I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Queer As Folklore walks the reader through various areas of popular folklore and mythology, connecting similar tales from cultures across the globe and pointing out their similarities and the ways in which queer people relate. I appreciated how Coward drew on a broad range of cultures, rather than focusing on the most commonly known folklore, and quoted or referenced members of those cultures on their stories.
Unfortunately, I often felt like the connection to queer culture was a bit of a reach. While some folklore figures such as fairies and unicorns do have an undeniable link to queer iconography, I sometimes felt like the discussions of the creatures and queer culture were unrelated, or only very distantly related.
Additionally, at times the writing felt quite dense. This may have been partly because I didn't see the connection between topics, but I felt like I really had to focus to take in what Coward was saying. I did enjoy the way he wrote, but it required me to pay attention.

Real Rating 4.5* of five

onster" tales, isn't it. I mean, the rise of vampire fiction as AIDS bit gay men hard is a tough sell as coincidence. Back a way we have Dr. Frankenstein building his perfect man, who then gets all freaked out because he isn't just like the other boys; we have the enduring folktale of Beauty and the Beast, as queer a metaphor as you can find; we have the Greek gods taking outlandishly unlikely forms to get off with humans.

And that's just the Western world.

In modern times there are the just barely clothed superheroes in comic-book or filmed form, flaunting their junk in our faces at $25 a ticket or graphic novel (aka comic book) with oblivious or deeply in denial boys of all ages perving on their favorite characters' amazing prowess without seeming to have a single introspective neuron firing. These hypermasculine avatars of (mostly) toxic masculinity go around destroying things with their unstoppable powers; what better way for these theater-loads of bottoms to get their desperate need to be dominated, wrecked, brutalized met safely and without admitting to themselves their need is deeply, deeply sexual? Likewise the astonishing-to-me rise of RuPaul and drag as mass entertainment...male parodies of femininity enacted for the audience's titillated amusement. There is no filmed entertainment of any sort that doesn't rely on the universal human lust for voyeurism. If I'm at all honest, that applies to literature and reading as well.

Those sour reflections out of the way, let's talk about the *fun* of it all.

The author's done a creditable job of assembling fun examples of myths and folktales that present queerness in a framework of plausible deniability, as has ever been the case. We've always been here...just have to listen to the quiet parts in between the blaring trumpets of heteronormativity. Only in recent times have we been able to say the quiet parts out loud, and it makes the control freaks and haters absolutely wild with fury that anyone could not want to be exactly like them.

Hm. I seem not to have left the sourness behind after all. Well, take the rough with the smooth, laddies and gentlewomen. I listen to unreflective heteronormativity all day every day. Listen to how it feels to be consciously aware of the receiving end of a microaggression for a change. It's never been what you meant, it's always been what the audience hears.

The audience for this survey course in queer identity is in for a treat in terms of the author's clear desire to bring us history burnished to a mellow, shadow-melting glow of inclusion. The care with which he draws lines between what modern people mean by queerness, and the often very different understandings of gender and sexuality people held in earlier times, is both commendable and clarifying. It enables us to respond honestly from within our framework to stories coming from a different framework. It's often done anecdotally, using reports of experience, so data-driven readers might not like this narrative choice. We're in the unabahedly popular arena in this book. Applying academic rigor to the way the author informs us of the existence and the resonances of queer icons in our (Western) cultural history is unwarranted.

Breadth and anecdotality (I think I just invented that word) are both strengths and weaknesses. As always. No tool cannot also function as a weapon. I did wonder at times where the heck Author Coward found his examples of modern peoples' resonances with the stories we inherited from the foreparents. At times this is my favorite thing about the read; at others, it feels...grafted on, placed too carefully to feel entirely natural.

I am mostly unhappy, to the extent I actually am, with the absence of world cultures' representation. I understand this isn't sold or described as about world cultures, but tell me in the subtitle..."The Hidden Queer History of <B>Western</B> Myths and Monsters, f/ex...that I'm not getting this broader focus. I promise I'd still buy and read it. So now you know where that last half-star went.

Still a good read, still a great gift, still something I want people to know is available for their amusement and edification.

A nice overview of the queer parts of folklore in an entertaining, breezy style. This should inspire a rethinking of some assumptions about the straightness of culture throughout history. Folklore is a broad topic, so you will likely want to do some further reading if you chance upon a subject that particularly interests you. Such a book could never cover everything.

