Dobes Zone

 Kindred by Octavia E Butler is an incredibly heavy book and perhaps the one that the author is best known for. It's the kind of book that definitely is important while being unpleasant, gripping and utterly terrifying. If you want to read sci-fi/fantasy that's socially relevant, it's something I'd consider essential reading. Not my own copy, just the first edition cover which I like better than the edition from the library. Laughing at the Harlan Ellison quote though, cruel yes, sensual? No.       In Kindred, Dana, a black woman living in 1976, finds herself spontaneously traveling back through time to rescue a white boy from drowning in the river, and then again to save the boy from a fire he'd started in his room. On this second visit she pieces together that this boy is her ancestor and he is somehow calling her to him in times of danger. Dana has to protect Rufus, her ancestor, in order to assure that her own family and existence is preserved. Most horrifyi...

       I should start this review by mentioning that I would never even have heard of Andrei Codrescu's Blood Countess if not for the Girls Guts Giallo book club. If you support the podcast on patreon , you get access to curated weekly movie screenings, a fun discord server, and a book club! I've never been a part of a book club before and having one hosted by and joined by smart, funny, insightful queer folks has been an invaluable experience. If you like subversive film, kink and queer horror you'll love Annie's podcast and the inclusive community she's building. I've learned so much about weird and beautiful works and a lot about theory from listening and participating in her spaces. I'm not being paid to promote this, it's just something that's been meaningful and a source of joy for me, especially when the broader online conversation about art tends to be really reductive, skittish about sex and taboo, and moralistic to a degree that creators ge...