Roar Cat Reads

Tag: Science fiction

  • 6 Queer Books I Read While Wedding Planning

    6 Queer Books I Read While Wedding Planning

    Wedding planning really took the wind out of my blogging sails, but I’m back, and I want to talk about the queer books that I read during those months that I was MIA. From memoirs to graphic novels to YA to historical nonfiction, I’ve got a book recommendation for you!

    6 Queer Books I Read While Wedding Planning

    Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies

    by Michael Ausiello

    This is the only book that directly relates to getting married, and WOW was it a good but hard book to read in the run up to committing my life to someone else’s in a world that is chaotic and impossible to control! A memoir about a gay couple’s relationship when one of them develops terminal cancer, I wound up loving it because it avoids trauma porn vibes by including a wicked sense of humor that rang really authentically to me. It’s devastating (look at that title) and uplifting in a “this is the human condition” sort of way.\

    Goodreads

    Strong Female Protagonist: Book One

    by Brennan Lee Mulligan and Molly Ostertag

    I have recently fallen down the Dimension 20 hole, and I’m now obsessed with everything that Brennan Lee Mulligan has created. When I learned that he had created a graphic novel with Molly Ostertag, it was the easiest decision in the world to check it out. Although the drawings start out a little rough around the edges, in true webcomic fashion, the style crystalizes as the book progresses. As for the story itself, it’s a great character study on the weight of superheroism and what it means to do good in a morally and systemically complicated world. Why is it reviewed by RCR? Because the best side character is a lesbian!

    Goodreads

    Bad Gays: A Homosexual History

    by Huw Lemmey and Ben Miller

    One of the evidences that queerness is becoming more culturally accepted is the growing genre of allowing gay people to be complicated, messy, and bad (see also: Detransition, Baby and The Ultimatum: Queer Love). This historical nonfiction covers the lives of (predominantly) gay men throughout history who have made the world worse, sometimes to a truly enormous extent. At the same time, Lemmey and Miller explore what “gay” has meant throughout history and how an evolving sense of identity has shaped people’s lives and actions.

    Goodreads

    The Terraformers

    by Annalee Newitz

    Covering three points in time spanning over a thousand years, Newitz explores themes of personhood and capitalism on a planet being terraformed in the far distant future. It’s very much a theme-heavy book rather than plot-heavy, and my favorite part of the book is how detailed and nuanced her vision of future relationships (familial, friendly, and romantic) might look like. When I tell you that I found myself shipping a train and a cat (yes, you read that right) and feeling like it was the most obvious thing in the world, I hope that conveys the depth of Newitz’s skills. If you like Becky Chambers’ books, there’s a high likelihood that you’ll enjoy this too!

    Goodreads

    Another Appalachia: Coming Up Queer and Indian in a Mountain Place

    by Neema Avashia

    Originally a book club pick, I highly recommend this short memoir of essays that reveals universal experiences through extremely specific life events. I loved reading about the intersection between Indian and Appalachian cultures and how the dynamic has shifted in the last couple decades. The author has such a love for her hometown while also feeling desperate to move on from it in a way that I think a lot of queer folks from rural spaces can relate to.

    Goodreads

    Like a Love Story

    by Abdi Nazemian

    I put this beside Aristotle and Dante’s Discover the Secrets of the Universe in terms of being one of my favorite queer YA novels. It’s a story of friendship, young love, and community set in late 1980s New York City. That timeline means that the AIDS epidemic is front and center here, and reading this made me realize how rarely I see this time period reflected in YA novels. It’s such a necessary part of queer history to be told and retold, and this book really highlights how hard and scary it would be to explore and understand your sexuality in the midst of the crisis. While the context is necessarily dark, the story itself is uplifting, sweet, and moving.

    Goodreads

    Alright, that’s me done playing catch up! From now on I should be able to get back into individual reviews.

  • The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas

    The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas

    Genre | Science Fiction
    Page #s | 336
    Publishing Date | August 2018

    In 1967, four female scientists worked together to build the world’s first time machine. But just as they are about to debut their creation, one of them suffers a breakdown, putting the whole project—and future of time travel—in jeopardy. To protect their invention, one member is exiled from the team—erasing her contributions from history.

    Fifty years later, time travel is a big business. Twenty-something Ruby Rebello knows her beloved grandmother, Granny Bee, was one of the pioneers, though no one will tell her more. But when Bee receives a mysterious newspaper clipping from the future reporting the murder of an unidentified woman, Ruby becomes obsessed: could it be Bee? Who would want her dead? And most importantly of all: can her murder be stopped?

    Traversing the decades and told from alternating perspectives, The Psychology of Time Travelintroduces a fabulous new voice in fiction and a new must-read for fans of speculative fiction and women’s fiction alike.

