"The Conclave" is a story about fairies, both literal and figurative. Lesbian fairies, to be specific. The fey, always seeking new experiences to relieve the tedium of their immortal existences, have a proclitivity for mortals and their always amusing reactions to humdrum things like matter transfiguration. At least, that's Erin's perspective; Tanya, her girlfriend, is beginning to suspect that dating an immortal is more trouble than it's worth. To aid their rocky relationship, Erin invites Tanya to the Conclave, a never-ending party in the Otherworld, where all kinds of hedonistic pursuits are encourage... except, Erin neglects to mention, consorting with mortals, and Tanya soon finds herself at the center of a power play between Oberon and Tatiana, vindictive and jealous rulers of fairy realm.
The twin "Tangle" volumes, edited by Nicole Kimberling, feature speculative genre fiction unified by the theme of a gay protagonist. "The Conclave" appears in the female edition of Tangle, and isabout lesbians; the sister volume, "Tangle XY", as the chromosonal key indicates, features gay males. Although it uses my intertextual Chasm City setting as a backdrop for fey shenanigans, "The Conclave" is actually a rather lighthearted story by my standards, and certainly by Chasm's, although it still tries to make a few points about queer issues and the always-fraught domain of relationships. It is one of my few successful (in my opinion) attempts at humour, both overt and more ironic, and |
