#nicky drayden

[haveyoureadthisqueerbook]

[haveyoureadthisscifibook]

vote yes if you have finished the entire book.

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[have-you-read-this-short-fiction]

[afrotumble]

Nicky Drayden is a Systems Analyst who dabbles in prose when she’s not buried in code. She resides in Austin, Texas where being weird is highly encouraged, if not required.

[qbdatabase]

In South Africa, the future looks promising. Personal robots are making life easier for the working class. The government is harnessing renewable energy to provide infrastructure for the poor. And in the bustling coastal town of Port Elizabeth, the economy is booming thanks to the genetic engineering industry which has found a welcome home there. Yes–the days to come are looking very good for South Africans. That is, if they can survive the present challenges:

A new hallucinogenic drug sweeping the country . . .

An emerging AI uprising . . .

And an ancient demigoddess hellbent on regaining her former status by preying on the blood and sweat (but mostly blood) of every human she encounters.

It’s up to a young Zulu girl powerful enough to destroy her entire township, a queer teen plagued with the ability to control minds, a pop diva with serious daddy issues, and a politician with even more serious mommy issues to band together to ensure there’s a future left to worry about.

[macmanx]

A struggling college student gains new perspective on her studies from her classmate, who's come to study from another planet.

this was absolutely beautiful

[bookcoversonly]

Title: Temper | Author: Nicky Drayden | Publisher: Harper Voyager (2018)

[adriabailton]

Up In Smoke

by Nicky Drayden

via Cabinet des Fées

[satusepiida]

Worldbuilding is also my favorite part of stories.

One of the books with some of the most interesting worldbuilding I have read recently is the Afrofuturist story Escaping Exodus by Nicky Drayden. The humans of this story left Earth and have been living in space for centuries to millennia, living parasitically inside giant space fauna. They have a family system where a marriage is nine people (each with different roles) who can have one child between them, since overpopulation is a huge concern (this rule is defied in various interesting ways by different characters).

The main characters are two women, Seske, heir to the clan matriarch, and Adalla, a beastworker, whose job it is to keep the beast they live in alive until they're done with it. They are in love but being from different castes, it is basically forbidden. Seske also has a sister who challenges her to the matriarchy. And Seske learns how to communicate with the beast which has her wondering if there's a more mutualistic way to live within it.

I still read quite a bit but it feels like a while since I've read fiction very much.

I mean, I did read the Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka a couple days ago, but nominally I still like science fiction and fantasy best, and yet it's like the particular type of book I am craving has somehow ceased to exist.

I really get it on some level how people get stuck longing for the young-adult novels of their past, because you can swear up and down that satisfying and interesting "adult" books exist, but as someone who predominantly reads adult SFF when she reads fiction, finding a SFF book that will stimulate your brain and emotions in the way SFF did for you as a kid takes an absolutely insane amount of trial and error, deep investigative research, and familiarity with your own tastes...

...and you will still read like 14 books that irreparably scar your brain because the author has characters pee themselves like 30 times and makes their werewolf characters love to lick pee. or something

[wrexwas]

Sombra successfully manipulating Omnicode in Overwatch 2 - Mauga Animated Short "A Great Day"

Efi laughed again, certain that this was the hilarious part of the story. A non-augmented human reading something as complex as Omnicode? Efi had studied the omnic’s written language for nearly three years, and she couldn’t understand more than the occasional word here and there. If she couldn’t read Omnicode, the chances Isaac could were slim-to-none. - "The Hero of Numbani" by Nicky Drayden

[haveyoureadthisscifibook]

vote yes if you have finished the entire book.

vote no if you have not finished the entire book.

