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I Want That Twink Obliterated!
Finalist for the 2025 British Fantasy Award for Best Anthology!
The twinks are among us. Loving, lying, sashaying, betraying. Storming the tower of Belzarian the Sorcerer, wandering the eldritch streets of Shoggothtown, or seizing power on Bavarrón Eleven. Since the dawn of time, a cry has rung out across the stars…
…I WANT THAT TWINK OBLITERATED!
Featuring stories from British Fantasy Award winner James Bennett, Nebula Award winner Aliette de Bodard, GLAAD Award winner Anthony Oliveira, Adam Sass, Bailey Maybray, Brent C. Lambert, Caleb Roehrig, Charlie Winter, Christopher Caldwell, Derrick Webber, John Berkeley, Julie Danvers, Kieran Craft, Malcolm Schmitz, Rien Gray, William C. Tracy, and Ng Yi-Sheng!
For too long, queer voices have been kept at the margins of pulp science fiction and fantasy. Now, seventeen brave authors take up their pens to right that wrong and push the boundaries of excess, masculinity, and good taste.
Join the adventure today!
The twinks are among us. Loving, lying, sashaying, betraying. Storming the tower of Belzarian the Sorcerer, wandering the eldritch streets of Shoggothtown, or seizing power on Bavarrón Eleven. Since the dawn of time, a cry has rung out across the stars…
…I WANT THAT TWINK OBLITERATED!
Featuring stories from British Fantasy Award winner James Bennett, Nebula Award winner Aliette de Bodard, GLAAD Award winner Anthony Oliveira, Adam Sass, Bailey Maybray, Brent C. Lambert, Caleb Roehrig, Charlie Winter, Christopher Caldwell, Derrick Webber, John Berkeley, Julie Danvers, Kieran Craft, Malcolm Schmitz, Rien Gray, William C. Tracy, and Ng Yi-Sheng!
For too long, queer voices have been kept at the margins of pulp science fiction and fantasy. Now, seventeen brave authors take up their pens to right that wrong and push the boundaries of excess, masculinity, and good taste.
Join the adventure today!
360 pages, Paperback
Published August 11, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
August 15, 2024
This year - just a couple days ago, actually - I was at Worldcon, and there a certain anthology was launched! And I liked the idea so much that I didn't just buy the book, I've also got a T-shirt saying this anthology's title. (I do plan on wearing it to Eurocon later this week)
Of course I immediately devoured this anthology the moment I got home, and I finished it in about three days. I'm gonna go about this the same way I always review anthologies: I review each short story individually, and then I'm gonna calculate the average out of all those ratings. Let's just go, because there's a lot I have to ejaculate about.
In the garden of the Serpent King - James Bennett - 4/5
Well, this was certainly one of the best introductions they could've picked, because it ticks all the boxes in an enjoyable way. It's as queer as it is camp and it's (mostly) fun too. The intro IMMEDIATELY sets the tone in a good way, so all in all, good story.
My only qualm was with the ending but other than that, I enjoyed this one.
Dusk and Dawn in the Grand Bazaar - John Berkeley - 4/5
This one's fun too! Like all the stories in this anthology, no worries. It's as queer and camp as the last one, and this one's ending is a little better. This one, also, feels a little more on the queer side, and that's a side I like to be on.
In the end, though, I felt like this one ended a little early, making the whole story feel a bit pointless. Perhaps John Berkeley's writing style just doesn't resonate with me all that well.
Shoggoth Town - Julie Danvers - 5/5
Julie, I thought all of these would be happy and campy. I thought I would be exempt from feeling all the sad feelings that your ending gave me. So I'm disappointed, but weirdly enough, in a good way? Because if this short story's ending got me to feel all the feels, I think it did its job well enough, so it's got the full rating.
Jenseti, You In Danger, Girl - Brent Lambert - 4/5
Fun, pulpy and queer: check, check and check! Particularly the title immediately screams queer and camp, and it is both those things through the whole story. And yet something doesn't quite resonate with me and I can't quite put my finger on it - maybe this story's humor just isn't my kind of thing. Or maybe I had a little too much trouble keeping track. It happens, to each their own!
Dotch Masher and the planet 'MM' - William C. Tracy - 5/5
There's a Dutch word called 'melig' which is very hard to translate in English; Google Translate will tell you it means 'mealy' but that's a different meaning and not the one I'm getting at here. If somebody is 'melig', everything is funny to that person. Stories can be 'melig' too (it's hard to explain how that works) and Bill's story is the meligest of them all. Bill certainly understood the assignment, and while I feel like I can forgive that fault for the giggles it brought me. I had to put the book down because I was laughing at several points, so it's a definite full rating on this one.
Hazard Pay - Malcolm Schmitz - 5/5
I am a hopeless romantic and doubly so if the romance is queer. This story is just that, and there's a fun twist mixed in with everything too. Feel-good and fun, which is my favorite combination.
In Sheep's Clothing - Caleb Roehrig - 4/5
A fun story with a good twist with another lovely queer twinge. Figured out the twist pretty early, though , and I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. It feels a little too early to me, but maybe that's just my personal taste.
Plezure - Rand Webber - 5/5
Despite the title it started kind of unpleasant, and I wanted the story to please turn the whole concept it started with around - and then it did! It feels like Black Mirror's Nosedive, but weirder and queerer - I'm saying that because just like Black Mirror, this story too feels critical of our society without soapboxing, which I love. The end kind of rushes through its explanation, but I don't care.
Tea, Shade and Drag Crusades - Bailey Maybray - 3/5
Just a personal taste-thing on this one. It's fun and pulpy and queer, and it's also very heavily influenced by drag. I've never been into that stuff (never seen RuPaul's show either), so I feel like most of it went over my head. I'm sure it's very enjoyable to other people, but it's not my thing.
A Heart of Broken Steel - Rien Gray - 4/5
I thought it was a bit slow at the beginning and the end was a bit quick, but the middle was fun. This one, too, had a fun twist that made the story a joy to read. What can I say - I love my twists!
Narcissus Monro, Thief for Hire - Kieran Craft - 4/5
Fun story and again queer and pulpy. The premise is fun, and lots of things are being set up, but I feel it doesn't *quite* stick the landing and it ends just a little too quickly.
The Tutelary, The Assassin and the Healer - Aliette de Bodard - 5/5
I've had the fortune of reading Aliette before and I've always felt she has some very good worldbuilding - she's even helped me with the worldbuilding of my own story seven years ago - and this story was no exception. I wouldn't call this story campy or pulpy, but definitely fun and deserving of a full rating.
The Dearth of Temptation - Christopher Caldwell - 4/5
Another fun story although I struggled a little bit to keep track of this one. But near the end, everything came together pretty well.
Your World Against Mine - Adam Sass - 5/5
There's a lot of emotion involved in this story, and not all of it is 'oh look what a fun happy story'. In fact, more other emotions are being played instead. But it's very queer, and I suspect Sass took the title of this anthology VERY literally, because of all the characters in this story, I can imagine this short story's protagonist shouting out the title the most. I liked the ending .
Yesterday's Heroes - Charlie Winter - 5/5
D&D combined with queer stuff, centered around two dads raising their son? Charlie, did you write this story with me in mind? Because it almost feels like that, it's a very good fit. It's also not just fun, but contains a couple other emotions too, all of them - once again - effective. I feel like the ending's gone a bit over my head, but I'm fine with that.
