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The Islanders
It's technically classified as science fiction, but I wouldn't really call it that. It's mostly just realism but slightly to the left. You can't trust what you read; further chapters undermine what you think you know about the islands and the people who live on them.
It's a fascinating book framed as a travel guide to a fictional world, most of which is taken up by a massive ocean filled with tens of thousands of islands called the Dream Archipelago. Each chapter details a different island: the climate, notable inhabitants, etc. Recurring famous people include Esphoven Muy, a nomadic artist-philosopher who was interested in wind; Dryd Bathurst, a charismatic and extremely talented painter who often fled islands after sleeping with the wrong man's wife; and Jordenn Yo, a sculptural artist who carves tunnels through islands to create interesting whistling winds and tides (who often flees islands after the authorities realise it kind of sucks to have tunnels drilled in your islands). Through letters, personal accounts, and official investigations, you learn more about the mysterious death of a famous actor during a performance and the man who was accused of the crime.
Content notes (feel free to comment and I can tell you which chapter contains what warning, if you'd prefer to avoid that chapter): discussions of war and its repercussions (including death, sexual assault), murder/suicide/execution/death, detailed description of painful death by insect bite, miscarriage of justice, sexual content. Other than the insect bite, it's mostly pretty brief and/or zoomed out and I didn't feel like it was gratuitous or very disturbing. There is at least one island (Winho) whose entry is mostly about the effect of the war, but it's easily skipped.
You can read it for free here (https://www.readanybook.com/online/604698).
The Cabots - Cat Sebastian
Approx length: 2 novellas and one novel, approx 500 pages total, plus a short holiday story about Peter and Caleb from Cat’s newsletter. There’s also another short story, Luke and Billy Finally Get a Clue, that’s available through the Happily Ever After Collective on Patreon. It takes place in the same universe but features no actual Cabots, and I am not requesting it.
Where to find it: Buy links are available on Cat Sebastian’s website
I believe you can still obtain the short story collection by signing up for Cat’s newsletter (link on her website)
What is it, in summary?: It’s a series of novellas (+1 novel, + 2 short stories), focusing on an affluent American political family (they’re not the Kennedys, but they’re not-not the Kennedys) who happen to have several LGBT members among them. They’re set in the 1950s-70s, but they all have happy, hopeful endings.
What do you love about it?: Well, to start, the Cabots are very clearly not!Kennedys, which I love, but I also love that they’re a series of happy endings with gay characters in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, which were, let’s be honest, a pretty awful time to be gay. There’s a level of complicated issues that the books address (homophobia and classism not in the least among them), and I just really think they’re good, quick reads.
Plus, Tommy Cabot is a return to boarding school as a teacher story, and Peter Cabot is a road trip story, and those are always fun, and Daniel Cabot not only has a great New York vibe but name checks my favorite restaurant in the city.
Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: Yes, all three novellas/novel can be consumed individually. There are references to Peter and Tommy in the other’s respective books, and Daniel exists as a child in Tommy’s book, but it’s not necessary to read all of them to understanding the others.
My requests are going to centre on Peter & Daniel's books.
Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence):
Tommy Cabot: references to homophobia, some internalized homophobia, one character who was disowned by his family because he’s gay, alcohol, cigarettes, on page sex.
Peter Cabot: references to period-typical homophobia, fear of being outed, oblique references to past violence, on-page sex.
Daniel Cabot: internalized ableism, displacement from home country, period-typical homophobia, on-page sex.
Seducing the Sedgwicks - Cat Sebastian
Approx length: 3 books at about 250-300 pages each (+2 short stories from Cat’s newsletter, if you’d like to include them)
Where to find it:
The books are available most places books are sold, but check Cat Sebastian’s website for specific buy links. The short stories are iirc still available for free by signing up for Cat Sebastian’s newsletter (link on the main page of her website).
What is it, in summary?: Seducing the Sedgwicks is an M/M Regency romance novel series by Cat Sebastian. My nominations generally focus on the second two books: A Gentleman Never Keeps Score, about a gentleman and a bartender who exact revenge on a horrible dead man, and Two Rogues Make a Right, which features a former sailor who kidnaps his (nobleman) childhood best friend to nurse him back to health in the countryside.
