Introducing a new category of post, where I'll discuss a number of books through a specific lens. In this case, their gay characters and relationships!
As an astonishing first for my blog, the spark of this post was ignited by a non-speculative fiction book. On a friend’s fervent recommendation, this week I opened and fell in love with John Boyne’s 2017 The Heart’s Invisible Furies. This darkly funny and deeply emotional novel follows the life and trials of a gay man growing up in strictly Catholic Ireland from the 1950s onward.
This story evokes many elements of Tomasz Jedrowski’s 2020 Swimming in the Dark for me – another great recommendation from a friend – and I was inspired to explore and discuss the gay characters and relationships in these books and in speculative fiction novels I love.
Two people and a reasonable amount of fingers - both nearly impossible for the AI
Speculative fiction is a medium which allows authors to explore important topics in novel ways, changing context and the lens of perception in order to gain better insight on real world issues.
This is part of the reason that so many gay characters and relationships in fiction are surrounded by traumatic experiences. Violence and shame has surrounded the topic for centuries, and still pervades the world we live in today. Writing fiction allows many authors to give voice to real, painful experiences – reminding us of the horrors of the past as well as attempting to understand the perspectives held by antagonistic figures and cultures.
On the other hand, a few stories portray these characters and relationships in worlds that have moved beyond stigma. Everina Maxwell's Winter's Orbit and Ocean's Echo each feature complex and dynamic romantic relationships between men as the backbone of political sci-fi thrillers.
Prince Kiem and Count Jainan from Winter's Orbit - art by Venessa Kelley
Maxwell effortlessly demonstrates that queer relationships can fit into any story without needing to be justified or intrinsically tied to shame or trauma. The same is true for Alexandra Rowland's wonderful A Conspiracy of Truths and A Choir of Lies, where the gay storyteller Ylfing is completely accepted by almost everyone – although Rowland does mention that parts of that world would not accept him.
A.K. Larkwood's The Unspoken Name and The Thousand Eyes are long overdue for discussion around here – at the very least, they'll get another mention if/when I do a similar post for lesbian characters and relationships. The novels are centered on Csorwe's journey, but also flesh out a small cast of characters around her.
Belthandros Sethennai is a mysterious and powerful figure bent on reclaiming his rightful place as ruler of his elven culture. Talasseres Charossa is a young relative of Belthandros' rival and usurper. (Larkwood tends to avoid stereotyping her fantasy races, but both of these men are perfect models of elven haughtiness).
I don't want to spoil the many complex twists and turns of Larkwood's books here; I'll just say that Belthandros and Talasseres end up in a casual relationship that – of course – makes everything that happens more complicated, tense and emotional. This is a case where the gay relationship itself is perfectly accepted but the individual circumstances make it questionable. Both men are used to exerting or gaining power through intimacy, but one has been doing so for far longer than the other and things simply can't end well.
N.K. Jemisin's The City We Became and The World We Make feature a wonderful gay Black teen avatar of New York City figuring things out and occasionally sleeping with his mentor, the older male São Paulo. These books are focused on what it means to be a city and community when comprised of thousands of diverse and sometimes conflicting elements, and sexuality is one of many significant parts of Jemisin's explorations.
I’ve touched on Ya Hoon Lee’s mind-bending sci-fi epic Machineries of Empire before, and once again I’ll just be on the fringes of all the trilogy has to offer. The story revolves around legendary general Shuos Jedao, centuries after his disgraceful betrayal of all he supposedly stood for.
Mikodez by Maki (Left), Jedao by Liuet (Middle) and Kujen by Lucia Dzediti (Right)
Being gay is accepted in the Hexarchate – though the society's understanding of gender has moved beyond use of such terms – but that doesn't save Jedao from the abuses of power. One of the most powerful women in their society wants and takes him not long after his male academy crush dies, by threatening everything Jedao has worked so hard for.
Yoon Ha Lee also has two sublime gay villains in the mix: Shuos Mikodez and Nirai Kujen. As a trans gay author with an incredible imagination, I think Lee has every right to explore the perversities these strange and powerful characters get up to. But as with every book I've discussed so far, their sexuality takes nothing away from the forces and ideas they represent as villains.
Lara Elena Donnelly's Amberlough is a beautiful and harrowing look at a utopian 1920s-esque society losing it all. As foreign politics creep in, previously unquestioned gay and trans characters are forced into hiding. It hits all the harder for how brutally it captures the feeling of world events since the early Trump years when it was published. (As a first in this post I have yet to finish the series, but can't wait to keep crying with Armistice and Amnesty.)
A final couple mentions:
Emory Anden from Fonda Lee's Green Bone Saga has a deeply emotional journey
Simon in Chloe Benjamin's The Immortalists is similarly reflective of real history and experiences as the characters and stories of Heart's Invisible Furies and Swimming in the Dark
Donna Tartt's The Secret History and Lev Grossman's The Magicians (which I discussed last week) feature similar gay characters – R.F. Kuang's Babel is slightly more distinct but could easily be grouped here too
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I hope you consider giving at least one of these books a try!
Let me know how you feel about this broader type of post, as compared to the more focused ones. Are there any gay characters/relationships you adore that I should read?
Until next time~
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