brianreadsbooks's reviews
786 reviews

King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild

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challenging dark informative sad tense medium-paced

5.0

I Want That Twink OBLITERATED by Trip Galey, Robert Berg, C.L. McCartney

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

This anthology is wild, fun, & beautiful. Some stories are high camp, sexy & hilarious. Others beautifully thoughtful stories of queer families pushed to the limit, with and without reconciliation.

Standouts for me included:

The Dearth of Temptation, Christopher Caldwell
Your World Against Mine, Adam Sass
Yesterday's Heroes, Charlie Winter

And for pure camp:

Garden of the Serpent King, James Bennett
Plezure, Derrick Webber

If you're into SFF or just queer nerds, get this book!

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Some Men in London: Queer Life, 1945-1959 by Peter Parker

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funny informative sad medium-paced

5.0

Everfair by Nisi Shawl

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adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Everfair is an epic, sprawling, steampunk historical fiction set primarily in an alternate version of the Congo during Belgian King Leopold's brutal exploitation of African people and resources. (This is a chapter of history I'd never learned before and was a side benefit to this book.)

In Shawl's fictional version of the Congo, the new Utopian colony of Everfair is being founded with a collectivist approach to ruling, primarily by women. The colony welcomes those who have escaped from Leopold's atrocities. Alongside immigrants from Asia, they have developed steam technologies that allow them to combat Leopold more effectively.

Alongside these players, arrive Black American evangelists, who form a tenuous alliance with Everfair. All of them co-exist alongside the indigenous people of the Congo and their King. The mix of individual characters, and the different communities they represent, results in a fascinating (if at times complicated) decades-long saga of conflict and alliance that leaves you wondering whose side you're on and why. No one in this book is perfect, and I think that's part of what impressed me about Shawl's writing. Each person is a complex, unique character who sucked me into their world.

If you enjoy fiction that takes on larger themes such as gender, race, sexuality, colonialism and religion (while still being an entertaining story), I highly recommend this one.

Calling a Wolf a Wolf by Kaveh Akbar

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Christmas Pudding by Nancy Mitford

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funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced