2025 in Review: A Year 12 Years Long
by Cynthia Ward
I write up my pleasures as I experience them; now, as the
year ends, I'm reviewing my selections, and it feels like I encountered my older
reads a decade or more ago.
I can hardly wait to learn how the next three years will feel.
On the plus side, we are now marked safe from Kpop demons.
* * *
Like I'm born to be (Film/TV)
Kpop Demon Hunters – So I didn't see the breakout hit
of the year (decade?) until a couple of days ago, but this anime movie did not
only meet, it beat my elevated expectations (it's also a lot darker than I
expected, given its explosive popularity).
* * *
Yeongwonhi kkaejil su eomneun (Music)
"What It Sounds Like + Golden" by BABYMONSTER –
Since you probably can't go anywhere without hearing the HUNTR/X (EJAE, Audrey
Nuna, and Rei Ami) recording of "Golden" from Kpop Demon Hunters,
here's a great cover by a smart band, whom I will be investigating further.
* * *
Because you are alive, everything is possible (Books)
Nonfiction:
Ancient Christianities: The First Five Hundred Years
by Paula Fredriksen – Well worth a read if you want to know how Christianity
became the dominant world religion (and how it rather quickly departed from a
focus on the ethical teachings of Jesus, which weren't anything that would have
greatly surprised a Buddhist).
The Art of Power: A Zen Master's Guide to Redefining
Power, Achieving True Freedom and Discovering Lasting Happiness in a Stressful
World by Thích Nhất Hạnh – Very grounded and insightful, this book doesn't
just suggest mindfulness and happiness amid a smog-burst of platitudes and warm
fuzzies – it provides meaningful definitions and offers concrete ways to
achieve these states and avoid their counterfeits.
The Good Heart by the Dalai Lama XIV and Robert Kiely
– This book contains and elaborates upon a fascinating interfaith dialogue
between the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism and a Catholic Benedictine
Brother, among others; not surprisingly, they find a lot of common ground
between the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama and those of Jesus (also not
surprisingly, the speakers encounter significant disagreement, which the Dalai
Lama reasonably urges people to maintain, on the grounds that different peoples
have different spiritual needs).
How to Eat (Mindfulness Essentials Book 2) by Thích
Nhất Hạnh – Due to a mystery digestive issue, I figured I'd better get back to
the basics, and so I read this book...I didn't expect this Buddhist exploration
of mindful eating to be so profound, or so completely devoid of references to
the supernatural/divine/magical (a pleasant surprise for this atheist); nor did
I expect it to be so helpful in calming my autistic mind chatter and anxiety
spirals.
In My Own Words: An Introduction to My Teachings and
Philosophy by the Dalai Lama XIV – Delivers just what the title says, plus
discussion of Buddhism, and it's clear and cogent, too; assembled from his
other writings, but smoothly so.
I've Always Kept a Unicorn: The Biography of Sandy Denny by
Mick Houghton – A fantastic singer, the late Sandy Denny
was a pioneer of English folk-rock (and folk-rock in general); this biography
is very good, and, with its deep focus on her musical career, it does not
particularly retread the earlier Denny bio, No More Sad Refrains.
I Hope We Choose Love: A Trans Girl’s Notes from the End
of the World – This collection of thoughtful, candid, sometimes painful, and
always nuanced essays by the trans Asian Canadian writer, activist, and trauma
survivor/educator Kai Cheng Thom is as dark and hopeful as its title suggests (however,
if you have triggers, proceed with caution).
Jesus Feminist: An Invitation to Revisit the Bible's View
of Women by Sarah Bessey –There is some good information along the Pagels/Ehrman
line of historical/Biblical scholarship, but mostly this book is aimed at helping
evangelical women (and other Christians) to develop an open, thoughtful, and
inclusive relationship with God, the Bible, and their faith; not an atheist's
cup of tea, but probably very helpful in unclenching a rigid believer (if you
can get them to read the book).
Living Buddha, Living Christ: 20th Anniversary Edition
by Thích Nhất Hạnh – In this revised and updated release, Nhất Hạnh compares
and contrasts the titular wisdom teachers.