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[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🖤 Black History Month ❤️

💛 Queer Books by Black Authors 💚

[ List Under the Cut ]

🖤 Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender ❤️ Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta 💛 Warrior of the Wind by Suyi Davies Okungbowa 💚 I'm a Wild Seed by Sharon Lee De La Cruz 🖤 Real Life by Brandon Taylor ❤️ Ruthless Pamela Jean by Carol Denise Mitchell 💛 The Unbroken by C.L. Clark 💚 Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova 🖤 Skin Deep Magic by Craig Laurance Gidney ❤️ The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi 💛 That Could Be Enough by Alyssa Cole 💚Work for It by Talia Hibbert

🖤 All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson ❤️ The Deep by Rivers Solomon 💛 How to Be Remy Cameron by Julian Winters 💚 Running With Lions by Julian Winters 🖤 Right Where I Left You by Julian Winters ❤️ This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story by Kacen Callender 💛 The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum 💚 This Is What It Feels Like by Rebecca Barrow 🖤 Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa ❤️ Black Boy Joy by Kwame Mbalia 💛 Legendborn by Tracy Deonn 💚 The Wicker King by K. Ancrum

🖤 Pet by Akwaeke Emezi ❤️ You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson 💛 Once Ghosted, Twice Shy by Alyssa Cole 💚 Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron 🖤 Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann ❤️ A Spectral Hue by Craig Laurance Gidney 💛 Power & Magic by Joamette Gil 💚 The Black Veins by Ashia Monet 🖤 Treasure by Rebekah Weatherspoon ❤️ The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow 💛 Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James 💚 Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett

🖤 The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta ❤️ Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee 💛 A Phoenix First Must Burn (edited) by Patrice Caldwell 💚 Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson 🖤 Things We Couldn't Say by Jay Coles ❤️ Black Boy Out of Time by Hari Ziyad 💛 Darling by K. Ancrum 💚 The Secrets of Eden by Brandon Goode 🖤 Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé ❤️ Off the Record by Camryn Garrett 💛 Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers 💚 Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

🖤 How to Dispatch a Human by Stephanie Andrea Allen ❤️ Black Girl, Call Home by Jasmine Mans 💛 The Essential June Jordan (edited) by Jan Heller Levi and Christoph Keller 💚 A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark 🖤 A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney ❤️ Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo 💛 Dread Nation by Justina Ireland 💚 Punch Me Up to the Gods by Brian Broome 🖤 Masquerade by Anne Shade ❤️ One of the Good Ones by Maika Moulite & Maritza Moulite 💛 Soulstar by C.L. Polk 💚 100 Boyfriends by Brontez Purnell

🖤 Hurricane Child by Kacen Callender ❤️ Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby 💛 Coffee Will Make You Black by April Sinclair 💚 The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi 🖤 If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann ❤️ Sweethand by N.G. Peltier 💛 This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron 💚 Better Off Red by Rebekah Weatherspoon 🖤 Friday I’m in Love by Camryn Garrett ❤️ Rainbow Milk by Paul Mendez 💛 Memorial by Bryan Washington 💚 Patsy by Nicole Y. Dennis-Benn

🖤 Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon ❤️ How to Find a Princess by Alyssa Cole 💛 Yesterday is History by Kosoko Jackosn 💚 Mouths of Rain (edited) by Briona Simone Jones 🖤 Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia ❤️ Love's Divine by Ava Freeman 💛 The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr 💚 Odd One Out by Nic Stone 🖤 Symbiosis by Nicky Drayden ❤️ Thanks a Lot, Universe by Chad Lucas 💛 The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons 💚 Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin

🖤 Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert ❤️ My Government Means to Kill Me by Rasheed Newson 💛 Pleasure and Spice by Fiona Zedde 💚 No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull 🖤 The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus ❤️ Filthy Animals by Brandon Taylor 💛 The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin 💚 Peaces by Helen Oyeyem 🖤 The Beauty That Remains by Ashley Woodfolk ❤️ Every Body Looking by Candice Iloh 💛 Bingo Love by Tee Franklin, Jenn St-Onge, Joy San 💚 The Heart Does Not Bend by Makeda Silvera

🖤 King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender ❤️ By Any Means Necessary by Candice Montgomery 💛 Busy Ain't the Half of It by Frederick Smith & Chaz Lamar Cruz 💚 Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo 🖤 Sin Against the Race by Gar McVey-Russell ❤️ Trumpet by Jackie Kay 💛 Remembrance by Rita Woods 💚 Daughters of Nri by Reni K. Amayo 🖤 You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour ❤️ The Summer of Everything by Julian Winters 💛 Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi 💚 Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyem

[nellasbookplanet]

Book recs: sapphic romance for people who like Hannibal and Interwiev with the Vampire, aka fucked up and toxic

Enemies to lovers, lovers to enemies, fucked up power imbalances, manipulations, plain bad people doing bad things - if you like your sapphics a little bit dark check out these books!

Some of these end happily, some tragically, some are more will-they-won’t-they than full on romance, some focus on healing while others focus on Getting Worse, but they’re all very juicy.

For details on the books, continue under the readmore

Feel free to recommend more books in tags and comments!

Othe book rec posts:

Really cool fantasy worldbuilding

Really cool sci-fi worldbuilding

Mermaid books

Vampire books

The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie

Young Adult. tumblr classic back in the day! A trainer of sea monsters genetically engineered to protect ships from pirates is kidnapped by, you guessed it, pirates, one of whom happens to be very hot.

Escaping Exodus by Nicky Drayden

While my feelings on Escaping Exodus were mixed, it cannot be denied that the dynamic between the two leads and the way they go from childhood best friends to enemies on different sides of a class and power struggle is very delicious. It also features some really cool worldbuilding of living, alien generation spaceships and the human culture that has developed inside them.

The Stars are Legion by Kameron Hurley

This book fucked me up when I read it. It’s weird, it's gross, there’s So Much Viscera, there are literally no men, it has living spaceships and biotech but in the most horrific way imaginable. Had I to categorize it I would call it grimdark military sf. It’s an experience but not necessarily a pleasant one.

The Lumionus Dead by Caitlin Starling

Possibly one of the most unsettling books I've ever read, and definitely the most claustrophobic. Gyre, a caver on an alien planet, ventures into the dark and dangerous underground, guided only by a woman who has no compunctions on using and manipulating Gyre as she sees fit to obtain her secretive goals down in the caves.

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

On the less toxic and fucked up side of the spectrum, but still pretty juicy. A princess held captive by her own brother, who wants to see her dead, tries to trick a servant into helping her escape, but with undeniable attraction growing between them and the servant having her own goals things quickly get complicated.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Listen, if you're on tumblr I probably don't need to explain this book to you. Trust me when I say it's exactly as good as people claim. There are indeed lesbian necromancers in space (quite a few of them, actually), but also incredible worldbuilding that keeps growing with every new installment, interesting political commentary, morally complex characters with fucked up dynamics, and well-thought out plot that keeps you guessing until the last.

They Never Learn by Layne Fargo

Listen, sometimes you just want to read about a vicious bisexual lady professor who murders predatory men and falls for the woman trying to solve her crimes and that's okay.

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

The source of not one but two movie adaptations, Fingersmith is a story of trickery and manipulation as a young conwoman works to gain the trust of a heiress. I don’t want to say much more because the twists are some of the best parts, but trust that it doesn’t take long for things to get real complicated between them.

The Unbroken by C.L. Clark

Tourraine, who was stolen as a child and trained as a soldier for the empire that conquered her home, is recruited by Luka, the future leader of the conquering country to route out a rebellion. A game of twisted loyalties and attraction is soon to develop.

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

Again, if you're on tumblr (or twitter, apparently) you have in all likelihood already heard of this one, too. Just like GtN it lives up to all expectations. It features two women on different sides of the titular time war, who starts leaving letters for the other to find as they chase each other through time. A quick read, slightly surreal, and absolutely beautiful, I cannot recommend this enough. Pretty mild on the fucked-up-scale.

House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

In a world where the rich drink blood to preserve their health, Marion applies to a position as bloodmaid in a notorious noble house far from home. Suddenly showered with luxuries and debauchery, Marion soon gains the interest and favor of Lisavet, countess of the house. A fresh take on the idea of vampires.

