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Two Essays on The Count of Monte Cristo

I love The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. I have read the unabridged version more than once, and my most recent reread was in 2023. At that time, I wrote a couple of brief essays which I posted on Tumblr, one of which was about a canonically queer character and the other discussed a character who is often left out of the various adaptations. I present for you these essays with expansion and alteration, because I keep returning to them as pieces of writing and because I don't want them to be limited to those original posts. I'd like to thank longtime Patron Case Aiken, who receives a monthly shoutout, as well as new patrons DivineJasper and Sasha Khan. (Quotes are from Robin Buss’ English translation of Alexandre Dumas’ work.) Link to Audio Version. ----- Canonical Queerness in The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas You’d need to change surprisingly little of The Count of Monte Cristo to confirm Eugénie Danglars as a trans man (or a masc-leaning nonbinary person...
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Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk

A magical detective dives into the affairs of Chicago's divine monsters to secure a future with the love of her life. This sapphic period piece will dazzle anyone looking for mystery, intrigue, romance, magic, or all of the above.

An exiled augur who sold her soul to save her brother's life is offered one last job before serving an eternity in hell. When she turns it down, her client sweetens the pot by offering up the one payment she can't resist—the chance to have a future where she grows old with the woman she loves.

To succeed, she is given three days to track down the White City Vampire, Chicago's most notorious serial killer. If she fails, only hell and heartbreak await.

TITLE: Even Though I Knew the End
AUTHOR: C.L. Polk
PUBLISHER: Tordotcom
YEAR: 2022
LENGTH: 136 pages
AGE: Adult
GENRE: Fantasy
RECOMMENDED: Highly

Queer Rep Summary: Lesbian/Sapphic Main Character(s), Genderqueer/Nonbinary Secondary Character(s).

I loved this whole thing. It's paced excellently, tells a great story, and is in a world conveyed succinctly. If you like queer fantasy/mystery novellas with life and death stakes, try this. I already love this author's other series, and this was everything I wanted from the premise and so much more.

Graphic/Explicit CW for blood, gore, violence, gun violence, injury detail.

Moderate CW for cursing, sexism, misogyny, forced institutionalization, mental illness, lesbophobia, murder, death.

Minor CW for sexual content, alcohol, drug use, self harm, car accident, torture.

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Two women are holding each other as if to kiss, their faces obscured by the shapes of birds


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