Magical/Realism:
Essays on Music, Memory, Fantasy, and Borders by Vanessa Angélica Villarreal – A sometimes harrowing but always gracefully
written nonfiction collection on identity, immigration, magic, mental illness,
divorce, queerness, fiction, and more (the book also cracked my nonbinary egg,
but I can't guarantee that outcome for you).
McMindfulness:
How Mindfulness Became the New Capitalist Spirituality by Ronald Purser – Oddly enough, mindfulness improves nothing if
decontextualized and defanged to enhance corporate profits and suppress
employee discontent.
Queering SF Comics: Readings by Ritch Calvin – Calvin's
second volume of essays on queer science fiction focuses on sequential art;
it's interesting and insightful, if a little too inclined to plot summarization
for my tastes.
Shock and Awe: Glam Rock and Its Legacy, from the
Seventies to the Twenty-First Century by Simon Reynolds – A gimlet-eyed overview of what we Yanks call glitter
rock; I'm not knowledgeable enough to speak to the book's accuracy, but it's an
impressively deep and literate dive into popular culture.
So Gay for You: Friendship, Found Family, and the Show
That Started It by Leisha Hailey and Kate Moennig – I'm interested in
nonfiction which explores friendship and found family, and this is an
entertaining memoir told from the friends' alternating viewpoints, but I probably
would have gotten more out of it if I were more familiar with the cable TV
series The L Word or with Leisha Hailey's bands; I suspect I have lots
of viewing and listening pleasure ahead.
Tiny But Mighty: Kitten Lady's Guide to Saving the Most
Vulnerable Felines by Hannah Shaw – A thorough resource for anyone involved
in cat rescue, or, for that matter, anyone with a kitten (and I do mean
thorough: there are even directions on how to make tiny hats for your tiny
cats).
Touching a Nerve: The Self as Brain by Dr. Patricia
Churchland – It is not often I am blown away by a
science book that is so heady, so lucidly written, and so fascinating; as an
unintentionally timely bonus, one chapter goes into sexual attraction and
gender identity at the considerable, biologically complicated length it
requires.
We Were Made for These Times: Ten Lessons for Moving
Through Change, Loss, and Disruption by Kaira Jewel Lingo – Written by a
former Buddhist nun of the Plum Village lineage, this is not a text to read and
put aside; it is a resource to consult as needed, and about as necessary and
useful a book as you can imagine in our present circumstances.
Why Brains Need Friends: The Neuroscience of Social
Connection by Ben Rei – A clear explication of why socialization is crucial
to health.
* * *
Fiction – Comics, Graphic Novels and Collections, and
Serials:
Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld by Shannon Hale and
Dean Hale – DC Comics de-ages its woman sword & sorcery hero to feature in
a kids' graphic novel; fun, but ultimately rendered shallow by the need for everybody
to be a Hollywood-movie wiseass (an approach which makes me appreciate K.
O'Neill's gentle, quiet kids' graphic novels all the more).
Berlin by Jason Lutes – This graphic novel follows a
group of artists and others through historical Weimar Berlin during the rise of
Nazi Germany, and, somehow, it just seems to resonate more and more with our
times.
Camelot 3000 by Mike W. Barr (writer) and Brian
Bolland (artist) - So much is dated in this graphic novel, and so much is
problematic, and yet, I'm greatly enjoying my first revisit since the release
of the original 12-issue comics maxi-series in the '80s; this is probably the
first "above-ground" comic (and arguably the first comic, period) to
have a significant trans character, or at least a sympathetically portrayed
one. Don't let anyone tell you "woke" comics are a recent phenomenon.
Cyclopedia Exotica by Aminder Dhaliwal – Through their
exploration of the mythical Cyclopes as a stigmatized immigrant community,
these deceptively simple slice-of-life tales of insensitivity, marginalization,
and exploitation pack quite a punch.