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

A young pregnant woman flees a cult that left her body strange and changing in terrifying ways. Hidden from the world, she does her best to raise her children while trying to find out the truth of the cult and being pursued by a hunter in a dangerous game of cat and mouse. In no way a romance, but certainly has some fucked up sapphic shit going on.

The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson

After her home was conquered by another land, Baru is determined to join their forces and climb the ladder until she’s in a position to free her people. To prove her loyalty, she’s sent to bring order and quell rebellion in another conqured region. Baru is set to succeed, but also has to struggle with her feelings for Tain Hu, a duchess of this region.

Ice Massacre (Mermaids of Eriana Kwai trilogy) by Tiana Warner

Young Adult. A small island is forced to defend itself against intruding forces of vicious mermaids. As all men trying to fight them get lured in by their siren song, a ship filled with warrior girls is sent instead. However one of them, Meela, had a complicated past with one of the mermaids, which is brought back to life when the two reunite on the battlefield. This one is also available as an ongoing webcomic!

Borderline (The Arcadia Project trilogy) by Mishell Baker

Urban fantasy mystery. Very much of the will-they-won’t-they variety, with a bisexual lead who has a male love interest as well as a female without falling into the typical pitfalls of a love triangle. Plays around with various fucked up power dynamics. A year after a failed suicide attempt that cost her both her legs, Millie is recruited by a secretive organisation that works to control traffic to and from Arcadia, the land of faries. Bear in mind that while the sapphic-ness is present throughout, it has a much smaller presence in book 1 than books 2 and 3.

Bonus AKA I haven't read these yet but they seem really cool

The Hunger by Whitley Strieber

Ancient vampire is on the hunt for a new partner, none of which tend to last long.

Codename Villanelle by Luke Jennings

Precursor of the famous Killing Eve tv series. While I don’t know much of the books, I did enough research to know this: their endings differ.

[duckprintspress]

Happy Black History Month! Check Out 15 of Our Favorite Queer Reads by Black Authors

February is Black History Month in the United States, and Duck Prints Press is joining in the celebration by sharing 15 of our favorite queer reads by Black authors! The contributors to this list are Shadaras, boneturtle, Tris Lawrence, Sebastian Marie, Shea Sullivan, Terra P. Waters, and an anonymous author.

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon

The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth Trilogy) by N.K. Jemisin

A Necessary Chaos by Brent Lambert

The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden

So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix (Remixed Classics Series) by Bethany C. Morrow

Nothing Burns As Bright As You by Ashley Woodfolk

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson

Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson

This Poison Heart (This Poison Heart Series) by Kalynn Bayron

The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass

The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson

How to Find a Princess (Runaway Royals Series) by Alyssa Cole

Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers

My Dear Henry: A Jekyll & Hyde Remix (Remixed Classics Series) by Kalynn Bayron

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

What are YOUR favorite reads by Black authors? We’d love to find more to add to our to-be-read piles!

Want to chat your favorite reads with us? Join our Book Lover’s Discord server!

You can view this list as a bookshelf on Goodreads!

Love reading queer books? Our Queer Book Challenge is running on Storygraph through the end of 2024. Come join us!

[thedisabilitybookarchive]

Queer Disability in Science-Fiction

[ID: A poster. Large white text in the centre reads "Queer Disability In Science-Fiction". In the upper left corner, smaller black text reads "Disability in Books". The background is a wood grain pattern, with the top and bottom of bordered by a row of book tops. In the upper right corner, the logo for the Disability Book Archive. In the lower left corner, the disability pride flag in the shape of a heart, and the rainbow pride flag, in the shape of smaller heart slightly layered on top. In the lower right corner, a stack of cartoonish books. /end]

[ID: The same poster. The text and stack of books has been removed. The hearts and logo have shrunken in size. There are 7 book covers. From left to right, the covers are: "We Shall Be Monsters" by Derek Newman-Stille, "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson, "Unlicensed Delivery" by Will Soulsby-McCreath, "Tarnished are the Stars" by Rosiee Thor, "Rebuilding Tomorrow" by Tsana Dolichva, "The Prey of Gods" by Nicky Drayden, and "The Outside" by Ada Hoffman. /end]

