Tag: LGBTQ

Class, Novels, Post Apocalyptic, Sci Fi, Social Issues

Firewalkers by Adrian Tchaikovsky – A Review

by HelenLeave a Comment on Firewalkers by Adrian Tchaikovsky – A Review
Firewalkers by Adrian Tchaikovsky – A Review

Firewalkers, by Adrian Tchaikovsky, is a brutal meditation on class division and climate change.

The mega rich are escaping a barren, parched Earth into opulent space liners with every amenity. The novel is centred on a liner named the Grand Celeste. The wealthy – or sonko – wait their turn to ascend in antebellum hotels. These are staffed by middle class workers who delusionally hope for their spot in heaven. And working class people living in crammed townships, like Ankara.

Firewalkers are working people who maintain the infrastructure of the luxury space ports.

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Banned Books, LGBTQ

V&A Museum Book Ban

by HelenLeave a Comment on V&A Museum Book Ban
V&A Museum Book Ban

Book bans have been a hot topic in the news lately, with British newspapers decrying the barbarity of American politicians banning everything from Maus to Jodi Picoult.

UK readers sympathise with Floridian librarians; nod at the bravery of teenagers wearing ‘I Read Banned Books’ t-shirts to their graduations; donate small amounts to charities distributing contraband literature.

Secretly, we comfort ourselves that this is happening far away; we tell ourselves that it would never be us, not in 2023; we lie to ourselves that censorship & book bans are the preserve of humid evangelical backwaters.

And yet book bans are happening, in the UK, in 2023.

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Feminist, Historical Fiction, Horror, LGBTQ, Loss and Grief, Novels

Affinity, by Sarah Waters

by Helen3 Comments on Affinity, by Sarah Waters
Affinity, by Sarah Waters

An interweaving tale of two entrapped women; a suicidal noblewoman with no purpose and an imprisoned spiritualist claiming innocence. Reality, voice and oppression – not to mention manipulation – are the key themes in this stunning lesbian Victorian ghost story. A rich, beautiful, haunting novel by an excellent author, set in the late 19th century.

Spoilers ahead.

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