Heathen Volume 1 by Natasha Alterici (author/illustrator)
and Ashley A. Woods (illustrator) - This superior sword & sorcery adventure
centers on a Viking's warrior daughter, who is exiled for kissing another girl;
in response, she decides to rescue a Valkyrie cursed by the gods and overthrow
Odin and the patriarchy.
Genderqueer: A Memoir Deluxe Edition by Maia Kobabe – Though labeled a graphic novel, this is the (gracefully
written and illustrated) memoir of a young person growing up and sorting out
eir sexuality and gender in a world in which e rarely fits.
The Goddamned #1 by Jason Aaron and R. M. Guera – This
first issue of this grimdark spear & fang series has superb art (somewhat reminiscent
of Mobius' Blueberry) and an intriguing concept (cursed by God, the immortal Cain
wanders the wicked Antediluvian world) – the execution, however, is a very
mixed bag (for example, Cain looks like an Aryan dreamboat and several evil men
look Black, although the Bible implies race originated with Noah's sons).
Head Lopper #1 by Andrew MacLean (writer/artist) and Mike
Spicer (colorist) – With stylized art reminiscent of Mike Mignola and Jeff
Smith, this modern comic wears its S&S influences proudly on its sleeve, as
the titular swordsman and one of comics' most imaginative sidekicks deal with
monstrous beasts and men.
Murky World by Richard Corben – In this S&S
one-shot from the legendary writer-artist, an aging warrior seeks his stolen
horse, with himself serving as his biggest obstacle (the ending is a tad
unresolved, to many readers' frustration; the satisfaction of genre
expectations is not particularly Corben's goal here).
Parable of the Sower by Damian Duffy (writer) and
John Jennings (artist) – The 2021 Hugo Award winner for best graphic novel,
this is a faithful and powerful adaptation of the late Octavia E. Butler's
brilliant novel.
A Song for You and I by K. O’Neill – At first I found
this middle-grade cozy fantasy a little too desultory, but this gently paced
tale of growing up, understanding oneself, and finding one's place (and also,
perhaps, romance) builds powerfully; this 2025 title is one of the best graphic
novels I read in 2025 (which isn't surprising, given its writer/artist is the
creator of the terrific GNs Princess, Princess Ever After and The Tea
Dragon Society).
Starslayer by Mike Grell – The elevator pitch could
be Conan-as-a-space-pirate; it's fun, if underbaked.
Superman/Shazam!: First Thunder by Judd Winick (author)
and Joshua Middleton (artist) – A gorgeously illustrated graphic novel about
the titular superheroes' first meeting; it's a superheroic effort on the
creators' part, but it's pretty much impossible to logically fit a superhero
who's a little boy created originally for little-boy readers into the modern,
adult-oriented DC Universe.
* * *
Fiction – Anthologies, Collections, and other Short
Fiction:
The Archer
Files by Ross MacDonald –This
volume collects all the known
stories featuring MacDonald's most famous creation, the hardboiled private
detective Lew Archer, who is probably best known today as the pivotal figure
between Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe and modern fictional L.A. detectives
like Kinsey Millhone and Easy Rawlins; MacDonald was an excellent writer and
sympathetic to the marginalized, but I'm curious as to how well received (or
comprehensible) his mid-century stories would be to someone born in the '90s or
later.
The Darrell
Schweitzer MEGAPACK: 25 Weird Tales of Fantasy and Horror by Darrell Schweitzer –A master of the genuinely Weird, Schweitzer
is unjustly obscure now; these quiet, disquieting stories of dark fantasy and sword
& sorcery deserve a much wider audience.
Goblins & Galaxies Magazine Issue #0 – This
introductory installment of a new sword & sorcery magazine from the publisher
of Cosmic Horror Monthly Magazine had a couple of stories I didn't care
for, which equates to a high hit rate for my tastes; it helps that the staff has
a fairly broad definition of S&S, so the stories aren't all warriors
fighting demons (or all barbarian warriors fighting demons, or all male
barbarian warriors...you get the picture).
The History of Sound: Stories by Ben Shattuck – A
subtle, unpredictable collection of indirectly linked literary shorts, set
mostly in New England (and mostly not queer, despite the implication of its
cover).
