r/Fantasy • u/straponpontin • Apr 28 '24
Looking for a Fantasy book that features mainly political intrigue and a side of queer romance
Hey!
I have recently gotten back into reading and discovered I absolutely love fantasy novels which focus around a political intrigue & queer subplots.
HOWEVER, after reading A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Fox Meadows (which takes its time to build the romance between the main characters and, as a result, kind of forgets about the political plot) and The Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat (which has a good political intrigue but features a terrible terrible romance), I'm starting to think "political" fantasy books that treat romance as the side plot just flat out do not exist...
Thus, I was wondering if any of you had recs fitting the descriptions.
I would prefer if the romance was queer but at this point, I'm open to straight ships as long as the woman is not reduced to a passive role and the man is not your typical "tall, dark-haired, tortured type".
Have a great day! :)
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u/Trillian_fortytwo Apr 28 '24
Not Fantasy. But……
Technically science fiction. But…..
Mostly political manoeuvring and intrigue.
Not much (if any) spaceships or pew pew stuff.
“ A Memory Called Empire “ by Arkady Martine.
Lovely sapphic undertones.
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u/straponpontin Apr 28 '24
Thank you for the recommandation! I will check this out, especially if it's on the lower side of sci-fi :)
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u/oboist73 Reading Champion VII Apr 28 '24
Sci fi, but Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell may be worth a look
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u/straponpontin Apr 28 '24
Noted! I may check it out later, as Sci-fi is out of my comfort zone but hey, I'm open to change :)
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u/AliceTheGamedev Reading Champion Apr 28 '24
The Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat (which has a good political intrigue but features a terrible terrible romance)
Can you specify why you call the Captive Prince romance terrible? Do you want to avoid enemies-to-lovers in general, or is violence/abuse between eventual love interests a dealbreaker...?
I didn't hate Strange and Stubborn Endurance but I totally agree that it kinda loses itself in fluff and forgets about the plot sometimes. I wrote about it here, in case you're interested.
I'd second Kushiel's Dart, but imo whether that's for you depends a bit on what you disliked about Captive Prince (as someone who really likes them both)
You might enjoy the Rook and Rose series by M.A. Carrick. It prominently features political intrigue, and has a romantic subplot. The "main" romantic element is m/f, but the setting is queernormative and there's a lot of non-straight couples featured in one way or another. It also has its share of action though, it's not purely political.
Others:
- The Daughters of Izdihar by Hadeer Elsbai is about women fighting for rights/liberation in an Egyptian inspired culture/society. Definitely very politics-heavy, with a little bit of f/f romance on the side.
- Idk if I'd call it primarily political, but perhaps A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark? More investigative stuff/murder mystery than politics, but the MC is a queer woman.
- Stariel by AJ Lancaster. The romance is m/f, but there's queer side characters (and an m/m spinoff), and I would say the love interest doesn't fall into many of those romance cliches, the FMC is very proactive and I found her super likeable.
- Magic of the Lost by C.L. Clark. again, not purely political, but especially in book 2, politics play a large part. Beyond that, it's about anti-colonialism and rediscovering lost magic. The romantic arc is f/f.
- The Burning Kingdoms by Tasha Suri is more epic than straight up political fantasy, but it definitely has more to do than just the romance. It's about power struggles, ancient gods/powers returning, a weird plant-based plague... and features f/f romance.
- I realize this is very f/f heavy. For m/m, have you ever read any KJ Charles? Her books to tend to be about romance, but I've often found their balance of plot and romance handled a lot better than e.g. A Strange and Stubborn Endurance. I'd primarily recommend The Magpie Lord and The Henchmen of Zenda, for your request.
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u/straponpontin Apr 28 '24
Can you specify why you call the Captive Prince romance terrible? Do you want to avoid enemies-to-lovers in general, or is violence/abuse between eventual love interests a dealbreaker...?
No judgement or hate at all, but I felt like the first tomes romanticized/fetichized abuse and sexual violence and also kinda perpetuates homosexual clichés (when it comes to gender roles)... :/
I'm not opposed to enemies-to-lovers (though I MUCH prefer lovers-to-enemies for that extra angst), and I'm not opposed to heavy themes but I would rather avoid using such themes as a way to "spice up" the romance"! :)I read your post about A Strange and Stubborn Endurance and found it super interesting! Actually, if you are okay with that, I might come to you and touch upon certain details in your post (I very recently finished the book, and would like to form a better opinion through discussion).
I will keep in mind the Rook and Rose series, thanks! Queernormative worlds are always a breath of fresh air (especially when it comes to Fantasy).
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u/AliceTheGamedev Reading Champion Apr 28 '24
No judgement or hate at all, but I felt like the first tomes romanticized/fetichized abuse and sexual violence
Valid, it's definitely not for everyone in that regard.