The Three-Bussy Problem - Ng Yi-Sheng - 5/5
Ng understood the assignment, hello most adultest story in the whole anthology! It's also probably the campiest, queerest and certainly horniest story, and incidentally, possibly also the funniest because I laughed out loud multiple times. Don't know if it's my favorite, but it's up there. I don't know what a bussy is and I don't need it explained, but I love how what the title refers to actually makes sense within the story if you know the original work. Definitely one of the best.
Ganymede - Anthony Oliveira - 4/5
Choose your own adventure! Didn't see that coming in this anthology. The choose your own adventure kind-of-thing comes back within the story too, it reminds me a little of Black Mirror's Bandersnatch in that way. Except this version is much weirder and queerer. I had fun, but wasn't amazed, maybe because I'm not a big fan of choosing my own adventure.
Putting all those numbers and averaging them means I get the average of... 4.411! Which is so close to a 4.5, and I had a thoroughly enjoyable time start to finish, that I'm just gonna round up and give the anthology the full rating anyway. I love queer stuff, this is my first queer anthology, and I want to read way more of this - so I certainly hope to pick up similar anthologies at future conventions!
Of course I immediately devoured this anthology the moment I got home, and I finished it in about three days. I'm gonna go about this the same way I always review anthologies: I review each short story individually, and then I'm gonna calculate the average out of all those ratings. Let's just go, because there's a lot I have to ejaculate about.
In the garden of the Serpent King - James Bennett - 4/5
Well, this was certainly one of the best introductions they could've picked, because it ticks all the boxes in an enjoyable way. It's as queer as it is camp and it's (mostly) fun too. The intro IMMEDIATELY sets the tone in a good way, so all in all, good story.
My only qualm was with the ending but other than that, I enjoyed this one.
Dusk and Dawn in the Grand Bazaar - John Berkeley - 4/5
This one's fun too! Like all the stories in this anthology, no worries. It's as queer and camp as the last one, and this one's ending is a little better. This one, also, feels a little more on the queer side, and that's a side I like to be on.
In the end, though, I felt like this one ended a little early, making the whole story feel a bit pointless. Perhaps John Berkeley's writing style just doesn't resonate with me all that well.
Shoggoth Town - Julie Danvers - 5/5
Julie, I thought all of these would be happy and campy. I thought I would be exempt from feeling all the sad feelings that your ending gave me. So I'm disappointed, but weirdly enough, in a good way? Because if this short story's ending got me to feel all the feels, I think it did its job well enough, so it's got the full rating.
Jenseti, You In Danger, Girl - Brent Lambert - 4/5
Fun, pulpy and queer: check, check and check! Particularly the title immediately screams queer and camp, and it is both those things through the whole story. And yet something doesn't quite resonate with me and I can't quite put my finger on it - maybe this story's humor just isn't my kind of thing. Or maybe I had a little too much trouble keeping track. It happens, to each their own!
Dotch Masher and the planet 'MM' - William C. Tracy - 5/5
There's a Dutch word called 'melig' which is very hard to translate in English; Google Translate will tell you it means 'mealy' but that's a different meaning and not the one I'm getting at here. If somebody is 'melig', everything is funny to that person. Stories can be 'melig' too (it's hard to explain how that works) and Bill's story is the meligest of them all. Bill certainly understood the assignment, and while I feel like I can forgive that fault for the giggles it brought me. I had to put the book down because I was laughing at several points, so it's a definite full rating on this one.
Hazard Pay - Malcolm Schmitz - 5/5
I am a hopeless romantic and doubly so if the romance is queer. This story is just that, and there's a fun twist mixed in with everything too. Feel-good and fun, which is my favorite combination.
In Sheep's Clothing - Caleb Roehrig - 4/5
A fun story with a good twist with another lovely queer twinge. Figured out the twist pretty early, though , and I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. It feels a little too early to me, but maybe that's just my personal taste.
Plezure - Rand Webber - 5/5
Despite the title it started kind of unpleasant, and I wanted the story to please turn the whole concept it started with around - and then it did! It feels like Black Mirror's Nosedive, but weirder and queerer - I'm saying that because just like Black Mirror, this story too feels critical of our society without soapboxing, which I love. The end kind of rushes through its explanation, but I don't care.
Tea, Shade and Drag Crusades - Bailey Maybray - 3/5
Just a personal taste-thing on this one. It's fun and pulpy and queer, and it's also very heavily influenced by drag. I've never been into that stuff (never seen RuPaul's show either), so I feel like most of it went over my head. I'm sure it's very enjoyable to other people, but it's not my thing.
A Heart of Broken Steel - Rien Gray - 4/5
I thought it was a bit slow at the beginning and the end was a bit quick, but the middle was fun. This one, too, had a fun twist that made the story a joy to read. What can I say - I love my twists!
Narcissus Monro, Thief for Hire - Kieran Craft - 4/5
Fun story and again queer and pulpy. The premise is fun, and lots of things are being set up, but I feel it doesn't *quite* stick the landing and it ends just a little too quickly.
The Tutelary, The Assassin and the Healer - Aliette de Bodard - 5/5
I've had the fortune of reading Aliette before and I've always felt she has some very good worldbuilding - she's even helped me with the worldbuilding of my own story seven years ago - and this story was no exception. I wouldn't call this story campy or pulpy, but definitely fun and deserving of a full rating.
The Dearth of Temptation - Christopher Caldwell - 4/5
Another fun story although I struggled a little bit to keep track of this one. But near the end, everything came together pretty well.
Your World Against Mine - Adam Sass - 5/5
There's a lot of emotion involved in this story, and not all of it is 'oh look what a fun happy story'. In fact, more other emotions are being played instead. But it's very queer, and I suspect Sass took the title of this anthology VERY literally, because of all the characters in this story, I can imagine this short story's protagonist shouting out the title the most. I liked the ending .
Yesterday's Heroes - Charlie Winter - 5/5
D&D combined with queer stuff, centered around two dads raising their son? Charlie, did you write this story with me in mind? Because it almost feels like that, it's a very good fit. It's also not just fun, but contains a couple other emotions too, all of them - once again - effective. I feel like the ending's gone a bit over my head, but I'm fine with that.
The Three-Bussy Problem - Ng Yi-Sheng - 5/5
Ng understood the assignment, hello most adultest story in the whole anthology! It's also probably the campiest, queerest and certainly horniest story, and incidentally, possibly also the funniest because I laughed out loud multiple times. Don't know if it's my favorite, but it's up there. I don't know what a bussy is and I don't need it explained, but I love how what the title refers to actually makes sense within the story if you know the original work. Definitely one of the best.
Ganymede - Anthony Oliveira - 4/5
Choose your own adventure! Didn't see that coming in this anthology. The choose your own adventure kind-of-thing comes back within the story too, it reminds me a little of Black Mirror's Bandersnatch in that way. Except this version is much weirder and queerer. I had fun, but wasn't amazed, maybe because I'm not a big fan of choosing my own adventure.