Old Moon Quarterly Issue #1 – Sword & sorcery is
undergoing a Twenty-First Century revival, with an explosion of short fiction
venues; the first issue of OMQ proves more inclined than average to publish S&S
at the weirder edges of this darker and more intimate fantasy subgenre.
The Recital by Gregg Hurwitz – This short stand-alone
eBook in the Orphan X series is a heart-warming tale of homicidal found family which
introduced me to the concept of DEI thrillers about ex-government assassin/vigilantes
who devote their psychopathy to taking out villains in the service of victims; it's
an involving, morally gray, snappily told page-turner, if you're looking for an
alternative to Parker, Jack Reacher, or Dexter.
Sealed with a Kiss: A Silk and Steel Short Story by
Ariana Nash – An angsty, steamy MM fantasy short in
which an elvish warrior discovers he's attracted to other men, and how! –
unfortunately, the author's references to "the male" in lieu of
"the man" were disruptive to the reading experience.
Tales from a Magical Teashop by Casey Blair – It's a diverting
collection of shorts if you've read the cozy fantasy trilogy The Tea Princess
Chronicles, although somewhat of a spoiler if you haven't.
* * *
Fiction – Novels and Novellas:
Alanna: The First Adventure
by Tamora Pierce – First published in 1983, the opening book of the classic
YA/MG fantasy series the Song of the Lioness is quite engrossing as it follows
the adventures of a girl who cross-dresses as her brother so she can train as a
knight.
Among the Gray Lords
(Indrajit & Fix Book 3) by D.J. Butler – Fix loses the woman he loves, and
the possibility of bringing her back to life drives Fix and his companions into
increasingly horrifying situations, even as it drives Fix into increasingly obsessed
derangement; a quite strong novel of sword & sorcery or sword & planet,
depending on how you define the magic/technology.
At First Spite by Olivia
Dade – The first novel in the Harlot's Bay romance series, this curvy-girl enemies-to-lovers
MF romance is sharp and sometimes dark; as a pleasant bonus, most everyone on
stage besides the woman and two potential love interests is queer.
A Bánh Mì for Two by Trinity Nguyen – In this stand-alone,
sweet, contemporary sapphic romance, a pair of college-age women – a Việt
Namese American student and a Việt Namese food blogger/vendor – bond over Sài
Gòn street food (you may end the novel very satisfied by the romance, but very
hungry for the cuisine).
Between Princess and Other Jobs
(Indrajit & Fix Book 2) by D.J. Butler – A superior collection of recent,
rather old-school-style fantasy buddy adventures which may or may not be sword
and sorcery, depending on how you define magic (a definitional debate in which
the characters themselves engage).
Camber of Culdi by
Katherine Kurtz - The opening volume of the long-running Deryni series is very
strong but also decidedly problematic (for example, the future Saint Camber is quite
a manipulative guy); I do like the author's thorough grasp of medieval thought
and faith, and the avoidance of stereotypes about priests and believers.
The Chronicles of Brother Cadfael Books 1-6 by Ellis Peters –
A former crusader and sailor, the Welshman Cadfael is an herbalist and an older
monk among the younger, Norman Benedictine monastics of Twelfth Century Shrewsbury;
the characters are well-rounded, the history is accurate, stereotypes are
avoided, and the good brother, calm and shrewd and compassionate, is restful
company.
The Chronicles of the Deryni Books 1-3 (Deryni Rising,
Deryni Checkmate, and High Deryni) by Katherine Kurtz – Revisiting this trilogy fave of my '70s teen years,
I'm more conscious of the problematic elements (such as the Moors being
villain's tools and most of the few female characters being either evil,
idiotic, doomed, or utterly wrong-headed), but as an alternate-Celtic Catholic
Middle Ages fantasy, it's a pleasure in its familiarity with history.
