A magical girl-gone-bad and a renegade mech pilot must stay on a date forever, even if it means destroying the world.

Don't you want to help them?

Acrasia is in the ultimate long-distance relationship: with Opus Zhao, a man from another universe. She was a trans girl who was also an intergalactic moth-goddess. He was a trans guy who piloted a giant robotic tiger. They hated each other, then fell in love, then their universes moved apart. Now, years later, he's turned up in her dimension again. What won’t she do to keep him there?

This riotous enemies-to-lovers romantasyroars off the page in the genre-exploding, galaxy-spanning, quick-quipping retro nostalgia futuristic thrill ride of a lifetime. Give in, succumb (you know you want to) to the unstoppable world of Plastic, Prism, Void.

“A romantic prank! An undoing/fondueing of narrative conventions! A compendium of incongruous brilliance! Whatever you call it, this book establishes Violet Allen as an utterly essential, astounding new voice in 21st century literature”
—Charlie Jane Anders

A highly recommendable science fiction novel about life in a dictatorship where slavery is practiced. It compellingly portrays societies with different gender hierarchies and choices of pronouns. The story revolves around resistance and deciphering the messages from the main protagonist's late mother, which might offer a way out. Religion—along with the supposed superiority of white people—is portrayed as a justification for maintaining power.

Ort der Handlung ist ein Raumschiff mit verschiedenen Decks, in denen Gesellschaften verschiedenen Rangs und mit unterschiedlichen Geschlechterordnungen leben, wobei auf den Decks mit höherem Rang die binäre Geschlechterordnung vorherrscht. Auf einem der unteren Decks wird das generische Neopronomen they verwendet, auf einem anderen sie. Auf letzterem wird angenommen, dass alle Frauen sind, es sei denn sie sagen oder zeigen z. B. durch Kleidung an, dass sie nicht weiblich sind. Die beiden Hauptpersonen sind gender-nonkonform. Theo: "I'm not a man at all." - Aster: "I am a boy and a girl". Im Roman selbst wird das nicht weiter spezifiziert. In einem Interview sagt Autor*in Rivers Solomon:

Aster is an intersex butch lesbian, but maybe agender. Theo is a nonbinary trans woman. These are my interpretations, but arguments could certainly be made for other classifiers. Part of the beauty of avoiding labels to me is that it’s saying “identities aren’t sacrosanct.” To me, they’re not objective truths or innate biological realities. Rather, they’re part of the way we choose to interpret ourselves in a vast network of information and social relationships.

Rivers Solomon (Pronomen they). Solomon beschreibt sich selbst u. a. als "a dyke, an anarchist, a she-beast, an exile, a shiv, a wreck, and a refugee of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade".

Vor allem geht es in dem Roman jedoch um Leben in einer Diktatur in der Sklaverei praktiziert wird. Um Widerstand und um das Entschlüsseln der Botschaften von Asters verstorbener Mutter, die einen Ausweg bieten könnten. Religion wird - neben angeblicher Überlegenheit der Weißen - als Begündung zur Machterhaltung benutzt dargestellt. Sehr empfehlenswerte Science-Fiction.

TW: Misgendern, Cissexismus, Homofeindlichekit, Feindlichkeit gegen neuroatypischen Menschen, körperliche Gewalt, sexualisierte Gewalt, Rassismus, Sklaverei, Folter, Hinrichtungen

misgendering, cissexism, homohostility, hostility against neuroatypical people, physical violence, sexualized violence, racism, slavery, torture, executions

Verlagsbeschreibung:

Aster has little to offer folks in the way of rebuttal when they call her ogre and freak. She’s used to the names; she only wishes there was more truth to them. If she were truly a monster, she’d be powerful enough to tear down the walls around her until nothing remains of her world.

Aster lives in the lowdeck slums of the HSS Matilda, a space vessel organized much like the antebellum South. For generations, Matilda has ferried the last of humanity to a mythical Promised Land. On its way, the ship’s leaders have imposed harsh moral restrictions and deep indignities on dark-skinned sharecroppers like Aster. Embroiled in a grudge with a brutal overseer, Aster learns there may be a way to improve her lot—if she’s willing to sow the seeds of civil war.

Weitere Bücher von Rivers Solomon gibt es hier.

Hardcover jetzt zum selben Preis wie das Softcover.

Alien meets Midsommar in this chilling debut adult novel from award-winning author Andrew Joseph White about identity, survival, and transformation amidst an alien invasion in rural West Virginia.

Festering masses of worms and flies have taken root in dark corners across Appalachia. In exchange for unwavering loyalty and fresh corpses, these hives offer a few struggling humans salvation. A fresh start. It's an offer that none refuse.

Crane is grateful. Among his hive's followers, Crane has found a chance to transition, to never speak again, to live a life that won't destroy him. He even met Levi: a handsome ex-Marine and brutal killer who treats him like a real man, mostly. But when Levi gets Crane pregnant—and the hive demands the child's birth, no matter the cost—Crane's desperation to make it stop will drive the community that saved him into a devastating spiral that can only end in blood.

Content Warnings from the author:

YOU WEREN'T MEANT TO BE HUMAN is about reproductive abuse, pregnancy as violence, self-destruction, loss of agency, and every nasty feeling I as the author have ever carried with me as an autistic trans man, especially since the fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022. Content warnings include:

• Infanticide (neonaticide) involving cannibalism
• Graphic depictions of pregnancy and childbirth as violence and body horror; on-page early stillbirth with subsequent desecration of corpse; on-page botched self-managed abortion
• Narrative focus on suicidality and planning suicide, with no attempt made; similar focus on self-harm, shown on-page (disfigurement via scalding)
• Consistently unclear sexual boundaries and consent, up to and including rape, often involving confusion on behalf of the survivor
• Sexual fantasies/intrusive thoughts involving abuse and bestiality
• Domestic abuse
• Graphic violence
• Emetophobia warning
• Weird parasitic bug shit, needles, general transphobia and ableism, etc.

A more general list also exists in the author’s note at the front of the book.

Über den Autor: Andrew Joseph White is a trans, autistic author from Virginia (USA), where he grew up falling in love with monsters and wishing he could be one too. He received his MFA in Creative Writing from George Mason University in 2022, and is the author of several bestselling novels about queer and disabled rage.

Weitere Bücher Andrew Joseph White gibt es hier.

Das letzte Exemplar hat eine kleine Abriebstelle am oberen Rand des Buchrückens.

Margins and Murmurations ist der erste von drei Bänden mit trans* und nichtbinären Hauptfiguren in der nahen Zukunft einer europäischen Großstadt. Ein militärisch hochgerüsteter Staat kontrolliert und sanktioniert alle Lebensentwürfe, die von heteronormativ und kapitalistisch-leistungsfähig abweichen. Dagegen formiert sich Widerstand - getragen von transweiblichen Personen mit magischen Fähigkeiten. Wir begleiten Ash, Pinar, Kit und weitere Charaktere bei Konfrontationen innerhalb ihrer Communities, unerwarteten Allianzen und queerem Cruising.

Im diesem ersten Band begegnen wir Ash, die mit einer Freundin in der Sicherheit des Waldes vor dem Zugriff des totalitären Staates lebt, während sich in der Stadt Widerstand formiert. Als das Militär schließlich Waldsiedlungen angreift und ein Verletzter sich zu Ash und ihrer Freundin flüchtet, werden diese mit ihrer Vergangenheit konfrontiert; es zieht sie zurück in die Stadt, an der Spitze des (queeren) Widerstands.

Das Buch enthält Hauptfiguren, die verschiedenen Formen von Sexarbeit nachgehen. Das ist eine Ausnahme, da Sexarbeit nach wie vor tabuisiert und kriminalisiert wird. In Lieffes Büchern sind die Figuren selbstbestimmt, haben verschiedene Eigenschaften, Hobbies, Beziehungen, Kämpfe und Ressourcen - eine nötige Ausnahme von vielen Büchern und Filmen, in denen Sexarbeiter*innen entweder als Opfer oder moralische Bedrohung für die gesellschaftliche Ordnung dargestellt werden.

Die Figuren sind sehr lebendig gezeichnet, viele Konflikte dem realen Leben entnommen, mit einer Storyline, die stets neugierig macht, wie es weitergeht. (Rezi von Nello und Anton)

Die deutsche Ausgabe des Buchs gibt es hier.

Infos von der Seite der Autorin Kes Otter Lieffe:

This is the story of Ash, a trans woman and healer living in a corner of Europe controlled by a militarized state. Amidst the economic crash of the 2020s, this land, once a hub of diversity, saw the rise of a state-imposed monoculture of gender, sexuality, ability and race. Those that didn’t fit, known as the divergents, were imprisoned, expelled or worse.

Ash and her best friend Pinar long ago escaped the City, left behind their days of fighting State oppression, and are eking out a calmer life in the forest, ravaged by the effects of climate change. One day, Jason, a resistance fighter, arrives abruptly into their life, reigniting personal and political drives and they find themselves drawn back into the fight.

Joining trans and queer organisers, sex workers and other members of a hidden underclass, they risk everything to return to the City and face their oppressors. In this fight for dignity, self-determination and their survival, Ash’s ability to transcend time, a trait that until now she has considered her curse, turns out to be a more powerful weapon than anyone could have imagined.

