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Lackey's Magic: Fantasy Trilogy Sports Gay Lead
With the publication of Magic's Pawn last year (a finalist in the Lambda Literary Awards), author Mercedes Lackey brought to fantasy fans and gay audiences alike a warm and engaging gay male lead character. Vanyel and his Companion (an intelligent horse with a gift for mindspeech with his Chosen) practically jump from the pages of the novel. Vanyel's explosive affair while away at the Collegium for Herald and Mage training with the handsome Tylendel is the stuff sweet gay romance is made of. Vanyel has been sent away to the school by his homophobic father who can't quite seem to stomach what he begins to see in his son. Neither can he stand what he thinks of as typically fey traits: Vanyel's love of music, his determined avoidance of female companionship and, most of all, Vanyel's not letting his father or anyone else break his spirit or rob him of his sense of self.
At the Collegium, the only hope Vanyel holds out is if he can qualify to enter the Bardic College and become a great musician with the magical ability to make his audiences "live" the song they're hearing. However, when he fails the test, he may be sent back to his father -- a possibility to which he tries to resign himself. His aunt Savil, however, has other plans for him. She is a teacher at the Collegium and is currently teaching Tylendel -- he of handsome face and breathtaking body. She introduces the two, and it takes a bit of charm for Tylendel to break through...