Ten Incarnations of Rebellion takes place in an alternate version of 1960s India, where British colonists’ brutal crackdown successfully quashed earlier attempts at independence. We meet Kalki as a teenager. Her father’s fight for freedom forced him to flee their home, and Kalki hasn’t heard from him since. Despite his rebellion liking costing his life,Read More
An Unforgettable Experimental Novel: Biography of X by Catherine Lacey Review
In what has quickly become one of my favourite novels of all time, Catherine Lacey’s Biography of X (Picador 2023) reveals a circuitous tale of a woman’s life and an alternate history of the United States that was consuming, compelling, and thrilling to read. When a woman known only as X—a performance artist, author, and infamous socialRead More
A Dashing Lesbian Adventure in Fantasy Egypt: A Master of Djinn by P. Djéli Clark
Amazon Affiliate Link | Bookshop.org Affiliate Link Sometimes when I’m reading/watching something, I think: what if this dashing, cavalier, risk-taking, slightly messy hero was a lesbian? Have you considered doing this exact story, literally nothing changed, except that instead of a vaguely scruffy man, this hero was a vaguely scruffy lesbian? I’m not the onlyRead More
Susan reviews Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear
Elizabeth Bear’s Karen Memory is a steampunk alternate universe set in Seattle during the Gold Rush, following a prostitute named Karen Memery (“like memory but with an e”) as she and her colleagues investigate the murders of streetwalkers, attempt to help rescue of women who have been trafficked, and also have to deal with aRead More
Danika reviews That Inevitable Victorian Thing by E.K. Johnston
Let me start this review at the end: The Author’s Note, which cleared up some things that I had been processing arguing with myself about the entire time I read reading it: That Inevitable Victorian Thing is a smallish story that takes place in a very big world. I wanted to be sure to include that world,Read More
Danika reviews Everfair by Nisi Shawl
It’s rare for me to pick up a book and be surprised to see it has queer representation. That’s part of being so immersed in the LGBTQ book internet: I’ve usually heard about the representation before picking it up. I picked Everfair because I was intrigued by the premise: a steampunk alternate history of the BelgianRead More
Audrey reviews My Real Children by Jo Walton
My Real Children is terrifically problematic in the best possible way. Patricia in 2015 is at the end of her life, relegated to a nursing home, left mostly alone by her family–but until she opens her eyes and sees the colors of the curtains and which side of the hallway the bathroom is on thatRead More
Audrey reviews The Story of Owen: Dragon Slayer of Trondheim by E.K. Johnston
“It’s literally about corporate dragon slaying.” The book was put into my hands. Because I have sent many, many books home with this young person, I took this one home and began reading it. This is a wonderful YA fantasy/alternate history title that had great reviews and for good reason. It has an awesome premise.Read More