- Written by a trans woman and sex worker, Margins and Murmurations puts transgender, sex work and femininity at the centre. In this sensitive exploration of exclusion, Otter Lieffe calls us to renew our struggles against oppression and to proudly reclaim the margins that so many of us call home.

Also check out Kes Otter Lieffe's other novels (sequels to this one), this book in German, zines and greeting cards.

Kelli Reynolds loves creating stories more than anything in the world. But on Callisto, a generative AI company called Inspiration owns everything, including all the media, and only Inspiration determines which stories can be told.

Kelli has a rare and coveted job in which her autism is to her advantage: she precisely edits AI output into “appropriate” stories for Inspiration’s massive TV audience. Her proudest creation is the pirate Orlando—a dashing do-gooder based on stories she used to tell friends.

Re-enter Kelli’s ex-boyfriend Rowan, the person Kelli based Orlando on. Back when they were teenagers, their relationship was a secret. Kelli had thought that Rowan, a trans man, was her schoolmate Am, a girl.

Rowan is tangled up in the black market after he needed to get money for gender affirming surgery. He needs Kelli’s help with something… illegal. So now Kelli has to decide: will she risk the safe, tidy story of her life now for the world she once wished for? What would Orlando do?

Passionate, dangerous, and tender, Ignore All Previous Instructions is a sweeping, poignant novel about forbidden love, growing up, and fighting against censorship.

Ada Hoffmann is a queer and genderfluid author and an adjunct professor of computer science at a major Canadian university, Hoffmann now researches the social effects of generative AI on professional fiction writers. Their 2018 PhD thesis was on computer-generated poetry. Under their legal name, they have published over a dozen papers and presented their work at conferences around the world.

Hoffmann was diagnosed with autism at the age of thirteen. Their Autistic Book Party review series (2010–2023) was devoted to in-depth discussions of autism representation in speculative fiction. Much of their own work also features characters who are autistic or otherwise neurodivergent. They are a former semi-professional soprano, tabletop gaming enthusiast, and LARPer.

Hoffman teaches and lives in eastern Ontario with a curious black cat.

An anthology of queer erotic sci-fi, fantasy, and horror

11 schöne, surreale Kurzgeschichten darunter 4 mit trans* Personen bwz. Personen mit Pronomen they.

Verlagsbeschreibung:

Welcome to your new favourite genre: the fucking fantastic.

In these ten stories, everything is sex: walls, wax, the past, your future, your neighbours, hankies, candles, circuit boards, petri dishes, scrap metal – and language itself. Conjuring experiences for which there are no words, our amazing queer authors generate new tongues from the heat of their communing with a wild variety of lifeforms.

From Diriye Osman’s spiritualised Peckham to Jem Nash’s time-travelling trans multiverse, these stories transport you to new ways of being and feeling. In a word, it’s CruiserShimmeringLipophilicNeckingerCircuitGirlboss.

Whether you get horny from aliens, ghosts, robots, utopia, possession, ritual, or the completely surreal, there’s a story here for you. But why stop at one when you can taste pleasure in each and every one?

Featuring stories from: Gracie Beswick, Swithun Cooper, Rachel Dawson, Rien Gray, Vivien Holmes, Jem Nash, Diriye Osman, Alison Rumfitt, Nicks Walker & Anna Walsh.

Harlowe could use a break. With his academic future over, just like his relationship with Jackson, a suspiciously cheap summer rental on the Cape feels like just the escape he needs.

But when he arrives at the picturesque seaside cottage, he’s alarmed to find his discouraging old professor in the living room, his father making coffee in the kitchen, a mysterious young man fixing a hole in the wall, and worst of all, Jackson is in the bathroom. None of them will leave. No one else can see them. And they just won’t leave him alone.

But Harlowe soon realises he isn’t the only one who can see the house’s magic, and as the summer grows hot and thick with tourists, old wounds and fresh secrets – both in and outside its walls – begin to transform him. And that mysterious man seems almost to be everywhere he looks now… not that he’d want it another way.

An assassin with outlawed, magical abilities will do anything to get their kidnapped sisters back in this dystopic-fantasy standalone.

Mercy has no place here.

On Trinity, where the privileged live in the skies and the rest fight for water below, you do what you can to survive.

18-year-old Val knows this better than anyone. They’ve sacrificed everything to provide for their younger sisters. Using their outlawed teleportation powers, they've become the most infamous assassin-for-hire on Trinity, known as the Butcher.

No one should be able to trace the Butcher to Val. But when a gang retaliates by kidnapping Val's sisters and killing Dani, Val's only friend, it means that someone has to know the truth.

Desperate and completely alone, Val has no one to turn to but their ex-best friend turned vigilante thief, Orion. He broke their heart, but he owes them.

But as Val fights for the return of their sisters, they start to realize there might be something much bigger at play... something that could upend everything they’ve ever known about Trinity.

Val’s journey will take them from a maximum security prison transport to the headquarters of the most powerful gang on Trinity, and all the way to the Gate of Heaven. Each more heavily guarded than the last.

Good thing the Butcher has never blinked at an extra casualty.

Becca Coffindaffer (they/any) grew up on Star Wars, Star Trek, fantastical movies and even more fantastical books. As a kid, they started scribbling stories in weathered, well-loved spiral notebooks, and now they write books about magic and politics, spaceships, imaginary worlds, and people walking away from explosions in slow motion. These days they live in Kansas with their family, surrounded by a lot of books, a lot of video games and two very spoiled dogs.

A Cosy Fantasy Adventure Full of Magic

When Oaklin Nettlewood accidentally joined an evil world-ending cult, mind control magic forced them to do unspeakable things. Years later, the realm's heroes have finally saved the day, defeated the villain, and shattered the last remnants of the spell...leaving destruction in their wake. And so, with a spell-damaged memory and whole bushel of trauma, Oaklin escapes to a small farm on the edge of Mossley's Rest and swears an oath: After all the things they were forced to do with their magic, they will never use it again. Ever.

The no-nonsense ghost granny who lives in Oaklin's house has other ideas. As she coaxes Oaklin out of their shell and back into the world, they find companionship (a grumpy horse and a very good dog), friendship (a local bard and magical baker who should just kiss already), and tentative romance (a paladin-librarian who makes Oaklin's heart come alive for the first time in ages.) Magic even seems possible again—though strictly for foraging magical mushrooms and protecting the farm from bugs.

Healing comes in gentle waves, and Oaklin doesn't have to do it alone. So what does it mean when an inquisitor comes to town to hunt former cultists just as Oaklin begins to think that maybe, just maybe, they deserve a happy ending after all?

Autumn K England grew up on the Space Coast of Florida watching shuttle launches from the backyard. These days, they live on a micro-farm in rural Virginia packed with video and board games, plants, D&D books, and their kindergartener's giant personality. They're probably covered in dirt right now.

Ein feinfühliger Roman über einen trans* Mann, der seine Mutter besucht mit ihrem Hund Mr. Grumpy und ihren Erinnerungen, in denen sie für ihren Sohn - ganz wie es sein sollte - auch für die Vergangenheit das Pronomen er verwendet. Vor allem aber geht es darum, wie er sein Jugendliches Ich wiedertrifft und seinen ehemals besten Freund mit dem er sich zerstritten hatte. Das Buch erzählt gut, wie es ist queer in einer Kleinstadt heranzuwachsen und am College und in der Großstadt queere Gemeinschaften zu finden. Und wie es sein kann, in die alte Heimat zurückzukehren, dort eine queere Gemeinschaft zu entdecken und sich zu fragen, was gewesen wäre, wenn sein jüngeres Ich mehr Wissen zur Verfügung gehabt hätte und ob er ihm dieses zukommen lassen soll. Liest sich wunderschön, gespickt mit etwas Magie.

Verlagsbeschreibung:

A whimsical and healing novel about a trans man in New York who – almost 30, laid off, broke – moves back to his small Illinois hometown, walks into the bookstore he worked at in high school… and slips through time to come face to face with his pre-transition, teenage self.

If you had one chance to talk to your younger self… would you? What would you say?

When Darby left Oak Falls for university in New York City, all he wanted was to get as far away as possible, find a community where he could start afresh — and finally forget about his childhood best friend Michael, and just how painfully their friendship ended.

Now, about to turn 30, Darby suddenly finds himself unemployed. With no better alternative, and questioning where he really belongs, he moves back to his hometown. But the changes in Oak Falls make him feel off balance. And Michael’s still there, their relationship still distant and strained.

One thing is familiar: In Between Books, Darby’s refuge growing up and high school job. When he walks inside, Darby feels an eerie sense of déjà vu – everything is exactly the same. Even the newspapers are dated 2009. And behind the till is a teen who looks a lot like Darby did at sixteen… a teen who just might give him the opportunity to change his own present for the better – if he can figure out how before his connection to the past vanishes forever.

A fascinating novel about the descendants of enslaved Blacks who were thrown overboard into the Atlantic while pregnant. These descendants live in the sea and are all intersex, with diverse gender identities. The human characters in the novel also possess more than two gender identities. About colonialism, racism, oral tradition, transgenerational trauma, and a love story to boot.

/Faszinierender Roman über die Nachkommen von versklavten Schwarzen, die schwanger von Sklav*innenschiffen über Bord in den Atlantik geworfen wurden. Diese Nachkommen leben im Meer und sind alle intergeschlechtlich mit verschiedenen Geschlechtsidentitäten. Auch bei den im Roman vorkommenden Menschen gibt es mehr als zwei Geschlechtsidentitäten. Über Kolonialismus, Rassismus, mündliche Überlieferung, transgenerationale Traumata und mitsamt einer Liebesgeschichte.