Putting all those numbers and averaging them means I get the average of... 4.411! Which is so close to a 4.5, and I had a thoroughly enjoyable time start to finish, that I'm just gonna round up and give the anthology the full rating anyway. I love queer stuff, this is my first queer anthology, and I want to read way more of this - so I certainly hope to pick up similar anthologies at future conventions!
August 12, 2024
Overall, this an excellent anthology, with a great mix of styles, genres, and viewpoints- highly recommended for those that aspire to obliterate twinks, or for those twinks that desire to be obliterated!
There's something for everyone here- stories to make you laugh, stories to make you think, and stories to maybe turn you on...
There's something for everyone here- stories to make you laugh, stories to make you think, and stories to maybe turn you on...
August 18, 2024
What a collection! Truly captures the spirit of pulp sci-fi and delivers so much more. Some of the stories blow you away for how much they pack in such a few pages and others makes you hope they are just a tease for a much longer story. Can’t recommend it enough.
December 19, 2024
I brought this from MCM Comic Con on Birmingham (Nov 24) from the Writers Block area. I had no idea what this was about, but I was drawn by the description GAYS IN SPACE*. I was sold. The cover is a homage, and to movie posters of the 1950s / 1960s, partnered with gorgeous typography, it's just gorgeous.
This gem is an anthology of queer space tales from different perspectives written by a myriad of fabulous authors. I loved the writing in this, I found each story to be fun and griping. This book, you haven't got to read it constantly. You can dip in and out, which is what I did - however, it was tough to put down as it was such a joyous read.
Always visit independent publishers and writers at conventions and stalls. You might find gold - I most certainly did.
*I pronounce this as GAAAAYYYYSSS IIINNN SSSPPPAAACCCEEE much like the Miss Piggy segment from The Muppet Show - Pigs in Space (PPPIIIGGGSSSSS IIINNN SSSPPPAAACCEEE).
This gem is an anthology of queer space tales from different perspectives written by a myriad of fabulous authors. I loved the writing in this, I found each story to be fun and griping. This book, you haven't got to read it constantly. You can dip in and out, which is what I did - however, it was tough to put down as it was such a joyous read.
Always visit independent publishers and writers at conventions and stalls. You might find gold - I most certainly did.
*I pronounce this as GAAAAYYYYSSS IIINNN SSSPPPAAACCCEEE much like the Miss Piggy segment from The Muppet Show - Pigs in Space (PPPIIIGGGSSSSS IIINNN SSSPPPAAACCEEE).
January 9, 2025
This anthology is wild, fun, & beautiful. Some stories are high camp, sexy & hilarious. Others beautifully thoughtful stories of queer families pushed to the limit, with and without reconciliation.
Standouts for me included:
- The Dearth of Temptation, Christopher Caldwell
- Your World Against Mine, Adam Sass
- Yesterday's Heroes, Charlie Winter
And for pure camp:
- Garden of the Serpent King, James Bennett
- Plezure, Derrick Webber
If you're into SFF or just queer nerds, get this book!
Standouts for me included:
- The Dearth of Temptation, Christopher Caldwell
- Your World Against Mine, Adam Sass
- Yesterday's Heroes, Charlie Winter
And for pure camp:
- Garden of the Serpent King, James Bennett
- Plezure, Derrick Webber
If you're into SFF or just queer nerds, get this book!
January 4, 2025
This was glorious!!
So queer, so pulp, so delicious!
The very first story, a delightfully phallic take on Tarzan, grabbed hold of me and drew me and the book did not let go until the very last page!
There's fantasy and sci fi and twinks galore!
From the utterly ridiculous 'Dotch Masher and the planet MM', which takes camp pulp to a whole new level (not so much thinly veiled innuendo as 'forgot the veil and erected a giant projector screen' innuendo), to a
trans D&D style heist.
Drag queens, kings and monarchs on an inter-planetary quest, a Norse-inspired tale, a futuristic world with ancient greek gods & a genderfluid twink-bot and so, so much more!
I cannot recommend this book highly enough!!
So queer, so pulp, so delicious!
The very first story, a delightfully phallic take on Tarzan, grabbed hold of me and drew me and the book did not let go until the very last page!
There's fantasy and sci fi and twinks galore!
From the utterly ridiculous 'Dotch Masher and the planet MM', which takes camp pulp to a whole new level (not so much thinly veiled innuendo as 'forgot the veil and erected a giant projector screen' innuendo), to a
trans D&D style heist.
Drag queens, kings and monarchs on an inter-planetary quest, a Norse-inspired tale, a futuristic world with ancient greek gods & a genderfluid twink-bot and so, so much more!
I cannot recommend this book highly enough!!
January 2, 2025
In the Garden of the Serpent King - 4/5
Dusk and Dawn in the Grand Bazaar - 3/5
Shoggothtown - 4/5
Jenseti, you in Danger, Girl - 4/5
Dotch Masher and the Planet ‘MM’ - 5/5
Hazard pay - 3/5
In Sheep’s Clothing - 4/5
Plezure 2/5
Tea, Shade and Drag Crusades - 2/5
A Heart of Broken Steel - 3/5
Narcissus Munro, Thief for Hire 4/5
The Tutelary, The Assassin, and the Healer - 3/5
The Dearth of Temptation - 3/5
Your World Against Mine - 4/5
Yesterday’s Heroes - 5/5
The Three-Bussy Problem - 4/5
Ganymede - 3/5
Dusk and Dawn in the Grand Bazaar - 3/5
Shoggothtown - 4/5
Jenseti, you in Danger, Girl - 4/5
Dotch Masher and the Planet ‘MM’ - 5/5
Hazard pay - 3/5
In Sheep’s Clothing - 4/5
Plezure 2/5
Tea, Shade and Drag Crusades - 2/5
A Heart of Broken Steel - 3/5
Narcissus Munro, Thief for Hire 4/5
The Tutelary, The Assassin, and the Healer - 3/5
The Dearth of Temptation - 3/5
Your World Against Mine - 4/5
Yesterday’s Heroes - 5/5
The Three-Bussy Problem - 4/5
Ganymede - 3/5
January 15, 2026
"For someone strong enough to lift me by my collar like a naughty puppy (I already said it was hot, get off my back!), it's a shock to see how much he trembles at the thought of being caught. A hot twink, on the run from the cops, desperately in need of saving. Damn, that really is my type, isn't it?"
3.5
Reviewing anthologies is typically a tricky thing, normally, having so many stories in one book forces them to compete, it's a rare thing, to encounter an anthology such as this one, where every single story is an absolute banger. This is one of those books that can easily be devoured in just a few sittings, because each story is propulsive, entertaining and completely bonkers. It's just, a whole lot of campy, overdramatic fun. I'm not the biggest sci-fi reader, nor do I really consume like, any sci-fi media whatsoever, which did mean that a lot of the pop culture references (there's a ton of them in this book) escaped me, but, it was still an enjoyable as hell time.
I Want That Twink Obliterated! is just so unapologetically queer, and that felt so damn refreshing to experience. These stories cater to a wide range of audiences, there's some that are fun and quick, some rely more on action and some on drama, there are some gross stories, some that are heavily erotic, there's even a choose your own adventure story (which ended up being my favorite of the bunch) each one of these stories, though, is a wild-ride, pulpy and flamboyant as all hell, and most importantly, filled to the brim with twinks. This is just one of those books that really does remind you of the fact that reading can be, and should be fun.
