There is no explanation, no reason why everyone happens to be queer, except that in the future, they aren’t so weird about it. Ari, Val, and Gwen are all queer, there’s an asexual character, and there’s a non-binary character who uses they/them pronouns. (With several poc characters as well, but this isn’t as clearly defined, so I’m pretty sure Ari is Ketch (Arab) and Lam is Black, but I’m not sure about all the other characters.) Ari and her adoptive brother have two moms. That’s partly why it’s so delightful that this also has an almost entirely queer cast. But there’s enough space ships to scratch that sci fi itch, and, of course, there’s Excalibur, Merlin, Morgana, and the Lady in the Lake to keep things fantastical. Dystopia, because in this future, the universe is ruled by the Mercer Corporation, which keeps everyone in line by controlling the supply of water. It’s somehow simultaneously dystopian, sci fi, and fantasy. Once & Future is a queer, sci fi retelling of the Arthur myth, with a female Arthur. I’m not even sure how to approach writing about this book, because it is so ambitious. It’s a torch you keep burning, no matter what. That’s what resistance looks like, Merlin.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |