Drag Noir Edited by K.A. Laity

If like me you often skim read or outright ignore the introductions found in anthologies as sycophantic and generally boring monologues then stop right there. The introduction section of this book is not just funny and insightful but it genuinely made me think about things and in ways I’d never done before. That is just about the highest praise I can heap on any piece of writing. I’m not going to pretend to be an expert in sexual politics but for me this book is all about one word, sexuality. The drag and the noir intersect in the different meanings of the word. There are some sexy dames in this book but not all of them are dames, or are they? What defines a sex siren? Is it intrinsic in their gender or is it an attitude and look that has nothing to do with gender? These are just a couple of the surface questions I found myself asking, there were plenty more but I’ll let you discover them for yourself.

There was an easy favourite for me in this anthology. A Bit Of A Pickle by Paul D. Brazill not only has a really clever title but addresses something I hadn’t considered. Fading glory. Such a perfect noir subject applied in a fascinating and spellbinding manner. King Bitch by James Bennett was completely different and yet captured the spirit of drag noir just as well. Every story had a niche all to itself, just like every dame is more than the bright red warpaint and stilettos they wear. There wasn’t a single story that I didn’t enjoy.

This book could easily be considered subversive by encouraging lifestyles that are seen by some to be against their cultural norms. Good. This book made me think and challenge my own perceptions. I hope it does the same for you.