Every single author in this collection understood the assignment and showed absolutely zero fear of committing to the bit. This was, from start to finish, an incredible time. To make a non sci-fi reader so captivated with some pretty classic and trope-y feeling sci-fi stories is a testament to how bloody amazing this thing is. It's just joyous and fun and light, and exactly what you need to take the mental strain away from some pretty mentally draining reads. I Want That Twink Obliterated! truly captures the pulp sci-fi spirit in a way that feels, strangely, like it came right out of the 80s. This is the book for anyone that wants that evil twink to finally pay.
"And one day there is a flash on the horizon. And you call to Cole, who is digging in the pea-shoots. And you hold him, and the sun is warm and soft, and he is warm and soft. And there is a great roar, like all the casements of the sky have opened. And at the end, you close your eyes."
3.5
Reviewing anthologies is typically a tricky thing, normally, having so many stories in one book forces them to compete, it's a rare thing, to encounter an anthology such as this one, where every single story is an absolute banger. This is one of those books that can easily be devoured in just a few sittings, because each story is propulsive, entertaining and completely bonkers. It's just, a whole lot of campy, overdramatic fun. I'm not the biggest sci-fi reader, nor do I really consume like, any sci-fi media whatsoever, which did mean that a lot of the pop culture references (there's a ton of them in this book) escaped me, but, it was still an enjoyable as hell time.
I Want That Twink Obliterated! is just so unapologetically queer, and that felt so damn refreshing to experience. These stories cater to a wide range of audiences, there's some that are fun and quick, some rely more on action and some on drama, there are some gross stories, some that are heavily erotic, there's even a choose your own adventure story (which ended up being my favorite of the bunch) each one of these stories, though, is a wild-ride, pulpy and flamboyant as all hell, and most importantly, filled to the brim with twinks. This is just one of those books that really does remind you of the fact that reading can be, and should be fun.
"As you hold him he beckons the engines of the Leviathan. Machinery whines and then screams as Cole opens the sky, engulfing the whole of their armada and the Gate beyond in a white-hot sterilizing blaze. And together you die like dawn, rising."
Every single author in this collection understood the assignment and showed absolutely zero fear of committing to the bit. This was, from start to finish, an incredible time. To make a non sci-fi reader so captivated with some pretty classic and trope-y feeling sci-fi stories is a testament to how bloody amazing this thing is. It's just joyous and fun and light, and exactly what you need to take the mental strain away from some pretty mentally draining reads. I Want That Twink Obliterated! truly captures the pulp sci-fi spirit in a way that feels, strangely, like it came right out of the 80s. This is the book for anyone that wants that evil twink to finally pay.
"And one day there is a flash on the horizon. And you call to Cole, who is digging in the pea-shoots. And you hold him, and the sun is warm and soft, and he is warm and soft. And there is a great roar, like all the casements of the sky have opened. And at the end, you close your eyes."
Read
May 16, 2025To quote Fred Chen in Galaxy Quest: That was a hell of a thing.
Pulpy, campy, lots of -y. Pretty sure that one story was a He-Man/Skeletor fanfic. Then there was a lovely story about family and love and loss . . . snuggled up to a story about an intergalactic orgy.
*I am not rating books read for the World Fantasy Award.*
Pulpy, campy, lots of -y. Pretty sure that one story was a He-Man/Skeletor fanfic. Then there was a lovely story about family and love and loss . . . snuggled up to a story about an intergalactic orgy.
*I am not rating books read for the World Fantasy Award.*
January 15, 2026
loads of fun. as with all anthologies, not all the stories worked for me, but I enjoyed more than I didn't by a solid margin. also, it was just *fun*.
August 30, 2025
So many fun stories! I'm not usually a big fan of anthologies, but this has been my first exception 🥳
My favourites were:
- Shoggothtown by Julie Danvers
- Dotch Masher and the Planet 'MM' by William C. Tracy
- In Sheep's Clothing by Caleb Roehrig
- Plezure by Rand Webber
-Yesterday's Heroes by Charlie Winter
My favourites were:
- Shoggothtown by Julie Danvers
- Dotch Masher and the Planet 'MM' by William C. Tracy
- In Sheep's Clothing by Caleb Roehrig
- Plezure by Rand Webber
-Yesterday's Heroes by Charlie Winter
August 24, 2024
This has the usual problem of any short story collection in that it's a mixed bag of things which really vibed with me and things that I bounced off of. However when it's good, it's VERY good. Some of these stories are definitely going to be ones I dwell on for a while.
My personal favourites:
- "Dusk and Dawn in the Grand Bazaar", I love morally dubious leads and I love the vignette of this character's life which we get. My only complaint is that I want more!
- "Shoggothtown", I didn't know I needed a eldritch abomination noir detective and yet. This was great, love what it did with the genre.
- "Hazard Pay", I guessed the twist in this one almost immediately but it's so endlessly satisfying. I love a good 'thief goes to rob a lich's lair' story and this one is very sweet.
- "In Sheep's Clothing", probably my favourite of the collection, I adore robots who don't know they're robots and the love story is a delight.
- "Narcissus Munro, Thief for Hire", great take on the Galatea myth, great sci-fi reimagining of Greek myth, I want more from this world!
- "The Tutelary, the Assassin, and the Healer", I adore Aliette's work generally and this has a really charming bittersweetness.
My personal favourites:
- "Dusk and Dawn in the Grand Bazaar", I love morally dubious leads and I love the vignette of this character's life which we get. My only complaint is that I want more!
- "Shoggothtown", I didn't know I needed a eldritch abomination noir detective and yet. This was great, love what it did with the genre.
- "Hazard Pay", I guessed the twist in this one almost immediately but it's so endlessly satisfying. I love a good 'thief goes to rob a lich's lair' story and this one is very sweet.
- "In Sheep's Clothing", probably my favourite of the collection, I adore robots who don't know they're robots and the love story is a delight.
- "Narcissus Munro, Thief for Hire", great take on the Galatea myth, great sci-fi reimagining of Greek myth, I want more from this world!
- "The Tutelary, the Assassin, and the Healer", I adore Aliette's work generally and this has a really charming bittersweetness.
January 24, 2026
Individual story quick reviews:
- In the Garden of the Serpent King by James Bennett: 2/5 - Gross, bad representation especially as the first story
- Dusk and Dawn in the Grand Bazaar by John Berkeley: 3.5/5 - Good, fun characters and cool world but this feels like the first chapter of a larger story
- Shoggothtown by Julie Danvers: 3/5 - Eh, had some cool stuff but the bury your gays ending sucked
- Jenseti, You in Danger, Girl by Brent Lambert: 4/5 - Great! Loved the parasite character and the themes of found family even with the tragic end
- Dotch Masher and the Planet ‘MM’ by William C. Tracy: 5/5 - Wonderful and hilarious! I was laughing along the entire time and appreciated the ending twist
- Hazard Pay by Malcolm Schmitz: 4/5 - Great! Fun twist and cool use of D&D mechanics
- In Sheep’s Clothing by Caleb Roehrig: 4.5/5 - Excellent gay Blade Runner at school with a cool twist and a lot of heart. Made me think a bit of Citizen Sleeper
- Plezure by Rand Webber: 4.5/5 - Like Stepford Wives meets a dystopian version of Gerwig’s Barbie but super gay
- Tea, Shade, and Drag Crusades by Bailey Maybray: 1.5/5 - A drag parody of a space adventure that forgets to make any jokes. Attempts to cover a bad story with drag lingo and references fails miserably
- A Heart of Broken Steel by Rien Gray: 4/5 - Fun Nordic mythic adventure with a bit of queer sprinkled on top. Cool battle with the dragon
- Narcissus Munro, Thief for Hire by Kieran Craft: 3.5/5 - Cool idea to transplant Greek mythology to a cyberpunk dystopia. Some obnoxious narration but the strength of the story makes up for a lot.
