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There were rumblings, and so, there's this...
The loveliest-genderfucked-series-I've-read list:
(individual books might come later; that'd be a really long list, though. I collect genderfucks, particularly in sci-fi and fantasy.)
1. "Dead" trilogy by Richard Calder - These books feel like taking a dive into something both icky and luxurious; like a bubbly bloodbath for your brain. Not an easy read, but an ultimately satisfying one, that delves into a seriously twisted dystopia where technology equals luxury and the market is all about porn.
If you have a kink, these books will get around to it, and, in the meantime, they'll kick your ass with a array of futures that no sentient being would welcome... but which are all fueled by hidden desires. The darkest desires that spring out of gender diasphora, that is.
If you explore the link, you'll see that a lot of smart people have written about these books. IMHO, all of them have missed the basic point. These are ultimately stories of castration. Written by a man. And that's where the core of genderfuckedness comes from. Plus, these are not stories that are content with symbolism, they delve to the point of the genetic... for a reason. These stories are as lovingly mysoginistic as American Psycho so... if that's something you think you can stomach, I highly recommend them.
2. "Wraeththu" trilogy by Storm Constantine - Much like people who've never seen "Buffy", I'm still trying to figure out how I can communicate with people who haven't read these books. ::g::
An unseen apocalypse makes way for a whole new race of beings which embody "the softest parts of men and the hardest parts of women" making them, of course, a serious mess.
What I love most about these books is how they dive right into the issues that result from growing up in a binary world and waking up one day to a completely different reality. Just when you think all the ground has been covered, there are the other two books, which take you straight to the creation of a culture.
The final result is downright mythic in scope, but there remains a thread that lets you know that you're not the only person who's ever wondered just where bogus gender-roles could land us all.
3. "Black Jewels" trilogy by Anne Bishop - So, in these, the gender-roles are somewhat static. Ok. They are, however, completely flipped around, which makes for a kick-ass world to dive into for a while. Women have power that males are attracted to... unfortunately, they're just as drawn to destroy it as they are to protect it.
Much more than the fantasy series it seems to be on the surface, this is a story of political intrigue. One that has a very unique take on what constitutes male and female and how those can interact. Good stuff.
The loveliest-genderfucked-series-I've-read list:
(individual books might come later; that'd be a really long list, though. I collect genderfucks, particularly in sci-fi and fantasy.)
1. "Dead" trilogy by Richard Calder - These books feel like taking a dive into something both icky and luxurious; like a bubbly bloodbath for your brain. Not an easy read, but an ultimately satisfying one, that delves into a seriously twisted dystopia where technology equals luxury and the market is all about porn.
If you have a kink, these books will get around to it, and, in the meantime, they'll kick your ass with a array of futures that no sentient being would welcome... but which are all fueled by hidden desires. The darkest desires that spring out of gender diasphora, that is.
If you explore the link, you'll see that a lot of smart people have written about these books. IMHO, all of them have missed the basic point. These are ultimately stories of castration. Written by a man. And that's where the core of genderfuckedness comes from. Plus, these are not stories that are content with symbolism, they delve to the point of the genetic... for a reason. These stories are as lovingly mysoginistic as American Psycho so... if that's something you think you can stomach, I highly recommend them.
2. "Wraeththu" trilogy by Storm Constantine - Much like people who've never seen "Buffy", I'm still trying to figure out how I can communicate with people who haven't read these books. ::g::
An unseen apocalypse makes way for a whole new race of beings which embody "the softest parts of men and the hardest parts of women" making them, of course, a serious mess.
What I love most about these books is how they dive right into the issues that result from growing up in a binary world and waking up one day to a completely different reality. Just when you think all the ground has been covered, there are the other two books, which take you straight to the creation of a culture.
The final result is downright mythic in scope, but there remains a thread that lets you know that you're not the only person who's ever wondered just where bogus gender-roles could land us all.
3. "Black Jewels" trilogy by Anne Bishop - So, in these, the gender-roles are somewhat static. Ok. They are, however, completely flipped around, which makes for a kick-ass world to dive into for a while. Women have power that males are attracted to... unfortunately, they're just as drawn to destroy it as they are to protect it.
Much more than the fantasy series it seems to be on the surface, this is a story of political intrigue. One that has a very unique take on what constitutes male and female and how those can interact. Good stuff.