    Goodreads

    Books about time travel often make my head hurt when they try too hard to explain paradoxes and the limitations of their particular science (give me a Doctor Who shrug at the science any day). Luckily, there were very few instances in which The Psychology of Time Travel did this to me; instead, as the title suggests, this book is far more concerned with how time travel would affect people’s lives, personalities, and relationships.

    The book is told from multiple points of view and from multiple points in time as we slowly put together the pieces of, essentially, a murder mystery. This means it will likely take you awhile to fully sink into the story, as it takes time to care about all of the characters and realize how they interconnect. Once some of those “Oh! She’s that character’s mother!” moments happen, I was hooked and couldn’t stop.

    Undoubtedly the best part of this book is that it is 95% female characters. The people who invented time travel? Four women. The detectives, love interests, and professionals that we meet? Women! There are maybe two men in the whole book that I can think of, and they are given lovely little side roles as the husbands of powerful and interesting women. I live!

    Who Do I Recommend This Book To?

    If you like time travel and favor a book that offers a wide array of complex characters to meet and care for (or not), The Psychology of Time Travel is for you!

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

  • Cosmoknights #1 by Hannah Templer

    Cosmoknights #1 by Hannah Templer

    Genre | Science Fiction Graphic Novel
    Page #s | 216
    Publishing Date | September 2019

    For this ragtag band of space gays, liberation means beating the patriarchy at its own game.

    Pan’s life used to be very small. Work in her dad’s body shop, sneak out with her friend Tara to go dancing, and watch the skies for freighter ships. It didn’t even matter that Tara was a princess… until one day it very much did matter, and Pan had to say goodbye forever. Years later, when a charismatic pair of off-world gladiators show up on her doorstep, she finds that life may not be as small as she thought. On the run and off the galactic grid, Pan discovers the astonishing secrets of her neo-medieval world… and the intoxicating possibility of burning it all down.

    Goodreads

    Be gay, do crime…by fighting the patriarchy in space! Cosmoknights is a webcomic turned printed comic that is a bright, beautiful, and fun story that takes old stories of knights jousting for the hand of a princess and turns it into a capitalistic, patriarchic practice that can only be taken down by a band of lesbian athletes, mechanics, and hackers.

    I’ve only read the first book, though there are two printed as of right now, and we primarily get the set up and team unification in this section of the comic. There’s some nice backstory for two of the characters, and I hope we get more information about the rest of the group as we move forward. It’s a familiar enough setting while also being charmingly set amongst varying planets with high-tech Blitzball-esque tournaments.

    The coloring on the pages is bright and alluring, the story is fun with a side of societal critique, and the characters are diverse and interesting. Definitely a go-to for anyone looking for a quick, gay read!

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

  • Saga, Compendium One by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

    Saga, Compendium One by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

    Genre | Sci-Fi and Fantasy Graphic Novel
    Page #s | 1328
    Publishing Date | August 2019

    SAGA is the sweeping tale of one young family fighting to find their place in the worlds. When two soldiers from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war fall in love, they risk everything to bring a fragile new life into a dangerous old universe. Fantasy and science fiction are wed like never before in a sexy, subversive drama for adults. This specially priced volume collects the first arc of the smash hit series The Onion A.V. Club calls “the emotional epic Hollywood wishes it could make.”

    Goodreads

    I read through the first nine volumes of Saga a few years ago, then bought the compendium that includes everything up to the graphic novel’s hiatus in 2018 at ECCC this year. My partner read through it for the first time while we were on vacation, and watching her fall in love with Lying Cat made me read over her shoulder and then…read it all again on my own!

    Spanning years and introducing (and losing) a huge cast of characters, Vaughan and Staples have managed to create an utterly engaging and unique epic adventure with incredibly personal stakes. Saga is a story of family drama and the wars that intrude, whether galactic or personal. Sometimes we get a bounty hunter flying a spaceship away from a time-sucking galaxy baby, and sometimes we get a young family struggling to adjust to life after an unexpected miscarriage. This is a sci-fi and fantasy world that allows for, and honors, both.

    The central characters here are Alana and Marko, former soldiers on opposite sides of a never-ending war who fall in love and have an impossible inter-species baby. They have to go into hiding and raise their child with the help of an unlikely cast of characters, and let me tell you, many of them will break your heart!

    You’re never allowed to forget the stakes of what war entails, and although the book is fairly anti-war, it also engages with meaningful conversations about the impossibility of detaching fully from violence. Indeed, in one of the most emotional storylines of the early volumes, a bounty hunter kills sex traffickers in a way that I found most satisfying. Yet later this act of violence comes back to haunt him, because the cycle of violence, no matter how “necessary” or valorous, will always destroy.

