LGBTQ | Hugh J. O'Donnell

Hugh Likes Fiction: A Market of Dreams and Destiny

February 15, 2024

hughjodonnell Hugh Likes Fiction, Review Fantasy, HLF, Hugh Likes Fiction, LGBTQ, review, Trip Galey, Victorian London 1 Comment

A Market of Dreams and Destiny 
Written by Trip Galey 
Audiobook read by Will Watt 
Published by W. F. Howes, LTD.

The Skinny: Let’s Make a Deal: Victorian Fey Edition

Deri is an apprentice in the Untermarcht, the goblin market hidden beneath London where anything is for sale for the right price, and no one takes anything so prosaic as coin. Well, not so much an apprentice as an indentured servant to one of the most powerful and cruel fairy merchants. But he’s picked up a few tricks, and he has a plan to buy his freedom. But his plans are all derailed when meets Owain, a young man also laboring under an indenture in a dangerous workhouse in London above. In order to get the guy and escape their bondholders with both their skins intact, Deri is going to have to make the deal of a lifetime. Fortunately, a runaway princess has appeared in the Untermarcht with a destiny to sell… A Market of Dreams and Destiny is a charming fantasy novel set in a very different Victorian London. In a world where King Henry VIII struck a deal with the old gods of the British Isles, the city is filled with mercantile magic with a deadly edge. Galey’s characters spring to life against a strange world where the uncanny is hidden in the fine print, and the loopholes can very literally bind you. The magic system of contracts and deals was delightful and surprising, and it meshed well with the delightful and engaging cast of quick-thinking merchants, greedy factory owners, and put-upon royal bodyguards. The magic elevates the characters from what could’ve been twee Dickensian cliches to fleshed out and engaging players in a gripping drama. But the real charm in this fantasy is the sweet and charming gay romance between Deri and Owain. Not without its complications, this was the best romance I’ve read in some time. I was glad that Trip didn’t shy away from just the right hint of spice and salacious implication. It felt much more well-rounded and believable for it. I listened to this book in audio. The audiobook, read by Will Watt, is a delight. Watt breathes life into the cast and setting, from the tiniest bell to the terrifying merchant lords of the market. A Market of Dreams and Destiny is one of last year’s best fantasies, but has fallen slightly under the radar. This hidden gem is well worth your time. It is available in Audio, print, and ebook from the usual sources.

Hugh Likes Fiction: Even Though I Knew the End

March 6, 2023

hughjodonnell Hugh Likes Fiction, Review Auidobook, C L Polk, Fantasy, HLF, Hugh Likes Fiction, LGBTQ, Novella Leave a comment

Even Through I Knew The End
Written by C. L. Polk
Audiobook Read by January LaVoy

The Skinny: A quick mix of Fantasy and Noir that hits hard and fast.

Helen Brandt is a Private Investigator living in 1940’s Chicago. She’s also a lesbian, and a warlock. She takes on magical work for her mysterious clients, gets paid well for her work, and doesn’t ask questions. But when she’s recruited to investigate a notorious serial killer whose murder scenes have a magical connection, she turns the job down. There’s too much risk involved, and people she cares about could get hurt, including her estranged brother and her girlfriend. But she changes her mind when her client offers her something she can’t refuse: Her soul.Even Though I Knew The End is a delightful little jewel of a fantasy noir novella. Polk’s recreation of 1941 Chicago, layered with a tantalizing hint of a rich magical world, is stunning and vibrant. The city breathes, and you can practically smell the stale cigarette smoke and stale coffee on the narrator’s breath. The combination of enticing fantasy world and impending doom with palpable and exciting. Polk’s well-researched noir prose is spot on, giving just enough to bring the story to life without turning purple.The audiobook, read by January LaVoy, is outstanding. Her narration brings the characters to life, and her performance of Brandt brings out the perfect amount of hard-luck noir sympathy for a protagonist who has undoubtedly done awful things for awful people (Marlowe in particular) but we want to root for her anyway, even though, well, we know how things are fated to turn out. Her performance of the rest of the cast is also excellent, giving otherworldly touches to the characters where appropriate and garnering sympathy when necessary.Even Though I Knew the End is a brilliant Fantasy Noir novella. You can find it in Print and eBook from the usual marketplaces, and as an audiobook from Audible.

Hugh Likes Comics: Young Men in Love

January 4, 2023

hughjodonnell Hugh Likes Comics, Review Anthology, HLC, Hugh Likes Comics, Indie Comics, Joe Glass, LGBTQ, Romance Leave a comment

Young Men in Love: A Queer Romance Anthology
Edited by Joe Glass and Matt Miner
Published by A Blue Wave World

The Skinny: A sweet collection of short gay romance comics
A pair of pirates just looking for a bit of privacy, a pre-teen looking for his own identity, and a new couple still figuring out their boundaries are just some of the stories in this sweet, romantic anthology. Created by Queer writers and artists across the comics industry, this anthology of six-page pieces runs the gamut from the fantastic to the mundane and from the melancholic to the exuberantly joyful. There is a story here for everyone.
Young Men in Love is a book of stories that go on separate journies but arrive at the same place. Gay love and Queer relationships are more varried than you often see in media, particularly comics, and this book breaks the mold by telling personal, diverse stories that each have a life of their own. This book is as long on charm as the stories are short. There are low-stakes stories about first love, self discovery, and loneliness, and more fantastical stories about discovering your partner is a superhero or a couple falling into a virtual world while replacing a lamp. YMiL isn’t just about love but about acceptance and more importatnly, self-acceptance.
Joe Glass tells a story which feels deeply personal. It follows a fat person as he deals with his body issues as a gay comics fan, coming up against not only the societal expectation that he should be ‘thin’ but also potential lovers that fetishize his weight. Dead End creator Hamish Steele tells a poignant story about loneliness, depression, and suicidal thoughts during the holidays. While not all the stories are so personal,, they all feel important. There is something deeply uncommercial about this collection.
These aren’t love stories about the stereotypical gay characters you would see on a sitcom or in a romance novel written for the female gaze. YMiL is a book of our stories, for us, and that feels vital to me. If you want to see more diverse stories or find new, brilliant creators, writers and artists not on the radar of big-2 comics, you need this anthology.
Young Men in Love is available in print and digital editions from your local comics shop or the usual monopolistic book outlets. It is a deeply personal, highly original, and honest collection of stories that need to get out into the world. I give it my highest recommendation.

Hugh Likes Comics: Rockstar & Softboy

March 2, 2022

hughjodonnell Hugh Likes Comics, Review HLC, Hugh Likes Comics, Image, LGBTQ, Sina Grace Leave a comment

Rockstar and Softboy
Written & Drawn by Sina Grace
Lettering by Rus Wooton
Published by Image Comics

The Skinny: Sina Grace’s latest oversized one-shot is a paen to queer friendship mixed wit and wackiness.

I was not sure what I was getting into with Rockstar and Softboy, but I’m glad I picked it up. On the surface, it is an autobiographical slice-of-life comic. When Softboy is having trouble dealing with the stress of his day job, Rockstar convinces him to throw a party. With the help of their shapeshifting, talking cat.

Inspired by his real-life friendship with fellow comics creator Josh Trujillo, This oversized, super-gay one-shot story deftly blends the fantastic and the mundane to create a lovely tribute to the power of queer friendship. Grace’s writing is lovely and constantly surprising. This is certainly a book full of surprises, and I found new delights with each turn of the page. His madcap and unabashedly queer energy infuses the book and render his characters in a charming light even when it highlights their flaws. By the time the book reached the inevitable Sailor Moon parody, I was giggling in my chair, drawing curious stares from my husband.

The art is whimsical and transformative, keeping pace with the story and helping to ground the reader in the off-the-wall antics.

At a hefty sixty-seven pages, this book is a bit too long and a bit too short for the story it is telling. I would’ve like to have spent either a little bit more time with these characters, or maybe pared the story down a bit. There are quite a few data pages and explainers mixed in, which occasionally break the story’s flow. Cramming this story into a single issue also raises the price tag, so I’m not sure if I can recommend this book if you’re unsure if you’ll like it. But if you like queer slice-of-life stories that also take big swings, this book is for you.

At the end of the day, this book isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea, and at $8.99, I can’t recommend that you give it a try if you’re unsure if you’ll like it. But the world could use more unironic stories that believe in the power of friendship and being your true self. And also the power of power bottoms. You can purchase it online or at Your Local Comics Shop!

Podcast Repost: Nutty Bites 195: LGBTQ2SIA+ Representation in Movies & TV

July 6, 2021

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Happy Pride! Nutty talks with Hugh, Lynnette, and Will about LGBTQ2SIA+ representation in Movies and TV. How has this changed over the years, from sub text to saying it overtly, our media has changed a lot. What are some great things to grab on streaming this pride?

You can now support Nutty Bites by donating to the Patreon campaign, through paypal or venmo (

) or through any other method. Patrons get the private RSS feed where you get shows before the main feed and you get special episodes like Nutty Bites after Dark and special bonus content; a thank you read on the podcast; and your promo or the promo of your choice played on the show (like in this episode).

Credits:
Recorded at NIMLAS Studios
Post Editing: Nuchtchas

Hosts: Nuchtchas, Tek, Jen, Jason, Vox, and Melissa
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Hugh Likes Video Games: Dragon Quest XI S

November 14, 2019

hughjodonnell Hugh Likes Video Games, Review, Uncategorized Dragon Quest, Dragon Quest XI, HLV, Hugh Likes Video Games, LGBTQ, Nintendo Switch, Square Enix Leave a comment

Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age Definitive Edition
Published and Developed by Square Enix
Played on Nintendo Switch

The Skinny: Dragon Quest returns with a massive JRPG in the classic style.

While technically the PS4 version of this game came out in the U.S. last year, Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age is probably one of my top games of 2019. I gave the original a pass because I just don’t have that much time to sit down in front of my television. But the portable version has been a delight.
The game follows the familiar tropes of the OGJRPG of a young man being chosen by a great force to leave his remote village and confront evil, recruiting a troupe of companions along the way. But like the other modern iterations of the series, it does a great job interrogating the tropes and cliches of the genre.
Particularly interesting is Sylvando, who is a powerful fighter, and an openly gay character in a genre of game that gets a lot of traction on AO3 but is somewhat lacking in official representation. And while the game does play him for laughs (he is a jester, after all) it also goes out of its way to portray him as strong, brave and chivalrous as well. It’s rare to see something so well done in a space where representation usually boils down to male-gaze lesbians and that time Cloud Strife wore a dress in FFVII.
Combat is fun, a little on the easy side, and about what you’ve come to expect from Dragon Quest over the past 30 years. The 3D mode has an option to let you move the characters around in battle, but it is more for aesthetics than a gameplay feature. Mini-games also make a return, from the ubiquitous Dragon Quest casino to a horse-racing mini-game and a portable forge for making weapons and armor from recipes.
Another nice feature is that while the default is to play in 3D mode, the game also includes the 3DS 2D version, which was previously unavailable in the US, as well as a massive sidequest that was unique to that version. You can even switch back and forth between the two if you want, although progress is gated to certain story chapters that aren’t so clearly delivered.
While the game looks and plays great, there are a few compromises in the animation and display. Some character animations feel jerky and off. Objects, particularly complex ones like trees, pop in as you get close to them. My Switch audibly chugged when it had to render too much in handheld mode. And like most Dragon Quest games, it is entertaining but long. I have already put in over 40 hours and from what I understand I’ve barely scratched the game’s surface. Also like modern localizations of the series, it’s full of puns. So many puns. If you aren’t onboard for a hundred hours of dad jokes, this is not the game for you.
Dragon Quest XI S is a delightful return to form for Square Enix, crammed full of exciting quests, memorable characters and a surprising story. Just be sure to set aside some time to play it, because this game is long.

Hugh Likes Fiction: The True Queen

June 8, 2019

hughjodonnell Hugh Likes Fiction, Uncategorized Fantasy, HLF, Hugh Likes Fiction, LGBTQ, The True Queen, Zen Cho Leave a comment

The True Queen
Written by Zen Cho
Audiobook narrated by Jenny Sterlin
Published by Recorded Books

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The Skinny: Cho’s second Sorcerer Royal novel is just as delightful as the first.

When Muna washes up on a beach after a terrible storm, she can only remember two things: Sakti is her twin sister, and they have both been cursed. In order to break the curse, save her sister and discover who she really is, Muna will have to travel to the distant and strange island of Britain and pass herself off as a great sorceress. But with war brewing between Britain and Faerie within, will she be able to save her sister, or will she be drawn into the intrigues of the Faerie Court, or worse, English high society?
The follow up to the delightful novel Sorcerer To The Crown, Zen Cho returns to her Regency-era fantasy filled with dour magicians, witty witches, and blithely cannibalistic faeries. The author has carried over all of the charm of the first book, telling a new tale with just enough of her beloved cast of characters while introducing new main characters and shifting the spotlight. Muna is a fantastic main character, and I loved spending more time with Henrietta, Rollo, and of course, Ma Geng Gang.
Cho’s fantasy England is centered on the sort of very real people who were pushed to the margins by 19th Century British society: women, people of color, gays and lesbians. Cho deftly presents high society through Muna’s point of view, making it as strange and inaccessible to her as the Faerie Court. It is a welcome and fascinating shift, carried over from the first book that continues to astonish.
Jenny Sterlin returns to narrate, and does an excellent job. Her acting and narration flow well together and her voice is perfectly suited to the story.
The True Queen is a rollicking adventure that builds on its prequel, but new readers won’t be lost if they pick this one up first. It is available in audio, print, and ebook. It has my highest recommendation.
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Hugh Likes Fiction: Witchmark

November 6, 2018

hughjodonnell Hugh Likes Fiction, Uncategorized C L Polk, Fantasy, HLF, Hugh Likes Fiction, LGBTQ, Witchmark Leave a comment

Witchmark
Written by C. L. Polk
Published by Tor

The Skinny: Polk’s debut novel is a perfectly crafted queer fantasy masterpiece.

