#C. L. Polk

[literary-illuminati]

Book Review 43 - Even Though I Knew The End by C. L. Polk

Oh this was fun. Never would have heard of it if it hadn’t been nominated for a Hugo, and devoured it in the course of a computer-less Sunday afternoon. It wasn’t exactly reaching for the stars, but it knew what it was about and it executed it well; there’s a real virtue to that. Also I adore slightly cheesy but self-serious noir and the early 20th century really is the ideal setting for classical urban fantasy.

The story follows Helen, a private investigator and warlock in 1930s Chicago. Ten years prior to the story, she sold her soul to a demon to resurrect her younger brother from a car crash that would have otherwise killed her entire family – for her trouble, she was cast out from the magical brotherhood training her as a mystic and forced to make a living as a cut-rate diviner and gumshoe in Chicago. The plot kicks off three days before the deal comes due and her soul’s forfeit, and she takes one last consulting job to add a bit more to the nest egg she’ll be leaving for her girlfriend Edith when she’s torn from the mortal coil. And then, of course, she finds out that a) her employer is a demon, b) the case she’s consulting on is someone ritually murdering other poor souls who’ve made deals, days before they come due, and c) if she solves it she’ll get her soul back, along with enough money to make to San Francisco with Edith and start a new life free and clear.

So this is not a book that sets out to surprise the reader. The storytelling is efficient and the foreshadowing is reasonably honest – you can guess just about every twist well ahead of time with even the slightest bit of effort. I’d say the book isn’t trying to break any new ground, but actually it’s the only example I can think off hand of this sort of genre emulation period piece that both has a queer protagonist and doesn’t either elide or edit out the homophobia of the their environment, so there is that. Anyway, ‘genre emulation’ is the right term I think – snappy, tightly written noir plot that doesn’t outlast its welcome (this was absolutely a novella-sized story).

I really don’t know the author or their work well enough to know how intentional it is, but the ending very much felt like a comment on the whole Bury Your Gays/Tragic Lesbian trope. Essentially, Edith gets herself heroically sacrificed saving Helen’s life in the climactic showdown. Then, once the dust has settled and Marlow (her demonic client) has given Helen her soul back she…immediately sells it again to bring her back. Better ten years of Californian bliss with her true love then an eternity in heaven (and besides, that brother she’d saved the first time had just killed an angel, so someone’s going to need to keep him company in hell). The book’s title is in no way subtle or metaphorical, it is a line of the protagonist’s internal monologue.

The story’s universe is a folk-Christian one, and it is absolutely imperative that when reading it you don’t poke at the underlying metaphysics at all. Angels and demons are real and magicians are the distant descendants of Nephilim and some of the Grigori still haunt the earth, and we have it on good authority that God doesn’t actually care about being gay and everyone seems very frightened of the idea of summoning the Archangel Michael to earth, but start asking any followup questions about angels and world events during the Roosevelt Administration and you’re ruin the story for yourself. Just don’t worry about it.

As a final note, I really did love Marlowe – or properly, she’s one of my favorite types of demons in these sorts of stories. Epitome of high class beauty, lives in a palatial penthouse waited upon handed and foot by layers of servants, eats the best food and wears the best clothes and has the best lovers, even a generous employer and creditor as long as you do what she wants and give her what she’s owed. The sort of demon who seems like falling out of heaven was worth it, and one you can imagine actually convincing someone to sell their soul. She’s fun!

#book review #hugo nom #sff #urban fantasy #even though i knew the end #c. l. polk

[yourdailyqueer]

C. L. Polk

Gender: Non binary (she/they)

Sexuality: Queer

DOB: Born 1969

Ethnicity: Afro Canadian

Occupation: Writer

#C. L. Polk #C L Polk #bipoc #queerness #lgbtq #non binary #queer #1969 #black #afro canadian #poc #canadian #writer

[paradises-library]

Jay Gatsby knew a lot about hope. Hope felt a little painful, on account of it not being a sure thing. In fact, there was almost no hope for him, which made that tiny flashing light all the more precious... Jay hoped every single time, and I hoped right along with him, even though I knew the end.

Even Though I Knew the End, C.L. Polk

#even though i knew the end #c. l. polk #quotes

[signal-failure]

Sapphic & Supernatural in "Even Though I Knew The End"

Even Though I Knew The End, by C. L. Polk, is a sapphic romance and a supernatural thriller, all with a Chicago noir style. Helen is a freelance private investigator with certain supernatural skills, nearing the end of her secret countdown of her time left on earth. Edith, her girlfriend, is a choir singer with her own supernatural secrets. Helen wants to spend the rest of her time with Edith,…

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#C. L. Polk #tordotcom

[persephones-stenographer]

We left the lights off and passed through my starlit reception room to the space where I kept my books, and beyond that, to the space where I kept my bed. The bedsprings sang and Edith did too, because she was always a bit like music.