    My favorite thing about this graphic novel is the sheer creativity of the space species we find. Lying Cat is an obvious favorite, and nothing will match my delight when the television-headed robot royals turned out to have a king with a giant screen tv for a face. The chaos and creativity somehow just WORK, and this is a masterclass in science fiction and fantasy that runs on vibes rather than logical systems.

    Hilarious, heartbreaking, and shockingly meaningful, Saga is an epic read that is, thankfully, still ongoing!

    What Makes This Book Queer?

    This is a blog for queer nerdy reads, and so far I’ve only mentioned a straight nuclear family. That giant cast of characters I mentioned includes a diverse array of queer characters, most notably gay reporters from a homophobic planet who heartbreakingly hide their relationship and sometimes perpetuate homophobia to protect themselves. There’s also a trans character who joins the story later whose experience explicitly parallels the little girl narrating the story in absolutely beautiful ways.

    Who Do I Recommend This Book To?

    Saga is an adult graphic novel with explicit scenes of violence and sex, but with that out of the way, literally everyone should read this. I’d especially give it to someone who is skeptical of graphic novels and the stories that are able to be told in this medium.

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

  • The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers

    The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers

    Genre | Science Fiction
    Page #s | 336
    Publishing Date | April 2021

    With no water, no air, and no native life, the planet Gora is unremarkable. The only thing it has going for it is a chance proximity to more popular worlds, making it a decent stopover for ships traveling between the wormholes that keep the Galactic Commons connected. If deep space is a highway, Gora is just your average truck stop.

    At the Five-Hop One-Stop, long-haul spacers can stretch their legs (if they have legs, that is), and get fuel, transit permits, and assorted supplies. The Five-Hop is run by an enterprising alien and her sometimes helpful child, who work hard to provide a little piece of home to everyone passing through.

    When a freak technological failure halts all traffic to and from Gora, three strangers—all different species with different aims—are thrown together at the Five-Hop. Grounded, with nothing to do but wait, the trio—an exiled artist with an appointment to keep, a cargo runner at a personal crossroads, and a mysterious individual doing her best to help those on the fringes—are compelled to confront where they’ve been, where they might go, and what they are, or could be, to each other.

    Goodreads

    The Galaxy, and the Ground Within is the fourth and final book in Becky Chambers’ sci-fi Wayfarers series, and it is either my favorite or second favorite of them all (other potential favorite is The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet). Like all of her books, this is a story about characters and cultures more than action-driven plot, although there is a crisis near the end that catapults our characters into action.

    What I love most about this novel in particular is that it’s all aliens, all the time! Although humans (and human-alien relationships) are discussed, we focus on inter-alien relationships as members of four different species are trapped in a single transit hub in a spectacular bottle episode.

    By this point in the series, we have grown to have certain opinions of the Galactic Commons and different species such as the Aeluons; this book creates even more nuance and offers a darker perspective to this largely utopian sci-fi vision through the character of Speaker and her oppressed/neglected species. Even when I say “darker,” that so misrepresents this book, because the heart of it is showing how people can connect and understand each other across ignorance and opposing opinions. This book is a master class in engaging with cultures other than your own and how to navigate uncomfortable conversations with empathy.

    As always, Chambers’ view of the future is expansive when it comes to gender, which is on full force in this book. One of the main characters is Tupo, a non-gendered pre-teen whose species uses xyr/xym pronouns until they are old enough to decide which gender fits them best. By offering us glimpses of different cultures’ approach to gender, Chambers opens up our current understanding and normalizes seeing gender as a journey.

    I’m sad that I’ve now finished the Wayfarers series, and I’m eager to read whatever Chambers writes next!

    Who Do I Recommend This Book To?

    The Galaxy, and the Ground Within is a great book to recommend to a sci-fi fan whose favorite part is the world building.

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

  • A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

    A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

    Genre | Science Fiction Novella
    Page #s | 152
    Publishing Date | July 2022

    After touring the rural areas of Panga, Sibling Dex (a Tea Monk of some renown) and Mosscap (a robot sent on a quest to determine what humanity really needs) turn their attention to the villages and cities of the little moon they call home.

    They hope to find the answers they seek, while making new friends, learning new concepts, and experiencing the entropic nature of the universe.

    Becky Chambers’s new series continues to ask: in a world where people have what they want, does having more even matter?

    They’re going to need to ask it a lot.