- The Tutelary, The Assassin, and The Healer by Aliette de Bodard: 3.5/5 - Murder mystery on a space ship. Good, has some nice theming but ultimately a bit predictable
- The Dearth of Temptation by Christopher Caldwell: 3.5/5 - Really cool, unique fantasy world that the story just tosses you into. Very immersive and helps elevate an already well told story
- Your World Against Mine by Adam Sass: 4/5 - Super unique take on cloning. A very unlikable protagonist becomes more sympathetic as we learn what’s really going on here
- Yesterday’s Heroes by Charlie Winter: 5/5 - A fantastic subversion of fantasy tropes with plenty of social commentary and wonderful chemistry between the two leads
- The Three-Bussy Problem by Ng Yi-Sheng: 4/5 - Takes just enough from Cixin Liu’s original and twists it enough for a fun parody with a bit of a mindfuck of an ending
- Ganymede by Anthony Oliveira: 3.5/5 - Fun choose-your-own-adventure tale that has a nice payoff but takes some work to get there. Throws you to the wolves a bit too quickly; I found myself confused for longer than I like
Overall rating: 4/5
Anthologies can be a mixed bag, and while that’s still true here, I largely enjoyed I Want That Twink Obliterated! It largely succeeds in being a “queer reclamation of pulp” and provided a ton of fun and thought provoking stories from mainly authors I’ve never read.
You can see mini reviews for each story above, but there are a couple standouts for better or worse.
There are two stinkers unfortunately. “In the Garden of the Serpent King” tries to do a gay riff on Tarzan but whiffs. It focuses on a married straight man and only has problematic queer representation in the entitled, racist, barely of age twink of a son and the creepy rifleman who leers at, sexually harasses, and eventually brutally sexually assaults said twink at the end in a way I won’t divulge here. I get this was going for horror, but this isn’t the best foot to put forward in something that’s supposed to be a queer reclamation of pulp. Maybe they thought all the phallic imagery would be gay enough? Big misstep in my opinion.
The other stinker was unfortunately “Tea, Shade, and Drag Crusades”. As a drag performer myself, I was looking forward to this one, but it just doesn’t do anything interesting. The underlying story is terribly cliched and poorly told, for a drag parody there are no funny jokes, and it seems to just try to survive on saying slay and other gay/drag catch phrases. I expect better rep for us drag divas!
I had some favorites too, starting with the hilarious “Dotch Masher and the Planet ‘MM’” which does parody right. This parodies the old spacefaring, swashbuckling hero story with plenty of gay flare. It’s very self aware and tongue in cheek in the best of ways. I’d kill for a fun audio version that takes advantage of the ludicrous characters with some fun voices.
On the more serious end, I found “Yesterday’s Heroes” to be beautifully told. It subverts the fantasy hero archetype well while anchoring the story emotionally with great chemistry and history between the two leads. It’s very layered too, touching on themes of environmental conservation, propaganda, found family, and manipulative government and politics all in one tiny story. Hats off to Charlie Winter, that’s a name I hope to see again as they clearly know how to write wonderful stories in short form if nothing else.
Overall, if you want a high flying, pulpy, campy, but also layered anthology of queer speculative fiction, Bona Books has provided an excellent collection here. They’re currently kickstarting their next collection, so hopefully we’ll get even more awesome queer stories and see more queer authors get their time to shine!
- In the Garden of the Serpent King by James Bennett: 2/5 - Gross, bad representation especially as the first story
- Dusk and Dawn in the Grand Bazaar by John Berkeley: 3.5/5 - Good, fun characters and cool world but this feels like the first chapter of a larger story
- Shoggothtown by Julie Danvers: 3/5 - Eh, had some cool stuff but the bury your gays ending sucked
- Jenseti, You in Danger, Girl by Brent Lambert: 4/5 - Great! Loved the parasite character and the themes of found family even with the tragic end
- Dotch Masher and the Planet ‘MM’ by William C. Tracy: 5/5 - Wonderful and hilarious! I was laughing along the entire time and appreciated the ending twist
- Hazard Pay by Malcolm Schmitz: 4/5 - Great! Fun twist and cool use of D&D mechanics
- In Sheep’s Clothing by Caleb Roehrig: 4.5/5 - Excellent gay Blade Runner at school with a cool twist and a lot of heart. Made me think a bit of Citizen Sleeper
- Plezure by Rand Webber: 4.5/5 - Like Stepford Wives meets a dystopian version of Gerwig’s Barbie but super gay
- Tea, Shade, and Drag Crusades by Bailey Maybray: 1.5/5 - A drag parody of a space adventure that forgets to make any jokes. Attempts to cover a bad story with drag lingo and references fails miserably
- A Heart of Broken Steel by Rien Gray: 4/5 - Fun Nordic mythic adventure with a bit of queer sprinkled on top. Cool battle with the dragon
- Narcissus Munro, Thief for Hire by Kieran Craft: 3.5/5 - Cool idea to transplant Greek mythology to a cyberpunk dystopia. Some obnoxious narration but the strength of the story makes up for a lot.
- The Tutelary, The Assassin, and The Healer by Aliette de Bodard: 3.5/5 - Murder mystery on a space ship. Good, has some nice theming but ultimately a bit predictable
- The Dearth of Temptation by Christopher Caldwell: 3.5/5 - Really cool, unique fantasy world that the story just tosses you into. Very immersive and helps elevate an already well told story
- Your World Against Mine by Adam Sass: 4/5 - Super unique take on cloning. A very unlikable protagonist becomes more sympathetic as we learn what’s really going on here
- Yesterday’s Heroes by Charlie Winter: 5/5 - A fantastic subversion of fantasy tropes with plenty of social commentary and wonderful chemistry between the two leads
- The Three-Bussy Problem by Ng Yi-Sheng: 4/5 - Takes just enough from Cixin Liu’s original and twists it enough for a fun parody with a bit of a mindfuck of an ending
- Ganymede by Anthony Oliveira: 3.5/5 - Fun choose-your-own-adventure tale that has a nice payoff but takes some work to get there. Throws you to the wolves a bit too quickly; I found myself confused for longer than I like
Overall rating: 4/5
Anthologies can be a mixed bag, and while that’s still true here, I largely enjoyed I Want That Twink Obliterated! It largely succeeds in being a “queer reclamation of pulp” and provided a ton of fun and thought provoking stories from mainly authors I’ve never read.
You can see mini reviews for each story above, but there are a couple standouts for better or worse.
