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 it. Like, I would read a page and say, "What just happened?" on every page. It made me feel dumb.
If you want actual novels with literary value, you cannot go wrong with E.M. Forster's Maurice, though. Which you may already know. I believe he couldn't publish it during his lifetime because it had a happy ending, which is really amazing given when he wrote it and all.
(Oh, and if you want an... interesting AU modern-day retelling of the Trojan War where Achilles' son Pyrrhus is a gay stripper/prostitute, the recommendation here is Mark Merlis' An Arrow's Flight. It's not a romance, but it's definitely written by a gay man, and one of the many fun things about it is that it assumes that you the reader are a gay man too -- it talks about what you would do, if you were there at the strip club, etc etc. I just thought I'd mention, since you seem to be interested in how the writer's orientation/gender affects the tone. Plus, it's generally really awesome. Though it's not the same kind of book as the ones you're looking for.)
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*
I'm not desperately after any particular genre/type of book, to be honest - but I was interested in the way that m/m books are defined... I know, the debates are long and old and never-ending... *g*
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 it. Like, I would read a page and say, "What just happened?" on every page. It made me feel dumb.
If you want actual novels with literary value, you cannot go wrong with E.M. Forster's Maurice, though. Which you may already know. I believe he couldn't publish it during his lifetime because it had a happy ending, which is really amazing given when he wrote it and all.
(Oh, and if you want an... interesting AU modern-day retelling of the Trojan War where Achilles' son Pyrrhus is a gay stripper/prostitute, the recommendation here is Mark Merlis' An Arrow's Flight. It's not a romance, but it's definitely written by a gay man, and one of the many fun things about it is that it assumes that you the reader are a gay man too -- it talks about what you would do, if you were there at the strip club, etc etc. I just thought I'd mention, since you seem to be interested in how the writer's orientation/gender affects the tone. Plus, it's generally really awesome. Though it's not the same kind of book as the ones you're looking for.)
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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*
I'm not desperately after any particular genre/type of book, to be honest - but I was interested in the way that m/m books are defined... I know, the debates are long and old and never-ending... *g*
Reply
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