The City of Marble and Blood (Chronicles of Hanuvar
Book 2) by Howard Andrew Jones – The second novel in the Hanuvar series by the
late, much-missed Howard Andrew Jones is highly recommended for anyone who appreciates
sword & sorcery, sword & sandal, or alternate history (the character Hanuvar
is inspired by the Carthaginian general Hannibal).
Copper Script by KJ Charles – This 1920s MM romance finds
an honest policeman and a possibly flimflamming disabled veteran caught between
criminal gangs and corrupt cops; Charles is at her best when she presses her
characters in a vise very nearly unbearable for the reader.
The Craft of Love by EE Ottoman – A transman
silversmith and a ciswoman quilter experience growing attraction amidst the
struggle for workers' rights in late Nineteenth-Century New York; a historical
romance novella of gentle, respectful love, and another sign that I need to
read more books by EE Ottoman.
Cyrion by Tanith Lee – In
this essential S&S collection, Cyrion is a man of action, a man of
intellect, a solver of mysteries, and, sometimes, a real asshole.
The Doxies Penalty (Sarah Tolerance Book 4) by
Madeleine E. Robins – Miss Tolerance is a sometimes-crossdressing Fallen swordswoman
and agent of inquiry (private detective) operating in an alternate Regency era,
and the new novel (2025) and the overall series are great stuff (if the
crossdressing suggests loads of queerness, queer characters are few and clearly
genderqueer identities are absent).
Dreadnought by April Daniels –
Witnessing a metahuman murder, a high school girl is bequeathed the
victim's Superman-esque powers, a transfer which alters her body and outs her as
trans, and wow; I've been reading comics since the mid-'60s, and this is
top-tier superhero fiction.
Dulhaniyaa: A Desi Lesbian Romance by Talia Bhatt – This sapphic East Indian cis/trans romance novel was
a little wobbly until it kicked into gear, then OMG! (This should be a
Bollywood movie.)
Eat Slay Love by Julie Mae Cohen – Patriarchy is
horrible, sisterhood is powerful, and murder is quite the self-esteem builder.
Follow Her Home (Juniper Song Mysteries Book 1) by
Steph Cha – A young Korean American Angeleno, adrift in the wake of a family
tragedy and wishing she were a private detective like Philip Marlowe, finds
herself violently enmeshed in crime; this razor-keen contemporary mystery novel
is wise-cracking and wise, but I don't know as I'd call it escapist, given the
prominent roles of "yellow fever," suicide, and the sexual exploitation
of minors.
Freelancers of Neptune by Jacob Holo – This hard-SF novel is set in a far future in which Earth
is a disputed rumor, and a motley spaceship crew stands to make mucho dinero if
they can gain a relic of the long-lost AI which remodeled the Solar System – elements
of Star Wars, Guardians of the Galaxy, anime, and the Rediscovery
of Man are discernable; the worldbuilding is impressive; and the novel is a diverting
page-turner (if you can [a] get past someone 53,000+ years in the future bearing
the name Nathanael Kade and [b] get past the general obliviousness to queer and
genderqueer existence).
Goodbye, My Princess by Fei Wo Si Cun, translated by Tianshu
- Apparently the inspiration for a Chinese TV series, this Chinese romantic
(MF) historical fantasy novel is strong, in places even lyrical; there are
triggers galore, so if you want to read something which has zero concern for modern
Western reader expectations, this should fit the bill.
Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun – This Lambda
Award-winning writer's recent romance (2024) is friends-to-enemies-to-lovers,
as a pair of neurodiverse thirtysomething women must unite to drive their dying
mentor/friend/former teacher from Oregon to Maine; they pretty much only ever
go to places I've been, which was a pleasant coincidence, although I'd say Mount
Desert Island was not a first-hand auctorial experience.
Him by Geoff Ryman – If you want to read a novel that
will get under multiple layers of your skin and stay there for days, then the
brilliant Canadian author's genre-blending novel of a trans Christ is the book
for you (and one I'm surprised isn't embroiled in a multitude of controversies).
The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields – I stalled out
on this solid sapphic alt.historical romantasy novel because I'm pretty burned
out on the Regency-esque trope of "it's so horrible that I have to go to
the ball and land a husband" (what if someone was actually looking forward
to these things when they had a romantic surprise?).
