David Selig Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 ummm. also. on the note about preferring not heterosexuality. anyone run into anything decent lately along those lines? it seems frustratingly rare. specifically, I mean lesbian, bisexual, or otherwise queer women main characters in UF, PR, YA SFF or similar. I'm tired of the sidelines and scraps. Like, noted not-straight person Seanan McGuire's main characters are pretty much all straight, even the one who's a faerie in a universe where faeries are not straight. Blargh. I've been seeing a lot of YA stuff lately where maybe there is some possibly-sexual tension between the MC and another girl, maybe even an outright crush by the other girl, but any confirmation or denial on the part of the MC has to wait until the sequel. And it just feels like queer-baiting, you know? Fucking frustrating. Liking boys is always right on the table, but liking girls is ambiguous, deniable. And I try to think about what we have that's just unambiguously there for us, and it's ... what? Malinda Lo and Afterworlds and a handful of short stories told by side characters? I've got to be forgetting stuff. Or there's got to be stuff out there I just haven't been able to find. Is it out there somewhere? What am I missing? Caitlin Kiernan's books. Her last 5 novels feature almost exclusively lesbian, bisexual, or otherwise queer women. Though they are very much the opposite of YA and not a typical UF fantasy either (though technically they belong to the genre). The Red Tree and The Drowning Girl are nominally contemporary horror with (probably) supernatural elements.The Siobhan Quinn books start as an obvious satire of the cliches of the UF/PR genre and by the third book has mutated into a serious Chandleresque story in an Lovecraftian setting, only the doomed love story is between two women. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady narcissa Posted June 4, 2015 Author Share Posted June 4, 2015 I'm weird, cos I like love triangles where two parties in the triangle are actually the same person. :lol:LOL! Check out Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge. Well upon finishing ACOTAR I decided I ultimately enjoyed it despite its flaws. Then I read "Uprooted" by Naomi Novik. I'm torn about this one too *sigh* so I'm reading it for the second time. There is a lot of great stuff in this novel. But there are a few things that just seem so out of place and awkward and they disrupt the flow. But the fantasy aspects are very enjoyable. The magic and atmosphere is very North of the Wall feeling. And darker than I was expecting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaldanya Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 I have to admit I took one look at the covers and went "errh no". Prejudiced perhaps, but they really looked like all the UF stereotypes baked into one big cake of awfulness. Since I am bingeing on Victorian gaslight steampunk when I can, I somehow managed to stumble over this one, which I am considering giving a go. Moderately ok cover, moderately ok title, seems like at least mostly interesting plot. WHAT COULD GO WRONG? Ignore the covers. I really enjoyed the series. N Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedEyedGhost Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 I just finished, and really enjoyed, Flex by Ferrett Steinmetz. It's an urban fantasy with a really cool take on magic - 'mancers are created through obsession and their obsessions leads to all sorts of different types of magic. The two main ones we see are the protagonists, Paul Tsabo a beaurocromaner (who uses paper, forms, and contracts to work his magic) and Valentine de Grizz a videogamemancer. Some 'mancers distill their magic into a drug, Flex, that mundanes can take and temporarily gain abilities themselves. The problem with the drug is that the mundanes have no knowledge about dealing with the Flux, which is the blowback the 'mancers receive as a cost of using their magic - usually an unlucky occurrence equal to the amount they had altered reality (broken fingernail, blown out tires, herpes infection, death of a loved one, earthquake). Paul is an insurance agent, and former cop who lost a foot while tracking down a 'mancer; the loss of his foot, job, and than marriage is what created his obsession and triggered his abilities. His daughter gets burnt very badly in a fire caused by a flux related accident, and thus begins the story of him tracking down the 'mancer that made the Flex. Fun book, quick read, check it out. I do wonder why the girl on the cover is white though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.T. Phipps Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 I recommend Lindsay Pryor's Blackthorn series is a good Paranormal Romance series, if a bit heavy on, "The guys are complete jerks and the women win them over by their LOVE." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emberling Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 Anybody got suggestions for something similar to Patricia Briggs, Ilona Andrews and Carrie Vaughn? I'm desperate here. Kinda got tired of the Gail Carriger books, couldn't do Rivers of London (Jesus Christ its like we don't speak the same language) and enjoyed Mike Carey...Off the top of my head, thinking of what's similar to those three leads me to Charlaine Harris and Kelley Armstrong (who I'm sure you have already formed opinions on) and C.E. Murphy (mediocre at best IMO). But can you be a little more specific on what you're looking for? Like, Briggs and Vaughn have more of a 'cozy mystery' feel than fast-paced action or procedural/noir, with protagonists grounded in trying to live 'normal' lives, and understated and slow-moving romances. Kate Daniels captures a lot of that feeling early on as well - one of the most amazing things about those books is how normal and domestic they make the violent world Kate lives in feel, by immersing us in what she sees as normal. Is that what you're looking for? Or - all three of them rely on vivid anecdotes that don't necessarily seem to have a purpose but make everything seem three-dimensional. Or something else entirely? Shot in the dark: Raine Benares series (Lisa Shearin): urban fantasy in a trad-fantasy world Maybe Blood Song by Cat Adams? Trying to think of what else might have those sort of fascinating and illuminating digressions (like the piano man in Hunting Ground, the way Kate bursts into story at every new location in Atlanta, or Kitty's radio callers) and ... I don't know, I'd have to reread stuff with this in mind to be really sure. But maybe ... Esther Diamond series (Laura Resnick), the Prague sections of Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and fucking Chuck Wendig? Having not read any of those in probably over two years, other than DoSaB because it's glorious and I seem to open to a random prague section and read a chapter or two about every month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mars447 Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 The first two chapters of Magic Shifts are out. In it Kate murders the fuck out of a bunch of monsters and then gets a new job, which sounds promising. The last two books were kind of a mess (especially #7, which has two or three points where the book feels like it should end but instead keeps on