Friday 11 April 2014

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LGBT+ April Discussion: Where Are All the Asexual Characters?

LGBT+ April

I was reading through some of the LGBT+ April posts from other bloggers yesterday, and via Jim of YAYeahYeah, I found the QUILTBAG YA/NA Compendium on Daily Dahlia. Looking through the list, I couldn't find a single book that included an asexual character. I have read one, and thought I would bring it to fellow LGBT April participants attention in case you're unaware of it, but a post for just one? Not so great. So I did some research.

I found the post Confirmed Asexual Characters in Fiction on The Asexual Agenda (TAA) that highlights asexual characters in various forms of fiction, it includes the one I know of, and one other - plus a fantasy series that looks to be adult, but I'm not quite sure.

Quicksilver by R. J. Anderson Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey Vows and Honors by Mercedes Lackey

The first is Quicksilver by R. J. Anderson, a YA sci-fi novel. I can't talk too much about this book because it's a sequel to Ultraviolet, and so it would be spoiling it. If you've read the first book, and would like to hear more, you can check out my review - or even the awesome review on TAA. However, I will say that the asexuality in Quicksilver is not a big issue. The character (who is asexual) just happens to be asexual. It's not about asexuality, asexuality isn't even a huge part of the book. Yet I found it brilliant at helping me to understand just what asexuality is. And the book itself is just amazing. I would really recommend it. I'd also recommend reading Anderson's An Asexual Heroine? Why Not? post, though spoilers for the asexuality aspects are included in it. This is the only one I've read though, so I was eager to see if there were any others, especially to read for LGBT April.

TAA also mentions that Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey, which sounds so intriguing, and the Vows and Honor fantasy series by Mercedes Lackey. Doesn't really sound like my cup of tea, but the author of the TAA post discusses them on her own blog. The Asexual Agenda also linked to a post on Ace Admiral, Asexy Books I Know About, where you can find others if you're interested, but they may not necessarily be YA.

Unfortunately, my researching hasn't brought any other YA novels with asexual characters to my attention. Do you know of any? Please do comment with titles! I'd hate to think asexuality is so underrepresented!

In a few days, I'll write a similar post regarding intersex characters in YA. :)

11 comments:

  1. This is actually a very good question, Jo! I can't remember ever hearing of a book where the main character (or really any character) is asexual. (it seems that rule number one of YA is that there must be romance - a lot of romance) Which is really sad.
    Oh, I have heard (good things) about Quicksilver but didn't know that it features an asexaul character (that makes me want to check it out even more). I especially like that they just happen to be asexual :)

    Great post!

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    1. by "romance" I meant sexual desire and well actual sex or at least characters who want to have/are thinking about sex :P

      edit: I'm currently reading The Devil's Trill Sonata (the second book in the Vivaldi in the Dark series) by Matthew J. Metzger and it has an asexual character!!!! (made me love the series even more :)

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    2. I think that's true, there generally always is some sexual chemistry in one way or another in YA.

      Quicksilver does it really well, it is incredible! But do read Ultraviolet first, or you'll possibly get confused.

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  2. I had heard of Quicksilver but somehow managed to miss that Guardian of the Dead had an asexual character - I own the book but haven't read it yet!

    Great topic!!

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    1. Thank you! :) I've yet to read Guardian of the Dead, but it does sound awesome. Not sure I can get ahold of it in time to read for LGBT+ April, though. Hope you enjoy it when you read it! :)

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  3. I guess Cayce is right - romance (or better, sex) - makes the (book) world go round...but we need all the colours of the spectrum. Unfortunately, I don't have any title to contribute to your would-be list.
    Thank you for the links, and I'm looking forward to your intersex characters post :).

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    1. It does seem to be the case, which is pretty sad. I might ask on Twitter and see if agents/publishers would accept books without romance/sex.

      Shall hopefully have my intersex post up soon! :)

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  4. This is a brilliant question. There needs to be a lot more diversity in YA and novels in general. I've never really experience an asexual character before - I'm really glad you brought this topic up. :)

    Btw, I'm running a book giveaway on my blog. I think it's a book you'd really like. Check it out here: The Three Giveaway

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    1. I can safely say Quicksilver is awesome, so if you're interested in reading a book with an asexual character, Quicksilver is a safe bet. Just make sure you read Ultraviolet first, or you may get confused, plot wise.

      Will check out the giveaway now, thanks. :)

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  5. I'm glad I found this because I JUST did a search trying to find some and wasn't having any luck. I'll have to add these to the TBR. They are all new to me. Thanks for bringing them to my attention!

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    1. No worries! I do hope you enjoy them! thought be sure to read Ultraviolet before Quicksilver - I'm not sure if the story will make much sense otherwise! :)

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