Yesterday, I mentioned that there is so much queer fic right now that it’s absolutely overwhelming – in a good way. So today I wanted to tell you about a fun novella I just read. And when I do, you are free to laugh at me. ^_^

Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey tells the story of runaway Esther. Set in a post apocalyptic Southwestern United States, where machinery and communications still exists, but on a limited basis, and life looks awfully a lot like it did in the 19th century, Esther runs away from her overbearing father, when he has her best friend and lover hung for the crime of possessing Unapproved Materials.

Esther runs from Beatrice’s corpse to find the Librarians, the women who travel from town to town distributing Approved Materials. The advertisement says “Upright Women Wanted” and Esther wants desperately to leave the woman-loving-woman she is behind. Maybe the Librarians can help her.

Only, when Esther is found by the Librarians, it turns out that they aren’t at all what they seem! Subversive, sapphic, gender non-conforming, with no fucks to give, but plenty of Unapproved Materials in their pouches, they travel the land sowing discord and resistance to The State.

Yes, this is a book about queer librarians. On horseback. Who fuck asshole men up. So, naturally, I really enjoyed it. ^_^

Being a novella , this is a quick read, and a pretty fun one. I wasn’t invested enough to ever really worry about anyone specific, but Esther’s eventual love interest, nonbinary Cye, the Head Librarian and her lover, Bet and Leda, and the women they “deliver” to freedom, are all people I want out there on the open road, making sure young folks get the queer fiction they need to thrive.

If the future looks like it does in this novel, I will volunteer myself to this cause. I’m a librarian too, after all. ^_^

Ratings:

Story – 9
Characters – 9
LGBTQ – 10

Overall – 9

Apropos of nothing this is the third book I have read recently (including the one I’m reading now) that features someone named Esther.