Hier geht es zu weiteren Bücher von Rivers Solomon (Pronomen they). Solomon beschreibt sich selbst u. a. als "a dyke, an anarchist, a she-beast, an exile, a shiv, a wreck, and a refugee of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade".

Verlagsbeschreibung:

The water-breathing descendants of African slave women tossed overboard have built their own underwater society-and must reclaim the memories of their past to shape their future in this brilliantly imaginative novella inspired by the Hugo Award-nominated song “The Deep” from Daveed Diggs’s rap group clipping.

Yetu holds the memories for her people-water-dwelling descendants of pregnant African slave women thrown overboard by slave owners-who live idyllic lives in the deep. Their past, too traumatic to be remembered regularly, is forgotten by everyone, save one-the historian. This demanding role has been bestowed on Yetu.

Yetu remembers for everyone, and the memories, painful and wonderful, traumatic and terrible and miraculous, are destroying her. And so, she flees to the surface, escaping the memories, the expectations, and the responsibilities-and discovers a world her people left behind long ago.

Yetu will learn more than she ever expected to about her own past-and about the future of her people. If they are all to survive, they’ll need to reclaim the memories, reclaim their identity-and own who they really are.

Inspired by a song produced by the rap group Clipping for the This American Life episode “We Are In The Future,” The Deep is vividly original and uniquely affecting.

Packender Roman über eine post-revolutionäres, queer-positives, ökologisches, kapitalistisches Gesellschaftssystem mit trans und nicht-binären Hauptfiguren. In einer vermeintlich idyllischen Welt formiert sich eine Widerstandsbewegung gegen die Ausbeutung der Arbeiter*innen ...

Infos in English from the author:

Conserve and Control is written from the margins. Characters who are non-binary, working class, disabled and trans take central place as we are transported to a queer and green paradise that, like all utopias, is not to be trusted. This groundbreaking new story can be read alone or as a companion to Otter Lieffe's first book Von wo wir kommen werden (hier auf Deutsch erhältlich, leider aktuell nicht auf Englisch) and the sequel Dignity.

Survival is an act of resistance.

Hardcover zum selben Preis wie das Softcover!

Two bodies lie in the garden of a sprawling property in Oak Creek Estate, a wealthy gated community in Dallas, Texas.

The bodies belong to the parents of Ezri, Eve and Emmanuel, who have long since abandoned the childhood home in which their parents remained all these years. A home that has haunted and hollowed them throughout their lives, in a neighbourhood where they grew up as the only Black family, hoping to survive a place that wanted to claim them, expel them and ruin them all at once.

In the wake of their parents’ death, Ezri and their siblings are forced to confront the reasons they left, the nightmares that have held them captive and the possibility that realities exist beyond those that have forged them.

Bold and tender, Model Home is powerful meditation on the power of memory, loss and identity.

Model Home is not an easy book to read - content warning: sexualized violence and involuntary drug use. It is a horror story with lots of metaphorical allusions that only clear up at the end about trauma, identity and racism. With a non-binary, neurodivergent main character.

/Model Home ist kein einfach zu lesendes Buch - Inhaltswarnung: sexualisierte Gewalt und unfreiwilliger Drogenkonsum. Es ist eine Horror-Story mit vielen metaphorischen Andeutungen, die sich erst am Ende aufklären über Trauma, Identität und Rassismus. Mit nichtbinärer, neurodivergenter Hauptfigur.

Weitere Bücher von Rivers Solomon gibt es hier.

trans* own voices horror story:

When a TERF bombs Frankie’s workplace, she blows up Frankie’s life with it. As the media descends like vultures, Frankie tries to cope with the carnage: binge-drinking, sleeping with strangers, pushing away her friends. Then, she meets Vanya. Mysterious, beautiful, terrifying Vanya.

The two hit it off immediately, but as their relationship intensifies, so too does Frankie’s feeling that Vanya is hiding something from her. When Vanya’s secrets threaten to tear them apart, Frankie starts digging, and unearths a sinister, depraved conspiracy, the roots of which go deeper than she ever imagined.

Shocking, grotesque, and downright filthy, Brainwyrms confronts the creeping reality of political terrorism while exploring the depths of love, pain, and identity.

“Rumfitt is a master of disgust, twisting the horrors of transphobia into a hellish masterpiece, and you won’t be able to look away.” —Andrew Joseph White, New York Times bestselling author of Hell Followed With Us

Inhaltswarnungen: Transfeindlichkeit, unsafe sex, sexualisierte Gewalt, weitere Formen von Gewalt, Kindesmissbrauch

A queer speculative fiction novel.

Postrevolutionärer, postpandemischer, naturverbundener Own-Voices-Roman inklusive Liebesgeschichte mit zwei trans* Hauptfiguren. Ein*e davon, namens Brook, ist chronisch krank, was in der Erzählung vom Überleben in einer sich ändernden Welt einfühlsam thematisiert wird. In einer Höhle an einem Strand lebend, blickt Brook auf diese spannend erinnerte Vergangenheit zurück, während Brook den Menschen in einem nahegelegenen, kollektiv organisierten Dorf näherkommt. Durch die zweite Hauptfigur lernt Brook, mit Hilfe von Fantasy-Elementen eine Verbindung zur Tierwelt einzugehen, was während einer erneuten Naturkatastrophe eine Verbündung mit diesen erleichtert. Trotz der vielen dystopischen Elemente gibt es immer wieder hoffnungsvolle Momente auf der Suche nach einer besseren Zukunft. (Rezi von Anton)

Infos from the author:

Our climate has been transformed, and so have we. We can’t go back to who we were, and we wouldn’t want to. My life now is spent between the land and the sea. The walls of my cave are cool on the warmest of days, and wave-song enters my dreams at night. My closest friends are gulls and the salty wind.

The world turns again.

Leaving home feels like danger, but there are forces stronger than fear. And my gut knows – in the way that bodies always know – there are more changes to come.

The air is never the same twice.

14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic

Introducing a queer, fast-paced standalone cyberpunk adventure from the author of Hammajang Luck: a bored hacker is forced by vicious gangsters to take down a crooked politician . . . only to find herself up against a code she might not be able to crack.

How do you follow the greatest crime of all time?

It’s been three years since the Atlas heist. Malia, aka the Obake, the greatest hacker of all time, was set for life. But being set for life turns out to be pretty boring.

But when her new hobby of rigging underground fights lands her in trouble with one of the most dangerous gangs on Kepler Space Station, she’s offered a deal: take down the corrupt politician interfering with the gang’s business, or it’s the end of the road for Malia.

Hastily assembling her own crew, it should be easy after the impossible heist of Atlas Industries. But this time the person she’s working for is just as bad as the person she’s taking down, and there are darker things lurking in the shadows.

Things tied to Malia’s past. Things that could decide her future.

Zombies und der Hass auf trans Personen trifft sich hier in einer berauschenden Horrorgeschichte. Es ist wirklich keine leichte Kost, weil die Brutalität der Kämpfe konkret ist. Zugleich ist es eine wichtige und schonungslos ehrliche Geschichte über Solidarität, fehlende Allianzen und das Kämpfen für die eigene Existenz. Etwas, dass alle trans Personen auf die eine oder andere Art kennen.

Eine Epidemie hat sich sehr schnell überall auf der Welt, auf jeden Fall aber in Nordamerika verbreitet. Alle Cis*Männer und generell alle Personen mit hohem Testosteronspiegel haben sich in wilde Bestien verwandelt – Zombie meets tollwütiger Hund. Sie sind nur noch von dem Wunsch, zu Fressen und Sex zu haben, getrieben. Sie sind super gefährlich und nehmen sich alles, was ihnen in die Quere kommt.
Die trans Frauen Beth und Fran ziehen zusammen durch die Gegend, auf der Suche nach Östrogen, dass sie brauchen um sich nicht ebenfalls zu verwandeln. Dafür machen sie Jagd auf cis Männer und ernten die Hoden, um an das Östrogen zu kommen. Auf ihrer Reise müssen sie sich allerdings auch vor anderen Frauen schützen. Eine Armee von TERFs hat ganze Landstriche in ihre Gewalt gebracht und macht Jagd auf alle queeren Menschen. Sie hassen mit einer tödlichen Inbrunst.
Die Geschichte nimmt richtig an Fahrt auf, als Beth und Fran einer Gruppe von ihnen mitten in die Arme laufen…

Eine rasante Reise durch eine Welt, in der nur noch Bruchstücke der uns bekannten Zivilisation übrig sind und die verbliebenen Menschen um eine neue Ordnung ringen. Manche von ihnen mit sehr viel Gewalt.

Zwischendurch hatte ich richtig Spaß beim Lesen, habe mich gefreut über die vielfältige und unterschiedliche Repräsentation queerer, dicker, schwarzer Menschen. Und im nächsten Moment blieb mir das Lachen wieder im Halse stecken und ich hab das Buch erstmal zur Seite gelegt.
Für alle Fans von Splatter Horror, die Bock auf einen feministischen Twist des Tropes haben!

Rezi von Nelo, IG: @books_and_halloween - die vollständige Rezension und weitere (Buch-)Empfehlungen findet ihr auf Nelos Website.