There are two stinkers unfortunately. “In the Garden of the Serpent King” tries to do a gay riff on Tarzan but whiffs. It focuses on a married straight man and only has problematic queer representation in the entitled, racist, barely of age twink of a son and the creepy rifleman who leers at, sexually harasses, and eventually brutally sexually assaults said twink at the end in a way I won’t divulge here. I get this was going for horror, but this isn’t the best foot to put forward in something that’s supposed to be a queer reclamation of pulp. Maybe they thought all the phallic imagery would be gay enough? Big misstep in my opinion.
The other stinker was unfortunately “Tea, Shade, and Drag Crusades”. As a drag performer myself, I was looking forward to this one, but it just doesn’t do anything interesting. The underlying story is terribly cliched and poorly told, for a drag parody there are no funny jokes, and it seems to just try to survive on saying slay and other gay/drag catch phrases. I expect better rep for us drag divas!
I had some favorites too, starting with the hilarious “Dotch Masher and the Planet ‘MM’” which does parody right. This parodies the old spacefaring, swashbuckling hero story with plenty of gay flare. It’s very self aware and tongue in cheek in the best of ways. I’d kill for a fun audio version that takes advantage of the ludicrous characters with some fun voices.
On the more serious end, I found “Yesterday’s Heroes” to be beautifully told. It subverts the fantasy hero archetype well while anchoring the story emotionally with great chemistry and history between the two leads. It’s very layered too, touching on themes of environmental conservation, propaganda, found family, and manipulative government and politics all in one tiny story. Hats off to Charlie Winter, that’s a name I hope to see again as they clearly know how to write wonderful stories in short form if nothing else.
Overall, if you want a high flying, pulpy, campy, but also layered anthology of queer speculative fiction, Bona Books has provided an excellent collection here. They’re currently kickstarting their next collection, so hopefully we’ll get even more awesome queer stories and see more queer authors get their time to shine!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 11, 2024
I contributed to this one's Kickstarter and am glad I did. Not every story here was a hit for me (what anthology can you ever say that about?), but I found their variety inspiring. They run the gamut from Conanesque Fantasy to SF YA and from philosophical to silly. And I don't think I've ever seen so many story concepts all centring queer men in one place.
Here's my thoughts on individual stories:
In the Garden of the Serpent King - James Bennett - 4/5
An expedition to Africa, guided by a Tarzan expy, turns to raunchy madness as the explorers fall victim to what can only be called a boner curse. This was hilarious, especially in how it managed to still take itself seriously despite being so fundamentally silly. My only gripe is that the real-life Mbuti people were assigned the dubious ownership of the penis god, that felt somewhat appropriative.
Dusk and Dawn in the Grand Bazaar - James Berkeley - 3/5
A space courier carrying sensitive cargo seeks sanctuary from his enemies in the grand bazaar of Mars. The story starts out with good world building and foreshadows a lot of things to come - and then just ends. Just ... pretty much nothing happens. It is all set-up, no story. Not for me.
Shoggothtown - Julie Denvers - 3/5
What if H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu was a bisexual crime noir detective? I love the premise, but the execution feels lacking. There is basically no actual investigation, and I would have been fine with that, if "Lou" had just solved the case at a glance. Instead, it drags on in a way that makes the tragic ending seem rushed.
Jenseti, You in Danger, Girl - Brent Lambert - 4/5
Quite imaginative high fantasy about an exiled prince who has joined an order of queer healers who store magic power in the chastity devices they wear on their genitalia. It's more serious than that premise makes it sound, with a proper epic vibe.
Dotch Masher and the Planet 'MM' - William C. Tracy - 5/5
Hilariously cartoonish story of product placement, innuendos, and space exploration. I love the characters and their zany antics to bits.
Hazard Pay - Malcolm Schmitz - 4/5
The story is simple but the ideas and overall feel are a win here. A transmasculine He-Man with a magical sword takes on a quest but has his own intentions. The couple in this one was just adorable.
In Sheep's Clothing - Caleb Roehrig - 5/5
SF spy story in which a failing student in a futuristic boarding school has to identify a robot assassin and navigate being around his ex. Great world building and such a quick but engaging sketch of a school's social landscape. I could imagine seeing more adventures involving Zeph and Ozzy.
Plezure - Rand Webber - 5/5
As twinks in a dystopian city strive to be their happiest and sexiest selves for their Men, this story delivers a biting satire of how gay men fetishise themselves through nasty studio porn.
Tea, Shade, and Drag Crusades - Bailey Maybray - 3/5
I love the idea of interstellar drag performers for whom their make-up, wigs, and other gear serve like astronaut suits. A lot, however, hinged on the main character being an inspiring leader figure, almost a saviour, and I just didn't see her that way. She remained fairly flat to me.
A Heart of Broken Steel - Rien Gray - 3/5
Nordic-inspired Fantasy about a beserk dragon slayer. I liked the ideas here, but it felt a bit too much like a fragment of a larger story.
Narcissus Munro, Thief for Hire - Kieran Craft - 4/5
Lovingly imagined SF take on Greek mythology, in which a fast-talking thief tries to save a robot solely because he finds him cute. Self-contained, but with world building that has me asking for more.
The Tutelary, the Assassin, and the Healer - Aliette de Bodard - 5/5
One of the best in the volume, thematically very rich. A meditation on love, grief, and letting go, as a lesbian assassin has to solve a murder on a sentient space ship.
The Dearth of Temptation - Christopher Caldwell - 3/5
Solid piece that really feels like one adventure out of many serialised in a magazine. A powerful shadow mage must save a prince from a murderous goddess. Sadly, none of the characters' motivations really connected with me and at the end, I wasn't sure what to take away from this one.
Your World Against Mine - Adam Sass - 5/5
Hilarious, sharp, and bizarre in all the best ways. A mad king struggles against his younger, sexier clones. Dark fun.
Yesterday's Heroes - Charlie Winter - 3/5
Am ageing Fantasy hero must reconnect with his ex-husband to rescue their disappeared son. This one was nice, but it felt somewhat disjointed. The themes that carried it throughout don't seem to connect to those it ends on.
The Three-Bussy Problem - Ng Yi-Sheng - 4/5
Short, raunchy, yet oddly poignant. A human ark ship comes to be judged by the alien species it encounters based solely on one crewmember's youthful endeavours in amateur porn. Sexual submission taken onto a cosmological level.
Ganymede - Anthony Oliveira - 5/5
Addictive, haunting mecha SF told in a Choose Your Own Adventure style. Choice and regret loom large as one navigates the labyrinthine possibilities of this bleak struggle of queer rebels against a zealous Christian space empire.
Here's my thoughts on individual stories:
In the Garden of the Serpent King - James Bennett - 4/5
An expedition to Africa, guided by a Tarzan expy, turns to raunchy madness as the explorers fall victim to what can only be called a boner curse. This was hilarious, especially in how it managed to still take itself seriously despite being so fundamentally silly. My only gripe is that the real-life Mbuti people were assigned the dubious ownership of the penis god, that felt somewhat appropriative.
Dusk and Dawn in the Grand Bazaar - James Berkeley - 3/5
A space courier carrying sensitive cargo seeks sanctuary from his enemies in the grand bazaar of Mars. The story starts out with good world building and foreshadows a lot of things to come - and then just ends. Just ... pretty much nothing happens. It is all set-up, no story. Not for me.
