Going to channel my disappointment in iwtv/tvl into recommending non-disappointing bipoc and/or queer horror. First up, Rivers Solomon
Do you like NB autistic authors and protagonists who explore the horrors of anti-black racism through sci-fi, horror, and fantasy? Well, Rivers Solomon is for you. I don't know if I've connected as much with a character as I do with Rivers Solomon characters. The subtle ways that they explore autism and being NB really hit me hard. I hadn't even given my gender much thought before reading their writing (mostly thought of myself as a brain in a jar).
They explore difficult themes but the writing isn't cynical. The characters are respected and even though there is great tragedy, there is still hope in the writing and for the protagonists. Rivers Solomon is also a great follow on Instagram. They are (obviously) progressive and constantly post about issues going on in the world and participate in local activism. Not that we need to put artists on pedestals but it's a nice change of pace from everything I see/learn about the S3 TVL writing team.
Model Home: What if the haunted house gothic horror took place in the suburbs? What if it explored the ways in which a black family has to assimilate to an all white wealthy Dallas neighborhood? The main character, a transmasc/NB/autistic parent returns to the home they fled from for their parents' funeral. Horrific memories resurface. There are discussions of CSA but no actual scenes. There are scenes of grooming. Discussions of racialized violence. The protagonist's struggle to know what horrors are real reminds me of what I like best about Shirley Jackson's Haunting of Hill House.
An Unkindness of Ghosts: Sci-fi/Dystopia/Horror. The story takes place on a space ship organized with class and slavery much like the Antebellum South. The main character Aster, is an enslaved person secretly training to be a doctor. Aster is hinted at being autistic and slowly discovers they are transmasc. This one is a brutal read. Very violent and triggering. I felt like it was worth it but definitely take care. There is a sweet T for T romance slow burn that helped me get through the horrors. Similar content warnings to the last. Discussions of SA without actual detailed scenes. The main character will just bluntly say that it happened (reminds me of how Octavia Butler describes SA and violence in the Parable of the Sower series). Lots of racialized violence (but with an actual point to it).
Haven't read these yet but they are on my list:
Sorrowland: A former religious cult member goes on the run with their twin children.
The Deep: Fantasy story about the mermaids descended from enslaved pregnant women thrown off slave ships. The audiobook is narrated by Daveed Diggs and others. Yeah the Hamilton guy.
(Sorry to clog up iwtv/tvl tags but thought some ppl might want recs to queer/bipoc horror/genre fiction that isn't racist or homophobic.)
