Fantastic fiction

(Nimue, review)

I don’t read a great deal of fiction that sits at the high fantasy end. I am however really keen on queer fantasy fiction. This is in no small part because it’s always diverse in a whole array of ways. I’m pretty much done with post-Tolkien, and with things based on a whitewashed misunderstanding of mediaeval Europe, and I’m tired by ultimate battles between good and evil.

Queer fantasy tends to be a lot stronger when it comes to the fantasy side of the equation – identities, cultures, bodies, landscape and challenges are all more likely to be properly fantastical rather than a re-hash of something familiar. I picked up Claudie Arsenault’s novellas because they were being offered for review ahead of the second one coming out and I read each in a couple of sittings.

I love books that just throw you into the story and don’t over-explain the setting. The worldbuilding unfolds as the story progresses, and there’s a lot going on – this is a land with history, and issues, and we see it through the eyes of a rather unworldly main character who has a lot to figure out about emself (lots of pronouns in this story!). The world is intriguing and the characters are endearing. There’s plenty of action, and it all serves to move the story forward. I love all the details of this well thought through setting. On getting to the end, I wanted more.

The three main characters are thrown together, in no small part because of a sentient wagon that has opinions but no way to clearly articulate them. This is very much a story about something, or someone waking up in ways that are threatening, but also full of potential. I came away from the first book with the feeling that there’s a history here and that what people think happened is not going to turn out to be what really happened.

Book 2 sees the three main characters we met in book 1 hit the road, and acquire a new member of the team. This is a mobile queer-platonic household, which I greatly enjoyed. There’s warmth and some bed sharing, but the main character is asexual, and several of the others seem to be the same. I’m very much enjoying the camaraderie of the story, and the centring of relationships that are not romantic, and not ci-s-male-dominated. There are new adventures and challenges, a new culture to learn about and the fascinating landscape and history of the setting continue to unfold in an entirely pleasing way. There’s mild peril, and it doesn’t feel like the sort of story that is ever going to crash into something really awful.

These books a nice read – affirming more than cosy, I felt, because there are plenty of things to think about in terms of values, relationships between beings, and identity. Watching the main character begin to learn how to think better of emself is rather wonderful.

You definitely have to read these in order – this is essentially a large novel that’s coming out in sections. You will get to the end of the second one and not want to stop, which is awkward because you will have to wait. The next instalment comes out in the autumn and the front of the second book includes the dates for the rest of the story.

You can find out more on the author’s website – https://claudiearseneault.com/