Blood Bound & Come Out, Come Out Whatever You Are a short review and a question on the outing of species

Right, like no one has ever come up with that one before in reference to Patricia Briggs' awesome Mercedes Thompson series.  As I said yesterday, I have read the first and last of the series, and last night I finished Blood Bound, the second book. 

In so many UF, or PNR series the main characters fall into bed so fast that the sex becomes the focus of the story. And, sometimes, that is what one seeks in their fantasy.  But, in Ms. Briggs books, the love triangle between Mercy, her ex-boyfriend and her alpha-wolf neighbor is heating up slowly. While I am not a prude, I like the idea of getting to know someone's heart and mind as well as their genitalia.

In this book, Mercy is also starting to explore her abilities and powers a bit more. She is beginning to understand that as the Alpha has declared her his mate, she has automatically been assessed a higher status in the pack of Werewolves than a shape shifting coyote would have normally. As her situation as a coyote growing up in a pack, and now living next to one, is unique, the highly structured wolf pack domination rules have had to bend a little more than some of the pack finds comfortable.

Some wolves are a bit speciesest, and other species like vampires, and the fae are as well. The wolves have just come out in this book, and the Vamps are afraid they will be outed as well. As the fae suffered being removed to reservations when they went public, the Vampires are understandably concerned especially given the nature of their food source.

Since I have already established that I really liked Blood Bound with its interesting plot, characters who are believable in their behaviors and speech, within their alternate reality, and great pacing, I don't want to bore you with it.  I have noted so many positive comments about Patricia Briggs books, both here and on Amazon; it seems that she is unquestionably a very good and very popular author.   Do we need to discuss it more?  I don't think I can discuss the book and its characters more without giving a lot away.  But, the three themes I can think of are 1. Loyalty and Friendship, 2. Tolerance, and 3. Justice served. Mercy, aptly named, epitomizes these important themes generously.







Speaking of Speciesism, I have noted lately, that many works in the genres, seem to be about the outing of Supernatural or Paranormal Species.  In the Rachel Morgan books by Kim Harrison it happened when the human population became less of a threat to the Supernatural species (except perhaps elves). But, Harrison's books also occupy an alternate Earth where different wars have been fought or different sides have won them.

In the only Zombie book I have read, Mark Henry's Battle of the Network Zombies, many supernatural Species are out; as unpleasant as the book was, I remember that.  In the TV series and  the book series on which it is based, True Blood has been said to  be a metaphor for Gay Rights. The Vampires come out, but the were creatures do not get the same "acceptance" the vampires do when they all come out a few years later.

In the Meredith Gentry books, by Laurell K. Hamilton, , Fae of many type are public, and apparently have been at least since Thomas Jefferson welcomed them from Europe. In the same writer's Anita Blake series, it would seem that some supes are out and others are not.  And in this series, Mercy Thompson, by Pat Briggs, we see the werewolves trying to make a revelation work.

Having noted this across the board, I have to wonder why.  Are writers of PNR advocating for acceptance of Gay & Lesbian Marriage Rights, or for rights for all people? Is it a product of our current societal environment and the issues running through it such as immigration and gay rights?
Or, would it even be possible for there to be such a volume of books in the genre without the supernaturals having come out in at least some of the writers' alternate universes? Meaning that the significance is as a device for interaction between humans and other species?


It is interesting that Tor.com notes in an article posted today that:

One of the things this series of posts has dealt with in the past is how hard it can be sometimes to find queer speculative fiction, especially when the big presses seem to actively avoid “outing” their books in flap copy.http://www.tor.com/blogs/2010/08/queering-sff-an-interview-with-editor-steve-berman

They must mean other than vampire fiction because I can't think of any literature less discriminatory.  However, while "speculative" fiction may have a dearth, I simply cannot believe that PNR and UF do.
They continue on:

BM: Something from the panel you were moderating at Readercon comes back to me—you, and all of the panelists, seemed to agree that the field of queer spec-fic is expanding and becoming more mainstream, not less. Has the shift been recent, or have you noticed it for some time now?
SB:  Well, queer rights are certainly becoming more widespread. And exposure to LGBTI and Q characters are more prevalent in mass media. Mainstream publishers can release books like Spaceman Blues or Boy Meets Boy. But these are still rare releases; like other minorities, we’re often relegated to secondary or tertiary roles in books. Supposedly, 10% of the populace is queer... then shouldn’t 1 out of 10 books be the same?
I know, there are a plethora of variables, but the dearth of good queer spec fic is troubling. Are there fewer queer readers (and writers) in the genre because they cannot identify with most protagonists? Or will this goad people? I write queer spec fic to tell the kind of story I have had trouble all my life finding in bookstores. (BM = Brit Mandelo) ibid.

I don't think I will be able to answer the question of what the significance of the "outing of species" in PNR and UF on my own. What do you think? 

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• Queering SFF: An Interview with Editor Steve Berman (tor.com)
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