    Goodreads

    I adored the first Monk & Robot book, A Psalm for the Wild-Built, so I was surprised to find that I liked A Prayer for the Crown-Shy even more! Where the first book allowed us to meet our two protagonists, this time we get to see them interact with people and towns, which brings out new observations and interactions that are, as always, delightful. If you’re not familiar with Becky Chambers’ work, “delightful” is the watchword. Never has an author so consistently written the literary version of a mental hug.

    As Dex takes Mosscap from settlement to settlement, we have the pleasure of seeing a cozy utopia from an outsider’s perspective, from socialist currencies to next generation 3D printers to polyamorous family systems to the simply joy of a satchel. Along the way, the pair continue to have thoughtful philosophical questions, most notably about the ethical limits of medical care.

    I am unsure whether or not there will be more novellas in this series, but I desperately hope so. Now that we’ve seen the two meet then visit human civilization, I am crossing all my fingers hoping that Mosscap will take Dex to meet some of the other robots. I’m not ready for this lovely story to be over!

    Who Do I Recommend This Book To?

    A Prayer for the Crown-Shy is the perfect book for someone who wants to sink into a well thought-out futuristic sci-fi story that provides hope and appreciation for our own world.

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

  • We Are Satellites by Sarah Pinsker

    We Are Satellites by Sarah Pinsker

    Genre | Science Fiction
    Page #s | 378
    Publishing Date | May 2021

    From award-winning author Sarah Pinsker comes a novel about one family and the technology that divides them.

    Everybody’s getting one.

    Val and Julie just want what’s best for their kids, David and Sophie. So when teenage son David comes home one day asking for a Pilot, a new brain implant to help with school, they reluctantly agree. This is the future, after all.

    Soon, Julie feels mounting pressure at work to get a Pilot to keep pace with her colleagues, leaving Val and Sophie part of the shrinking minority of people without the device.

    Before long, the implications are clear, for the family and society: get a Pilot or get left behind. With government subsidies and no downside, why would anyone refuse? And how do you stop a technology once it’s everywhere? Those are the questions Sophie and her anti-Pilot movement rise up to answer, even if it puts them up against the Pilot’s powerful manufacturer and pits Sophie against the people she loves most. 

    Goodreads

    We Are Satellites is a realistic near-future science fiction novel that focuses on the cultural effects of a potentially exploitative tech advancement rather than the genre’s flashier explosions and chaos stories. As such, I found it to be a bit of a slower read, but one that resulted in a lot more consideration and long-term interest.

    Would you accept a brain alteration that allowed you to split your focus effectively? I definitely would, and so would nearly everyone in this novel. While that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, Pinsker demands that we consider how such a tech revolution would expand the gap between the haves and have nots, leaving those with disabilities behind.

    The story follows a family of four, each of whom has a unique relationship to the Pilots that go from unique to ubiquitous over the years covered in the book. One mother gets a Pilot for work advancement, the second mother is against them, the daughter is not allowed to get one due to a history of seizures, and the son gets a Pilot but experiences debilitating side effects. Although I’m not often a fan of books that shift characters’ POVs, I thought this was done extremely well here. Changing perspectives is never done for the sake of a cliffhanger; they’re always to allow for deeper character and relationship exploration.

    I highly recommend We Are Satellites, and it was resoundingly enjoyed by my book club. If you, like me, find the beginning a little slow, take your time but please stick with it! You’ll be rewarding with a thoughtful and timely story.

    Who Do I Recommend This Book To?

    Give We Are Satellites to the sci-fi lover who is more interested in character development than fast-paced action sequences.

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

  • Across a Field of Starlight by Blue Delliquanti

    Across a Field of Starlight by Blue Delliquanti

    Genre | Science Fiction Graphic Novel
    Page #s | 352
    Publishing Date | February 2022

    When they were kids, Fassen’s fighter spaceship crash-landed on a planet that Lu’s survey force was exploring. It was a forbidden meeting between a kid from a war-focused resistance movement and a kid whose community and planet are dedicated to peace and secrecy.

    Lu and Fassen are from different worlds and separate solar systems. But their friendship keeps them in each other’s orbit as they grow up. They stay in contact in secret as their communities are increasingly threatened by the omnipresent, ever-expanding empire.

    As the empire begins a new attack against Fassen’s people–and discovers Lu’s in the process–the two of them have the chance to reunite at last. They finally are able to be together…but at what cost? 

    This beautifully illustrated graphic novel is an epic science fiction romance between two non-binary characters as they find one another through time, distance, and war.

    Goodreads

    Across a Field of Starlight is a creative sci-fi graphic novel about two non-binary kids developing a long distance friendship while surviving a revolution against an evil empire. Lu is part of a separatist faction that avoids the fighting altogether while Fassen is rising in the revolutionary ranks; they each have to figure out how to resist an empire without losing their soul in the process. Along the way, the uncover hard lines they will not cross, but no easy answers.