Verlagsbeschreibung:

Manhunt is an explosive post-apocalyptic novel that follows trans women and trans men on a grotesque journey of survival.

“A modern horror masterpiece.” —Carmen Maria Machado

Beth and Fran spend their days traveling the ravaged New England coast, hunting feral men and harvesting their organs in a gruesome effort to ensure they’ll never face the same fate.

Robbie lives by his gun and one hard-learned motto: other people aren’t safe.

After a brutal accident entwines the three of them, this found family of survivors must navigate murderous TERFs, a sociopathic billionaire bunker brat, and awkward relationship dynamics—all while outrunning packs of feral men, and their own demons.

Die deutsche Ausgabe findet ihr hier.

Isabel Waidner schreibt von Trans*feindlichkeiten und Solidarität innerhalb der Community auf faszinierend phantastisch-skurrile Weise. Von einem kafkaesken trans*feindlichen, klassistischen, rassistischen staatlichen (Justiz-)System, Raumschiff-Zeitreisen um die halbe Welt, dem an Aids verstorbenen, schwulen Vater Franz Beckenbauer... Dabei gibt es viele Anspielungen (z.B. auf Gemälde von Hieronymus Bosch), die eins je nach Hintergrundwissen verstehen kann, aber für den Lesegenuß nicht unbedingt muss. Die Protagonist*innen sind nichtbinär mit Pronomen they, der Arbeiter*innenklasse zugehörig, meist mit migrantischem Hintergrund, äußerst kritisch gegenüber dem System und dem Cistem und vermitteln trotz allem, das ihnen widerfährt, eine beeindruckende Lebenskraft und Botschaft. Eine ganz besondere, subversive Lesefreude! (Rezi von Anton)

Verlagsbeschreibung:

Sterling is arrested one morning without having done anything wrong. Plunged into a terrifying and nonsensical world, Sterling – with the help of their three best friends – must defy bullfighters, football players and spaceships in order to exonerate themselves and to hold the powers that be to account.

Sterling Karat Gold is Kafka’s The Trial written for the era of gaslighting – a surreal inquiry into the real effects of state violence on gender-nonconforming, working-class and black bodies.

Following the Goldsmiths Prize–nominated We Are Made of Diamond Stuff, Isabel Waidner’s latest novel proposes community, inventiveness and the stubborn refusal to lie low as antidotes against marginalisation and towards better futures.

Mehr von Isabel Waidner findet ihr hier.

Schöne, surreale Geschichte mit zwei queeren Hauptfiguren aus der Arbeiter*innenklasse mit Pronomen they, die in einem Hotel in England unter Ausbeutungsbedingungen arbeiten und u. a. über Politik, Kapitalismus und Ausgrenzungen reden, über ihre Eltern, sowie über und mit den lebendig gewordenen Aufdrucken ihrer T-Shirts und einem Paar Schuhe, die für manche Aufregung sorgen. (Rezi von Anton)

Die letzten Exemplare jetzt im 3er-Bündel.

Band 1: Buckle up your seatbelt for Victories Greater Than Death, a thrilling YA sci-fi adventure set against an intergalactic war.

Tina never worries about being 'ordinary'--she doesn't have to, since she's known practically forever that she's not just Tina Mains, average teenager and beloved daughter. She's also the keeper of an interplanetary rescue beacon, and one day soon, it's going to activate, and then her dreams of saving all the worlds and adventuring among the stars will finally be possible. Tina's legacy, after all, is intergalactic--she is the hidden clone of a famed alien hero, left on Earth disguised as a human to give the universe another chance to defeat a terrible evil.

But when the beacon activates, it turns out that Tina's destiny isn't quite what she expected. Things are far more dangerous than she ever assumed--and everyone in the galaxy is expecting her to actually be the brilliant tactician and legendary savior Captain Thaoh Argentian, but Tina....is just Tina. And the Royal Fleet is losing the war, badly--the starship that found her is on the run and they barely manage to escape Earth with the planet still intact.

Luckily, Tina is surrounded by a crew she can trust, and her best friend Rachel, and she's still determined to save all the worlds. But first she'll have to save herself.

Ein wunderbarer, das binäre Geschlechtersystem aufbrechender Science-Fiction Roman. Mehrere Charaktere verwenden das Pronomen they und die romantische Bezugsperson der Hauptfigur ist eine „travesti“: „Not actually a man, but not quite a woman either.“ Auf einem Planeten können Frauen und Männer schwanger werden, auf einem anderen wird das Pronomen se für ein drittes Geschlecht verwendet und die Hauptperson (re)transitioniert von Mensch zu Makvarian. Schön sind auch Anmerkungen wie diese: „different languages have different ways to talk about someone without using their name. Some languages use gender or reproduction, but a lot of others give information about a person’s accomplishments, beliefs, or food preferences.“

Band 2: They’ll do anything to be the people they were meant to be — even journey into the heart of evil.

Rachael Townsend is the first artist ever to leave Earth and journey out into the galaxy — but after an encounter with an alien artifact, she can’t make art at all.

Elza Monteiro is determined to be the first human to venture inside the Palace of Scented Tears and become a princess — except that inside the palace, she finds the last person she ever wanted to see again.

Tina Mains is studying at the Royal Space Academy with her friends, preparing to save the universe – and she’s not the badass space hero everyone was expecting.

These three young women are thrust into the hands of destiny, journeying into dark voids, navigating deadly spy missions, and facing impossible choices that could change all their lives forever. With the fate of the galaxy hanging in the balance, they must discover their strength, whatever form it takes.

Band 3: THEY’RE THE GALAXY’S MOST WANTED — AND OUR ONLY HOPE

When Elza became a space princess, she thought she’d be spending her time at the palace, wearing gorgeous couture and soaking up everything there is to know — but instead, she’s on the run, with everyone hunting for her and her friends.

Rachael followed her best friend Tina on the adventure of a lifetime — but now Tina’s gone, and Rachael’s the only one keeping her friends together, as they go on a desperate quest to save everyone from an ancient curse.

Rachael, Elza and their friends have found one clue, one shining mysterious chance to stop the end of the world. And that takes them back to the second-to-last place they’d want to be: enlisting the aid of Captain Thaoh Argentian, the woman who stole Tina’s body (and who now seems to be relishing a second chance at teenage chaos and drama, instead of living up to her legacy of an intrepid heroic commander).

With only a ragtag band of misfits, crewmates, earthlings, friends, lovers (and one annoying frenemy), the Unstoppable Crew are up against the universe — and they soon find that in order to survive, they may have to cross a line they vowed never to cross.

Weitere Bücher von Charlie Jane Anders findet Ihr hier.

Thrilling fantasy with deities, semideities (demigods) and humans. It is great to read, that being trans* is normalized in this society, there is even a solemn gender affirmation ceremony for trans* people and there is a beautifully narrated gender-euphoric moment for the main trans* character. But he is also othered by his comrades-in-arms and competitors because of his wings which because of this, he hides until he comes to terms with himself and his wings. - Mitreißende Fantasy mit Gottheiten, semidioses (Halbgöttlichen) und Menschen. Trans* Hauptcharakter Teo wird unerwartet für einen alle zehn Jahre stattindenden Wettbewerb ausgewählt, bei dem nur eine Person gewinnsen kann und eine Person geopfert wird, damit die Welt so weiterbestehen kann, wie sie ist. Es gibt trans* und nichtbinäre Nebencharaktere (im englischen Original mit Pronomen they, in der deutschen Übersetzung mit Pronomen sier). Trans* zu sein ist in dieser Gesellschaft normalisiert, für trans* Personen gibt es gar eine feierliche Genderbestätigungszeremonie. Es gibt einen sehr schön erzählten gender-euphorischen Moment für Teo. Doch Teo wird von seinen Mitstreiter*innen und Konkurrent*innen wegen seiner Flügel geothered/geandert, worauf kritisch aufmerksam gemacht wird wie auch auf die Hierarchien unter den verschiedenen (Halb-)Göttlichkeiten sowie zwischen diesen und den Menschen. Der Wettbewerb und die Charaktere sind spannend beschrieben und auch Teos Eindrücke der anderen Städte, die sie im Verlauf der Kämpfe besuchen, und den dort herrschenden Gepflogenheiten. Ein extra Bonus sind die wunderschön beschriebenen Tiere, die gängige Erwartungen sprengen. Ein sehr gelungener Roman von Aiden Thomas, vom dem weitere Bücher hier zu finden sind. (Rezi von Anton)

Verlagsbeschreibung:

Only the most powerful and honorable will be chosen in this breathtaking, Mexican-inspired fantasy from Aiden Thomas, the author of the New York Times-bestselling Cemetery Boys.

Teo, a seventeen-year-old Jade semidiós and the trans son of the goddess of birds, isn't worried about the Trials . . . at least, not for himself. His best friend, Niya is a Gold semidiós and a shoo-in for the Trials, and while he trusts her abilities, the odds of becoming the sacrifice is one-in-ten.

But then, for the first time in over a century, the impossible happens. Sol chooses not one, but two Jade competitors. Teo, and Xio, the thirteen-year-old child of the god of bad luck. Now they must compete in five trials against Gold opponents who are more powerful and better trained. Worst of all, Teo's annoyingly handsome ex-best friend and famous semidiós Hero, Aurelio is favored to win. Teo is determined to get himself and his friends through the trials unscathed - for fame, glory, and their own survival.

