, know that you aren’t alone in feeling the way you do or being the way you are, is immeasurable, and if I can help others to feel that, I should.

So with that said, three books read recently where I noted a particular attention to diversity in representation:

The Podcast Post (Redux)

It’s been a while since the last podcast post, so let’s revisit the subject. First we’ll see which podcasts have stood the test of time, and which new additions have filled out my repertoire.

Looking Back

What podcasts did I mention last time? Am I still listening to them?

• The SF Signal Podcast: Still listening to this one — not every episode, but I keep an eye out for interviews or topics that look interesting. However, now that SF Signal is shutting down, I anticipate that the podcast will stop as well.
• Writing Excuses: Still short, still sweet, still listening.
• SF Squeecast: Unfortunately is on (possibly permanent) hiatus.
• Welcome to Night Vale: I can’t, I’m sorry. This one is just not grabbing me. I gave their other project “Alice Isn’t Dead” a try as well, and similarly it’s just not for me.
• Tea and Jeopardy: Just as lovely and as British as ever 🙂
• Galactic Suburbia: Still as excellent as when I first started listening. Alisa, Alex and Tansy have really interesting and insightful things to say, and we have very similar tastes in books!
• The Thrilling Adventure Hour: Still in love! Although as part of my recent change in life philosophies, I’ve allowed myself to stop listening to the segments that I don’t enjoy as much. Which means, essentially, that I’m listening to “Beyond Belief”, “Sparks Nevada”, and “Down in Moonshine Holler”, though that last may not be a permanent keeper. We’ll see.

Looking Forward

What new podcasts have I picked up?

• Breaking the Glass Slipper: A podcast about women in SF, Fantasy, and Horror. There have only been two episodes so far, but it seems very promising. And certainly a subject matter I’m invested in!
• Fangirl Happy Hour: A podcast very much in a similar vein to “Galactic Suburbia”, though it has more cursing in it. Also enjoyable to listen to, and a good source of recommendations.
• The West Wing Weekly: GUYS. You don’t understand. I love this show so much. This is an episode-by-episode discussion of the West Wing, with your hosts Hrishikesh Hirway and JOSHUA MALINA he was on the show for real, guys, I can’t. With insightful discussion of episodes and lots of guest appearances from interesting people (actors, writers, costume designers etc.) involved with the show.

And You?

Any interesting podcasts on your radar? I’m always open to recommendations!

Indie Roundup: Science Fiction #1

This is the first post in a new series, where I highlight some of the indie books I’ve read and liked lately. Finding those hidden gems is hard, and it’s tempting to just not bother, but as an aspiring author myself I’d like to support the people who are writing great stuff, even if it’s not repped by a big publishing house. Hopefully this will make it a little easier.

Feel free to share your own recommendations in the comments!

On Catfights and Cliches

I could have chosen to write this post a couple of different ways. I could have framed it as a feminist criticism of a certain tired trope, and drawn on my own writing as an example. In fact, that’s what I intended to do when I came up with the idea for this post.

But I just finished a week of non-stop, intense academic work, and then I went to the Dean’s Christmas party and broke the cardinal rule not to eat English pizza because I’d had too much wine and not enough sleep, and then I sat on a plane for eight hours, came home, and fell on my face.

I’m tired.

So instead I’m just going to talk a little bit about two of my characters, and why I made some of the choices I did in writing them and their relationship.

The Podcast Post

In Which I Am Reluctant

So. I have long been resistant to the aural tradition, because I honestly find it difficult to follow audio-only things. I am such a visual person that I have fits if my brother wants help with his math homework, because he reads the questions aloud to me and won’t let me look at the paper. (CANNOT. HANDLE.)

I tried audiobooks once (I think it was a “try one free” deal) and…didn’t work. I couldn’t follow the story at all, kept getting lost, was super frustrated the whole time.

In Which I Am Reluctantly Converted

I’ve been working at a nonprofit this summer, and a lot of the people there listen to music while they work. So I started listening to music while I worked. And I enjoyed that.

Then the girl next to me started talking about all the podcasts she was listening to.

Here’s the thing: I try to be a good aspiring writer – I follow all the authors and agents on Twitter (and see some interesting stuff that way), subscribe to the Publisher’s Marketplace newsletter, try to keep up with what’s going on in the industry. But there are only so many hours in the day.

ENTER PODCASTS.