    For me, the highlight of this book was seeing the beautiful diversity of trans and non-binary characters drawn on the page. There is a woman rocking a beard and body hair who is badass and lovely, and she stole the show for me! Additionally, because there are so many trans characters, some of them get to be bad guys, which was also so much fun!

    I really enjoyed this quick read, but I did feel that it didn’t QUITE reach the heights to which it could have aspired. The empire was not fully developed, so it was never very clear why it was so important to resist them. I mostly came away thinking their robots and flower-shaped space ships were pretty rad, which did not help me empathize with the revolutionaries. Still, it’s lovely to see a queer-heavy cast of characters in unique sci-fi settings!

    Who Do I Recommend This Book To?

    If you ever wished Star Wars was more queer, you’ll enjoy Across a Field of Starlight!

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

  • Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

    Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

    Genre | YA Fantasy/Science Fiction
    Page #s | 394
    Publishing Date | September 2021

    The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn’t matter that the girls often die from the mental strain.

    When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it’s to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister’s death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected—she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead.​

    To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia​. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way—and stop more girls from being sacrificed.

    Goodreads

    Iron Widow is an absolute page-turner with a propulsive plot, a mysteriously unique and totally awesome setting, and an amazing series of “Oh, this old trope? NOPE!” twists. Zhao is a very talented writer who knows how to immediately grab readers’ attention. Although I felt the middle section veered a little too close to other stories (notably, The Hunger Games), Zhao then dismantles all the things that feel familiar with feminism and queerness while ratcheting up the plot and leaving us desperate for a sequel. Um, YES PLEASE.

    The furious feminism that is embedded in every page is a breath of fresh air. No opportunity is missed to point out personal or systemic sexism. This is a story about a woman who sees how society has broken women in innumerable ways, through gender roles in marriage, through access to education, through foot bindings, through the propaganda told about what a woman is good for. Zetian is livid and determined to burn it all down, and she does not care a single bit if she looks like a villain for it. It. Is. AWESOME.

    The worldbuilding is immediately believable while also being a huge mystery. From the prologue describing a mech battle (how is it the third paragraph and I’m just now mentioning mech battles – THERE ARE MECH BATTLES!) with tech handed down by the gods, I was fully immersed. Most importantly, I also fully bought in, because there is enough here that maps onto our everyday experience (i.e. the sexism!) that the world feels very grounded despite the regular alien invasions.

    I don’t want to say too much about the storylines revolving around romances because some of the book’s best twists and turns are found here. I will just say that I loved that Zetian’s fierceness never dies just because she’s crushing on someone, and that I loved seeing two very different but equally healthy forms of masculinity portrayed. Beyond that…just read it for yourself!

    As far as I can see, there is no firm release date for the sequel, but I am going to read it as soon as it’s released!

    What Makes This Book Queer?

    Xiran Jay Zhao is a queer person who uses they/them pronouns. Queerness is sprinkled through the first half of the book and then comes into the second half in a big way. But I don’t want to say more – discover the details for yourself!

    Who Do I Recommend This Book To?

    Give Iron Widow to your feminist friends that you want to expose to genre and/or to your genre friends that you want to expose to feminism!

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

  • Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

    Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

    Genre | Science fiction and fantasy
    Page #s | 372
    Publishing Date | September 2021

    Good Omens meets The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet in this defiantly joyful adventure set in California’s San Gabriel Valley, with cursed violins, Faustian bargains, and queer alien courtship over fresh-made donuts.

    Shizuka Satomi made a deal with the devil: to escape damnation, she must entice seven other violin prodigies to trade their souls for success. She has already delivered six.

    When Katrina Nguyen, a young transgender runaway, catches Shizuka’s ear with her wild talent, Shizuka can almost feel the curse lifting. She’s found her final candidate.

    But in a donut shop off a bustling highway in the San Gabriel Valley, Shizuka meets Lan Tran, retired starship captain, interstellar refugee, and mother of four. Shizuka doesn’t have time for crushes or coffee dates, what with her very soul on the line, but Lan’s kind smile and eyes like stars might just redefine a soul’s worth. And maybe something as small as a warm donut is powerful enough to break a curse as vast as the California coastline.

    As the lives of these three women become entangled by chance and fate, a story of magic, identity, curses, and hope begins, and a family worth crossing the universe for is found.

    Goodreads

    Light from Uncommon Stars should have been my jam, but unfortunately, I just never connected with the book. I mean, with a summary like “Ageless bisexual alien from space who now runs a donut shop falls in love with a middle-aged Japanese lesbian who sells souls to a demon in exchange for her own back, and if that weren’t enough, there’s also a runaway trans girl who becomes a violin prodigy,” I was all in! I am so mad that this perfect idea didn’t land better for me.