C. L. Polk - Even Though I Knew the End

#quotes #book quotes #C. L. Polk #Even though I knew the end

[rhetoricandlogic]

Even Though I Knew the End

By C. L. Polk 

C. L. Polk’s 2022 Even Though I Knew the End

is a stand-alone modern fantasy novel. 

Helen Brandt, disgraced sorcerer, formerly of the Brotherhood of the Compass, now ekes out a precarious living as an investigative warlock. A client asks her to investigate a murder scene, latest of the so-called White City Vampire serial killings. The scene reeks of powerful magic. Helen takes photos and prepares to leave, when she is interrupted by former colleagues from the Brotherhood of the Compass, who warn her away. 

Helen very much wants to please her client, Marlowe. The pay is lucrative and will add to the nest egg Helen plans to leave her girlfriend Edith. It will be a great help to Edith in her (planned) new life in San Francisco. But it will be a life without Helen. Helen knows she will die January 13, three days away. That’s something Edith doesn’t know.

Helen’s America is the America of 1941 (1), with all its virtues and prejudices intact. There’s one major difference: magic is real. Desperate people can bargain with infernal beings for favours, as Helen did: her brother’s life for her soul, to be collected ten years after the bargain was made (2).

Just because she will surely die once three days have passed does not mean that death cannot claim her before January 13. Death as wielded by the White City Vampire, who clearly commands some very dark magic. It might be a good idea to tell Marlowe that she cannot do the job and forfeit the pay. However, Marlowe is a demon who dangles an incentive Helen cannot turn down. Marlowe has acquired Helen’s spiritual IOU. Satisfy Marlowe, Helen’s soul won’t be collected, and she can enjoy as much bliss with Edith as they can arrange before the natural order of mortal life ends their time together. 

Bad cases have a way of turning out be much worse than expected once private investigators get in too deep to back out. 

~oOo~

This book won’t be out for a while. I probably shouldn’t be tantalizing my readers but … consider this a marshmallow test that I’ve failed. There’s no second marshmallow to be had, so why not enjoy myself by reading the book and writing a review while the book is fresh in my memory? (Yeah, I suppose I could write the review and then pigeonhole it until publication day. If I were sure I would remember to publish it …) 

Ignore footnote 1, because this novel isn’t billed as hard fantasy. It’s a PI story like The Big Sleep or The Maltese Falcon. Or perhaps the time that PI H.P. Lovecraft was hired to find a book called the Necronomicon. Read as such, it has everything one might want in such a story: 

a morally compromised but not that mortally compromised detective 

a client who left out certain important, need-to-know details

a love-interest who, as it happens, has some secrets of her own

authority figures who range from unhelpful to actively hostile

Points one and three made me somewhat pessimistic about Helen and Edith’s long-term prospects, what with their habit of not telling the other about stuff they think might upset their sweetheart. On the plus side, this is the sort of story in which it would be a huge win for the pair if they reached a point where long-term prospects would be a consideration at all.

I like fantasy; I like stories about PIs whose careers show what happens when you make terrible life choices from the best of motives. This book is both. It’s well-written and moves fast. I liked it a lot; you may like it too. 

Even Though I Knew the End is available for pre-order here (Amazon US), here (Amazon Canada), here (Amazon UK), here (Barnes & Noble), here (Book Depository), and here (Chapters-Indigo). Inexplicably, Chapters alone declines to show the book’s cover, which is of two women kissing.

__________________

1: A digression on world-building and one reviewer’s unfair expectations pertaining to same. This is a world where 

mortals can (if they choose) poke a demon with a stick (not recommended);

magical rituals have a tangible, measurable effect that any scientist could easily verify. 

Religion in this setting is not entirely a matter of faith (although enough faith is demanded of adherents to drive the plot). It’s as undeniable as a stubbed toe. 

And yet … somehow the setting is 1941 America plus ancient magic. This is utterly implausible. The whole course of history would have been different! But a plausible history would be a lot of work to gin up, so the author just picks a historical period and adds magic! As de Bodard did with her Paris Despite Literal Angels Literally Falling Out of the Sky. And so many other books. Sigh.

