Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about but haven’t yet read. Most of the time they’re books that have yet to be released, but not always. It’s based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme, which was originally hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.
This week my Can’t-Wait-For Book is The Kindness of Meat by T.J. Land!
Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Representation: Trans MC, trans love interest, M/M/F polyamory
Published on: 15th July 2024
Goodreads
Tony is one of a hundred security guards stationed at Green Endeavors, a cutting-edge scientific research facility on a lush jungle planet.
Like many of his co-workers, he’s a convict, working on an uncolonized alien world in exchange for years off his sentence. But while most of them are simple thieves, Tony, prior to his arrest, was heir to the infamously violent, staggeringly wealthy Red Vulture Cartel.
It would be easy for him to feel out of place among a bunch of dumb uniformed grunts and xenobotany nerds. Luckily, one dumb grunt in particular has become his best (and only) friend: Thunder Skultz, disgraced veteran, fellow trans man, and cheerful idiot. (Possibly also the love of Tony’s life. Jury’s still out.)
So Tony’s less than thrilled when their bosses decide to expand the compound’s security and add a third member to his previously two-man team.
Her name’s Carol.
She’s unbearable.
Bubbly, chipper, naïve – everything Tony hates.
Everything that Thunder, apparently, can’t get enough of.
SCIFI ROMANCE + DRAMA, M/M/F, POLY, TRANS MAIN CHAR
T.J. Land has written some of my favourite books – most notably Lovequake, a very queer sci-fi adventure wherein an eldritch alien comes to Earth, names himself after an ice-cream, and keeps adopting very cool humans as he travels the globe searching for the last few pieces of his once-shattered soul. Lovequake is the book that has a) knocked me out of a depression spiral and b) brought me great joy post-major-surgery, so, you know. Please take my word for it that it is EXCELLENT.
(I also particularly recommend Land’s To Add Drunkenness To Thirst, a vampire/vampire hunter enemies-to-lovers where they are actually enemies and also hilarious; Every Wickedness, wherein a demon and an angel team up to overthrow Heaven; and Evil Men, where everyone is terrible, including the dragon.)
So LE DUH I’m excited for their newest novel!!! Land has an incredible imagination – they’re constantly jumping genres and are always subverting tropes, and for the last few years, none of their books have been like any of their other books. For me, that’s a major plus in a storyteller!
What we have been getting more of from Land lately are characters that are morally grey at best, so I’m not too surprised to see a cartel heir featured in this one. But also two sunshiny characters (Thunder might not be as chirpy as Carol, but he is described as a cheerful idiot, so I’m guessing he’s not going to be very grim)? HMM. This will definitely be amusing.
Who or what is the meat of the title? And given Land’s very clear anti-prison stance in their fiction, what’s the likelihood that this prison planet isn’t going to stay a prison planet? PRETTY HIGH, I’M GUESSING.
I’m not quite sure to expect, because it’s Land, who loves taking me by surprise – but because it’s Land, I know I’ll love it!
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