What do you love about it?: Short of “everything”?
I am the world’s biggest sucker for friends to lovers, and I read Two Rogues Make a Right twice within a week of its release because I just love it so much. I love Martin and Will and how they interact with each other and their trauma and their shitty fathers and bad upbringings. I love how prickly Martin is (and the teasing affection he has for Will!), and how soft and caring Will is. Their entire book was pretty much hurt/comfort and I loved it.
As for A Gentleman Never Keeps Score, I ADORE Hartley as a character. How he convinces himself he doesn’t care about people, and then does the most to help others. And Sam! Who feels so damaged by his past, but he’s so good and kind and does all of this to help a friend! I love them both tbh!
The first book (It Takes Two to Tumble) is also lovely. It’s a Regency M/M spin on The Sound of Music - featuring hellion children, a strict sea captain, and a vicar who loves animals. It’s probably the most idyllic and least complicated of the three, but it is the first in the series (and I think the first Cat Sebastian) I read, so I have a soft spot for it.
Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence):
Book 1 (It Takes Two to Tumble): past parental neglect, MC who deals with internalized shame of his dyslexia, explicit sex, secondary character with an illness similar to MS, period typical ableist attitudes regarding a disabled woman’s marriageability
Book 2 (A Gentleman Never Keeps Score): past sexual abuse of a minor, explicit consensual sex, one MC is Black and experiences racism from a law enforcement officer
Book 3 (Two Rogues Make A Right): addiction, chronic illness, PTSD, emotional abuse of child by parent, past parental neglect, past sexual abuse of minor (off page, before story begins), explicit consensual sex
For the shorts, there isn’t anything that isn’t above.
The Sandsea Trilogy - Chelsea Abdullah
Medium: book series
Genre: fiction, fantasy, adventure
Length: 467 pages (The Stardust Thief is the first book; the rest of the trilogy has yet to be released)
Why you love this canon and why others might want to try it: Inspired by stories from One Thousand and One Nights, this book tells the story of a woman who, with her jinn companion, seeks out jinn relics to sell. At least at first, until she is blackmailed by the sultan into going on a journey to seek out a particular relic. There are a lot of themes and points I really enjoyed in this book: magic, the bonds of family (both found family and family through blood), adventuring through the desert, sheltered characters coming out of their shell, etc.
How people can access the canon: you can purchase the book at a bookstore, or see if your library has a copy! Amazon | Book Depository (this store is closing on April 26) | Powells
Content notes: You can view more content warnings on the Storygraph. If you scroll to the bottom of the page you can click to view a summary of the top warnings (voted on by readers), or “see all…” to view all of the warnings users have submitted.
Content warnings summary from the Storygraph
Graphic: Violence, Murder, DeathModerate: Death of parent, Torture, Blood
Minor: Child death
The pairing I request for this fandom is incest between half-brothers (Mazen/Omar).
Kings of a Dead World - Jamie Mollart
Medium: Book
Genre: Dystopian, Sci-Fi esque.
Length: 1 book of 380 pages.
Why you love this canon and why others might want to try it:
Kings of a Dead World by Jamie Mollart is set in England in a not so distant future. One which has quite close links to what is going on in the world right now. It shows of a future where resources are scarce and it comes up with a solution to the problems caused by this. It also looks at water levels rise so it's up on the climate change. But it's also a dystopian, sci-fi esque end of the world book where you just keep reading.
The worldbuilding in this is great. Their solution to the problems are to have sleep cycles, where most of the population is asleep and hooked up to machines. They wake and go about their business as normal as if nothing was wrong and then they go back to sleep again. These are called the Sleepers.
There's also the Janitors, who get to stay awake, the become sort of like stock brokers and do all the trading of worldly goods for the Sleepers.
What's more is that there are AIs in this! Janitors get to use them.
However, there is a stark divide between the lives of the Janitors and the lives of the Sleepers.
The Janitors have it way, way better, while all the sleepers struggle to get food etc.
And this book follows Ben who is a Sleeper and Peruzzi who is a Janitor.
How people can access the canon: Amazon is where I got mine.
Content notes
This is an adult book with mature themes, containing nudity, death, terrorism & drugs.
It's also written in the first person.