A Collection of Magical Short Stories

Queere Kurzgeschichten von Yoon Ha Lee. Von 26 Geschichten kommen soweit ich gesehen habe nur in zweien Personen mit dem Pronomen they vor und ansonsten, wenn ich nichts überlesen habe, keine expliziten tin-Charaktere. Aber weil es sehr schöne Geschichten sind, ist das Buch dennoch hier mit dabei.

Verlagsbeschreibung:

Fantastische Geschichte über Kolonialismus, Widerstand und magische Kunst. Mit einer nichtbinären Hauptperson namens Jebi (Pronomen: they), ohne dass diese Tatsache Hauptthema wird und ohne, dass Jebi je ein Geschlecht zugewiesen wird. Auch sonst verschiedene queere Aspekten (z. B. hat Jebis Lover Vei drei Eltern) - einem mechanischen Drachen, der durch Jebis magische Glyphen eine Stimme bekommt und entgegen der Absicht seiner Erbauer einen eigenen Willen hat.

Verlagsbeschreibung:

Gyen Jebi isn’t a fighter, or a subversive. They just want to paint.

One day they’re jobless and desperate; the next, Jebi finds themself recruited by the Ministry of Armor to paint the mystical sigils that animate the occupying government’s automaton soldiers.

But when Jebi discovers the depths of the Razanei government’s horrifying crimes—and the awful source of the magical pigments they use—they find they can no longer stay out of politics.

What they can do is steal Arazi, the ministry’s mighty dragon automaton, and find a way to fight…

Wonderful novel about a post-revolutionary world in which being trans* and family diversity are normalized without being major themes. / Wunderbarer Roman über eine nachrevolutionäre Welt, in der trans*-Sein und Familienvielfalt normalisiert werden, ohne Hauptthemen zu sein:

Jam (Pronomen sie) wächst in einer nachrevolutionären Welt auf, in der auch trans* Kinder wie Jam geschlechtsangleichende OPs erhalten können. Pets bester Freund Redemption hat drei Elternteile (und eins davon mit Pronomen they). Doch Trans* und Familienvielfalt sind nicht die Hauptthemen in diesem Buch, was schön ist, da dies eine Normalität signalisiert.

Handlung: Vor Jams Augen kommt ein Gemälde ihrer Mutter zu Leben und nennt sich Pet. Pet ist gekommen, um ein Monster im Haus von Redemption zu jagen. Pet und Jam begeben sich gemeinsam mit Redemption auf die Suche. Es stellt sich heraus, dass jemand aus der Familie Redemptions Bruder Moss Gewalt angetan hat und die Erwachsenen wegsehen. Eine ungewöhnliche Art und Weise Missbrauch zu thematisieren, spannend verpackt.

Weitere Bücher von Akwaeke Emezi gibt es hier.

Verlagsbeschreibung:

How do you save the world from monsters if no one will admit they exist?
She stumbled backwards, her eyes wide, as the figure started coming out of the canvas ...
She tried to be brave. Well, she said, her hands only a little shaky, at least tell me what I should call you. ...
Well, little girl, it replied, I suppose you can call me Pet.
There are no more monsters anymore, or so the children in the city of Lucille are taught. With doting parents and a best friend named Redemption, Jam has grown up with this lesson all her life. But when she meets Pet, a creature made of horns and colours and claws, who emerges from one of her mother’s paintings and a drop of Jam’s blood, she must reconsider what she’s been told. Pet has come to hunt a monster, and the shadow of something grim lurks in Redemption’s house. Jam must fight not only to protect her best friend, but also to uncover the truth.

In their riveting and timely young adult debut, acclaimed novelist Akwaeke Emezi asks difficult questions about what choices a young person can make when the adults around them are in denial.

An empathetically written Romantasy novel in which the young trans man Ash together with Ramsay, a genderfluid alchemist, who is switching between the pronouns He and She, and an unexpected ally are searching for a long thought lost artefact. Kacen Callender designs an original Dark Academia setting and discusses impressively how the world in the novel accepts trans* and non-binary identities, poly relationships and the challenge of inequality opportunities between rich and poor. (translated by Jamie)

TW: explicit depictions of physical violence, injuries and murder; emotional and physical abuse by guardians/parents against their children; depictions of a religious cult

/ Ein einfühlsam geschriebener Romantasy-Roman, in dem Ash, ein junger trans* Mann, zusammen mit Ramsay, einer*m genderfluiden Alchemist*in, der*die zwischen den Pronomen He und She wechselt, und unverhofften Verbündeten nach einem verloren geglaubten Artefakt sucht. Kacen Callender entwirft ein originelles Dark Academia-Setting und thematisiert dabei eindrücklich in der Gesellschaft des Romans akzeptierte trans* und nichtbinäre Identitäten, poly Liebesbeziehungen und die Herausforderung von Chancenungleichheit zwischen Arm und Reich. (Rezi von Aiden)

CW: explizite Darstellung von physischer Gewalt, Verletzungen und Mord; emotionaler und physischer Missbrauch von Erziehungsfiguren/Eltern gegenüber ihren Kindern; Darstellung eines religiösen Kults

Verlagsbeschreibung:

For Ash Woods, practicing alchemy is a crime.

Only an elite few are legally permitted to study the science of magic—so when Ash is rejected by Lancaster College of Alchemic Science, he takes a job as the school’s groundskeeper instead, forced to learn alchemy in secret.

When he’s discovered by the condescending and brilliant apprentice Ramsay Thorne, Ash is sure he's about to be arrested—but instead of calling the reds, Ramsay surprises Ash by making him an offer: Ramsay will keep Ash's secret if he helps her find the legendary Book of Source, a sacred text that gives its reader extraordinary power.

As Ash and Ramsay work together and their feelings for each other grow, Ash discovers their mission is more dangerous than he imagined, pitting them against influential and powerful alchemists—Ash’s estranged father included. Ash’s journey takes him through the cities and wilds across New Anglia, forcing him to discover his own definition of true power and how far he and other alchemists will go to seize it.

Featuring trans, queer, and polyamorous characters of color, Infinity Alchemist is the hugely anticipated young adult fantasy debut from the extraordinary author of Felix Ever After, King and the Dragonflies, Queen of the Conquered and more.

Zur deutschsprachigen Ausgabe geht es hier. Band 2 gibt es hier. Mehr Titel von Kacen Callender gibt es hier.

Gebraucht mit Schäden an den Coverrändern und kleinen Knicken in Coverecken und ein paar Seiten. Schmutzflecken an der unteren Schnittkante. Keine Markierungen im Text.

An empathetically written Romantasy novel in which the young trans man Ash together with Ramsay, a genderfluid alchemist, who is switching between the pronouns He and She, and an unexpected ally are searching for a long thought lost artefact. Kacen Callender designs an original Dark Academia setting and discusses impressively how the world in the novel accepts trans* and non-binary identities, poly relationships and the challenge of inequality opportunities between rich and poor. (translated by Jamie)

TW: explicit depictions of physical violence, injuries and murder; emotional and physical abuse by guardians/parents against their children; depictions of a religious cult

/ Ein einfühlsam geschriebener Romantasy-Roman, in dem Ash, ein junger trans* Mann, zusammen mit Ramsay, einer*m genderfluiden Alchemist*in, der*die zwischen den Pronomen He und She wechselt, und unverhofften Verbündeten nach einem verloren geglaubten Artefakt sucht. Kacen Callender entwirft ein originelles Dark Academia-Setting und thematisiert dabei eindrücklich in der Gesellschaft des Romans akzeptierte trans* und nichtbinäre Identitäten, poly Liebesbeziehungen und die Herausforderung von Chancenungleichheit zwischen Arm und Reich. (Rezi von Aiden)

TW: explizite Darstellung von physischer Gewalt, Verletzungen und Mord; emotionaler und physischer Missbrauch von Erziehungsfiguren/Eltern gegenüber ihren Kindern; Darstellung eines religiösen Kults

Verlagsbeschreibung:

For Ash Woods, practicing alchemy is a crime.

Only an elite few are legally permitted to study the science of magic—so when Ash is rejected by Lancaster College of Alchemic Science, he takes a job as the school’s groundskeeper instead, forced to learn alchemy in secret.

When he’s discovered by the condescending and brilliant apprentice Ramsay Thorne, Ash is sure he's about to be arrested—but instead of calling the reds, Ramsay surprises Ash by making him an offer: Ramsay will keep Ash's secret if he helps her find the legendary Book of Source, a sacred text that gives its reader extraordinary power.

As Ash and Ramsay work together and their feelings for each other grow, Ash discovers their mission is more dangerous than he imagined, pitting them against influential and powerful alchemists—Ash’s estranged father included. Ash’s journey takes him through the cities and wilds across New Anglia, forcing him to discover his own definition of true power and how far he and other alchemists will go to seize it.

Featuring trans, queer, and polyamorous characters of color, Infinity Alchemist is the hugely anticipated young adult fantasy debut from the extraordinary author of Felix Ever After, King and the Dragonflies, Queen of the Conquered and more.

Zur deutschsprachigen Ausgabe geht es hier. Band 2 gibt es hier. Mehr Titel von Kacen Callender gibt es hier.

Ein preislich reduziertes Mängelexemplar wegen Knicken im Rückcover und ein paar Seiten sowie leichtem Abrieb an Coverrändern. Unbeschädigte Exemplare gibt es hier.

