#contemporary sff

[sometimesraven]

It's Erik's birthday today so I thought I'd put together a lil aesthetic based around his star sign!

Virgos are grounded Earth signs, deeply rooted in their ways and perfectionists to the core. They are your best friend, extremely dedicated and loyal, and will work hard to maintain their relationships. That perfectionism can present kind of neurotically, however, and you'll often find Virgos overthinking and meticulous in their persuit of that perfection.

Erik is the quintessential Virgo imo, I love them to pieces! Every Virgo I've ever met has a lil Erik in them and I love that for them.

Erik is a supporting character in RECKLESS TRUTH and primary love interest in BITTER TRUTH, books 1 and 2 respectively of THE TRUTH SAGA

Check out The Truth Saga

Children go missing all the time. That’s what they’re told. They run away, they’re kidnapped, they die. Scattered throughout Scotland, a handful of families remember the truth of what happened to their families. The violent, paranormal attacks that destroyed their lives and took their children from them.

Twenty years after the first incidents, the disappearences are happening again. The missing children are adults now, and reconnecting with the people they lost, but everything has changed. There is something sinister casting its shadow over their heads, and now they must fight to return the light to their lives. To learn to love and laugh and carry on living – while the truth of their history threatens to destroy them.

Combining science fantasy with interpersonal drama, The Truth Saga is an ongoing series following themes of love, family and grief wrapped in a bundle of supernatural mystery and violence. Step into the Controller’s world and you may never turn back…

BOOK 1, RECKLESS TRUTH, IS AVAILABLE NOW TO BUY FROM YOUR FAVOURITE BOOKSTORES

Taglist (Click to be added)

@smallvillecrows

[ofliterarynature]

This year for my birthday I gave myself the double present of unhauling the giant pile of books on my floor and browsing the bookstore a few hours for some new ones 📚

[meat-loving-meat]

Songmaster is so interesting to me because it’s absolutely DRIPPING with queer desire despite being written by notorious homophobe Orson Scott Card. It was one of those novels I read as a confused tween who was extremely interested in anything queer (but who couldn’t yet understand the source of that fascination), and it truly left twelve-year-old me completely baffled.

I had no idea what to make of it—it was the first novel I read that devoted more than a sentence to the actual act of gay sex, yet at the same time the narrative seemed morally opposed to any kind of sexual desire? Characters who expressed any sexuality at all were often executed, tortured, castrated, and even pushed to suicide. It was violent, it was bleak, and it seemed to revel in exploring the ways that imbalances of power manifest sexually (everything is about sex etc. etc.). At age twelve I kind of just shrugged and moved on with life—some books were just weird—but now I’m really tempted to give it a reread because what the actual fuck was going on in that novel

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

Exit Plans for Teenage Freaks

YA contemporary + a little sff

follows a boy who suddenly finds himself able to teleport when he walks through doors, often against his will

and has to figure that out while dealing with a new crush, the end of high school and the queer club, and figuring out whether he definitely wants to train to be an ASL interpreter like his father

[profiterole-reads]

2022 Favourites

In no particular order. This is content I've read and watched in 2022, not necessarily content released in 2022.

Books

1. A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland: m/m heroic fantasy + non-binary characters. This was one of my most expected novels of the year and I was fully satisfied with the result. One of the protagonists suffers from severe anxiety.

2. [French] L’Héritage des Rois-Passeurs by Manon Fargetton: portal fantasy with a lesbian protagonist. The French language in the secondary world is different, but I don't know if the author invented the variations or based them on something real.

3. Sword Dance by AJ Demas: m/nb historical fantasy. This trilogy takes place in a fictional world based on Ancient Greece. It's a delightful mix of intrigue and domesticity shenanigans.

4. The Hollow Star Saga by Ashley Shuttleworth: f/f and m/m urban fantasy (YA). This series about the fae also includes a touch of Greek mythology. I care a lot about all the characters.

5. Youngblood by Sasha Laurens: f/f urban fantasy (YA). This is my favourite queer vampire novel. It's an excellent mix of vampire lore, romance and mystery.

6. The Magic Between by Stephanie Hoyt: m/m magical realism. The characters have superpowers, but it's not superhero fiction. It's a fun bi4bi romance.

7. One Verse Multi by Sander Santiago: m/m/m science fiction with a trans male protagonist. This is my favourite read of the year. I loved the science in this story and how the author played with the Mandela effect (false memories shared by many people).