Shoggothtown - Julie Denvers - 3/5
What if H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu was a bisexual crime noir detective? I love the premise, but the execution feels lacking. There is basically no actual investigation, and I would have been fine with that, if "Lou" had just solved the case at a glance. Instead, it drags on in a way that makes the tragic ending seem rushed.
Jenseti, You in Danger, Girl - Brent Lambert - 4/5
Quite imaginative high fantasy about an exiled prince who has joined an order of queer healers who store magic power in the chastity devices they wear on their genitalia. It's more serious than that premise makes it sound, with a proper epic vibe.
Dotch Masher and the Planet 'MM' - William C. Tracy - 5/5
Hilariously cartoonish story of product placement, innuendos, and space exploration. I love the characters and their zany antics to bits.
Hazard Pay - Malcolm Schmitz - 4/5
The story is simple but the ideas and overall feel are a win here. A transmasculine He-Man with a magical sword takes on a quest but has his own intentions. The couple in this one was just adorable.
In Sheep's Clothing - Caleb Roehrig - 5/5
SF spy story in which a failing student in a futuristic boarding school has to identify a robot assassin and navigate being around his ex. Great world building and such a quick but engaging sketch of a school's social landscape. I could imagine seeing more adventures involving Zeph and Ozzy.
Plezure - Rand Webber - 5/5
As twinks in a dystopian city strive to be their happiest and sexiest selves for their Men, this story delivers a biting satire of how gay men fetishise themselves through nasty studio porn.
Tea, Shade, and Drag Crusades - Bailey Maybray - 3/5
I love the idea of interstellar drag performers for whom their make-up, wigs, and other gear serve like astronaut suits. A lot, however, hinged on the main character being an inspiring leader figure, almost a saviour, and I just didn't see her that way. She remained fairly flat to me.
A Heart of Broken Steel - Rien Gray - 3/5
Nordic-inspired Fantasy about a beserk dragon slayer. I liked the ideas here, but it felt a bit too much like a fragment of a larger story.
Narcissus Munro, Thief for Hire - Kieran Craft - 4/5
Lovingly imagined SF take on Greek mythology, in which a fast-talking thief tries to save a robot solely because he finds him cute. Self-contained, but with world building that has me asking for more.
The Tutelary, the Assassin, and the Healer - Aliette de Bodard - 5/5
One of the best in the volume, thematically very rich. A meditation on love, grief, and letting go, as a lesbian assassin has to solve a murder on a sentient space ship.
The Dearth of Temptation - Christopher Caldwell - 3/5
Solid piece that really feels like one adventure out of many serialised in a magazine. A powerful shadow mage must save a prince from a murderous goddess. Sadly, none of the characters' motivations really connected with me and at the end, I wasn't sure what to take away from this one.
Your World Against Mine - Adam Sass - 5/5
Hilarious, sharp, and bizarre in all the best ways. A mad king struggles against his younger, sexier clones. Dark fun.
Yesterday's Heroes - Charlie Winter - 3/5
Am ageing Fantasy hero must reconnect with his ex-husband to rescue their disappeared son. This one was nice, but it felt somewhat disjointed. The themes that carried it throughout don't seem to connect to those it ends on.
The Three-Bussy Problem - Ng Yi-Sheng - 4/5
Short, raunchy, yet oddly poignant. A human ark ship comes to be judged by the alien species it encounters based solely on one crewmember's youthful endeavours in amateur porn. Sexual submission taken onto a cosmological level.
Ganymede - Anthony Oliveira - 5/5
Addictive, haunting mecha SF told in a Choose Your Own Adventure style. Choice and regret loom large as one navigates the labyrinthine possibilities of this bleak struggle of queer rebels against a zealous Christian space empire.
May 26, 2025
I'd seen the publisher's stall for this anthology at the dealers' room at the Glasgow Worldcon in 2024, but didn't pick it up on my initial pass, and then came down with plague so had to spend the rest of the con at home. However, I saw them again at the 2025 Eastercon and ended up buying the anthology there.
The book wears its colours proudly in its name and cover art. It's queer, SFF and pulp, and mostly a lot of fun. The stories run the gamut from Conan- or Leiber-esque heroic fantasy, through phallic rocket ships and square-jawed heroes, to noir detectives (sometimes with tentacled maws instead of mouths). Some are outright parody, some gently humorous, and others deadly serious. It's a balanced collection but I preferred the more straight (so to speak) stories over the parodies. Ganymede, closing out the collection, was an interesting choice to do so, I think. It's a choose your own adventure which I found a bit frustrating as it seemed like whatever choice you made ended up with you dying and the world being destroyed. Looking back, I think that's the point, and that you're supposed to read it a different way, but while it's an interesting way to tell a story about someone who can see branching futures, it didn't entirely work for me.
Yesterday's Heroes is a nice take on heroic fantasy, about a Hero, grown old and the choices he made, while The Tutelary, the Assassin and the Healer is a great self-contained character study in what feels like one of Aliette de Bodard's existing universes; and Hazard Pay a very fun fantasy story about a thief being hired to steal from a lich, and the paladins he finds in front of him in the queue.
It's a wide-ranging collection and everyone will find something to enjoy, even if you're as boringly straight and cis as me.
The book wears its colours proudly in its name and cover art. It's queer, SFF and pulp, and mostly a lot of fun. The stories run the gamut from Conan- or Leiber-esque heroic fantasy, through phallic rocket ships and square-jawed heroes, to noir detectives (sometimes with tentacled maws instead of mouths). Some are outright parody, some gently humorous, and others deadly serious. It's a balanced collection but I preferred the more straight (so to speak) stories over the parodies. Ganymede, closing out the collection, was an interesting choice to do so, I think. It's a choose your own adventure which I found a bit frustrating as it seemed like whatever choice you made ended up with you dying and the world being destroyed. Looking back, I think that's the point, and that you're supposed to read it a different way, but while it's an interesting way to tell a story about someone who can see branching futures, it didn't entirely work for me.
Yesterday's Heroes is a nice take on heroic fantasy, about a Hero, grown old and the choices he made, while The Tutelary, the Assassin and the Healer is a great self-contained character study in what feels like one of Aliette de Bodard's existing universes; and Hazard Pay a very fun fantasy story about a thief being hired to steal from a lich, and the paladins he finds in front of him in the queue.
It's a wide-ranging collection and everyone will find something to enjoy, even if you're as boringly straight and cis as me.
April 26, 2026
This was a kickstarter project that I absolutely could not resist. From the AMAZING title, to the concept, to the great cover art. I backed this immediately and am glad that I did!
While of course I have long been familiar with CONCEPT of pulp fiction, I hadn't really read much in any sort of systematic way, so this also kind of doubled as a sort of refresher on the concept. While these all generally fell under fantasy & science fiction portions of the pulp umbrella, there was still an interesting variety of tropes and genres here.
Like any anthology, there were winners and losers here (at least for me, your mileage may vary), but the winners far outweighed the losers. A few of my favorites:
"A Heart of Broken Steel" — my first Rien Gray! (I've been getting recs for them for a while, but hadn't found any of their books in physical form yet) for bezerker vs. steel dragon with a side of gender fuckery
"The Tutelary, the Assassin, and the Healer" by Aliette de Bodard, for a murder mystery on a sentient ship (that made me want to try reading de Bodard's books again after feeling kinda meh about the first one I read)
"The Dearth of Temptation" by Christopher Caldwell for some extremely fae shit
A very worthwhile read and a joy to have on the shelf!