    The good stuff is on the tin – it’s a wild mashup of genres that work together because why not? The diversity is all-encompassing, and no one blinks when the alien lady reveals that her true form is purple with two elbows.

    Where it falters is a little harder to parse out. Personally, I was not a fan of the way it was written. There are a lot of short scenes from a lot of perspectives. I prefer a story that digs deeper into one, maybe two, points of view. More than that, I found the internal logic of the book lacking in some ways. I’m down for a wild ride with unexpected standards of behaviour, but they need to be consistent. For instance, Lan bloops her son Marcus out of (temporary) existence for murdering two people (this is seriously downplayed, by the way), and no one cares. But Lan’s subsequent desire to duplicate her AI daughter to take him to space leads to a freak out from multiple people that ends with her atoning for this egregious decision. I love that the book pushes back on the personhood of AI, but then…shouldn’t Marcus also be valued similarly?

    I also couldn’t fully track with the book’s handling of trans trauma. On the one hand, I admire Aoki’s unflinching depiction of a trans girl’s abusive family, abusive friends, and the ways in which she resorts to sex work to get by. It was not my favorite, because this is a vaguely feel-good book in most other areas, and then BAM, rape. But the book ends with a throwaway line that Katrina is living with a rich guy who we saw greet her by sexually assaulting her? That’s not a satisfying ending from my perspective.

    In the end, I wasn’t a fan of this book, but everyone else seems to adore it, so perhaps I am missing something!

    Who Do I Recommend This Book To?

    Honestly, I don’t know! Popular Books of 2021 lists are saying to give it to everyone, but I truly didn’t like it. Try it if you’re intrigued, I guess!

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

  • To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers

    To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers

    Genre | Science Fiction Novella
    Page #s | 153
    Publishing Date | September 2019

    In her new novella, Sunday Times best-selling author Becky Chambers imagines a future in which, instead of terraforming planets to sustain human life, explorers of the solar system instead transform themselves.

    Ariadne is one such explorer. As an astronaut on an extrasolar research vessel, she and her fellow crewmates sleep between worlds and wake up each time with different features. Her experience is one of fluid body and stable mind and of a unique perspective on the passage of time. Back on Earth, society changes dramatically from decade to decade, as it always does.

    Ariadne may awaken to find that support for space exploration back home has waned, or that her country of birth no longer exists, or that a cult has arisen around their cosmic findings, only to dissolve once more by the next waking. But the moods of Earth have little bearing on their mission: to explore, to study, and to send their learnings home.

    Carrying all the trademarks of her other beloved works, including brilliant writing, fantastic world-building and exceptional, diverse characters, Becky’s first audiobook outside of the Wayfarers series is sure to capture the imagination of listeners all over the world.

    Goodreads

    To Be Taught, If Fortunate is a love letter to science. In this sci-fi novella, Chambers steps away from alien societies and focuses on human astronauts traveling the galaxy to study, learn, and appreciate.

    As is common in her books, this story is more about ideas and characters than plot. In fact, the dramatic events happening on Earth that lead to discontinued communications are quickly ignored by the astronauts as outside of their control and therefore not worth dwelling on. Instead, we travel with the small group of four to worlds diverse in life, from the subtle to the beautiful to the horrifying.

    In contrast to a conquering mentality, our intrepid space scientists have the explicit goal of not influencing the worlds in which they live for years at a time. They are meticulous about this, and the few instances in which they fail to separate their space from the alien planet’s inhabitants are harrowing, both for the characters and for the readers. I loved seeing the joy that can be found in exploration simply for the sake of observation and appreciation rather than claiming or subjugating.

    What Makes This Book Queer?

    This is a subtly queer book, as three of the four astronauts are quietly polyamorous, one is trans, and one is asexual. The queerness is secondary to everything else that is going on and offers a representation of a future where queer relationships are so normalized as to be background information.

    Who Do I Recommend This Book To?

    Like most of Becky Chambers’ books, I think literally everyone would enjoy this! But if I have to be specific, this is for your friend who listens to science podcasts and loves learning for the sake of learning.

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

  • On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden

    On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden

    Genre | Science Fiction Graphic Novel
    Page #s | 533
    Publishing Date | May 2018

    Throughout the deepest reaches of space, a crew rebuilds beautiful and broken-down structures, painstakingly putting the past together. As new member Mia gets to know her team, the story flashes back to her pivotal year in boarding school, where she fell in love with a mysterious new student. Soon, though, Mia reveals her true purpose for joining their ship—to track down her long-lost love.