2: ​“Well, so much for bargaining for eternal life,” I hear some of you say. Not so! People can bargain with demons for life eternal and get it. It’s just that most of it will involve being nipple-deep in bubbling tar while bored devils prod one with pitchforks.

#C. L. Polk #Even Though I Knew the End #mahreviews #long post

[dustjacketmusings]

Book Review: Even Though I Knew the End by C. L. Polk

Rating: 3 ⭐️

Summary: A magical detective dives into the affairs of Chicago's divine monsters to secure a future with the love of her life. This sapphic period piece will dazzle anyone looking for mystery, intrigue, romance, magic, or all of the above. An exiled augur who sold her soul to save her brother's life is offered one last job before serving an eternity in hell. When she turns it down, her client sweetens the pot by offering up the one payment she can't resist—the chance to have a future where she grows old with the woman she loves. To succeed, she is given three days to track down the White City Vampire, Chicago's most notorious serial killer. If she fails, only hell and heartbreak await.

Review: Overall this book was enjoyable. The setting in 1940s Chicago was a lot of fun, and I appreciated all of the tidbits about living in a time that homosexuality is illegal. The way that Helen and Edith navigated their relationship was engaging. It just felt very short to me. 130 pages is just not a lot of book and I wanted more time to flesh out some of the worldbuilding and plot complexities.

#studyblr w/knives reading challenge #book review #c. l. polk #even though i knew the end

[contracat25]

Alright as it is Trans Day of Visibility (Hi still not cis, still here etc.) and the final day of the extended Trans Rights Readathon I thought I would post about a few more of my favorite books by trans authors because hopefully everyone will be reading books by trans authors and about trans characters/topics all year round. Because to me this day is about supporting others in the community as much as anything else. The world is pretty on fire right now so if you can support a trans creator, artist, organization or friend today (and beyond) then do it!

So here are a bunch of shorter reads: books, graphic novels, novellas etc. I didn't really notice how many novellas I had been reading recently till making this list, but there is something about a wel- written short book that just really works for me. Also a lot of these just have really creative or lovely concepts and I am a sucker for those. Plus the characters in these are soooo good! Also a lot of these have lovely audiobooks or e-books, hence me not having a physical copy (yet). Many of these have trans characters as well, but not all of them. Though most have some form of queer rep because I don't read much that doesn't. I included muliple by some of the authors, including sequels because... I just really like them and couldn't pick just one. Most of these authors have other books that are also wonderful. And these are just a handful of examples, there are so many fabuluous books by and about people who are trans.

Six Months, Three Days, Five Others by Charlie Jane Anders

Peter Darling by Austin Chant

The Companion by EE Ottoman

The Barrow Will Send What It May by Margaret Killjoy

Taste of Marrow and River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey

Even Though I Knew the End by C. L. Polk

Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey

Nimona by Nate Stevenson

Gender Queer by Mia Kobabe

The Seep by Chana Porter

Future Feelings by Joss Lake

Pet by Akwaeke Amezi

The Deep by Rivers Solomon

The Black Tides of Heaven; The Red Threads of Fortune; The Descent of Monsters; The Ascent to Godhood by Neon Yang

Finna and Defekt by Nino Cipri Coffee Boy and Caroline's Heart by Austin Chant

ID: Slide one has a stack of 10 books on a teal background. Slides two through four have a white background and four book covers and a boarder of books in the trans flag colors.

#transrightsreadathon #trans books #queer books #book recs #booklr #trans day of visibility #Six Months Three Days Five Others #trans authors #charlie jane anders #peter darling #austin chant #s.a. chant #the barrow will send what it may #Margert Killjoy #taste of marrow #river of teeth #sarah gailey #Even though I knew the end #c l polk #Upwright Women Wanted #nimona #gender queer #Mia Kobabe #the seep #chana porter #Future feelings #Joss lake #Pet #akwaeke amezi #nate stevenson

[literary-illuminati]

It's also just kind of disorienting to go from

The Mountain in the Sea: the mere fact of owning a megacorporation is proof positive that this once in a generation genius is evil, as whatever her personal standards the logic of capitalism is such that subordinates and subsidiaries will cross them in pursuit and endless profit for her benefit

Even Though I Knew Thr End: the fact that Marlowe can throw around endless amounts of money despite doing nothing visible to acquire it, and lives in secluded luxury waited upon hand and foot by layers of servants, is an incredibly unsubtle way to signpost "THIS WOMAN IS A LITERAL ACTUAL DEMON"

To

The Spare Man: our heroine is a second generation telecom oligarch on an ultra-ultra-ultra lux honeymoon cruise, and the story is just resolutely not interested in exploring this one little bit.

