Happy Friday the 13th! I have a story for you…
Once upon a time I was geeking out in a cyberpunk fan club on Facebook and I got into a conversation with the lovely Norfy who was halfway finished writing her very first cyberpunk story. As you know, I love connecting with other authors and especially cyberpunk authors, so I was thrilled when she asked me to beta read Welcome to Autumnport for her.
Spoiler Alert: I loved it!
Here are some reasons you might love it too:
Welcome to Autumnport just launched this week and has been solidly in the Top 100 of Amazon’s LGBTQ+ Science Fiction list ever since.
It’s equal parts sexy and nerdy, a difficult combination to pull off.
Norfy is a debut Canadian SF writer, and everyone loves Canadian SF writers.
Queer writers writing queer characters and supporting queer artists? Yes please!
Adorable artwork by illustrator Ieka 95 (<– check out her portfolio on Deviant Art!)
Curious? If you want to give something new and different a try, read on to see if this book is for you!
Welcome to Autumnport by Norfy A.R.
The Blurb:
“You will exist as my toy in perpetuity – and you will like it!”
Heartbroken and outcast as a mad scientist, Doctor Lance finds his only mercy in the form of Duchess, an infernal dominatrix offering a new lease on life. Then whisked away to the metropolis of Autumnport – a realm of corruption, perversion, and rampant technological growth – Lance is caught in an uncanny tango with cyborgs, dark elves, and captivating succubi while serving as Duchess’s favored champion. Meanwhile, rebellion simmers in the heart of the land.
Will Lance prosper in this brave new world of science and magic? Or will he rise against Duchess’s tyrannical rule and burn it all down? Find out in Act I of this cyber-augmented urban fantasy!
Features end-of-chapter artwork by the marvellously talented Ieka95.
**Content Warning** : While intended as a work of sci-fi ecchi, this is still an adult story dealing with suitably adult themes and subjects, some of which may be considered offensive or triggering. Use your discretion.
My Review
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I don’t read romance/erotica. Really! I don’t.
And yet…
Here I am again.
It’s not my fault. I was seduced by a cyberfemme demoness with adorably geeky Facebook posts.
Okay, technically Welcome to Autumnport is not romance or erotica. It is, however, a delicious blend of cyberpunk and dark fantasy that happens to have some highly sexual themes and plenty of smutty scenes to match.
How does that work?
By definition a romance is a novel about a relationship between two or more people, in which the story arc is driven by the relationship. Character arcs and plot arcs are focused on the many ups and downs of the relationship, and end with an emotionally satisfying Happily Every After (HEA) or a Happy For Now (HFN) finale. It’s all about the feels.
Erotica, on the other hand, is a novel where the story is driven by the sex. Often erotica is more literary in nature, in which case sex is catalyst for self-discovery and personal growth or change. If there is no character development or plot arc… then it’s porn. You’re just reading pure smut, you dirty little cyborg.
Don’t worry, though. I’ve got your back. Because you can read Welcome to Autumnport for all your smutty needs and tell people that you’re reading high-brow SF literature.
And you won’t even be lying.
(I’m done joking about smut now, I promise.)
Welcome to Autumnport is unlike anything I’ve ever read before. It’s set in a cyberpunk-esque afterlife ruled by a hermaphroditic demon dominatrix named Duchess who uses the sexual energies of the souls she has trapped to power the scientific advancements of her kingdom. The narrative follows the only person in Autumnport to openly defy Duchess’s rule, the mad scientist Lance, who resents Duchess’s control over him and the people he cares about. Lance has to battle his own depression and ambivalence before he can act, though, and the Duchess knows just how to play him.
Norfy’s narrative voice is delightfully nerdy and full of wry cynicism that acts as a perfect balance to the ridiculously over-the-top sexuality of the setting. The effect is both fun and angsty with an undercurrent of dark and silly humour that I absolutely loved.
Then Norfy goes on to develop these seemingly silly characters into real, complex individuals and I even found myself rooting for the nefarious Duchess by the end of Act 1. Hidden beneath the surface of this strangely compelling setting are themes of love and friendship, gender and sexuality, and most importantly identity as Lance and Duchess work with one another and struggle against one another as if they are two parts of the same soul.
Is Welcome to Autumport a piece of steamy but silly sci-fi fun? Yes.
But it is also so much more, and I cannot wait to read the next installment of this series!
Bonus: Each chapter ends with an adorable illustration of one of the characters. I wish they were collectables so I could have them all…
About the Author
About Norfy A. R.
Norfy is an LGBT computer engineering student headquartered in the urban nightmare of British Columbia, Canada. She is doomed to a state of eternal grumpiness as she torments her characters with increasingly unlikely tribulations and scenarios. Her storytelling emphasizes the following axioms:
1. That queer fiction need not be politically in-your-face or alienating to a non-queer audience.
2. That clichés are to be cleverly embraced and subverted, rather than fervently avoided.
3. That ambitious queer villains are not only interesting, but empowering.
4. That scenes of intimacy are juiciest when backed up by plot and in-universe causality.
5. That waifus ought to have interesting lives outside of what they share with the harem-collecting MC
Discussion
Does this sound like something you might enjoy? If you check it out be sure to swing back here to tell me what you thought!
What’s the last book you read that completely defied your expectations?