    An inventive world, a breathtaking love story, and stunning art come together in this new work by award-winning artist Tillie Walden.

    Goodreads

    Do you remember the moment when you realized that there are no women in The Hobbit? It was strange, right, because the story felt so natural and complete. Well, I’m here to offer you the exact opposite: On a Sunbeam, a science fiction graphic novel in which there are absolutely no men. It took me awhile to realize, since I assumed the story was simply focused on a queer group of construction workers, one of whom had flashbacks to her time at an all-female boarding school. But as we see more of the world, I’m pretty sure there are just…no men. Only women and nonbinary people allowed!

    It’s awesome, especially since the story revolves around the aforementioned construction crew (that works on giant floating buildings in a glorious tribute to “my sci-fi is cool rather than realistic”) and a mob boss family that protects an isolated planet of magical healing energy. Traditionally male playgrounds, but they aren’t missed here. Instead, we get to explore sisterhood, both biologically and found. The families here are hard won and well deserved, and I loved reading every page.

    What Makes This Book Queer?

    There are multiple sapphic romances in this book, from the lesbians who run the construction crew and must re-evaluate how they want to spend their lives together after an excitingly dangerous phase of getting to know each other. There’s a nonbinary character on the crew, and interestingly, the lack of men in this world doesn’t mean a lack of discrimination. Elliot’s pronouns are defended in a stand-up-and-clap scene that is a lesson to all feminists. And at the heart of the story is the slow burn / cut short / reunion romance between our protagonist Mia and the girl who got away back in school.

    Who Do I Recommend This Book To?

    On a Sunbeam is perfect for anyone who likes a found family narrative set in a gorgeously realized fantasy sci-fi world.

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

  • A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers

    A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers

    Genre | Science Fiction
    Page #s | 365
    Publishing Date | October 2016

    Lovelace was once merely a ship’s artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in an new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has no memory of what came before. As Lovelace learns to negotiate the universe and discover who she is, she makes friends with Pepper, an excitable engineer, who’s determined to help her learn and grow.

    Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together.

    A Closed and Common Orbit is the stand-alone sequel to Becky Chambers’ beloved debut novel The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and is perfect for fans of Firefly, Joss Whedon, Mass Effect and Star Wars.

    Goodreads

    After falling completely in love with Chambers’ first book in this series, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, I was disappointed to find that it took me a while to connect with the alternating storylines in A Closed and Common Orbit. I should not have doubted! I wound up absolutely loving the story of two beings learning how to survive and find connection, one a human unwillingly treated as a machine and the other an AI unwillingly treated as human.

    Jane/Pepper’s story was fascinating, and arguably the more plot-driven arc as we wait to see how she will survive living in a rundown spaceship after escaping a factory that raises human slaves. I loved watching her grow up with Owl, her AI mother, and scavenge for food and parts. However, it was a very smart move on Chambers’ part to balance the isolation and desperation of Pepper’s past with the Sidra’s (formerly Lovelace) story of struggling to fit in to a happy, healthy society. Together, they make a cohesive story.

    As always, Chambers’ books take advantage of a sci fi setting to create uniquely diverse alien races that have a variety of gender and sexuality presentations. In this book, we get a closer look at Auleons, both generally at their cultural festival and specifically in the character of Tak. With the central premise that it is very difficult for their species to breed, an entire culture emerges around the importance of mating and parenting as a respected full-time job for fathers who went to school to prepare. Additionally, we’re introduced to their four genders and how the culture makes space for and celebrates each one.

    Finally, I really enjoyed the conversations about what makes someone/something worthy of personhood. There is such a satisfying hook to Pepper being raised by an AI and therefore feeling invested in helping Sidra fit in as an illegal AI with a body. It’s clear to the readers that this crime is absurd and that AI should be granted personhood, but the book pushes this to challenge our assumption about any technology that has been granted even the barest form of personality. Whether coded through genes or software, who are we to determine where personhood begins? So interesting!

    Who Would I Recommend This Book To?

    A Closed and Common Orbit is perfect for lovers of sci-fi and philosophy.

    Rating: 4 out of 5.

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

  • Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

    Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

    Genre | Science Fiction Novella
    Page #s | 160
    Publishing Date | July 2021

    Hugo Award-winner Becky Chambers’s delightful new series gives us hope for the future.

    It’s been centuries since the robots of Earth gained self-awareness and laid down their tools.
    Centuries since they wandered, en masse, into the wilderness, never to be seen again.
    Centuries since they faded into myth and urban legend.

    One day, the life of a tea monk is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of “what do people need?” is answered.

    But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how.
    They’re going to need to ask it a lot.