What a delight! Sacha Coward's book explores so many incredible aspects of literature and mythology and explores them through a clear lens. Not enough people take the opportunity to learn about queer theory, and the author makes it accessible to any reader who wants to explore more about queer mythology and ancient lit. This book is poignant and educational, but also funny and entertaining above all.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Really interesting, covering a broad range of topics. Learned a lot here about the origins of specific folklore and how they intertwine with queer identities throughout history. Would definitely purchase a physical copy in the future as it’s a good one to dip in and out of for reference.

Thank you to NetGalley for this free e-arc in exchange for an honest review

This is such a cool concept for a book. Myth and folklore reflect ancient thoughts and people while this brings them to the present. It sheds a light on lesser known folklore in an engaging way while highlighting queer characters. It was enjoyable to read and I would highly recommend.

I love queer folklore and history but surprisingly had a difficult time working through this book. Theres an overload of information that left me feeling like I was slogging through it. The auther also added alot of opinions and personal interpretations that werent what I was looking for in a book like this. This book could have been shorter and more concise to hold the readers attention better, there were several chapters that were a stretch to call folklore and could have been edited out

Truly a solid and engaging look at folklore and how it appeals to modern queer people, what queerness exists in it in the past, and other ways that queerness and folklore are connected.

This is a positive review -- I liked it quite a bit and found it easy to read and engaging! It was a great starter with lots of places for interested parties to dig in and research more on their own time. I'm going to mention a few things below I had quibbles with, but even though the meat of this review focuses on them, the actual times they appeared or troubled me are minimal. It's just that since this is an academic text I felt like I should mention them:

- There are a few places where a connection tends to lean on a might/may phrasing: "x might be related to y" or "a may have given rise to b". Generally, these moments are given without sources and don't go more in depth, so I can't tell whether he's theorizing this based on evidence (ie, existing arguments, connections he saw) or if it's just his opinion it could have happened that way. There are endnotes, but they're fairly sparse and usually not in these sections. If there were more throughout, or if he were clearer on what his own theories were specifically, I think I'd have more of a solid basis on where he's getting those parts from.

- As someone who's done a bit of reading into it, I found the section on demonology to be a bit lacking -- it skipped from medieval to 19th century and thus the entire of renaissance demonology, which was its own beast, which is a shame bc some of the texts I've read on it had really interesting queer anecdotes in them (there's explicitly one with a young man being followed around by a demon in love with him who is taking on all the forms of the things he wants to be to the boy, like teacher and mentor and friend etc).

- The jack the ripper section feels a bit in bad taste; other than being an unsolved mystery that has seized public consciousness there's very little of "folklore" in it, and it seems like a second thing of interest to the author (that of how queerness and queer witch hunts lead us to view more killers as queer or 'deviant' and/or provides more focus on those queer people who have killed than the many straight ones) that just was inserted in because he wanted to talk about it. And I get that! It's just that it's a real life unsolved set of murders, and although I suppose there's some supernatural theories about it, it feels a bit odd to include.

- Likewise, I felt kind of odd about part 4's modern/expanded section. On the one hand, I think you can do a whole book about modern literary trends (and include movies and superhero comics in them) and how they relate to historical queerness, but again, I'm not sure it feels in the right place for folklore, because so many of the things talked about are explicitly fiction. I'm an author. I would feel SUPER weird if my books were brought up as 'folklore' even if I am doing the thing Coward talks about here: using the folklore of the past as a basis for queerness in modern writing. I think Coward is viewing these present day fictions as folklore elements in that they're expressions of popular culture, and certainly folklore doesn't need to be 'old', but I would have preferred a look at something more focused in popular lore (ie urban legends) than something that is manually constructed by individuals to fit a genre. Something like urban legends, analog horror, etc, are designed to be a shared identity across a social group where any member can adapt or change it, but 2001: A Space Odyssey is a copywritten work that was developed by a crew and presented to represent an individual vision. Ultimately I'd love to have had the earlier sections expanded with more examples and wider time periods explored and have this one a little more focused, and then get a second book from Coward about these modern cultural queer icons and their influences, but obviously I wasn't the one writing the book!

Again, these are all the things I feel worth commenting on because everything else I was just nodding along with. A fun, easy read, written in an approachable way and quite knowledgeable. I'd definitely read more by Sacha Coward!

Thank you to NetGalley and Unbound for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

What a fun and enlightening book this was. As someone who realized they are queer and came out in their thirties, I am always looking for resources that help deconstruct the heteronormative upbringing I had, and what better than the queer history of folklore and mythology?

This was exceptional. I love a book that’s like a whole spothdcary of gorgeous stories. If you love folklore, fairytales and gorgeous writing, this is for you! Yay for more queer-ness to these things too! Cause the queer folk have been around for ever, so we deserve stories too!