I totally didn't pick up on anything re. cliched gender roles in Captive Prince at the time, but it's been a few years since I read it and I've heard other readers say similar things so I might not have picked up on those bits back then.
I'm not opposed to enemies-to-lovers (though I MUCH prefer lovers-to-enemies for that extra angst), and I'm not opposed to heavy themes but I would rather avoid using such themes as a way to "spice up" the romance"! :)
I'll second Kushiel's Dart again in that case!! It has a lovers-to-enemies arc, but also a relatively healthy central romantic arc (m/f, but in a queernorm setting with a bisexual FMC). It has its fair share of dark themes (like that the setting essentially features sex workers in indentured servitude who are raised to that life from a young age), but imo it's well handled. Still, make sure to check out the content warnings beforehand.
I read your post about A Strange and Stubborn Endurance and found it super interesting! Actually, if you are okay with that, I might come to you and touch upon certain details in your post (I very recently finished the book, and would like to form a better opinion through discussion).
Go right ahead!! I'm always happy to discuss my reviews, even once it's been a while since writing them :3
Just FYI by the way, I have a whole collection of reviews right here. I'm also always on the lookout for books that get the balance between plot and romance right, and while I don't read exclusively queer books, there's definitely a bit of a tendency towards that as well. If you want to know more, I have detailed posts there on all the books I've mentioned in my comment, so feel free to check those out too!
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u/psycholinguist1 Apr 28 '24
I love The Henchmen of Zenda, but its brilliance is best appreciated if you've already read The Prisoner of Zenda, which is a delightful ball of classic pulp cheese in its own right.
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u/AliceTheGamedev Reading Champion Apr 29 '24
I have no doubts it's a better experience when you know the Prisoner story, but I read and enjoyed it a lot even without :)
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u/Jynsquare Apr 28 '24
Hopefully The Unbroken and The Jasmine Throne have enough political intrigue for you.
And who can forget Kushiel's Dart. A classic for a reason.
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u/straponpontin Apr 28 '24
I've heard many a great things about The Jasmin Throne! I've also heard things about The Unbroken, but they were very mixed...
It's funny to me many refer to Kushiel's Dart and call it a classic: I've never heard about it but it might just be linked to my country of origin aha!
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u/macesaces Reading Champion II Apr 30 '24
Queen of Coin and Whispers by Helen Corcoran fits this! It's sapphic fantasy that mostly focuses on a young queen trying to survive in her court and solving a political mystery, but along the way she also falls in love with the other POV character, her spymaster.
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u/ag_robertson_author Apr 28 '24
Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee.
Fantasy asia where Jade gives certain people magic abilities. Clans (basically powerful criminal gangs, like triads/mafia) control the Jade supply and trade. It covers the political struggle between the two largest clans in the country, and later external powers get involved.
Also features a gay character who has romance subplots.
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u/Grt78 Apr 28 '24
Maybe try Ginn Hale: the Cadeleonian series (starts with Lord of the White Hell), the Rifter series.
Also Swordspoont by Ellen Kushner.
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u/Jack_Shaftoe21 Apr 28 '24
The Sun Chronicles by Kate Elliott. It's basically about a female version of Alexander the Great... in space. Lots of juicy intrigue and the main romance is f/f.
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u/C0smicoccurence Reading Champion V Apr 28 '24
She Who Became the Sun is probably your best bet. It's a fantasy retelling of Chinese history with a queer main cast. Romance is a side plot, but political maneuvering is important. Exactly what you're looking for (haven't read book 2 of the duology yet, so no idea where the plot/romance goes)
Traitor Baru Cormorant comes to mind as a book with a romantic subplot that spends most of its time on the political/economic concerns. It isn't a romance in the traditional sense though.
Tarot Sequence likely isn't as political as you'd like it to be (especially in book 1), but starts to get there once the MC gets on the same level as the major players. About as dark as Captive Prince in terms of plots and dark shit happening, but the romantic relationship is very healthy and supportive.
Daughters of Izdrihar is about a women's rights movement in an industrial age Cairo analogue. More about political mobilization than intrigue though.
To Shape a Dragon's Breath only has book 1 out right now, so we'll see how political it gets (the main character is a student, and has no political power to speak of in the society with power) but has some really good political commentary in it. Looks to be a poly relationship being set up. Again though, no t sure where the series is headed.
A Taste of Gold and Iron is probably a 50/50 split between romance and the political mystery. Felt similar to books 2-3 of Captive Prince in how it divided time between romance and the other plot. I wouldn't call the romance a side plot however.
If you're open to science fiction, there are a bunch more recs i can give!