Part three of my retellings rec lists, as promised (ages ago)! If you haven’t seen it before, take a look at part one (all about LGBT retellings of fairy tales) & part two (LGBT mythology retellings).
Today we’re talking about new takes on classic books and when I say that, I mean books like Peter Pan or The Count of Monte Cristo. It’s interesting, actually, because there are a few books that seem extremely popular & have a lot of retellings (honestly, I could make a whole post just about Peter Pan…), but then there are some that hardly have any at all. I don’t know who decides which classics deserve to be retold in a gay way… (Whoever they are, they’re wrong, because clearly the answer is: all of them.)
Let’s get into it, though.
See also: LGBT retellings of folklore, fairy tales, classic books & books about historical figures
Peter Darling
Austin Chant
Goodreads
Rep: gay trans mc, gay li
Original Book: Peter Pan
Why Should I Read It?
I mean… that Peter x Hook shit, am I right? Weren’t we all always intrigued by it? Good old enemies to lovers… And here both the age gap and the power dynamic are brought to life in a more accessible for shipping way. (Well, there’s still an age difference, but it’s not giant and actually never specified in the text, so you can interpret it as you will.)
Scavenge the Stars
Tara Sim
Goodreads
Rep: bi li
Original Book: The Count of Monte Cristo
Why Should I Read It?
This is an upcoming release, so it’s not like I can tell you a lot about it (apart from: preorder it!). But. This is a gender-bent retelling of an amazing story, where it’s the girl who gets to do all the cool shit. And has a bisexual love interest. What could be better than that?
The Affair of the Mysterious Letter
Alexis Hall
Goodreads
Rep: pan mc, trans mc
Original Book: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Why Should I Read It?
Frankly I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t need more encouragement other than “a Sherlock Holmes retelling”. It could only go well with the source material like that! Especially when it gets improved by featuring a lady Holmes who’s pansexual!
Phantom Song
Kate Sheeran Swed
Goodreads
Rep: wlw relationship
Original Book: Phantom of the Opera
Why Should I Read It?
I’m gonna be honest, I haven’t read this myself yet. But! Phantom of the Opera? In space? Sapphic? Please, take my money.
Wilder Girls
Rory Power
Goodreads
Rep: bi/pan mc, sapphic mc, wlw relationship
Original Book: The Lord of the Flies
Why Should I Read It?
Okay, I absolutely love the writing of this book and the idea of it. I’m just a little baby who can’t handle the gore and the body horror. If you are not like me, though, you must check it out!
Please note that since this post was published, Rory Power has been accused of the racist harassment of several debut authors.
A Blade So Black
L. L. McKinney
Goodreads
Rep: Black bi mc
Original book: Alice in Wonderland
Why Should I Read It?
A more down-to-earth take on Alice and her story, but still a fantastical one. (Get it? Because it’s fantasy and it’s just that good!)
A Study in Honor
Claire O’Dell
Goodreads
Rep: Black sapphic mcs
Original Book: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Why Should I Read It?
Yeah, okay, so there might be a little bit of a theme with my recs and how many of them are wlw ones, but like… Do you blame me? Do you want me to stop?
Nothing Happened
Molly Booth
Goodreads
Rep: bi/pan mcs, wlw relationship
Original Book: Much Ado About Nothing
Why Should I Read It?
Shakespeare but make it gay! More gay, I suppose, since we all know… *winky face emoji* Anyway, as you may know I’m very big on ya contemporary books, so of course this had to make it on my list! Especially since it features a wlw relationship!
Mad About the Hatter
Dakota Chase
Goodreads
Rep: mlm relationship
Original Book: Alice in Wonderland
Why Should I Read It?
So this is actually still on my TBR, but look me in the eye and tell me you didn’t always kind of think that the Mad Hatter was gay? Well, no is your chance to experience that version of the story!
The One Hundred Nights of Hero
Isabel Greenberg
Goodreads
Rep: wlw relationship
TW: rape, sexual assault
Original Book: The Arabian Nights
Why Should I Read It?
How often do you get stories centering women? Where said women get to have happy endings? And are actually gay? Sounds like a dream, yeah, I know. And I’m not even finished, because this also a gorgeous graphic novel and all the stories within the story come together in the most beautiful way.
What we learned from this experience is that I don’t know enough retellings of classics with trans characters… If you know any, please let me know in the comments! And for now, just enjoy some gay romances out of your childhood favourites.
6 Comments
tysephine
Peter Darling and Mad About the Hatter are both currently not available as ebooks 🙁
readsrainbow
oh no, that’s pure homophobia :<<<
– anna
Leelynn @ Sometimes Leelynn Reads
Since you mentioned it…. could you do a whole Peter Pan post?!?! That would be so interesting to read. I’ll have to check some of these retellings out. I didn’t realize some of these were retellings actually until you mentioned it.
readsrainbow
honestly…….. i just might one day! i just might!
some of them are retellings in a very loose meaning of the word, but still somehow inspired and influenced by the original source!
– anna
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