This is an exceptional read. I wasn't quite sure what to expect – what I got was a wide-ranging, impeccably written cabinet of curiosities. A must-read if you like folklore, fairytales, history – particularly examined from a queer lens, but will appeal to everyone who loves to discover new connections and under-explored stories. I learned so much! Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

As a creature-obsessed queer person, this book was ripe for my enjoyment. And don't get me wrong, I did enjoy it! The first through third sections of the book were very enjoyable to me and I loved the combination of folklore, historical figures, and anecdotes (all clearly well-researched) into these nice digestible chapters.

The fourth and fifth sections got a little muddy for me. The stretch of considering some of these things folklore was a little too much for me (superheroes? in a folklore book? no thanks). I seriously lost steam after section three, and the rest of the book felt like somewhat of a trudge to get through.

Overall, the book was lovely, and I think a lot of folks will really adore it.

I do recommend this if the premise interests you! I liked this author’s voice for nonfiction, I found it engaging. Some chapters held my attention more than others, but I found all of them to be insightful in their own right. (Also giving kudo’s for reasonable chapter length.)

As someone who is very much not a non-fic reader, I'm not going to lie and say that I had an easy time reading this - but that is wholly a reflection on my own reading habits and the fact that I'm not used to stretching my Critical Thinking muscles while I'm reading.
Queer as Folklore takes a very interesting approach to looking at the queer undercurrents to many different types of folklore and mythology, and I appreciated how thoughtful and considerate many of the discussions were. This would be an excellent resource for anyone looking to add to their own research about queer figures in folklore, or use as a branching-off point for a deeper analysis of any of the areas of folklore discussed in this book.

"Queer as Folklore" has potential but only skates by. The collection is incredibly informative but lacks a sense of break in the slog of information given. It's very informative and I learned a lot but there's just a constant stream of information coming through and nothing that gives us pause, whether it be with illustrations, charts, etc.

My other small issue is that the author takes some liberties in the metaphor behind certain folk creatures and myths. Certain sections lack any educational or academic sources and the author takes certain liberties in how it can be interpreted. This sits firmly in the middle of and opinion bases and scholarly based read.

Overall it's a perfectly fine book that will intrigue many and can offer some cool perspectives and new information on a long tradition in queer culture.

This was certainly an interesting account of queerness and fiction throughout history. Split into sections based on the type of so-called ‘monster’, Queer As Folklore covers a lot of ground. The weaker sections were more anecdotal, and some a little basic if you have any prior knowledge of Greek mythology at all (as that era is probably the most extensively covered), but some parts like the alien/extraterrestrial one were truly wild and completely new to me. The superhero chapter could have done with a little more superhero and a little less Greek myth (though I do love Achilles and Patroclus). There was more on modern media than I was expecting, though personally that is not an issue.

Well written and organised, full of references and images. Coward is clearly knowledgable and dedicated to the topic. The final chapter is possibly more interesting than the recounting of the history and myths, as it posits five possibilities for why it could be argued that queer people are intrinsically linked to such things. Generally, could have done without the jkr/harry potter mentions though.

Queer as Folklore by Sacha Coward was such an enlightening read! I’d give it a solid 4 stars. The book dives into how LGBTQ+ identities have always existed in folklore, using myths and legends to explore queerness throughout history. One of the standout stories for me was the Greek tale of Achilles and Patroclus, reimagined as a deep, romantic relationship. I loved how Coward brought nuance and humanity to their bond, revealing queer history that often gets erased.

While a few sections felt a bit repetitive, the overall experience was eye-opening and full of charm. If you’re into folklore and queer history, this is a must-read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Unbound for the ARC.

I found this really well researched and open to the possibilities within the folklore discussed. It does so with respect to the sources, an understanding that how we describe our identities now may not be the exact words they would use in the past, and that not all of it is good representation to modern standards. It does largely focus on Western folklore because that is the writer's background, and out of respect for cultures he doesn't belong to. He mentions other cultures, but doesn't go in-depth like he does with Greek, British, Nordic, and Celtic folklore. I get being respectful, but I also feel like LGBTQIA people from other cultures want to see their identities represented in the conversation, too.

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This book was so much fun while being so informative. I'm always looking for a book full of whimsy, and bonus points if it can feature queerness. This book was sassy and engaging, and highly recommend for anyone who loves folklore.

thanks to netgalley for providing me with an e-arc of queer as folklore!

if you have any interest in how queerness and legend/mythical creatures/folklore intersect, you should pick this one up. it is part story, part analysis, but it is incredibly easy to read and does not come across as overwritten as i can sometimes find nonfiction to be.