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A review by shilohskye
Forest Gods by Ryan Campbell
5.0
Sometimes a book about gay characters doesn't center the conflict around the fact that the characters are gay. That would be too on-the-nose. It instead runs the book's conflicts parallel to that gay representation. The themes then bloom into something more expansive within the subtext, oftentimes becoming more meaningful and complex within that unspoken realm. That effect is dramatically enhanced if the reader is gay. For me, that is the beauty of this book. It handles gay subtext and themes fantastically.
The group of themes in The Forest Gods are ones that register strongly, and in a unique way, for gay audiences: The political, social, and religious hysteria of a community, the obliteration/disarray of familial bonds, the fear and misery of upsetting the person you love, the agony of leaving sanctuary and making yourself vulnerable, the difficulty in resisting the urge to fight back against what's hurt you, and the temptation to suppress oneself out of the fear you may be wrong...all of these themes explode into something entirely more complex when running parallel to gay characters. They will no doubt register deeply with gay readers.
The Forest Gods contains a nearly-overwhelming amount of conflict that brings out all of these themes splendidly. Things go very, very wrong in this book, with nary an exception. The warm and romantic feeling you may have gotten from the first book will be imprisoned in a volcano until further notice. Instead we get a struggle with the tragically inescapable outside forces that threaten to ruin the most remarkable and beautiful thing that's ever happened to the titular characters. Some level of hope in the face of that struggle only comes from (and I kid you not) the final word in the story, and even that final word bears its own uncertainties.
But this also makes the book all the more engaging. I myself couldn't help but read it through nonstop in a single day. Which, in retrospect, probably wasn't a great idea because it stressed me out immensely. But if you have resistance to literature-induced existential crisis' fueled by sexuality, then by all means go for the binge.
As a side note, this book will no doubt register deeply with readers who are in gay relationships. I can't imagine the book having the same depth of impact if I wasn't in a serious one myself. There is an authenticity to Doto and Clay's relationship that goes deep. Aspects of their joint struggles will be instantly recognizable to gay couples. You can tell that the author knows the territory, and the themes that come with a real relationship.
I could go on for pages. Needless to say, it's an incredible read, and extremely impactful if you happen to be gay. Even moreso if you're in a gay relationship. And even moreso if you're a furry. My mind keeps coming back to it weeks later. I need some time to mentally digest what I've read here, but afterward I'm very excited to read the final book. I'm only a few chapters in.
Hopefully my review adequately expresses my praise for this book. The author deserves a feather.
The group of themes in The Forest Gods are ones that register strongly, and in a unique way, for gay audiences: The political, social, and religious hysteria of a community, the obliteration/disarray of familial bonds, the fear and misery of upsetting the person you love, the agony of leaving sanctuary and making yourself vulnerable, the difficulty in resisting the urge to fight back against what's hurt you, and the temptation to suppress oneself out of the fear you may be wrong...all of these themes explode into something entirely more complex when running parallel to gay characters. They will no doubt register deeply with gay readers.
The Forest Gods contains a nearly-overwhelming amount of conflict that brings out all of these themes splendidly. Things go very, very wrong in this book, with nary an exception. The warm and romantic feeling you may have gotten from the first book will be imprisoned in a volcano until further notice. Instead we get a struggle with the tragically inescapable outside forces that threaten to ruin the most remarkable and beautiful thing that's ever happened to the titular characters. Some level of hope in the face of that struggle only comes from (and I kid you not) the final word in the story, and even that final word bears its own uncertainties.
But this also makes the book all the more engaging. I myself couldn't help but read it through nonstop in a single day. Which, in retrospect, probably wasn't a great idea because it stressed me out immensely. But if you have resistance to literature-induced existential crisis' fueled by sexuality, then by all means go for the binge.
As a side note, this book will no doubt register deeply with readers who are in gay relationships. I can't imagine the book having the same depth of impact if I wasn't in a serious one myself. There is an authenticity to Doto and Clay's relationship that goes deep. Aspects of their joint struggles will be instantly recognizable to gay couples. You can tell that the author knows the territory, and the themes that come with a real relationship.
I could go on for pages. Needless to say, it's an incredible read, and extremely impactful if you happen to be gay. Even moreso if you're in a gay relationship. And even moreso if you're a furry. My mind keeps coming back to it weeks later. I need some time to mentally digest what I've read here, but afterward I'm very excited to read the final book. I'm only a few chapters in.
Hopefully my review adequately expresses my praise for this book. The author deserves a feather.