Mercedes Lackey - Solid Fantasy and LGBTQ+ Representation
I will forever bemoan that more people don’t read her books, and it is a tragedy. I first started reading her books through a combination of boredom, my mother having at least 15 of her book’s, and my horse girl phase(which never truly left). I kept reading because of the beautiful and realistic fantasy worlds she depicted. Because she portrayed varied and interesting people, who got angry, and made mistakes, or became depressed. Because she drew from various cultures and people to craft her worlds. Because her woman helped themselves and others, and the men were respectful of boundaries. Some of her books I liked more than others of course, but in general I treasure them as a being a major part of who I am today.
I started drawing fan art and other things seriously because I wanted to be able to draw companions properly.
My love of magic, magic centered in Greek and other pagan traditions, was born of her elemental magicians series. It was complex, and had limits, but most importantly was stunning to imagine. It was used inventively, but also not for everything, because it caused problems as well. I love Harry Potter, but this was were magic and fantasy became a focus of mine. It caused cataclysmic destruction, it was horrible if used wrong, but it was also beautiful. Side note: the sheer variety of cultures she pulls from is absolutely amazing.
Most importantly, other than my deep love of all things fantasy, is that her books have shaped how I perceive others. I remember reading some of her books that had acknowledged gay or lesbian couples, and not thinking too much on it because I didn’t know it was an issue, and it wasn’t presented as one. It wasn’t until my Mom refused to let me read Magic’s Pawn that I began to wonder if there was something off in these books. Time went on, and I was exposed to more viewpoints than my family’s. By the time I read the Last herald Mage Trilogy I had already decided that I would always accept anyone’s sexuality and/or gender, and had figured out that my parents weren’t fans of the LGBTQ+ community. It wasn’t surprising to me that the reason my Mom wouldn’t let me read it was because Herald Vanyel was gay, but it was disappointing. Reading the Vows and Honors series also introduced to the idea of someone being ace/aro, and that while it wasn’t common it was very ok, and they shouldn’t be “fixed”. I am forever grateful for Tarma’s story, and while I don’t know how accurate or positive the portrayal was, I do know that it certainly helped me with accepting others and how I viewed relationships. I don’t know if not having read her works would have changed my world views, but I am happy that my introduction to relationships, straight or not, platonic or romantic, was through her books.