Magische Geschichte mit zwei trans* Hauptcharakteren. CN: Transfeindlichkeit und Mobbing. Aber auch empowernde Darstellung mit Unterstützung des trans* Jungen durch die Mutter, der durch einen Umzug zunächst ungeoutet leben und zur Schule gehen kann. Verlagsbeschreibung:

A young adult novel about a girl hiding the truth, a boy with secrets from his past, and four sisters who could ruin them both.

To everyone who knows them, best friends Miel and Sam are as strange as they are inseparable. Roses grow out of Miel’s wrist, and rumors say that she spilled out of a water tower when she was five. Sam is known for the moons he paints and hangs in the trees and for how little anyone knows about his life before he and his mother moved to town. But as odd as everyone considers Miel and Sam, even they stay away from the Bonner girls, four beautiful sisters rumored to be witches. Now they want the roses that grow from Miel’s skin, convinced that their scent can make anyone fall in love. And they’re willing to use every secret Miel has fought to protect to make sure she gives them up.

Preislich reduziert wegen kleinen Knicken im Schutzumschlag.

Model Home is not an easy book to read - content warning: sexualized violence and involuntary drug use. It is a horror story with lots of metaphorical allusions that only clear up at the end about trauma, identity and racism. With a non-binary, neurodivergent main character.

/Model Home ist kein einfach zu lesendes Buch - Inhaltswarnung: sexualisierte Gewalt und unfreiwilliger Drogenkonsum. Es ist eine Horror-Story mit vielen metaphorischen Andeutungen, die sich erst am Ende aufklären über Trauma, Identität und Rassismus. Mit nichtbinärer, neurodivergenter Hauptfigur.

Verlagsbeschreibung:

Two bodies lie in the garden of a sprawling property in Oak Creek Estate, a wealthy gated community in Dallas, Texas.

The bodies belong to the parents of Ezri, Eve and Emmanuel, who have long since abandoned the childhood home in which their parents remained all these years. A home that has haunted and hollowed them throughout their lives, in a neighbourhood where they grew up as the only Black family, hoping to survive a place that wanted to claim them, expel them and ruin them all at once.

In the wake of their parents’ death, Ezri and their siblings are forced to confront the reasons they left, the nightmares that have held them captive and the possibility that realities exist beyond those that have forged them.

Bold and tender, Model Home is powerful meditation on the power of memory, loss and identity.

Weitere Bücher von Rivers Solomon gibt es hier.

Magische Geschichte mit zwei trans* Hauptcharakteren. CN: Transfeindlichkeit und Mobbing. Aber auch empowernde Darstellung mit Unterstützung des trans* Jungen durch die Mutter, der durch einen Umzug zunächst ungeoutet leben und zur Schule gehen kann.

Verlagsbeschreibung:

A young adult novel about a girl hiding the truth, a boy with secrets from his past, and four sisters who could ruin them both.

To everyone who knows them, best friends Miel and Sam are as strange as they are inseparable. Roses grow out of Miel’s wrist, and rumors say that she spilled out of a water tower when she was five. Sam is known for the moons he paints and hangs in the trees and for how little anyone knows about his life before he and his mother moved to town. But as odd as everyone considers Miel and Sam, even they stay away from the Bonner girls, four beautiful sisters rumored to be witches. Now they want the roses that grow from Miel’s skin, convinced that their scent can make anyone fall in love. And they’re willing to use every secret Miel has fought to protect to make sure she gives them up.

Sehr schöne Geschichte mit Science-Fiction und Fantasy-Elementen über eine junge trans* Violinistin namens Katrina, die von zu Hause abhaut und in die Fänge einer berühmten Geigenlehrerin namens Shizuka gerät, die einen Pakt mit dem Teufel geschlossen hat. Katrina ist nach all ihren Erfahrungen mit Transfeindlichkeit überrascht, dass Shizuka sie so akzeptiert, wie sie ist und für sie einsteht. Shizuka dagegen wird von menschlichen Gefühlen ihrerseits überrascht. Und so geraten des Teufels Pläne dadurch und durch eine außerirdische Raumschiffcrew, die incognito einen Donut-Laden betreibt in Gefahr. (Rezi von Anton)

Verlagsbeschreibung:

Shizuka Satomi made a deal with the devil: to escape damnation, she must entice seven other violin prodigies to trade their souls for success. She has already delivered six.

When Katrina Nguyen, a young transgender runaway, catches Shizuka's ear with her wild talent, Shizuka can almost feel the curse lifting. She's found her final candidate.

But in a donut shop off a bustling highway in the San Gabriel Valley, Shizuka meets Lan Tran, retired starship captain, interstellar refugee, and mother of four. Shizuka doesn't have time for crushes or coffee dates, what with her very soul on the line, but Lan's kind smile and eyes like stars might just redefine a soul's worth. And maybe something as small as a warm donut is powerful enough to break a curse as vast as the California coastline.

As the lives of these three women become entangled by chance and fate, a story of magic, identity, curses, and hope begins, and a family worth crossing the universe for is found.

Die deutsche Ausgabe gibt es hier.

Mit kleinen Knicken in Coverecken und leichtem Einriss oben am Buchrücken. Ansonsten in gutem Zustand.

Successful continuation of The Sundbearer Trials. The characters and friendships are being deepened further in a convincing manner. It is also interesting how they get to know other communities on their journey, which are structured very differently to the ones that they know and call into question hierarchies and dependencies.

/ Gelungene Fortsetzung von The Sunbearer Trials. Die Charactere und Freundyschaften werden überzeugend weiter ausgearbeitet. Spannend auch, wie sie auf ihrer Reise Gesellschaften kennenlernen, die ganz anders strukturiert sind als ihre eigenen und die Herrschaftsansprüche und Abhängigkeiten in Frage stellen.

Verlagsbeschreibung:

A heart-stopping duology finale, in which three young semidioses travel through a dark monster-infested world, facing down chaotic Obsidian gods, in a quest to save their friends and return the sun to the sky. Celestial Monsters is the sequel to mexican inspired YA fantasy The Sunbearer Trials, from the New York Times-bestselling author Aiden Thomas.

Teo never thought he could be a Hero. Now, he doesn’t have a choice.

The sun is gone, the Obsidian gods have been released from their prison, and chaos and destruction are wreaking havoc on Reino del Sol. All because Teo refused to sacrifice a fellow semidiós during the Sunbearer Trials.

With the world plunged into perpetual night, Teo, his crush Aurelio, and his best friend Niya must journey to the dark wilderness of Los Restos, battling vicious monsters while dealing with guilt, trauma, and a (very distracting) burgeoning romance between Teo and Aurelio. Determined to rescue the captured semidioses and retrieve the Sol Stone, the trio races against the clock to return Sol and their protective light so order can be restored.

Now the future of the whole world is in their hands.

Den ersten Teil findet ihr hier auf Englisch und hier auf Deutsch. Weitere Bücher von Aiden Thomas findet ihr hier.

Successful continuation of The Sundbearer Trials. The characters and friendships are being deepened further in a convincing manner. It is also interesting how they get to know other communities on their journey, which are structured very differently to the ones that they know and call into question hierarchies and dependencies.

/ Gelungene Fortsetzung von The Sunbearer Trials. Die Charactere und Freundyschaften werden überzeugend weiter ausgearbeitet. Spannend auch, wie sie auf ihrer Reise Gesellschaften kennenlernen, die ganz anders strukturiert sind als ihre eigenen und die Herrschaftsansprüche und Abhängigkeiten in Frage stellen.

Verlagsbeschreibung:

A heart-stopping duology finale, in which three young semidioses travel through a dark monster-infested world, facing down chaotic Obsidian gods, in a quest to save their friends and return the sun to the sky. Celestial Monsters is the sequel to mexican inspired YA fantasy The Sunbearer Trials, from the New York Times-bestselling author Aiden Thomas.

Teo never thought he could be a Hero. Now, he doesn’t have a choice.

The sun is gone, the Obsidian gods have been released from their prison, and chaos and destruction are wreaking havoc on Reino del Sol. All because Teo refused to sacrifice a fellow semidiós during the Sunbearer Trials.

With the world plunged into perpetual night, Teo, his crush Aurelio, and his best friend Niya must journey to the dark wilderness of Los Restos, battling vicious monsters while dealing with guilt, trauma, and a (very distracting) burgeoning romance between Teo and Aurelio. Determined to rescue the captured semidioses and retrieve the Sol Stone, the trio races against the clock to return Sol and their protective light so order can be restored.

Now the future of the whole world is in their hands.

Den ersten Teil findet ihr hier auf Englisch und hier auf Deutsch. Weitere Bücher von Aiden Thomas findet ihr hier.

Between Earth and Sky, Bd. 2

Band 1 gibt es hier. Verlagsbeschreibung:

There are no tides more treacherous than those of the heart. —Teek saying

The great city of Tova is shattered. The sun is held within the smothering grip of the Crow God’s eclipse, but a comet that marks the death of a ruler and heralds the rise of a new order is imminent.

The Meridian: a land where magic has been codified and the worship of gods suppressed. How do you live when legends come to life, and the faith you had is rewarded?

As sea captain Xiala is swept up in the chaos and currents of change, she finds an unexpected ally in the former Priest of Knives. For the Clan Matriarchs of Tova, tense alliances form as far-flung enemies gather and the war in the heavens is reflected upon the earth.

Hardcover-Exemplare jetzt zum selben Preis wie das neue Exemplare des Softcover!