In the Palace of Shadow and Joy (Indrajit & Fix
Book 1) by D.J. Butler – This recent yet old-school fantasy buddy novel (clearly
inspired by Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser and Jack Vance's Dying
Earth series, with perhaps a soupçon of Thieves' World and Lin Carter's World's
End mixed in) has action aplenty and a ferocious number of caper-ish plot
twists; it’s worth checking out if you like action/adventure spec-fic and don’t
mind a perception of gender and orientation that seems rather anachronistically
'90s.
The King Must Die by Mary Renault - This classic
rationalized retelling of the (early part of the) legend of Theseus is essential
for fans of fiction set in the ancient Mediterranean.
The King's Peace by Jo Walton – The opener of the
alternate-Arthurian King's Peace trilogy is an ambitious, satisfying fantasy novel
about a woman warrior; I plan to read the rest of the series, although the
characters (and world) posit the divine selection of kings – not unreasonable
in this time and place, but I'm an anti-monarchial atheist, so that began to
wear a bit on my nerves.
A Kiss at Midwinter: A Brothers Sinister Holiday Novella
by Courtney Milan – A possibly neurodivergent English doctor's hopes of
matrimony come a cropper when the eleventh most attractive woman in town – an
unrecognized former patient and sexual abuse survivor – remembers her
physician's original assistant all too well.
Lady Eve's Last Con by Rebecca Fraimow – In this
romantic SF caper novel, a spacelanes grifter seeks revenge on the
loved-my-sister-and-left-her billionaire, but keeps getting distracted by his
sexier and smarter sister.
The Longest Night by EE Ottoman – As the winter
solstice nears, I make a point of reading this gentle romance novella, in which
a pair of isolated trans men find one another in early Twentieth-Century New
York.
Lord of a Shattered Land (Chronicles of Hanuvar Book
1) by Howard Andrew Jones – I wish I had read this
sword & sorcery novel earlier, not only because it's so good, but because I
could have told the author how good it is; Jones – whose influence on modern S&S
as writer, editor, critic, and mentor is incalculable – passed away in early
2025, far too soon.
Mr Collins in Love by Lee Welch – This alt.historical
MM romance sympathetically explores the life of one of the less-likeable
characters in Pride and Prejudice, and leaves you unexpectedly rooting
for his happiness.
Magpie Murders: A Novel by Anthony Horowitz – A
metafictional novel in which a mystery is contained within a mystery – kind of
annoying at first, but then it sucked me in; I especially appreciated that a
certain amateur sleuth was quite realistically and self-destructively terrible
at amateur sleuthing.
Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin – In this very dark
and disturbing novel, a virus converts everyone with sufficient levels of
testosterone into a literal mindless animal, and civilization is more or less
in a state of collapse; granted, I am not extraordinarily up to date on this
genre, but, to my experience, Felker-Martin is the best and potentially the
most transformative writer of horror to come along since Stephen King.
The Matter of
the Secret Bride by Darcie
Wilde (who also writes as Sarah Zettel) – The latest novel (2024) in the
Regency-set, Austen-inspired Useful
Woman romantic mystery series pursues the twisty disappearance of King George
IV’s secret wife's marriage certificate.
The (Most
Unusual) Haunting of Edgar Lovejoy by Roan Parrish – 2025 brings another contemporary queer Halloween
romance from Parrish, this one set in New Orleans and beset with ghosts; it
restfully avoids the typical paranormal and romantasy gambits, while portraying
neurodiversity and gender diversity with sympathy and insight.
Mistletoe Mistress by Nicola Davidson – I very much prefer balance or femdom over maledom in
erotic MF reads, but Davidson's strong development of and insight into her
leads left me no choice but to submit to this stand-alone, Christmas-themed Regency
novella.
Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite – In her debut Tor
novella, the well-regarded historical queer romance author turns to SF with a
twisty, tricksy (and queer) mystery which rings several fresh changes on the tropes
of generation ships and up/downloadable minds.
