Queer Lit Review: March 2025

Welcome to the March 2025 edition of the Queer Lit Review! This month we have a young lesbian woman seeking a place at the court of King Arturus, two teen shepherdesses saving women amid strange animal attacks, and a collection of pop culture essays. 

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Happy Reading! 

Title/Author: Spear by Nicola Griffith

Reviewer: Tali

Summary: Raised in isolation in the wilderness by her mother, Peretur longs to test her strength and supernatural gifts against the world. When she ventures forth and seeks a place at the court of King Arturus, she becomes entangled in a play of secrets and magic that will reveal the truth of her mysterious origins — and determine the fate of Britain.

Genre: Fantasy

Book Format: Physical

Length: 184 pages

LGBTQ+ Orientation: Lesbian main character and love interest, bi & poly side characters

Content Warnings: Past/implied sexual assault, violence

Well-Written/Editor Needed: Well-written

Would I Recommend?: Yes

Personal Thoughts: I’ll be honest — I’ve had enough of Arthurian retellings lately. Between working my way through the doorstopper that was The Bright Sword and helping to facilitate BPL’s Galahad Writing Contest, there were times in 2024 when I felt like I was eating, sleeping, and breathing Arthuriana, and not in a good way. (And that’s leaving aside the many recent Arthurian retellings I haven’t even gotten around to reading, like Legendborn and Gwen & Art Are Not in Love.)

Despite all that, Spear absolutely won me over. Since this is the Queer Lit Review, I should start off by noting that Griffith’s take on the Arthur mythos is very gay. The main character, Peretur, is a gender-bent, lesbian version of the figure better known in English as Percival, and she passes as a young man when she first arrives at the court of King Arthur (a trope that I’ve loved since I read Tamora Pierce’s Alanna series as a child). On top of that, the relationship between Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot, usually written as a love triangle riven by cheating and betrayal, is instead a loving, bisexual throuple, which I thought was a fun twist on the “standard” reading.

But there’s more to distinguish Spear than just its gayness. What convinced me to give the book a try was having read Griffith’s previous work of historical fiction, Hild, a meticulously researched, beautifully crafted look at a little-known figure in seventh-century Britain. Spear is set in a similar period, trading the usual high medieval, Christian trappings of the Arthurian legend for a more ancient and wild setting that draws from Irish mythology and Welsh sources for its language and world-building.

Griffith’s careful attention to the texture of daily life and her lush, literary prose immerse the reader in Peretur’s world, her interiority, and her visceral experiences of magic, lust, and love. (The writing was so lyrical that I read long sections of the novel aloud just to feel it roll off the tongue.) And at a slim 167 pages, the story sticks around just long enough to weave its spell and leave the reader satisfied, never wearing out its welcome or baiting an endless series of sequels. Spear is not to be missed by any fantasy fan looking for a well-written sapphic tale.

Title/Author: We Are the Beasts by Gigi Griffis 

Reviewer: Ana 

Summary: France, 1765. Rumors of a brutal, unkillable beast have spread through the mountainous region of Gévaudan, and the men in power say it’s a curse from God. But teen shepherdesses Joséphine and Clara see it as a way out. When attacks arrive in their village, it’s a perfect cover for helping young women escape unsafe homes…if the beast doesn’t catch them first. 

Series/Standalone: Standalone 

Genre/Sub-Genre: Teen historical horror 

Book Format: eBook 

LGBTQ+ Orientation: Lesbian main character and love interest, with a gay (and implied gender-nonconforming) side character. Note: since this is set in 1765 France, the words “lesbian” and “gay” themselves aren’t used, but are instead described. 

Content Warnings: Sexual harassment, domestic violence, misogyny, mentions of racism, referenced homophobic hate crime, child deaths, parental deaths (past), political/religious corruption, descriptions of Alzheimer’s, parental abandonment (past), murder and attempted murder, animal attacks, depiction of PTSD flashbacks 

Well-Written/Editor Needed: Well-written 

Would I Recommend?: Yes! 

Personal thoughts: We Are the Beasts combines three of my favorite things: feminine rage, historical queers, and unsolved mysteries. The book is fiction but takes place during the real-life events surrounding the Beast of Gévaudan, a subject that’s fascinated me for years! From 1764-1767, a still-unidentified creature killed around 100 people and attacked up to 100 more. Modern theories range from packs of starving wolves to a serial killer using trained animals to big cats that escaped noblemen’s personal zoos. 

Gigi Griffis talked on an episode of one of my favorite podcasts about her experience writing it, which put it on my radar. She did an enormous amount of research, which is evident when reading. Some of the real figures involved with hunting the beast make appearances! But instead of focusing on the violence — most victims were likely teen girls who were tending their sheep — Griffis imagines a different version of the events, with a feminist spin. 

While technically classified as horror, We Are the Beasts felt a bit more like a thriller or mystery to me. A queer romance subplot also adds a layer of sweetness. If you like your books suspenseful but not scary, this is the choice for you! 

Title/Author: Pure Innocent Fun by Ira Madison III 

Reviewer: Laura B. 

Summary: This collection of essays by pop culture critic Ira Madison III covers major entertainment moments from the 1990s and early 2000s, as well as Madison’s experiences growing up as a Black, gay millennial. 

Series/Standalone: Standalone 

Subject/Topic: Pop Culture Essays 

Book Format: Physical Book 

Length: 217 Pages 

Well-Written/Editor Needed: Well-written 

Would I Recommend?: Yes! 

Personal Thoughts: I love a book of pop culture essays, even though I think it is difficult to write one that feels unique. Luckily, I think Madison succeeded in writing a collection that is engaging and has a clear point of view. Madison covers a variety of pop culture topics, from TV shows like The Simpsons, Family Matters, and Survivor to music from artists like Mariah Carey, *NSYNC, and Lil' Kim. Madison does a good job of connecting big entertainment moments with big moments in his life, and his essays have a good mix of cultural commentary and personal anecdotes.  

I also thought Madison did a great job of selecting pop culture topics to cover — no matter what you were into in the 90s, you’ll connect to at least one of his essays. I think my two favorites were his essay about how The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, The Cosby Show, and Family Matters were received at the time vs. how they’re remembered, and his essay about Bring It On. 

There were a few instances where Madison repeated little stories, both within the same essay and across different essays. This did make it feel like the book could have used one last editing pass, but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment too much. That was really my only complaint about the book, so I do definitely recommend it if you like this type of essay collection or are a millennial looking for some nostalgia!