Die Mängelexemplare des Softcovers haben Knicke in mehrere Seiten.

“Cemetery Boys“ is a wonderful book celebrating the rare intersection of transness, queerness and Latinx culture. It’s a book you can hardly put away and is both heartwarming and crushing at the same time. “Cemetery Boys” is an Own Voices book. CN: Transphobia (Misgendering) (Rezi von Jamie)

Empfehlenswerte, mitreißende Geschichte über einen trans* Jugendlichen, der, um sich seiner Familie zu beweisen ein Ritual vollzieht, das nur Jungs zusteht. / Recommendable, captivating story about a trans* teenager, who is willing to perform a ritual that is only allowed for boys in order to prove himself to his family. (Rezi von Anton)

Zur deutschen Ausgabe geht es hier. Verlagsbeschreibung:

When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.

However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school’s resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He’s determined to find out what happened and tie up some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.

Sehr lesenswerter, kurzer Roman mit einer trans* Frau als Hauptcharakter sowie einem asexuellen und aromantischen Hauptcharakter und einem 6-jährigen trans* Mädchen als Nebencharakter. Mit Hilfe eines Drachens und Spinnen wird eine Lösung gesucht, um Wissenslücken und Inakzeptanz zu überwinden. Außerdem wird in der Geschichte ein Märchen erwähnt mit einer Hexe, die manchmal ein Mädchen, manchmal ein Junge und manchmal keins von beiden ist.

Verlagsbeschreibung:

A dragon, a knight, and an all-ages adventure — celebrating inclusion and kindness.

“This is the fairy tale I wish I could have had as a child. Now I’ve written it for all of us.” – author Minerva Cerridwen

Every time something goes missing from the village, Sir Violet makes his way to the dragon’s cave and negotiates the item’s return. It’s annoying, but at least the dragon is polite.

But when the dragon hoards a person, that’s a step too far. Sir Violet storms off to the mountainside to escort the baker home, only to find a more complex mystery—a quest that leads him far beyond the cave. Accompanied by the missing baker’s wife and the dragon himself, the dutiful village knight embarks on his greatest adventure yet.

The Dragon of Ynys is an inclusive fairy tale for all ages.

Audience: The Dragon of Ynys is intended for a wide audience, primarily those, of any age, who love fairy tales, dragons, or stories of acceptance and hope. It was written as the fairy tale the author wished she’d had as a child, but it is intended for adult readers as well. The Dragon of Ynys can be read by adults and children, by adults to children, and in groups or story time sessions of any composition. It should be enjoyed by those desiring aromantic and/or asexual representation as well as trans representation, and those who would enjoy the storytelling of an aro, ace, and genderqueer author. Whatever your reason for inviting our little fairy tale into your life, we hope that you enjoy it.

Minerva Cerridwen is a genderqueer aromantic asexual writer and pharmacist from Belgium. She enjoys baking, drawing and handlettering.

From the Hugo, Nebula, Sturgeon, Lambda Literary, Crawford and Locus Award-winning author of All the Birds in the Sky comes a heartfelt, intimately-drawn portrait of a young witch who teaches her mother how to do magic and reclaim her passion for life.

Jamie’s mother has been hiding in an old one-room schoolhouse for several years, since her life fell apart. But Jamie has a secret: she’s a powerful witch, and now she’s decided to teach Serena to cast spells, so her mother can get her life back.

But Jamie doesn’t know the whole story of what happened to her mom years ago, and those buried secrets lead Serena to some destructive magic. Now it’s up to Jamie to understand the secrets of a three-hundred-year-old magical book before her mother ruins both of their lives.

Weitere Bücher von Charlie Jane Anders gibt es hier.

An Own-Voices Book with a trans-masc protagonist.

ALL GODS MUST DIE in this searingly relevant YA dystopian from award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of The Wicked Bargain and Most Ardently. In a world bound by violence, a teen descended from the god of Death must keep their true identity a secret as they fight their way through a gladiator-style competition towards victory and rebellion against the gods who murdered their family.

Years ago, the descendants of the god of Death were murdered. The few that remain are in hiding, including Crow, a teen who survived the genocide and hides their magic to stay alive. After fleeing their village, Crow now lives with their uncles in the lowest part of the city: the Shallows.

Life in the Shallows is tough, but Crow’s even tougher. Hiding their magic has made Crow resourceful, cunning, and unbeatable -- which comes in handy as a fighter in the city's lucrative underground fighting ring.

Then, Crow's uncles are arrested for harboring Deathchildren.

With fists tightly clenched, Crow vows to set their uncles free. But to do that, they’re going to need to enter a world that threatens Crow’s very existence. Carefully navigating the politics of the wealthy and powerful, they enter the Tournament of the Gods -- a gladiator-style competition where the winner is granted a favor. As they battle their way towards the winner’s circle, Crow plans to ask the gods for their uncles’ freedom as their reward.

But in a city of gods and magic, you don’t ask for what you want.

You take it.

Die letzten ca. 12 Seiten sind im Begriff sich abzulösen. Sehr kleine Knicke/Abrieb in Coverecken. Ansonsten in gutem Zustand.

Tesla Crane, a brilliant inventor and an heiress, is on her honeymoon on an interplanetary space liner, cruising between the Moon and Mars. She's travelling incognito and is reveling in her anonymity. Then someone is murdered and the festering chowderheads who run security have the audacity to arrest her spouse.

Armed with banter, martinis and her small service dog, Tesla is determined to solve the crime so that the newlyweds can get back to canoodling and keep the real killer from striking again.

Preislich reduziert wegen kleinen Knicken in Coverecken.

Between Earth and Sky, Bd. 2

Band 1 gibt es hier. Verlagsbeschreibung:

There are no tides more treacherous than those of the heart. —Teek saying

The great city of Tova is shattered. The sun is held within the smothering grip of the Crow God’s eclipse, but a comet that marks the death of a ruler and heralds the rise of a new order is imminent.

The Meridian: a land where magic has been codified and the worship of gods suppressed. How do you live when legends come to life, and the faith you had is rewarded?

As sea captain Xiala is swept up in the chaos and currents of change, she finds an unexpected ally in the former Priest of Knives. For the Clan Matriarchs of Tova, tense alliances form as far-flung enemies gather and the war in the heavens is reflected upon the earth.

Preislich reduziert wegen Längsknick oben am Rückcover und ein paar Seiten.

From Gretchen Felker-Martin, the acclaimed author of Manhunt, comes a vicious new novel about a group of teens who must stay true to themselves while in a conversion camp from hell.

"A soaring, boundless ode to queer survival. It's flat-out mesmerizing."—Paul Tremblay, author of The Pallbearers Club

Something evil is buried deep in the desert. It wants your body. It wears your skin.

In the summer of 1995, seven queer kids abandoned by their parents at a remote conversion camp came face to face with it. They survived—but at Camp Resolution, everybody leaves a different person.

Sixteen years later, only the scarred and broken survivors of that terrible summer can put an end to the horror before it's too late.

The fate of the world depends on it.

Two transgender teens end up in a small, isolated town, where they must escape the locals who plan to sacrifice one of them to an ancient monster that only eats girls. A pulse-pounding thriller perfect for fans of Hell Followed with Us!

Old Wounds is a thrilling own-voice horror story about two trans* teenagers who, while on the run, end up in a forest where supernatural dangers lurk and fall into the clutches of a trans-hostile group.

/ Old Wounds ist eine spannende Own-Voices Horrorgeschichte, über zwei trans* Teenager, die auf ihrer Flucht in einen Wald geraten, in dem übernatürliche Gefahren lauern, und in die Fänge einer transfeindlichen Gruppe geraten.

Verlagsbeschreibung:

Erin and Max are two transgender teens trying to get to California. Max is desperate to finally transition, and Erin is longing to understand why she’s on this trip to begin with. The last she spoke to Max was when he suddenly broke up with her two years ago.

But when they find themselves stranded in the middle of the woods in a small Kentucky town, they realize they have much bigger problems. The locals need a female sacrifice for the monster that lives in the woods—according to them, the sun won’t come up again until the monster eats a girl . . . and it only eats what it kills. Fighting back is futile; no one selected as the offering has ever survived the night, and as far as the locals are concerned, their perfect candidate was just delivered.

The thing is, the locals don’t know who they just trapped as their sacrifice. They don’t know Erin and Max’s secrets, which could be a death sentence on a good day. And the monster that lives in the woods has never faced prey who have already fought so hard to live.

From Gretchen Felker-Martin, the acclaimed author of Manhunt, comes a vicious new novel about a group of teens who must stay true to themselves while in a conversion camp from hell.

"A soaring, boundless ode to queer survival. It's flat-out mesmerizing."—Paul Tremblay, author of The Pallbearers Club

Something evil is buried deep in the desert. It wants your body. It wears your skin.

In the summer of 1995, seven queer kids abandoned by their parents at a remote conversion camp came face to face with it. They survived—but at Camp Resolution, everybody leaves a different person.

Sixteen years later, only the scarred and broken survivors of that terrible summer can put an end to the horror before it's too late.

The fate of the world depends on it.