Night's Master by Tanith Lee – The first novel in the
Tales of the Flat Earth series is beautiful and queernormative and disturbing
and unpredictable and glorious and troubling – in other words, it’s vintage
Tanith Lee.
Our Big White Lie by L.A. Witt writing as Lauren
Gallagher – In Witt's new (2025) contemporary FF romance novel, a pair of best
friends decide to fake-wed so one friend's dying mother can have her mother-of-the-bride
dream come true; relationship-complications ensue which perhaps are not
entirely surprising, but they're enjoyable.
Parable of the Sower (Earthseed Book 1) by Octavia E.
Butler – Nothing like re-reading the late, much-lamented author's Nebula Award finalist
novel from 1993 while living through the times it warned us against.
Point of
Hearts by Melissa Scott -
The latest in the essential Astreiant series of alt.Renaissance fantasy may be
the tensest volume yet in the always-riveting adventures of Adjutant Point (law
officer) Nicolas Rathe and mercenary/City Guard captain Philip Eslingen, lovers
whose roles sometimes put them at dangerous cross purposes.
The Potency of
Ungovernable Impulses (The
Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti Book 3) by Malka Older – The latest title (2025) in the superior Mossa
and Pleiti series (a sapphic, romantic, quasi-near-future SF series inspired by
Holmes/Watson) opens with a trope I really don't like, and carries it to
about the halfway point of the novel, but then redeems the trope by intensely
exploring its repercussions in the second half.
A Rare
Benedictine: The Advent of Brother Cadfael by Ellis Peters – This is a pleasing (if too-brief)
collection of three mystery stories presenting the Twelfth Century
monk/sleuth's path to the contemplative life and to crime-solving.
A Rare Find by Joanna Lowell – I liked the co-leads
and I appreciated some recognizable elements of myself in the nonbinary
character in this historical F/NB romance, though the novel felt too long for
the contents.
Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers - I
sometimes see the Wayfarers series criticized for being antireligious, but in
fact it is engaged (intelligently) in extrapolating a secular far future, a
pursuit which is no more automatically hateful than extrapolating a nonsecular
future.
Royal Tea Service (Tea Princess Chronicles Book 3) by
Casey Blair – The third book in Blair's
Asian-inspired romantic cozy fantasy series of impending supernatural doom continues
to crank up its mannerpunk cred, with a level of political savvy that left this
autistic reader dazed with admiration.
Sabella by Tanith Lee – This slim dark-SF novel from
1980 is a very different take on the vampire (but of course to say "very
different" and "Tanith Lee" is to repeat myself); I'm not sure
what I think about it, and may never be sure, but you may be sure that this
equates to a very high recommendation.
Shadow of the Smoking Mountain (Chronicles of Hanuvar
Book 3) by Howard Andrew Jones – Sad to think this may be the last novel we
will see from the late author, who reinvigorated and reinvented S&S for the
Twenty-First Century.
Shapechangers (Chronicles of the Cheysuli Book 1) by
Jennifer Roberson – After waiting decades to try this classic S&S series, I
found the first book rather rougher and more simple of characterization than
Roberson's Del and Tiger series, although still a page-turner; I also found it
a time capsule, in that a modern reader would probably be quite impatient with
the rapey, patriarchal love interests (or, for that matter, with how thoughtless
and selfish the young female protagonist can be).
She Who Became the Sun (The Radiant Emperor Duology
Book 1) by Shelley Parker-Chan – An alternate
history which smartly and queerly reimagines the origin of the Ming Dynasty.
She Whom I
Love (Treading the Boards
Book 2) by Tess Bowery – The
poly (FFM), erotic Regency romance novel is a bit draggy in the middle, but
certainly has an action-packed climax.
A Shore Thing: A Novel by Joanna Lowell – A fun if
sometimes slow novel of bicycling, career challenges for the marginalized, and
trans/cis romance in Victorian Cornwall; it's better to read this book on a
sunny summer beach, I suspect, than while pushing a chilly Yuletide deadline.
Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston by Esme Symes-Smith
– In this MG/YA fantasy novel, our young nonbinary protagonist wishes to become
a squire and knight, but their obstacles are only beginning with the mother who
wants to force them into daughterhood.
The Sitcom Star (Chu's Restaurant Book 1) by Jackie
Lau – In this contemporary Asian Canadian MF romance novella, a long-separated
pair of childhood friends run into each other literally, and slow-burn romance
ensues; a bit underdeveloped, but low-key, feminist, and enjoyable.
Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Høeg, translated by
Tiina Nunnally – This brilliant, sometimes disturbing mystery/thriller about a
biracial Danish woman scientist investigating an Inuit child's suspicious death
is a rare example of a novel that is very long, but not padded by so much as one
excess word; an essential read if you like Nordic noir, or even if you don't.
Something Spectacular (Something Fabulous Book 2) by
Alexis Hall – I don't think I've run into a romance that's NB/NB before; whatever
the case, this novel is fine, and sometimes almost unbearably good (although I should
have started the trilogy with the first book, because Book 2 guaranteed many
spoilers for the prequel).
Stag Dance: A Novel & Stories by Torrey Peters –
With apparent effortlessness, Torrey Peters ranges beautifully across genres
and times, and ventures deeply into the tangled, daunting mess of gender
identity and the human heart.
The Steel Remains by Richard Morgan – This gripping, genre-ambiguous
novel (S&S? SF? grimdark?) is very dark and gritty, with loads and loads of
potential triggers (they make sense in the context of the brutally patriarchal,
homophobic, and imperialist societies, but knowing this doesn't make them less disturbing).
Swordcrossed by Freya Marske –
This fantasy novel reads a lot like Marske was influenced by Melissa
Scott's Astreiant series and Ellen Kushner's Swordspoint (which is no
bad thing).
Talk Before Sleep by Elizabeth Berg – A '90s novel
about women's friendships which is, in fact, about women's friendships, instead
of their relationships with husbands and lovers and families; and a wise and
heartbreaking book, too.
Tempted by the Bollywood Star by Sophia Singh Sasson –
It's a hopeful sign when Harlequin not only publishes an erotic sapphic romance,
but one which sympathizes with the PoC character's challenges in Hollywood and in
an interracial relationship; if sometimes underdeveloped, the novel is astute
and involving.
To Love a Hellion (The London Lords Book 1) by Nicola
Davidson – Absorbing enemies-to-lovers MF Regency romance with a mystery at its
core.
The Underground Man (Lew Archer Book 16) by Ross
Macdonald – I've seen this classic detective novel (1971) described as the best
mystery novel ever written, and while you may well have a different candidate,
this mid-Century-penned and -set hardboiled murder mystery is very strong (and
also perfectly aware of the stupidity of allowing development in California's fire-prone
wilderness-urban interfaces).
Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata, translated by Ginny
Tapley Takemori – In one of the strangest and most disturbing novels I've ever
read, artificial insemination has led to a Japan (or, it's implied, a world) in
which sex is dying out, and possibly the family with it; if you're thinking
"well, of course that's strange and disturbing," you haven't guessed
a tenth of it.
A Visit from the Goon Squad
by Jennifer Egan – As an old punk, I was looking
forward to reading this Pulitzer Prize-winning literary novel about a couple of
'70s punks, but it has such a slow, boring, punk-free opening that I quickly ditched it.
Cynthia Ward has
published stories in Analog, Asimov's,
Dracula Beyond Stoker, Nightmare,
Weird
Tales, and elsewhere. She edited the anthologies Lost Trails: Forgotten Tales of the Weird
West Volumes 1-2 and,
with Charles G. Waugh and Jeffrey A. Linscott, Weird Trails. With fellow
Aqueductista Nisi Shawl, Cynthia coauthored the Locus Award
winning fiction-writing guide, Writing the Other: A Practical Approach.
In 2021, Aqueduct Press released the
concluding novella in her Bloody-Thirsty Agent series, The Adventure of the Golden Woman.
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