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Young Adult

Announcement: Not Your Sidekick, by C.B. Lee

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Not Your Sidekick

QSFer C.B. Lee has a new FF YA superhero romance out: Welcome to Andover, where superpowers are common, but internships are complicated. Just ask high school nobody, Jessica Tran. Despite her heroic lineage, Jess is resigned to a life without superpowers and is merely looking to beef up her college applications when she stumbles upon the perfect (paid!) internship—only it turns out to be for the town’s most heinous supervillain. On the upside, she gets to work with her longtime secret crush, Abby, whom Jess thinks may have a secret of her own. Then there’s the budding attraction to her … Read more

Review: Castor by Shaun Young

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Title: Castor. Author: Shaun Young. Genre: Science Fiction, young adult. Publisher: Harmony Ink Press. Pages/Word Count: 234 pages   Blurb: Sixteen-year-old James Fisher lives on the distant planet of Castor where he toils for the ruling classes as an indentured servant. He’s a “Half-Adapt”–one of thousands like him who were shipped to Castor from Earth and biologically altered so they could breathe the planet’s atmosphere unaided. As Earth fades in his memory, James resigns himself to life under Castor’s strict social hierarchy. But then he meets his master’s nephew, Vidal Centa, and their strong attraction for each other begins to … Read more

Review: Spinner by Michael J. Bowler

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Title: Spinner Author: Michael J. Bowler Genre: Horror/Paranormal, Young Adult. Publisher: YoungDudes Publishing Pages/Word Count: 445 pages Blurb: Fifteen-year-old Alex is a “spinner.” His friends are “dummies.” Two clandestine groups of humans want his power. And an ancient evil is stalking him. If people weren’t being murdered, Alex might laugh at how his life turned into a horror movie overnight. In a wheelchair since birth, his freakish ability has gotten him kicked out of ten foster homes since the age of four. Now saddled with a sadistic housemother who uses his spinning to heal the kids she physically abuses, Alex … Read more

Dispatches from Hogwarts G.S.A.: In tribute to a Hero: Perry Moore

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Perry Moore

For this month’s dispatch, we thought we’d write about an innovator and an activist in queer fantasy who left us much too soon. Perry Moore (1971-2011) was an author, screenwriter, and a film director. He was probably best known for The Chronicles of Narnia franchise. Widely regarded as smart, influential, and not incidentally a handsome guy, Moore accumulated an impressive Hollywood resumé by his mid-thirties. Though his work was behind the scenes, he seemed to fit the moniker “golden boy” in a lot of ways. Moore was also an openly gay man in an industry where, if being gay was … Read more

Review: A Little Bit Langston by Andrew Demcak

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Title: “A Little Bit Langston.” Author: Andrew Demcak Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult. Publisher: Harmony Ink Press Pages: 204. Blurb: Being different can be dangerous, and discovery can be deadly. High school freshman James Kerr is finding out he’s not quite like his classmates. Around the time he realizes he’s attracted to his best friend, Paul Schmitz, James starts channeling a dead writer’s poetry and also discovers he has an ability to manipulate energy-a super power. Before James can figure out why this is happening to him, tragedy strikes in the form of Paul’s abusive father, and James is sent … Read more

Review: Lessons on Destroying the World by Gene Gant.

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Title: “Lessons on Destroying the World.” Author: Gene Gant Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult. Publisher: Harmony Ink Press Pages: 200 pages Blurb Micah McGhee has struggled all his life against prejudice and abuse. Forced to drop out of school after the death of his mother, Micah works full time to support himself and his alcoholic father. One night, on his way home from a party, Micah’s hard life ends when he’s beaten to death by a street gang. Three days later, Micah awakens with godlike abilities granted by the alien device that resurrected him. His work helping the downtrodden and … Read more

Review: Every Heart a Doorway.

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Title:  Every Heart a Doorway Author: Seanan McGuire Series: Wayward Children Genre: Magic Realism, and Queer Fiction Publisher: Tor Books Pages/Word Count: 176 pages Blurb: Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children No Solicitations No Visitors No Quests Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere… else. But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children. Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced… they change a person. The children under Miss … Read more

Review: Key of Behliseth by Lou Hoffmann

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Title: “Key of Behliseth.” 2nd Edition. Series: The Sun Child Chronicles Author: Lou Hoffmann Genre: Fantasy, Gay Young Adult Publisher: Harmony Ink Press Pages: 296 pages  Blurb On his way to meet a fate he’d rather avoid, homeless gay teen Lucky steps through a wizard’s door and is caught up in a whirlwind quest and an ancient war. He tries to convince himself that his involvement with sword fights, magic, and interworld travel is a fluke, and that ice-breathing dragons and fire-breathing eagles don’t really exist. But with each passing hour, he remembers more about who he is and where … Read more

Review: “Children of the Knight” by Michael J. Bowler

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Title: “Children of the Knight.” Series: The Knight Cycle (Book I) Author: Michael J. Bowler Genre: Urban Fantasy (Young Adult) Publisher: Harmony Ink Press Pages/Word Count: 344 pages   Blurb: According to legend, King Arthur is supposed to return when Britain needs him most. So why does a man claiming to be the once and future king suddenly appear in Los Angeles? This charismatic young Arthur creates a new Camelot within the City of Angels to lead a crusade of unwanted kids against an adult society that discards and ignores them. Under his banner of equality, every needy child is … Read more

Dispatches from Hogwarts G.S.A.: When is queer tragedy cliché?

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Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian

We were recently drawn into pondering this question while reading Kai Ashante Wilson’s The Sorcerer of Wildeeps and looking at the book’s Goodreads reviews. One review stood out because it gushed about the book, but the reader said the tragic ending kept her from giving it five stars because (paraphrased) hasn’t gay tragedy been done enough already? Spoilers: One interpretation is that the main character Demane’s love interest dies at the end, though our take was the story left a sliver of hope he could have survived. Reviews of course are subjective, every reader is entitled to her opinion, and … Read more