Widdershins by Jordan L. Hawk

[lightreads]

Widdershins by Jordan L. Hawk

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


M/M "historical" horror mystery where the introverted museum philologist teams up with the ex-Pinkerton (why is it always an ex-Pinkerton?) to investigate a paint-by-numbers plot involving mummies and chimeras in basements and blah blah. This is a cut above the usual commercial M/M standard, which isn't saying much, because . . . well, but it's still worth noting. And yet, this roundly bored me. Many other people are way into it, though, so don't let that stop you. But do take the quotes around "historical" advisedly – I swear to God when I wasn't paying attention my brain was fooled into thinking this is set in the 1990's or so, only to be surprised when the main characters take carriages instead of cabs and occasionally call each other "old fellow." Some day when I have a little more time you guys are getting a full-fledged essay on queerness and historicity in romance fiction and how our stories which portray queerness as an entirely modern invention transplanted into the hostile soil of the past are really messed up, and then you'll be sorry, but today is not that day.

I am, however, deducting a star as a penalty for one of the stupider pet names in recent memory. Ival? For Percival? Really? That just hurts my soul.




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Comments

[buymeaclue]

and then you'll be sorry thrilled

There, I fixed that for you.

[cyphomandra]

I would also be thrilled by your essay on queer identity/community and historicals. I like historical novels, I like (with many picky caveats) m/m romance, and yet the combination of the two - arrgh.

I've been reading Richard Stevenson's Donald Strachey mysteries, and the first couple straddle the arrival of AIDS into the American gay community (in writing - the first came out in 1981- as well as setting), and I found them fascinating in terms of cultural shift, and how the characters do, or don't adapt. I can't think of the last "historical" m/m I got that from.

(also, I'm not sure if you got my last pm - if not, the important points are a) two b) okayish and c) !!!! ).