While of course I have long been familiar with CONCEPT of pulp fiction, I hadn't really read much in any sort of systematic way, so this also kind of doubled as a sort of refresher on the concept. While these all generally fell under fantasy & science fiction portions of the pulp umbrella, there was still an interesting variety of tropes and genres here.
Like any anthology, there were winners and losers here (at least for me, your mileage may vary), but the winners far outweighed the losers. A few of my favorites:
"A Heart of Broken Steel" — my first Rien Gray! (I've been getting recs for them for a while, but hadn't found any of their books in physical form yet) for bezerker vs. steel dragon with a side of gender fuckery
"The Tutelary, the Assassin, and the Healer" by Aliette de Bodard, for a murder mystery on a sentient ship (that made me want to try reading de Bodard's books again after feeling kinda meh about the first one I read)
"The Dearth of Temptation" by Christopher Caldwell for some extremely fae shit
A very worthwhile read and a joy to have on the shelf!
December 2, 2024
I helped crowdfund this collection of queer SFF stories, and I was very excited to get my copy! And I'm pretty satisfied with the results: any anthology is a mixed bag, but I liked a lot of these stories, and even the ones that didn't quite reach me, I could see how they might end up as someone's favourite of the lot. Anthony Oliveira's "Ganymede" is a fun, disjointed space-opera take on a choose-your-own-adventure story. Sillier stories like Ng Yi-Sheng's "The Three-Bussy Problem" (about transcendent sexual alien encounter) and Rand Webber's "Plezure" (a himbo dystopia told from the perspective of a Stepford Twink) contrast with more serious science work such as Rien Gray's "A Heart Of Broken Steel" (a short, dour fantasy tale) and John Berkeley's "Dusk and Dawn in the Grand Bazaar" (cheating death in a future-city ruled by different patron gods). The collection is a little lopsided, as the title might imply, with more focus on male sexuality and male writers - perhaps a followup would be more balanced? But what we have here is largely a fun (and occasionally eye-rolling) time.
September 2, 2024
Anthologies can often be hit or miss among the stories simply because the chance of you having the same opinion as the editors on every story is not that high, but I loved every story in I Want That Twink Obliterated! A fantastic range of stories, from comedic to heartwrenching, far flung scifi to historically inspired fantasy, and everything in between. Also Ganymede struck me more than I thought a Choose Your Own Adventure story ever could, but frankly every story in here is just a delight to read. Loved it
October 1, 2024
A romp through pulp fiction with witty takes on twink power and vulnerability.
I Want That Twink Obliterated has a tremendous range of genres, from galactic scifi to noir thrillers.
Influences vary from the Barbie movie to H P Lovecraft. And shining through it all, wit, knowledge of the source material, and anger. I won’t pretend every story landed for me, but a strong diverse anthology cannot promise that. What I can say is it made me laugh, ponder and gasp. It also spans romance to spicy, and leaves me keen to return to my own writing on this topic.
I Want That Twink Obliterated has a tremendous range of genres, from galactic scifi to noir thrillers.
Influences vary from the Barbie movie to H P Lovecraft. And shining through it all, wit, knowledge of the source material, and anger. I won’t pretend every story landed for me, but a strong diverse anthology cannot promise that. What I can say is it made me laugh, ponder and gasp. It also spans romance to spicy, and leaves me keen to return to my own writing on this topic.
November 5, 2024
There were some great stories in this anthology - my favourites being about the escaped prince who clone himself, the ambassador that shows us we are holes, the retired hero going to look for his son, aliette de bodard always hits with her mindships, greek retellings, and twink fun - but there were quite a bit that I didn't finish or were just OK for me. I love the idea of it and I wish the brief was a bit more firm - some of the stories have a twink incidentally only.
December 13, 2024
Wow, what an anthology! By turns lascivious, hilarious, ferocious, heartbreaking and heartfelt, and above all tremendously fun. I had such a great time with IWTTO. Bona Books absolutely hit it out of the park! Personal highlights included “Jenseti, You In Danger, Girl” by the incomparable Brent C. Lambert, “The Dearth of Temptation” by Christopher Caldwell, and “A Heart of Broken Steel” by
Rien Gray. I know I’m not alone in eagerly anticipating Bona Books' next offering!
Rien Gray. I know I’m not alone in eagerly anticipating Bona Books' next offering!
September 25, 2024
Alright, so I'm a little biased on this one, as I have a story in it, but I LOVED this anthology. It's full of re-imagined stories I grew up with from literature, TV, and movies, but turned queer with excellent representation of (mostly) twinks, but also LGBTQ people of all stripes. Plus, it includes a choose-your-own adventure and an one-page RPG! 5/5 obliterated that twink entirely.
February 23, 2025
I gave each of the stories in this collection an individual rating which were very varied, but overall I can't deny reading this was so much fun and it was amazing to see queer perspectives as the norm. Plus I discovered some new queer authors. Standouts include 'Your World Against Mine' by Adam Sass and 'Ganymede' by Anthony Oliveira.
April 16, 2025
I started this book months ago but it's the perfect read to pick up and pause as you need the great stories inside. And the stories really spread the whole emotion spectrum which is what you want in an anthology.
Fuller review to come but if this is on your list, pick it up, and get stuck in. If it's not on your list, get it on your list, then pick it up, and get stuck in.
Fuller review to come but if this is on your list, pick it up, and get stuck in. If it's not on your list, get it on your list, then pick it up, and get stuck in.
March 6, 2026
As with all anthologies this is a mixed bag.
There are definitely stories here that could be a full novel.
Some hit the theme, some less so.
Most of the stories I really enjoyed.
The last “choose your adventure” sort of one was too difficult and disjointed to follow and no path leads you to the correct ending as far as I could see.
There are definitely stories here that could be a full novel.
Some hit the theme, some less so.
Most of the stories I really enjoyed.
The last “choose your adventure” sort of one was too difficult and disjointed to follow and no path leads you to the correct ending as far as I could see.
September 1, 2024
A lovely group of gay pulp sci-fi and fantasy stories. Two stick out in particular - a lovecraftian detective story and a choose-your-own-adventure sci fi tale in lyric verse - but there’s something to delight in each. Well worth it!
November 15, 2024
This queer science fiction anthology was good in parts but overall not really to my taste. There were some amusing stories, some good writing but it just didn't work for me. Some good authors in the pages of the book, award-winning, and worth a look if you want something silly and humorous!
January 16, 2025
extremily camp, extremily poor taste, i loved it - and genuinely their were only a couple of stories that I felt were of varying quality! Would reccommend to anyone who likes scifi, camp, tentacles, or all three
November 9, 2025
An unexpected and great read - with so many authors, it's massively varied and thus I enjoyed some stories much more than others, but definitely worth the time to read them all and a great addition to the bookshelf
September 2, 2024
Great anthology! This is a great throwback to pulpy sci fi stories, but with a different bent.
There's a great mix of stories, from the serious to the humorous.
There's a great mix of stories, from the serious to the humorous.
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