Dissecting Dragons: Absent Saints & Cruel Caretakers
@dissectingdragons has just had 2 episodes on parent-child relationships in speculative fiction and I have some recommendations! (No Spoilers)
Castle Swimmer by Wendy Lian Martin (WEBTOON, fantasy, LGBTQ+)
Prince Siren has a generally great relationship with his mother, Queen Susca. However, she and everyone else in their castle has put a lot of pressure on Siren. He’s well-loved and everyone is extremely protective of him. He’s their Chosen One, after all, destined to save them from the curse that has been killing them off for years. It’s a shame he has to murder an innocent person to break the curse.
Castle Swimmer | Episode 1 - Introducing one of the other main characters. Siren shows up in Episode 2.
The Demon Cycle by Peter V Brett (fantasy novels, clashing cultures, demon war)
One of the main characters watches his mother get killed by demons while his father just stands there.
Another hates her mother, who has been having affairs her whole life. It doesn’t help that she looks exactly like said mother.
And another is grudgingly adopted by the man who is responsible for his mother’s death.
There are a lot of fraught parent-child dynamics in this series.
Wonderland by Juno Dawson (contemporary, mental health, LGBTQ+)
Alice has okay relationships with her mother and step-father. She comes from ‘made money’ but remembers when they were poor. She has met her biological father exactly once and it went badly. Alice’s parents don’t talk about her father, preferring to pretend he doesn’t exist. But there are some health problems that it’s helpful to know if a parent had it.