[ID: The same poster. The book covers have been replaced. From left to right, the covers are: "On the Edge of Gone" by Corinne Duyvis, "Once Stolen" by D. N. Bryn, "Odder Still" by D. N. Bryn, "Izzy at the End of the World" by K. A. Reynolds, "Borderline" by Mishell Baker, "Into the Drowning Deep" by Mira Grant, and "Highway Bodies" by Alison Evans. /end]

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 [22 rainbow pride flag emojis]

A list of 14 science-fiction books featuring queer, disabled, and queer-disabled characters and themes!

If fantasy is the second biggest genre category on the archive, science-fiction-fantasy is definitely the second biggest fantasy subgenre. The overlap is ridiculous. I tried to get mostly different ones from the ones I used on the fantasy list, but it was difficult.

This list was partially co-created with my cat, who is insistent upon being within a whisker length of my keyboard. /j

The books on this list are:

🏳️‍🌈"We Shall Be Monsters"- Newman-Stille, Derek

🏳️‍🌈"We Are the Ants"- Hutchinson, Shaun David

🏳️‍🌈 "Unlicensed Delivery"- Soulsby-McCreath, Will

🏳️‍🌈"Tarnished are the Stars"- Thor, Rosiee

🏳️‍🌈"Rebuilding Tomorrow"- Dolichva, Tsana

🏳️‍🌈"The Prey of Gods"- Drayden, Nicky

🏳️‍🌈"The Outside"- Hoffman, Ada

🏳️‍🌈"On the Edge of Gone"- Duyvis, Corinne

🏳️‍🌈"Once Stole"- Bryn, D. N.

🏳️‍🌈"Odder Still"- Bryn, D. N

🏳️‍🌈"Izzy at the End of the World"- Reynolds, K. A.

🏳️‍🌈 "Borederline"- Baker, Mishell

🏳️‍🌈 "Into the Drowning Deep"- Grant, Mira

🏳️‍🌈 "Highway Bodies"- Evans, Alison

Information on all of these books and more can be found in the Disability Book Archive.

Happy Pride Month!

[qbdatabase]

Do you guys have any more intersex rep books? There's only like 5 on here and it's hard to find anything ;w;

Main Characters:

Pantomime by L. R. Lam - bisexual intersex genderfluid MC

That Inevitable Victorian Thing by E. K. Johnston - poc queer female x bisexual intersex female x male

None of the Above by I. W. Gregorio - intersex female

Golden Boy by Abigail Tartellin - intersex male

Annabel by Kathleen Winter - trans-femme intersex male

Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides - Greek-American intersex transgender male

Cattywampus by Ash Van Otterloo - intersex female

Double Exposure by Bridget Birdsail - intersex female

Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire - intersex female

Miss Jane by Brad Watson - intersex female MC born with vaginal agenesis that causes incontinence and prevents penetrative sex

An Ordinary Wonder by Buki Papillon - Nigerian intersex female MC forced to live as a boy

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon - black albino bisexual intersex MC who is partially blind and has chronic pain

The Desert Prince by Peter V. Brett - intersex female questioning her gender identity

Lord of the Last Heartbeat by Mary Peterson - non-binary intersex MC (he/him)

Real Easy by Marie Rutkoski - intersex female

Just Ash by Sol Santana - intersex male

Trans Liberty Riot Brigade by L. M. Pierce - queer intersex female with a fantasy-drug addiction

Side Characters / World Building:

Temper by Nicky Drayden - intersex SCs in a world where everyone is born with a twin, and sometimes the genitalia gets "mixed" between them

2313 by Kim Stanley Robinson - intersex female MC due to future scientific advancements in a society without gender norms, where intersex / nonbinary seems to be the default

The Pursued and the Pursuing by A. J. Odasso - intersex female prominent SC (adopted daughter of main mlm couple)

Manywhere: Stories by Morgan Thomas - intersex prominent SC, but gender identity unknown

full notes on representation and publishing info at qbdatabase.com