I love myths, legends and folklore (and I'm queer) so this book was perfect for me.

The author describes and analyzes popular characters from broadly understood folklore through queer lenses. We go from mermaids through werewolves to even superheroes. For each character we have an introduction, history, mentions of pop culture and connections with queer people today and in the past. Sacha Coward clearly did a lot of research, the chapters are filled with interesting information and great study on queer history. I appreciate how in some chapters (like pirates or Ancient Greece) some facts about relationships between men were not sugarcoated.

Some chapters could use a little more information on poc myths, but the author warned that the book will be Eurocentric.
I would love to see another part of this book, there's a lot of potential here for a series.

A book of queer history, not just folklore. There are so many aspects of the LGBTQ+ community that are discovered by people all the time, and Queer as Folklore embraces this not just in teaching the theoretical, but also the history and the present of queer people.

I've not technically read this in its entirely yet, but given I've bought my own copy so I can read it at a more casual pace, I feel I can give it 5*!

MY only real complaint is that I want more depth for each chapter, but I suspect that'd make each chapter its own book, so I do understand the brevity

I received an advance copy for free from NetGalley, on the expectation that I would provide an honest review.

This was a very enjoyable addition to queer history. Coward delves into the intersections of queerness and folklore, finding some obvious connections and some less obvious ones. He includes both ancient and modern folklore, moving from mermaids and demons to superheroes. This is thoroughly researched and well-written. Very good book.

This was such a fun surprise of a book! I have a degree in folklore and mythology, so to read Coward's retellings of famous tales and connecting them to queer history was amazing. Coward does such a great job of breaking down the history, and his reasoning behind the connections that he makes. It was even delightful to read the sections about why we might connect to certain mythologies and see parts of myself reflected back.

I find myself info-dumping things that I learned from this story to the people around me, and I cannot wait to gift them copies of this book!

A wonderful book! I loved the way the author writes and the images and history tied into this book. A fantastic read for anyone interested in folklore or queerness. A great read.

This book has really open my eyes to so many LGBTQ+ things embedded in the stories we thought we knew.
There were definitely some chapters that went over my head, but when I understood and had a recollection of the myths in question I was really invested. It makes you see the world in a different way.
Really recommend!

"Even among less overtly anti-LGBT fans, you can still come upon a certain level of background hostility against the introduction of LGBTQ+ characters...this is often described using such language as 'shoehorning', being 'unnecessary', or 'pandering' to a perceived liberal agenda."

This quote from Queer as Folklore really stuck out to me because, as a fantasy and comic reader, I've seen plenty of reviews where people have Opinions about queer characters. Queer as Folklore dives deep into the past to show that, far from being a recent phenomenon of "woke" culture, queer characters have been a part of folklore, myths, legends, and art for literally thousands of years. By using examples throughout history (Gilgamesh, The Little Mermaid, Zeus, Wonder Woman) Coward paints a picture of the myriad ways that LGBTQ+ characters have impacted the social landscape and provided representation for people who exist outside of societal stereotypes. Although some of the examples were a bit of a stretch (looking at you, sections on robots and AI), I found the book as a whole to be informative and well-researched.

Queer as Folklore is the book I wish I had when I did my folklore and oral traditions module two years ago in university. It is informative, diverse and recognises colonial impact on oral tradition. This is not a read you can whip through: you need to sit with it, be patient and allow the stories to be told.

A guide through various folklore with wider context and history than is easily found otherwise!

I really enjoyed this book, easy to read and seemed well thought out.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. These opinion are completely my own.

For some reason I was expecting this to be a humor book. I'm so glad it wasn't

I have learned so much about the history of mythological creatures and their relation to queer culture. This book is fascinating and Sasha Coward goes extremely in depth, yet manages to stay interesting.

although I did get to review this book for free, I shall be buying it for my home library.

From pirates to Greek mythology to medieval tales and everything in between; this has a little something for absolutely everyone. What a vast array of topics Sacha Coward has covered with stunning writing! A truly impressive feat to discuss such huge topics without the reader ever feeling rushed or crammed in. This was a really interesting collection of some very dark stories and the accepted and disputed parallels experienced by LGBTQIA+ people.

I loved slowly working my way through this anthology and found it to be incredibly affirming; the inclusion of the phrase “people like us” when discussing the community is so simple yet truly impactful.

I would highly recommend this to lovers of mythology, folklore and all things wonderfully queer!