#sff #hugo nom #tht #the spare man #the mountain in the sea #even though i knew the end #mary robinette kowal #ray naylar #c. l. polk

[betterbooksandthings]

“If you swoon at the sight of queer dragons, werewolves, and robots, you have made it to the right place. The best queer SFF romance books not only have wonderful queer romance, but also the magic, mystery, and mayhem that accompany science fiction and fantasy. Are we here to wrestle with the meaning of humanity and love? Yes, of course we are. In my biased opinion, there is nothing better.

I want a forbidden love that is legitimately forbidden because if they fall in love an ancient magic rains hell upon the earth. Marriages of convenience simply work better when the two diverging kingdoms may destroy each other (with magic or robots) if your wedding doesn’t happen. Give me the introduction scene normal people receive when they learn about all the things that go bump in the night. I need all your secret societies that are actually vampires or werewolves or whatever else you want to throw at me.

I am a bit of a queer SFF romance fanatic. In general, if it has a romance with a ghost, reaper, werewolf, witch, robot, or spaceship, I want to read it. I love it all. Theoretically, I can read the same set of tropes and premises over and over, and I am not sure I will ever tire. I haven’t yet, and trust me when I say I could name 20 books about vampires and vampire hunters falling in love right now without breaking a sweat.“

#15 OF THE BEST QUEER SFF ROMANCE BOOKS #sff books #romance books #science fiction #fantasy #science fiction romance #fantasy romance #queer romance #queer books #QUEER SFF ROMANCE BOOKS #WITCHMARK BY C. L. POLK #CAN’T SPELL TREASON WITHOUT TEA BY REBECCA THORNE #A SONG OF SILVER AND GOLD BY MELISSA KARIBIAN #A STRANGE AND STUBBORN ENDURANCE BY FOZ MEADOWS #A RESTLESS TRUTH BY FREYA MARSKE #BISCLAVRET BY K. L. NOONE #WICKED BEAUTY BY KATEE ROBERT #FROSTBITE BY J EMERY #WOLFSONG BY T.J. KLUNE #HUMAN ENOUGH BY E.S. YU #HEROINE’S JOURNEY BY SARAH KUHN #NINE MOONS IN A RIVER OF STARS BY XEN #BETTER OFF RED BY REBEKAH WEATHERSPOON #THE CYBERNETIC TEA SHOP BY MEREDITH KATZ #OCEAN’S ECHO BY EVERINA MAXWELL

[mossylemon]

help i just nonstop read c l polks newest book (Even though I Knew The End) and i have so so many emotions AND NO ONE TO YELL ABOUT THEM WITH

#moss's thoughts #books #c l polk #even though i knew the end

[thumbedpages]

C.L. Polk - Soulstar

#c l polk #soulstar #books read 2021

[feyarcher]

Heads up to any and all artists who use cafepress that their ToS now explicitly give them the right to feed your work into AI

(From Terms of Use, subsection Your Content, paragraph 2. Retrieved July 24th, 2023)

But just in case you were thinking cafepress is pro AI all around, the also explicitly state that you may NOT use THEIR intellectual property for AI.

(From Terms of Use, subsection Our Intellectual Property, paragraph 3. Retrieved July 24th, 2023)

Do what you will with this information to protect your art. Fuck AI and fuck cafepress.

It's probably time to ctrl-f for "artificial intelligence' in the terms of service for any and all sites where you upload your art.

#cafepress #cafe press #artists on tumblr #digital artist #ai artwork #idk what other tags to use to get this seen by the artists it affects so please rb i guess? #fuck ai art #this has been a psa #ht to c l polk on mastodon for the alert about this #also the hypocrisy of this terms of use makes me want to break things

[reviewsthatburn]

I loved this whole thing. It's paced excellently, tells a great story, and is in a world conveyed succinctly. If you like queer fantasy/mystery novellas with life and death stakes, try this. I already love this author's other series, and this was everything I wanted from the premise and so much more.

#BookReviews #Fantasy #Highly Recommended #Recommended #even though i knew the end #c l polk

[drowningparty]

“Helen.” She reached out to caress my cheek. “Look at me.” It was a joy to look at her, and I never got used to the soft, loving shine in her eyes. “You’re wonderful, sweetheart. Don’t let anybody knock you down. To Hell with them all. Okay?” Edith, oh, Edith. She believed in me, and I could never let her know how badly I needed that. “Okay.”

C. L. Polk, Even Though I Knew the End.

#even though I knew the end #c l polk