I cannot recommend enough this fabulous superhero novel by friend and colleague Joseph D. Carriker Jr., a force in the gaming world. Everyone with an interest in superhero and queer fiction owes it to themselves to pick up and devour Sacred Band immediately. This is an expanded version of my review on Amazon.
Sacred Band follows the journey of Rusty, a young super who discovers that an online friend of his from the Ukraine has gone missing. Rusty must team with idols, friends, and former lovers to learn what happened, and in the process, exposes hypocrisy and truth.
The novel is a revelation in queer fiction. Joe has been writing wonderful games for many years and now we are all very fortunate that he has lent his voice to fiction. There is not nearly enough fiction with strong queer characters on the market today, especially in the area of speculative fiction. While there is a great deal available in the MM romance market, and that has its place, we need more fiction written by queer writers about queers characters, but where romance is not the sole focus.
This book delivers a story that is timely, entertaining, emotional, funny, and well written. Joe is on the front lines of the queer gaming and geek communities, fighting the good fight for representation and diversity, and his efforts are on display in full force here. He has a sense of what we want to read and what is at the heart of our struggles and delivers those things on the page. I can’t wait to see future installments (crosses fingers) in the world of Sacred Band and look forward to Joe’s other fiction endeavors.
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