    Becky Chambers’ new series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter?

    Goodreads

    A cozy novella about discontent and discovery, Psalm for the Wild-Built is comforting and inspiring. Set in a rich world that had me eager for further exploration in the (hopefully inevitable) sequels, I adored learning about the unexpected robot consciousness event and how the world reacted in the best possible way – by dividing the world in half and letting robots roam free in the wild.

    Sibling Dex, a non-binary tea monk, travels the world as a barista/counselor on their bike-powered tiny house. If that sentence doesn’t make you want to read the book, then our brains work in very different ways. Despite living in supportive, meaningful environments, Dex can’t help but want more. This drive leads them into the wild, where they come across Mosscap, a robot whose curiosity has led them seek out a human, hoping to discover what it is that humans need. Together they journey, talk, and learn from each other. There’s not really a plot, and one isn’t necessary. It’s perfect exactly as it is.

    There are a few things that I especially love about this novella. The first is the titular concept of “wild-built” – the original robots decided not to live forever but to remake themselves, combining pieces of themselves with other robots to create a new generation. However, the phrase also evokes the feeling that drives Dex – a restless need to wander and discover that the civilized world doesn’t understand or feel.

    I also adored the naming convention for robots, the easy way gender and sexuality is portrayed, and the vision of a future in which the right ecological and social decisions were made. It’s a wholly lovely book, and I very much recommend it.

    Who Would I Recommend This Book To?

    Perfect for anyone who wants a short and sweet science fiction story.

    Rating: 5 out of 5.

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

  • Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

    Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

    Genre | Fantasy / Science Fiction
    Page #s | 512
    Publishing Date | August 2020

    Harrow the Ninth, the sequel to Gideon the Ninth, turns a galaxy inside out as one necromancer struggles to survive the wreckage of herself aboard the Emperor’s haunted space station.

    She answered the Emperor’s call.

    She arrived with her arts, her wits, and her only friend.

    In victory, her world has turned to ash.

    After rocking the cosmos with her deathly debut, Tamsyn Muir continues the story of the penumbral Ninth House in Harrow the Ninth, a mind-twisting puzzle box of mystery, murder, magic, and mayhem. Nothing is as it seems in the halls of the Emperor, and the fate of the galaxy rests on one woman’s shoulders.

    Harrowhark Nonagesimus, last necromancer of the Ninth House, has been drafted by her Emperor to fight an unwinnable war. Side-by-side with a detested rival, Harrow must perfect her skills and become an angel of undeath — but her health is failing, her sword makes her nauseous, and even her mind is threatening to betray her.

    Sealed in the gothic gloom of the Emperor’s Mithraeum with three unfriendly teachers, hunted by the mad ghost of a murdered planet, Harrow must confront two unwelcome questions: is somebody trying to kill her? And if they succeeded, would the universe be better off?

    Goodreads

    I’ll be honest – after rereading Harrow the Ninth via audiobook, I still don’t fully grasp the plot. But did that affect my enjoyment of the story? No, I am a big confused blob, grinning manically into the middle distance. Tamsyn Muir is just such a talented storyteller, and her words wash over you in a chaotic jumble of cleverness, leaving readers delighted regardless of their level of understanding.

    The feeling fits with this story in particular. Picking up where Gideon the Ninth left off, Harrowhark the Ninth (now the First) has ascended to lyctorhood (almost) but has an unfortunate side effect of insanity. She flashes back to events that are almost the same as the first book, but with one massive difference: where Gideon ought to be, Ortus is instead. But Harrow and the readers must piece together what has happened to her as she hangs out on a spaceship with God and her elder lyctor siblings, some of whom are trying to kill her.

    It’s interesting enough, but the story picks up like a rocket about halfway through when Harrow runs into some characters that literally made my jaw drop. Soon thereafter, there is the single greatest perspective change in the history of literature. Never has a book’s POV been so important or so subtly important. From that point on, I could not shove the story into my brain fast enough.

    Although Harrow and Ianthe are pretty much the only characters that continue from the first book (other than flashbacks), the characters that are introduced are excellent. Augustine and Mercymorn are perfect as entitled, bored, talented 10,000 year old beings, and the introduction of God/John is endlessly entertaining. There is nothing better than to see a nun of the Ninth House prostrating herself on glass before her god, a kindly human who drinks tea, eats biscuits, and horrifies her by patting her on the head.

    It’s just been announced that the series will now include four books, with Nona the Ninth coming out in fall 2022!

    Who Would I Recommend This Book To?

    You can’t read this without reading Gideon the Ninth, but if you’re invested in the Locked Tomb series, this is an excellent sequel!

    Rating: 5 out of 5.

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!