4.5⭐
Action-packed, magical, light gore, queer friendships & relationships, trans & enby charas, dissent, challenging norms, so much fun!
#booksky #thewateroutlaws #slhuang #torbooks

app.thestorygraph.com/books/3d893d...

This week I am thoroughly enjoying "The Water Outlaws" by @slhuang.com #booksky #nebulafinalist #books #reading #slhuang #thewateroutlaws

The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang was most excellent!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7276896861

#reading #slhuang #thewateroutlaws

We're delighted to see that THE SAINT OF BRIGHT DOORS by @vajra.me and THE WATER OUTLAWS by @slhuang.com are finalists for the 2024 #ignyteawards in the Outstanding Novel (adult) category!

Congratulations to all finalists!

geni.us/stbdoors
geni.us/TheWaterOutlaws

here is the book btw!

my 150,000-word novel with one of the 5 third-person POVs written pronoun-less!
us.macmillan.com/books/978125...

plus yanno lots of swordfights 😆⚔️

#TheWaterOutlaws

The craft was actually easier than I expected, but I did put a lot of thought and effort in, and a lot of time double-checking the updated drafts...

...so I hope at least a small number of people notice and get joy out of it eventually 🤣

#TheWaterOutlaws

well then, what do, how write?

I experimented a lot & no pronouns felt best for the character!

(they're in "fantasy Chinese", which doesn't gender pronouns just as real Chinese doesn't...which doesn't stop misogyny btw, Anglophones sometimes seem to assume that'd correlate 😭)

#TheWaterOutlaws

Why did I do it? Well when a book is "translation convention" from a language that doesn't gender pronouns --

and the group is genderdiverse-norm in the midst of a regressive society --

but there's no misgendering via pronoun or in-POV way to introduce neopronouns --

#TheWaterOutlaws

(I think most people are assuming female, even though I tried to put in subtle "Wu Yong is not a woman" moments CLEARLY THEY WERE TOO SUBTLE. That's on me lol)

#TheWaterOutlaws

me to my sister: NOBODY IS TALKING ABOUT MY WU YONG PRONOUN CLEVERNESS

her: that just means you did it well, it's so smooth nobody notices

me: well I want them to notice a LITTLE 😂

#TheWaterOutlaws

I've started talking about it in like every interview now because I want more people to see it ah hahaha, and the reaction tends to be, "omg I didn't see it BUT NOW I DO"

I guess it's not as awkward to read English without pronouns as we tend to assume? 😉

#TheWaterOutlaws

ok smol thread!

Do you ever do something as an author that's SO VERY CLEVER AND CHALLENGING and then

and then

nobody notices?

Y'all I wrote 1 of 5 POVs in a 3rd person book entirely without personal pronouns and I don't think anyone's mentioned it at all 🤣🤣🤣

#TheWaterOutlaws

Perfect #summerreads!

RESIST. RISE. REBEL

These are bandits of devastating ruthlessness, unseemly femininity, dangerous philosophies, and ungovernable gender who are ready to make history―or tear it apart.

Buy S. L. Huang's THE WATER OUTLAWS now👉 geni.us/TheWaterOutlaws

Today's the day! 🥁

🎂🎉 Happy book birthday to S. L. Huang's queer wuxia epic THE WATER OUTLAWS! 🌈 🌊

Order now! bit.ly/40zgjGR Last day to enter our giveaway for some special #TheWaterOutlaws goodies!

"In the jianghu, you break the law to make it your own..."