(Untitled)

[xoverau]

Because I promised the lovely ahestele, and I could use some reading material myself:

Rec me a book. I'm partial to fantasy, queer, and supernatural lit, not partial to het (though it's not a dealbreaker if the story is good). If you can't come up with a specific book, rec me an author whose works you love.

Thanks!

(I'm aware I'm backlogged on

Comments

[strina]

Everything by Jim Butcher. The Dresden Files features a wizard PI named Harry Dresden and he is my beloved. Seriously awesome. There's also the Codex Alera, which is more "classic" fantasy: world not our own, magic is real, impending rebellion against the current monarch. But our hero, Tavi, doesn't have magic. He is, in fact, the only person he's ever heard of without a "fury", a kind of personal elemental that endows a person with special powers. It's only two books in, but it's a good series so far.

Covenants, by Lorna Freeman, is my favorite book, ever. But it's about a guy with super!superpowers, so it won't be to everyone's taste. I love the writing, though, and the characters, and the book has enough plot for a trilogy. There's a sequel out, though it's not near as good.

Also, second on the Tanya Huff.

[xoverau]

I tried one of the Dresden books years ago. I recall it was a little too far-out for my taste--I tend to prefer subtle supernatural fic (like Dead Zone) or all-out fantasy (like Harry Potter). Also, I vaguely remember it as having a hardboiled detective style, which isn't my favorite. However, I've heard enough good things about them that I'm willing to try them again. Maybe I picked a bad one or didn't give it enough of a chance.

*writes the others down happily*

[xoverau]

ALSO. You read a lot, maybe you've heard of these: There were some books about a high school teacher named Jim who was...sensitive, I guess you'd call him. He was educated in folklore and supernatural phenomena, and he had a bad habit of encountering creatures and events everywhere he went. I liked the books because they never really explained how he got his education (you got the impression it was practical rather than taught), why he could make spells work, why supernatural things recognized him, or why he could see and interact with that world. The most interesting parts were when he was with his students and his two worlds collided. He was such a normal guy, and they were such normal kids.

The two I recall dealt with (respectively) Coyote the trickster and an ice spirit. I think I may have read a more straightforward ghost story, too.

Any clue?

[strina]

Absolutely none. Wish I knew, though, 'cause those sound awesome.

[clumsygyrl]

uhm. coraline by neil gaiman i'm enjoying at the moment [because you know i have so much free time now to pleasure read.]

[xoverau]

*petpetpetpetpetpetpet*

Lord, if I go back to school we might as well just say a fond farewell for six months.

[clumsygyrl]

*CLINGS*

do not SAY that. i would miss you so much.

[xoverau]

I'd first have to come up with something I'd waste money studying want to study.

[ephemera_pop]

Neil Gaiman - any of them, but especially Neverwhere or American Gods, Because I *love* them.

Naiomi Novak's Temeraire trilogy are less with the gay, but much with the Napoleonic Dragons and ... yes.

But possibly more on topic. Sarah Monette's Melusine and The Virtu, as raved about in my jurnal yesterday. One of the POV characters is gay and the books really are *delicious*

Also Storm Constatine's Wraethu Trilogy - although I never gelled with any of her other books - and Lynn Flewelling's Nightrunner trilogy. It is saying a very great deal that Melusine displaced the Nightrunner books as my new favourite queer fantasy ....

[xoverau]

The Melusine thing? BWAH! I've been ranting and bitching about both books for the last year as examples of queer fantasy that miss greatness by an aggravatingly small degree. Sarah Monette actually linked one of my rants in her LJ--not the really bad one, but the slightly apologetic one where I called her a hack and said I hated her. I also trashed Melusine on Amazon. Hahahahaha.

However! Having read The Virtu, I realized the series suffered from problems that were not related to its author, and that it was better planned than I thought at first. I plan to read the other two books, because (while I still feel they're flawed) they're CRACK. I love all the potential, and the characters interest me, and as a 'cest fan you KNOW I'm 'shipping Felix/Mildmay. *grin* Now that I know you like them, we can talk about the new ones when they come out.

[ephemera_pop]

Okay - point me at the ranting, svp. :D

I've seen a couple of reviews which pulled out threads for criticism that are reasons why I'm currently in love [and I am currently in love, which probably does bad things to my critical faculties, but Mildmay! Felix! [ur_otp, issueguy and fixitdude - I am nothing if not consistant ...]

[xoverau]

Lord, I'd have to do some searching to find all the times I've mentioned these books. My friends have started to tease me about them. It started with a horrible review right after Melusine came out (my rage was spurred by getting suckered into spending over thirty bucks on it) and a slightly more elaborate horrible review on Amazon. After that, I found that there was going to be a series following (there'd been no indication that the first book was continued, so I just thought it was a truncated, poorly-paced, hysterically-characterized novel). I decided to give the second one a shot, and it did help explain quite a few things about Melusine, though the narrative was just as unwieldy. I rambled about that one at greater length in a second post. I was going to write a third, with my conclusions, but got most of my yayas out bitching in IM to poor muj, who's my sounding board for all things crit-related. :)

[hegemony]

Neil Gaiman's anansi boys was a petty good book, so good it's the only fiction I've honest to god read All year. I used to have a really big cyberpunk reading list. If I find it, I'll re-post it for you.

[xoverau]

I'm not a huge Gaiman fan--I always think I should be, but his characters are often too quirky, weightless, and inaccessible for me. That one did sound pretty cool when I read the cover, though, and I've had good recs for it.

If you find that reading list? It'd be so nifty.

[gryphonella]

I, Lucifer by Glen Duncan. God and the Devil make a deal. It's amazing and I love it to death. Weathercock by the same, if you can find it. The main character is basically a pedophile and molester and yet somehow, Duncan convinces you to sympathize with him.

Also, How to Kill A Rock Star by Tiffanie DeBartolo. Just really wonderful. I can't quite explain it. But if you're a music lover, it hits you in all the right spots.

[xoverau]

Thank you! Written down.