8. Safe and Sound by EM Lindsey: m/m romance. This is a very moving hurt & comfort novel. This author always does a great job with the intersectionality of queerness and disability, deafness and vertigo in this case.

9. If You Still Recognise Me by Cynthia So: f/f romance. This novel is about identity (queer, but also British and Cantonese) and fandom.

10. [Spanish] Anne sin Filtros by Iria Parente and Selene Pascual: f/f/m romance with a trans male protagonist (YA). This novel is also about queerness and fandom. I've read several books by these authors and this is my fave.

 TV shows

1. Ancient Detective: murder mystery/wuxia with BL vibes + a non-binary character in the last few episodes. While this c-drama is mostly m/f, I appreciated the queer touches, as well as the complex plot.

2. Legend of Yunze: GL wuxia. This c-drama is a quick watch, with episodes that are only a few minutes long. What's nice is that the f/f is not very censored for a Chinese show.

3. The Lost Tomb/DMBJ franchise: adventure/fantasy with BL vibes. This c-drama franchise kept me busy for a good part of the year and I estimate that I've seen about half of it. It covers a genre that is relatively rare in Western shows.

4. Bulgasal: urban fantasy with a queer-coded villain. Sure, queer-coded villains aren't the best form of representation, but the one in this k-drama is very well-written. The reincarnation plot is fascinating as well.

5. Vampire Academy: urban fantasy with some f/f and some m/m (YA). I loved the movie way back and I'm glad that they've added queer representation to the show, even though it would have been even better if they had made the Lissa/Rose subtext canon.

6. Wednesday: murder mystery/urban fantasy with a probably a-spec protagonist (YA). This is a delightful adaptation of the Addams Family, true to the old movies.

7. Love in the Air: BL romance. This addictive Thai drama is my favourite show of the year. Payu/Rain are my fave couple, they're so playful and loving. For Prapai/Sky, there's a lot of hurt & comfort, which gave me so many feels.

8. Semantic Error: BL romance. This k-drama's protagonist is on the autism spectrum. It's enemies-to-lovers, or rather annoyances-to-lovers.

9. She Makes My Heart Flutter: GL romance. This k-drama is a quick watch. I love that it mostly focuses on sapphic friendships.

10. Heartstopper: m/m romance with some f/f and a trans girl (YA). I love the webcomic and the adaptation is really well done. It's such a sweet story.

[minaminokyoko]

It’s finally cover reveal day! My new novella, Of Wings and Shadows (Of Cinder and Bone #5.5) is here.(Cover art by BRose Designz) Synopsis below.

In a modern-day world teeming with marauding dragons, there is only one solution: The Wild Hunt. The United States government has decided to hold a tournament called The Wild Hunt to determine who will be responsible for the capture of wild dragons by the Knight Division. The four challengers Noah Wilson, Charlie Howard, Su Jin Han, and Beowulf have to catch five deadly dragons alive if they want to win the tournament and become the new Knight Division dragon hunters. Their journey will take them through the mountains of South Carolina, the seas of Key West, the caverns of Ruby Falls, the Redwood forest, and finally, the murky bayous of Louisiana. Will they succeed against their competition, or will the dragons of the Wild Hunt be too wild to tame? Of Wings and Shadows is the sixth book in the Of Cinder and Bone series. It takes place in medias res of Book Five, Of Claws and Inferno. It follows Of Cinder and Bone, Of Blood and Ashes, Of Dawn and Embers, and Of Fury and Fangs.

Release date: July 22nd, 2023

Pre-order now for only .99 cents. The price will increase on July 23rd. Add it to your Goodreads TBR shelf as well. 

Haven’t read the other books in the series yet? I gotchu, fam. 

And don’t forget--Of Cinder and Bone is a permanently free ebook on Amazon and all other platforms! 

...please clap.

[snailmailmp3]

did not realize how strongly I associated "characters in a sff setting referencing contemporary memes as a little wink nudge to the reader" with tazmuir until I got to a line in babel that did it and felt so jarred that I had to put the book down for a minute

[tenrose]

Gonna try audiobook, and also gonna try to listen to books I will never read otherwise. So no SFF

[sol-flo]

um ok i actually went into ao3 to see if i was maybe not the only person this specific kind of insane on the internet and. well i might be because there were zero hits but there's actually an unexpected [1] amount of agatha christie fics?? 1-2 for specific books. as for specific detectives: 2 for parker pyne. 10 for tommy and tuppence. 14 for mr quin. 159 for miss marple. 341 for poirot. slay.

