We've got a lot of m/m recs around the house; if you want to give Erastes (whose pen name I still really enjoy -- she says, while writing a Roman AU), I know lysimache had another one by her that she really liked -- I can ask her when she gets home. She pretty much only reads the historicals.
My top pick, so far, is the Raised By Wolves series by W.A. Hoffman, or at least the first book -- she's up to the third now, and it's getting a little silly. But it's got gay pirates and the first one was great.
(I wasn't sure the author was a woman, but then Jen got me another gay pirate novel for my birthday, written by a man, and, um, there are distinct differences, like the part where women writers generally do not describe all characters by letting you know their penis size, in my experience.)
Oh I'd love to know titles, if it's not too much of a pain! Gay pirates sound great too, so I shall look up Hoffman. Do you know title and author of the male-written gay pirate fic?!
I've got to admit that in Pros fic I've read there's often a fair amount of (generally complimentary) description of penis size... My favourite is in one of Lizzie's Birdwatcher's series, which I adore, where Bodie's is described as like a plump, ripe tomato... *vbg*
The male-written pirate book -- which, seriously I do not recommend; I couldn't even finish it -- is The Buccaneer by M.S. Hunter. In addition to describing pretty much everyone by penis size (there are characters such as "Long Jimmy"), it's got a fair amount of "look how exotic and wonderful black men are! how large their penises are!" going on, that I don't think the author even realized he was doing, and it was really kind of sickeningly objectifying and I couldn't keep reading.
Hoffman's series reads much more like slash. Bisexual duelist sent to the New World for killing one too many people in a duel meets mad French buccaneer, they fall in love and go pirating together. Although by the third book, it's gotten a little strange now, but it's still a decent read.
I just asked lysimache, and she recs the Hoffman as the best of all the m/m romances she's read. I think she's read the Pearson and the other Erastes one, and we have a couple that I strongly suspect are Horatio Hornblower fic with the serial numbers filed off (Lee Rowan's Winds of Change and Ransom, I think the names were), because those I did read.
Oh, you have read Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Catch Trap, right? Gay acrobats in love in the 40s and 50s! With angst! And angst! And the evil uncaring society! And cuddling! I love it to pieces! (Yes, now we can all be shocked that Harlequin Airs was what got me reading Pros.)
I guess there's also Mary Renault, if you want to go that route -- I get the impression her Greek stuff is occasionally m/m (not that I've read the ones about Alexander, which would be the gayest). A lot of people really like The Charioteer, which is set after world war, uh, something (one, maybe?), but I will confess I had no idea what was going on in
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Sorry for the delay - I got all behind, yesterday!
I've so not heard of the MZB book - eeeeeh! Sounds excellent, cos I adore Harlequin Airs to death! Although, thinking about it, I rather suspect EW may have mentioned The CatchTrap in her author notes, and I've just forgotten... hmmn! In any case, shall definitely add that to my list!
I've read The Charioteer and liked it, and I rather think Maurice is in a pile somewhere waiting to be read (except I think it's buried in a box in storage).
I just thought I'd mention, since you seem to be interested in how the writer's orientation/gender affects the tone. I am, so thanks for that rec! So many things do affect tone, and I've seen various accusations that m/m written by women is inauthentic (and encroaching and etc etc) and that women write more soppily than men, and so on... but finding comparable fic written by people you're sure are the gender they're claiming to be is... hard! *g
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My top pick, so far, is the Raised By Wolves series by W.A. Hoffman, or at least the first book -- she's up to the third now, and it's getting a little silly. But it's got gay pirates and the first one was great.
(I wasn't sure the author was a woman, but then Jen got me another gay pirate novel for my birthday, written by a man, and, um, there are distinct differences, like the part where women writers generally do not describe all characters by letting you know their penis size, in my experience.)
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I've got to admit that in Pros fic I've read there's often a fair amount of (generally complimentary) description of penis size... My favourite is in one of Lizzie's Birdwatcher's series, which I adore, where Bodie's is described as like a plump, ripe tomato... *vbg*
Reply
The male-written pirate book -- which, seriously I do not recommend; I couldn't even finish it -- is The Buccaneer by M.S. Hunter. In addition to describing pretty much everyone by penis size (there are characters such as "Long Jimmy"), it's got a fair amount of "look how exotic and wonderful black men are! how large their penises are!" going on, that I don't think the author even realized he was doing, and it was really kind of sickeningly objectifying and I couldn't keep reading.
Hoffman's series reads much more like slash. Bisexual duelist sent to the New World for killing one too many people in a duel meets mad French buccaneer, they fall in love and go pirating together. Although by the third book, it's gotten a little strange now, but it's still a decent read.
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Shall keep my eyes out for the Hoffman series though - cheers! *g*
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Oh, you have read Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Catch Trap, right? Gay acrobats in love in the 40s and 50s! With angst! And angst! And the evil uncaring society! And cuddling! I love it to pieces! (Yes, now we can all be shocked that Harlequin Airs was what got me reading Pros.)
(Also, assuming you've tried Lynn Flewelling's Nightrunner series...)
I guess there's also Mary Renault, if you want to go that route -- I get the impression her Greek stuff is occasionally m/m (not that I've read the ones about Alexander, which would be the gayest). A lot of people really like The Charioteer, which is set after world war, uh, something (one, maybe?), but I will confess I had no idea what was going on in ( ... )
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I've so not heard of the MZB book - eeeeeh! Sounds excellent, cos I adore Harlequin Airs to death! Although, thinking about it, I rather suspect EW may have mentioned The CatchTrap in her author notes, and I've just forgotten... hmmn! In any case, shall definitely add that to my list!
I've read The Charioteer and liked it, and I rather think Maurice is in a pile somewhere waiting to be read (except I think it's buried in a box in storage).
I just thought I'd mention, since you seem to be interested in how the writer's orientation/gender affects the tone.
I am, so thanks for that rec! So many things do affect tone, and I've seen various accusations that m/m written by women is inauthentic (and encroaching and etc etc) and that women write more soppily than men, and so on... but finding comparable fic written by people you're sure are the gender they're claiming to be is... hard! *g ( ... )
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