Witchmark is a remarkable queer fantasy novel that I picked up almost on accident. It follows the story of Dr. Miles Singer, a psychiatrist (and secretly, a magician) in the country of Aeland. Aeland recently won a war with neighboring Laneer, but thousands of veterans are returning with unusual psycological trauma. When a dying man is brought in to the hospital by handsome stranger Tristan Hunter, Miles will join him to unravel these mysteries. But finding the truth will mean returning to his past, and risking a fate worse than death.
Polk’s story is an excellent puzzle box of a story, with an incredible Edwardian-inspired setting that is richly conceived but also elegantly told. There is a lot of world-building that is vitally important to the story, and Polk is deft at delivering it without bogging down the reader in fictional history. Her other really great triumph is the way she depicts the motivations of her characters. As a gay man myself, I can strongly relate to Miles and his sister Grace’s situation, and being at odds with your family but still loving them. This dynamic is really well represented, and it isn’t one I often see in queer fiction.
And yes, this book is very queer. It’s so queer that the magic system has top and bottom roles. But it is also very sweet. I loved Mile’s and Tristan’s relationship and the way it unfolded. The romantic elements are definitely safe for work, in my view. All of the naughty bits occur off of the page.
Witchmark is a stunning debut novel from C. L. Polk and I can’t wait to read the follow up due out in February. You can find it from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your local independent bookshop.

Hugh Likes Comics: Fence

December 4, 2017

hughjodonnell Hugh Likes Comics, Review Comics, Fence, HLC, Hugh Likes Comics, LGBTQ, review, Sports Leave a comment

Fence #1
Written by C. S. Pacat
Drawn by Joanna The Mad
Colored by Joana Lafuente
Published by Boom Studios

Fance

The Skinny: The by the numbers sports comic calls to mind “Yuri On Ice,” but is coy in the first issue.

Fence is the story of scrappy young fencer Nicholas Cox. He’s from the wrong side of the tracks and hasn’t had the best training, but he’s got raw talent. He also has the luck to face fencing prodigy Seiji Katayama in his first tournament bout.
“Fence” is a teen sports comic about, obviously, fencing, that dutifully hits the story beats it needs to in the first issue without much fanfare. We get a lot of the main character’s back story, a very nice competition sequence, and a last page setup for the series, and it all works. The comic has a very pure shonen sports manga vibe to it. It reminded me most strongly of “Yuri on Ice,” but the text doesn’t feel completely committed to the idea yet. Although based on the queer fantasy trilogy that are C. S. Pacat’s breakout work, one shouldn’t be surprised.
Fans of this subgenre will find plenty to like, though, and Joanna The Mad’s art is clean and expressive, lingering on emotional scenes notes. Her figures are fluid and dynamic, and Joana Lafuente’s colors bring them out well.
Fence #1 is now available from Comixology or your local comics shop. Time will tell if this sports manga inspired book will stand out from the crowd, but this is a solid, if not surprising, introduction.

Hugh Likes Video Games: Gone Home

September 19, 2016

hughjodonnell Hugh Likes Video Games Gaming, Gone Home, HLV, Hugh Likes Video Games, Interactive Fiction, LGBTQ, PS4, review Leave a comment

Gone Home: Console Edition
Created by The Fulbright Company
Played on Playstaton 4
gonehome.game

gonehome
I played “Gone Home” for the first time when it was released on PC. Unfortunately, my Mac Mini wasn’t quite up to the task of the game’s graphics. So I was quite pleased to be able to download it as a part of Sony’s Playstation Plus offerings for June of this year. The span of a few years make this indie game’s 3D modeled mansion a bit less spectacular, but the game’s story and technique remain just as impressive.
The player steps into the first-person shoes of Katie Greenbriar, a college student just returned from a trip to Europe. She arrives home in the middle of a stormy night to find the house empty, with a message from her younger sister not to come looking for her.
As you begin to explore the strange house, “Gone Home” feels like a survival horror game. It does borrow some of that genre’s puzzle and exploration mechanics, but the game is actually something else. As you learn more about Katie’s family through letters, buttons, scraps of notes, and other evidence, voice over narrations of her sister Sam are unlocked. Formatted as unsent letters, they reveal the true story piece by piece. I won’t spoil it here, but it is well worth experiencing on your own.
“Gone Home” is a by turns creepy, moving, and overall heartfelt piece of interactive fiction, and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Hugh J. O'Donnell