[1] maybe it shouldn't be given she's a powerhouse best-seller

[noellemonet]

“As his lips graze mine I realize that the heights of love and the depths of hate feel awfully the same in the dark.”

BLACK MOUNTAIN ACADEMY is LEGENDBORN meets ACE OF SPADES. A YA Contemporary Fantasy inspired by the zodiac and featuring generational female rage turned REVENGE 😈

[sometimesraven]

Happy birthday to Evie! This babe has only been a supporting character in the Truth Saga so far but they're one of my favourites of the squad and I plan to give them the spotlight in book 3!

Libras are notorious for being the peacemakers of the zodiac, but also for playing both sides more than is perhaps necessary; and usually at great expense to themself. Evie is burdened with the unique ability to sense and take on the fears of those around them, and their need to play the mediator has been magnified to a firm sense of duty over their family's woes. Now they have children to take care of on top of everything, taking care of themself is an alien concept that I'm sure won't land them in any trouble whatsoever :)

Evie is a supporting character in RECKLESS TRUTH and BITTER TRUTH.

Check out The Truth Saga

Children go missing all the time. That’s what they’re told. They run away, they’re kidnapped, they die. Scattered throughout Scotland, a handful of families remember the truth of what happened to their families. The violent, paranormal attacks that destroyed their lives and took their children from them.

Twenty years after the first incidents, the disappearences are happening again. The missing children are adults now, and reconnecting with the people they lost, but everything has changed. There is something sinister casting its shadow over their heads, and now they must fight to return the light to their lives. To learn to love and laugh and carry on living – while the truth of their history threatens to destroy them.

Combining science fantasy with interpersonal drama, The Truth Saga is an ongoing series following themes of love, family and grief wrapped in a bundle of supernatural mystery and violence. Step into the Controller’s world and you may never turn back…

BOOK 1, RECKLESS TRUTH, IS AVAILABLE NOW TO BUY FROM YOUR FAVOURITE BOOKSTORES

Taglist (Click to be added)

@smallvillecrows

[kaetrinsmusings]

Review at Dear Author

Audiobook Review at Dear Author: Wished by Sarah Ready, narrated by Amanda Ronconi & Will Watt.

I’m over at Dear Author with a review of Wished by Sarah Ready, narrated by Amanda Ronconi & Will Watt.  I got a little confused by the ending.

[lastinnett-writer]

Drafting is going really well for my post apocalyptic contemporary fantasy I’m eight chapters in now and really enjoying the writing process.

Image created with Dream

[specialagentartemis]

godddddd i have disliked becky chambers' work since long way to a small angry planet and I agree that that fish scene is SO much of what is wrong with contemporary SFF especially queer SFF. refreshing take, great review, thank you. would love to hear what authors or works you think of as the antidote to that sensibility.

The thing is, I enjoyed The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet when I first read it - it was a fun, light adventure, clearly a debut novel but I was excited to see where Chambers would go from there. And I actually really do think the sequel, A Closed and Common Orbit, was good! It did interesting things with AI personhood and identity.

... and then Chambers just kinda. Did not get better. She settled into a groove and has a set number of ideas that I feel like she hasn't broken out of, creatively. And they I M O kind of rest on an assumption that "human nature" = "how people act in suburban California."

As an antidote to that sensibility, I'd say... books where people have a real interrelationship with the land they inhabit, a sense of being present, and reciprocal obligations to that land; books that recognize that some things can never be taken back once done; books with well-drawn characters, where people have strong opinions deeply informed by their circumstances, that can't always be easily reconciled with others, and won't be brushed aside; books where these character choices matter, they impact each other, they cannot be easily gotten over, because people have obligations to each other and not-acting is a choice too.

And it's only fair that after all day of being a Hater I should rec some books I really did like.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke - A man lives alone in an infinite House, over an equally infinite ocean. Captures the feeling that I think Monk & Robot was aiming for. Breathtaking beauty, wonder at the world, philosophy of truth, all that good stuff, and actually sticks the landing. The main character's love, attention, and care to his fantasy environment shows through in every page. (Fantasy, short novel)

Imperial Radch by Ann Leckie - An AI, the one fragment remaining of a destroyed imperial spaceship, is on a quest for revenge. Leckie gets cultural differences and multiculturalism, and conversely, what the imposition of a homogeneous culture in the name of unity means. (Space sci-fi, novel trilogy)