The student Maeve finds an old set of tarot cards with a mysterious Housekeeper Card and along with that her ability to read tarot cards. What starts as a game becomes serious when her former best friend Lily suddenly vanishes after Maeve read her tarot cards. Maeve, her new best friend Fiona and Roe - non-binary and Lily’s sibling (in this volume of the book the character is still using he/him pronouns) – set out together on a search. On their journey they meet other people with supernatural powers, one of them a Christian cult leader, who agitates against queer people. An exciting, magical story, in which queerphobia is being discussed. Other volumes of the book are available (in German and English) here. (Übersetzung von Jamie - es folgt die Rezension auf Deutsch und dann die englische Verlagsbeschreibung)

/ Schülerin Maeve findet ein altes Set Tarot-Karten mit einer mysteriösen Housekeeper Card (in der deutschen Ausgabe: Mamsellkarte) und ihre Begabung diese zu lesen. Was als Spiel beginnt wird Ernst, als ihre ehemals beste Freundin Lily, nachdem Maeve ihr die Karten gelegt hat, verschwindet. Maeve, ihre neue Freundin Fiona und Roe - nichtbinär und Geschwisterkind von Lily (in diesem Band noch mit Pronomen er) - machen sich gemeinsam auf die Suche. Dabei treffen sie auf andere Personen mit übersinnlichen Kräften, darunter ein christlicher Sektenführer, der gegen queere Menschen agitiert. Eine spannende, magische Geschichte, in der Queerfeindlichkeit thematisiert wird. Weitere Bände (auf Deutsch und Englisch) gibt es hier.

Verlagsbeschreibung:

A dark and supernatural contemporary teen debut by author and journalist Caroline O'Donoghue.

I'll give up the tarot readings. I'll apologize to Lily. But Lily doesn't come to school on Monday. Or Tuesday. It's not until Wednesday that the police show up.

Maeve Chambers doesn't have much going for her. Not only does she feel like the sole idiot in a family of geniuses, she managed to drive away her best friend Lily a year ago. But when she finds a pack of dusty old tarot cards at school, and begins to give scarily accurate readings to the girls in her class, she realizes she's found her gift at last. Things are looking up – until she discovers a strange card in the deck that definitely shouldn't be there. And two days after she convinces her ex-best friend to have a reading, Lily disappears. Can Maeve, her new friend Fiona and Lily's brother Roe find her? And will their special talents be enough to bring Lily back, before she's gone for good?

„Corey Fah Does Social Mobility“ begleitet Corey Fah (they/them; hat vor Kurzem einen prestige-trächtigen Literaturpreis gewonnen und muss jetzt nur noch die Trophäe abholen, um sich das Preisgeld zu sichern) beim „Social Mobility“-Machen (dem Wechsel von einer ökonomischen Klasse zu einer anderen, meist verwendet wenn Arbeiter*innen oder ihre Kinder in „bessere“ Verhältnisse aufsteigen und finanziell abgesicherter werden). Der Roman hält einen solchen erfolgreichen Aufstieg für ungefähr genauso realistisch wie UFOs, Zeitreisen und Bambi-Spinnen-Monster-Hybride (ja, Disney‘s Bambi) und dementsprechend mutiert dann auch die Lektüre zu einem immer wilder werdenden Ritt durch Wurmlöcher, einen alternativen, hyperkapitalistischen Bambi-Wald, zur Couch eines desillusionierten Trash-TV-Hosts und wieder zurück.

Coreys teils lakonische, teils bissige Erzählstimme hat mir Corey, Coreys Partner*in Drew (they/them) und ihre dubiosen, neuen Haustiere teilweise unfreiwillig ans Herz wachsen lassen, während mir die Message des Ganzen immer wieder durch die Finger rinnt, ich aber auch immer wieder danach greifen möchte. Das Buch ist seltsam und zugleich bewundernswert darin, wie es seine zahlreichen Verweise und eigensinnigen Details in die genau richtige Menge Gefühl und Witz packt, um trotzdem zu unterhalten. Neben dieser gewissen Toleranz für Verwirrung muss mensch noch einen starken Magen für die ein oder andere Gewaltszene dabei haben; dann belohnt dieser Horror-Komödien-Hybrid in Buchform mensch aber mit skurrilem Charme, einer unvorhersehbaren Geschichte und viel Stoff zum Nachdenken über Medienlandschaften, Kapitalismus, Klassengesellschaft und was auch immer genau sich hinter der Farbbeschreibung „neon-beige“ verbirgt. (Rezi von Aiden)

TW: Gore und Body Horror (heißt: sehr viel Blut, detaillierte Beschreibung von Verletzungen und Mord, weitere monströse Körperveränderungen); Tod von Tieren, Darstellung von Fleischindustrie; Mobbing, emotionaler Missbrauch; Diskriminierung/Benachteiligung von Arbeiter*innen und armen Menschen (Klassismus)

Verlagsbeschreibung:

This is the story of Corey Fah, a writer who has hit the literary jackpot: their novel has just won the prize for the Fictionalization of Social Evils. But the actual trophy, and with it the funds, hovers peskily out of reach.

Neon-beige, with UFO-like qualities, the elusive trophy leads Corey, with their partner Drew and eight-legged companion Bambi Pavok, on a spectacular quest through their childhood in the Forest and an unlikely stint on reality TV. Navigating those twin horrors, along with wormholes and time loops, Corey learns—the hard way—the difference between a prize and a gift.

Following the Goldsmiths Prize–winning Sterling Karat Gold, Isabel Waidner’s bold and buoyant new novel is about coming into one’s own, the labor of love, the tendency of history to repeat itself, and what ensues when a large amount of cultural capital is suddenly deposited in a place it has never been before.

Mehr von Isabel Waidner findet ihr hier.

Spannender Roman über Mut und Geschlechtsidentität: Zhilan bekommt bei Geburt das Geschlecht weiblich zugewiesen. Doch heimlich unterweist Zhilans Vater sie*ihn in Kampftechniken. Bis der vom vorherigen Feldzug angeschlagende Vater zum Krieg einberufen wird. Nur ein Sohn könnte seinen Platz einnehmen. Zhilan zieht als Zhi in den Kampf und lernt, dass er nicht der einzige ist. Als sein Geheimnis auffliegt, bekräftigt er, dass sie*er keine Frau ist und auch kein Mann: "I was never fully female in my soul I know that now. Know why I never felt ... right. Sometimes it's as though I'm entirely male. But ... at other times, apsects of my femininity seem entirely natural. I don't know what I am. I don't know if there's anyone else like me."

Verlagsbeschreibung:

An epic adventure about courage and gender identity set in a fairy-tale China: Zhilan was assigned female at birth. Despite a gift for illusions, they know they are destined to live out their life within the confines of the women’s quarter. But when civil war sets the empire aflame, Zhilan is determined save their disabled father from the battlefield. By taking his place. Surviving brutal army training as a boy – Zhi – is only the first challenge. In the glittering court of the Land of Dragons, love and betrayal are two sides of the same smile, and soon the fate of a nation rests on Zhi’s shoulders. But to win, they must decide where their heart truly belongs…

Folgeband von All Our Hidden Gifts. Roe ändert seinen Vornamen nun offiziell und denkt über Pronomen nach. Lily ist seit dem Ende von Band 1 - dank eines durch Fiona, Roe und Maeves durchgeführten magischen Rituals - wieder da, wenn auch zunächst nicht glücklich darüber, denn während sie für die anderen fort war, war sie der durch die Stadt fließende Fluss. Eine bekannte trans* Sängerin engagiert Roes Band als Vorband während die fanatischen Christen aus Band 1 zurück sind und Jugendliche mit sexistischen und queerfeindlichen Ansichten indoktrinieren. Maeve und ihre Freund*innen finden heraus, was dahintersteckt. Weitere Bände aus dieser Reihe (auf Deutsch und Englisch) gibt es hier.

Verlagsbeschreibung:

Spellbinding supernatural teen drama – and sequel to All Our Hidden Gifts.

Maeve and her friends have uncovered their powers and banded together as a coven: Roe can pick locks, Lily sends sparks flying, Maeve can read minds and Fiona can heal any injury. And even better than their newfound talents? Roe and Maeve are officially an item. But with strange things happening at school, and old enemies appearing in new places, it soon becomes clear their powers are attracting all the wrong attention. It’s not long before Maeve’s gift start to wane, drained by someone – or something – that’s hiding even from her second sight... With witty, authentic and engaging prose, and flawed but fiercely likeable characters, this is a superb second instalment in the Hidden Gifts series.

A dark, unflinching haunted house novel that takes readers from the well of the literary gothic, up through Brighton’s queer scene, and out into the heart of modern day trans experience in the UK.

Three years ago, Alice spent one night in an abandoned house with her friends Ila and Hannah. Since then, things have not been going well. Alice is living a haunted existence, selling videos of herself cleaning for money, going to parties she hates, drinking herself to sleep. She hasn’t spoken to Ila since they went into the House. She hasn’t seen Hannah either.

Memories of that night torment her mind and her flesh, but when Ila asks her to return to the House, past the KEEP OUT sign, over the sick earth where teenagers dare each other to venture, she knows she must go.

Together Alice and Ila must face the horrifying occurrences that happened there, must pull themselves apart from the inside out, put their differences aside, and try to rescue Hannah, who the House has chosen to make its own.

Cutting, disruptive, and darkly funny, Tell Me I’m Worthless is a vital work of trans fiction that confronts both supernatural and real-world horrors as it examines the devastating effects of trauma and the way fascism makes us destroy ourselves and each other.

Alison Rumfitt is a writer and semi-professional trans woman. Tell Me I’m Worthless is her debut novel.