chugging) but I still like the series. Also she's much better off working on the outside rather than playing Mommy to a couple thousand murderous adolescents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyanna Stark Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 Anybody got suggestions for something similar to Patricia Briggs, Ilona Andrews and Carrie Vaughn? I'm desperate here. Kinda got tired of the Gail Carriger books, couldn't do Rivers of London (Jesus Christ its like we don't speak the same language) and enjoyed Mike Carey...I went back and re-read the Expanse novels... I need something new now. did you read the Alex Craft ones already? I'm thinking you have, but I have a bad memory. :P Shot in the dark: Raine Benares series (Lisa Shearin): urban fantasy in a trad-fantasy worldI read some Lisa Shearin stuff which was alright, but people claimed the Raine Benares novels were better, so that should def be at least potentially good stuff. BecMcMaster (London Steampunk, but written by an Australian so only faux cockney) or Violetta Carr perhaps? Sorry for not being more helpful, I've only read non-fiction and romance lately. The first two chapters of Magic Shifts are out. In it Kate murders the fuck out of a bunch of monsters and then gets a new job, which sounds promising. The last two books were kind of a mess (especially #7, which has two or three points where the book feels like it should end but instead keeps on chugging) but I still like the series. Also she's much better off working on the outside rather than playing Mommy to a couple thousand murderous adolescents. Kewl! Will def check it out. Ignore the covers. I really enjoyed the series. N OMG how did I miss this. I will take your word for it. <3 :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emberling Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 I read some Lisa Shearin stuff which was alright, but people claimed the Raine Benares novels were better, so that should def be at least potentially good stuff.was utterly bored by the grendel affair. Benares is a lot more fun, a sort of cotton-candy-flavored tongue-in-cheek variation on the chronicles of elantra formula of UF/fantasy hybrid. It's not on my first or even second tier of recommendations, but I liked it very well for cotton candy, much better than gail carriger or amber benson, about even with laura resnick, a bit behind discount armageddon. 'course, fantasy-urban is not new and predates what we call urban fantasy today, and I am a fan of Vlad Taltos and all, but Benares and Elantra (and others) IMO share a lot more with their UF contemporaries than with their fantasy forebears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedEyedGhost Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 I started reading Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch because I haven’t had time to run and get anything else. Hopefully this goes well – at least I have access to British folk who can help me figure out what the hell this guy is talking about. I don't think I've had any trouble with his books. You should fire up a good amount of British television on Netflix, and you'll have it down in no time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puntificator Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 On Blackmore, not read his stuff since most of it isn't on Kindle. Read the first book, it was alright. All of Stephen Blackmoore's books are on Kindle in the US. However, if you live in the UK, then it's a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puntificator Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 Anybody got suggestions for something similar to Patricia Briggs, Ilona Andrews and Carrie Vaughn?1. The Sentinels of New Orleans series by Suzanne Johnson: Royal Street; River Road; Elysian Fields; Pirates Alley. 2. The Golden City and The Seat of Magic by J. Kathleen Cheney. [The third book in the series, The Shores of Spain, comes out next month.] This is urban fantasy set in an alternate world version of early twentieth century Portugal.3. M. L. Brennan's Generation V series: Generation V; Iron Night; Tainted Blood. [The fourth book, Dark Ascension, is due in August.]4. The Crescent City series from Kristen Painter: House of the Rising Sun; City of Eternal Night; Garden of Dreams and Desires. 5. The Exile: Book One of the Fae by C. T. Adams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
girlfrommonday Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 Anybody got suggestions for something similar to Patricia Briggs, Ilona Andrews and Carrie Vaughn? I'm desperate here. Kinda got tired of the Gail Carriger books, couldn't do Rivers of London (Jesus Christ its like we don't speak the same language) and enjoyed Mike Carey...I went back and re-read the Expanse novels... I need something new now. Seanan McGuire - October Daye series? First book is kind of slow, but I really enjoy the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterbound Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 anyone read the Justin Gustainis books? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mars447 Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 anyone read the Justin Gustainis books? Yeah. They're pretty godawful. Gustainis also would be better off keeping his masturbation over hot bisexual women in his bedroom and out of his books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AncalagonTheBlack Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 anyone read the Justin Gustainis books? Save yourself and don't read them,they are really really terrible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polishgenius Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 I started reading Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch because I haven’t had time to run and get anything else. Hopefully this goes well – at least I have access to British folk who can help me figure out what the hell this guy is talking about. Is this your first go at properly British UF? I ask out of curiosity because I mostly see you talking about American stuff and in my experience, there's a fundamental difference between US-based UF and UK (which almost universally means London-based). The different approach to romance and sex is part of it - there's no danger of any of the British UF I've read being classified as 'paranormal romance'- but there's more to it and I can't quite put my finger on why. I'm curious to see how you get on with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 Out of interest, are there any notable or recommendable British UF not set in London? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedEyedGhost Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Out of interest, are there any notable or recommendable British UF not set in London? How broad is your definition of UF? Several of Graham Joyce's books are not set in London. One of Aaronovitch's Peter Grant books is set in the country, but most the rest are in London. Is anybody else as antsy for the next book as I am? November can't get here soon enough! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterbound Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Weren't the castor books up north? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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