Machineries of Empire by Yoon Ha Lee - An army captain's insubordination is punished by giving her a near-impossible mission: to take down a rebelling, heretical sect holing up in a space fortress and defying imperial power. She gets a long dead brain-ghost of a notorious criminal downloaded into her head to help. Very, very good at making you feel like every doomed soldier was a person with a past, with a family, with feelings, with hopes and dreams and frustrations and favorites and preferences and reasons to live, right before they brutally die in a space war. Also very much about the imposition of homogeneity of culture as a force of imperialism. (Space sci-fi, novel trilogy)

The Fortunate Fall by Cameron Reed - Maya Andreyevna is a VR journalist in high-tech dystopian future Russia, and she decides to investigate the truth that the government doesn't want her to. She might die trying. It's fine. Also has digital brain-sharing, this time in a gay way. It's bleak. It's sad. It feels real. Not making a choice is a choice. Backing out is a choice. And choices have consequences. Choices reverberate through history. About responsibility. (Cyberpunk, novel)

The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez - Nia Imani is a spaceship captain, a woman out of time, a woman running from her past, and accidentally adopts a boy who has a strange power that could change the galaxy. Spaceship crew-as-found-family in the most heartbreaking of ways. Also about choices, how the choices you make and refuse to make shape you and shape the world around you. How the world is always changing around you, how the world does not stay still when you're gone, and when you come back you're the same but the world has moved on around you. About how relationships aren't always forever, and that doesn't mean they weren't important. About responsibility to others. It's a slow, sad book and does not let anyone rest on their laurels, ever. There is no end of history here. Everything is always changing, on large scales and small, and leaving you behind. (Space sci-fi, novel)

Dungeon Meshi / Delicious in Dungeon by Ryoko Kui - A D&D style fantasy dungeon crawl that stops to think deeply about why there are so many dungeons full of monsters and treasure just hanging around. Here because it's an example of an author thinking through her worldbuilding a lot, and it mattering. Also because of the characters' respect for the animals they are are killing and eating, their lives and their place in the ecosystem, and the ways that humans both fuck up ecosystems with extraction and tourism, but also the ways that you can have reciprocal relationships of responsibility and care with the ecosystem you live in, even if it's considered a dangerous one. (Fantasy, manga series)

Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang and How Long 'Til Black Future Month by N. K. Jemisin and Everyone on the Moon is Essential Personnel by Julian K. Jarboe - Short story anthologies that were SO good and SO weird and rewired the way I think. If you want the kind of stuff that is like, the opposite of easy-to-digest feel-good pap, these short stories will get into your brain and make you consider stuff and look at the world from new angles. Most of them aren't particularly upbeat, but there's a lot of variety in the moods.

"Homecoming is Just Another Word for the Sublimation of the Self," "Calf Cleaving in the Benthic Black," and "Termination Stories for the Cyberpunk Dystopia Protagonist" by Isabel J. Kim - Short stories, sci-fi mostly, that twist around in my head and make me think. Kim is very good at that. Also about choices and not-making-choices, about going and staying, about taking the easy route or the hard one, about controlling the narrative.

The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells - Security robot with guns in its arms hacks itself free from its oppressive company, mostly wants to half-ass its job but gets sucked into drama, intrigue, and caring against its better judgement. This is on here because 1) I love it 2) I feel like it does for me what cozy sff so frequently fails to do - it makes me feel seen and comforted. It's hopeful and compassionate and about personal growth and finding community and finding one's place in the world, without brushing aside all problems or acting like "everybody effortlessly just gets along" is a meaningful proposal. also 3) because it is one of the few times I have yet seen characters from a hippie, pacifistic, eco-friendly, welcoming, utopian society actually act like people. The humans from Preservation are friendly, helpful, and motivated by truth and justice and compassion, because they come from a friendly, just, compassionate society, and they still actually act like real human beings with different personalities and conflicting opinions and poor reactions to stress and anger and frustration and fear and the whole range of human emotions rather than bland niceness. Also 4) I love it (space sci-fi, novella series mostly)

[halflingkima]

i rmr seeing a post (and i rmr bc i heartily agreed with it) that said something along the lines of “i miss when books had tables of contents and chapter titles” and basically lamented that adults books only had boring old “chapter one, chapter two” etc.

but this month alone i’ve started reading three books that still title chapters – one of them was Treasure Island. and my conclusion is whomever feels that way may simply be reading the wrong books.

[st-just]

Y'know I don't actually necessarily have anything in principle against didactic fiction and morality tales. But like a few years of consuming so much contemporary SFF has left me excruciatingly aware that a) most people who try for this probably really shouldn't, and also b) it is not a style that fails gracefully