Curator, guide and historian Sacha Coward is a well known and loved social media presence. Here he brings his wealth of knowledge and research to the subject of just how queer much of folklore and mythology is. And it's a beautiful book packed with accessibly written knowledge and stunning illustrations. I've instantly ordered a hard copy. It's a beautiful book and Sacha's personality shines through. I like the glimpses he gives of his own life and how relatable his writing is.

'Queer as Folklore' takes readers on a journey through the hidden queer history woven into the fabric of our most beloved myths and monsters. Challenging heteronormative narratives that have long dominated these timeless tales, Coward shines a spotlight on the LGBTQ+ identities and experiences that have been obscured throughout history..

I really enjoyed this anthology of Queer folklore stories! As a college student majoring in cultural studies, I love folklore and history and culture in all forms, and as a queer person I love Queer history, so this was a perfect read for me. I would highly recommend for anyone interested in Queer folklore/stories. It was well organized and well written, definitely easy to follow and a great read to take either chapter by chapter or in one go!

I saw the title and I had to request this arc and I definitely enjoyed it. The book covers quite a lot of ground - like ancient times to sci-fi. There are some parts that may read a bit more academic but overall the book is fun and accessible. I loved the included images and research. A few times I felt that the interpretations were just that - a potential interpretation of this story - and they just didn't feel as solidly grounded as others. Nevertheless, I am always here for a good queer retelling of something so there was plenty to enjoy in the book. Thank you NetGalley and Unbound for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting explanation of folklore and how many of the creatures found in these tales have queer origins, as do things like witches, vampires, etc. Well written and researched and at times eye-opening!

As long as humans have existed, stories have existed, being passed down from generation to generation. Likewise, as long as people have been around, queer people have been around. So many cultures throughout history have supported, and even celebrated those who were queer, intersex, or transgender. How did we get away from that?
 Just as history is written by the victors, myths and stories are re-written by the colonizers. Indigenous tales get blended together, African stories whitewashed, and pagan folklore made Christian.
Going back to the earliest of times, Sacha Coward shows us that not every little mermaid was beautiful, and not every wicked witch was evil. And, of course, not every hero or heroine was a cisgender, heterosexual, white Protestant.
Validating in a way that I hadn't expected, this nonfiction shows that the world was never as black and white, as closed-minded as some may lead us to believe. Since the beginning, humans have lived in a rainbow of colors, and that will never change.

I picked this up planning to skim through most of it, and skip between the folk tales and stories that I loved best. That was not possible. This book was written in such and engaging way that I found myself flowing from topic to topic until I devoured the whole thing

Having grown up with sanitised stories, and neatly moral heteronormative and morality imparting stories, I really appreciated being able to re-view some of these stories and themes through a different lens. I mean, I missed the subtext of Interview with a Vampire entirely! I appreciated that the author in trying to make the distinction between real people and the stories that have been told about them. There was also a great deal of caution and respect in applying retrospective identities and labels to people from the past.

I tend to stick mostly to fiction, but this was a compelling read and told me a story ABOUT the stories that we tell ourselves.

wow where to begin, where to begin!

This was absolutely fantastic. Sacha compiled an incredible amount of historical information and folklore into a spectacularly organized intersectional ode to queerness. As a sapphic woman, I have done many a middle-of-the-night-research-spiral about many of the topics discussed throughout this work, so getting to see so many of my little obsessions such as David Bowie, Egyptology, Oscar Wilde, and the queer roots of Ballet, coexist, unified by the common thread of LGBTQIA+ entities was validating. My girlfriend has had her own fascinations with many of the subjects including The Little Mermaid and Sappho. Everyone will be able to find something if not many things to love about this! Easily a new favorite book to recommend to anyone who would enjoy a touch of magic.

Coward dove into each subject with a keen eye and attention to detail, while also including just enough information on each topic to ensure that the readers have a clear picture of the given topic without overwhelming us with too many minor points. Furthermore, Queer as Folklore tackled the tricky task of connecting a wide variety of otherwise disconnected subjects, while also discussing the ignorance that would come with trying to place historical figures and ancient folklore into the modern boxes we use to define ourselves in terms of sexuality and gender. All of this is to say that Coward spectacularly allowed the mythological, folkloric, and historical entities to continue to exist as accurately as we know them to have, while also allowing them to transcend their original eras and contexts. Folklore is ancient but it is also always modern.

From fairies, werewolves, sirens, mermaids, pirates, unicorns, vampires, witches, wizards, and demons to superheroes, video games, AI, aliens, glam rock icons, and true crime. Queer as Folklore manages to touch on an impressive array of folklore figures with approachable and educational descriptions and fascinating images. what more could you ask for?!