Lee Mandelo
Author of Summer Sons
About the Author
Disambiguation Notice:
Lee Mandelo is writer, critic, and academic who is queer and gender nonconforming/transmasculine. Please use he/they pronouns.
Image credit: Sarah Jane Webb
Works by Lee Mandelo
Beyond Binary: Genderqueer and Sexually Fluid Speculative Fiction (2012) — Editor — 160 copies, 4 reviews
Heiresses of Russ 2013: The Year's Best Lesbian Speculative Fiction (2013) — Contributor — 32 copies
Associated Works
The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirtieth Annual Collection (2013) — Contributor — 254 copies, 3 reviews
Queers Dig Time Lords: A Celebration of Doctor Who by the LGBTQ Fans Who Love It (2013) — Contributor — 81 copies, 2 reviews
Transcendent 2: The Year's Best Transgender Speculative Fiction (2017) — Contributor — 51 copies, 1 review
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Mandelo, Lee
- Legal name
- Mandelo, Lee
- Other names
- Mandelo, Brit
- Birthdate
- 1990-05-13
- Gender
- transmasculine nonbinary
- Education
- University of Louisville
University of Liverpool (MA)
University of Kentucky - Occupations
- writer
critic
academic
editor - Agent
- Tara Gilbert
Kate McKean (Morhaim Literary) - Short biography
- Lee Mandelo is a writer, critic, and occasional editor whose fields of interest include speculative and queer fiction, especially when the two coincide. His debut novel, Summer Sons, which has been featured in NPR and the Chicago Review of Books, is a contemporary Southern gothic dealing with queer masculinity, fast cars, and ugly inheritances. Other work can be found in magazines such as Tor.com, Uncanny, and Nightmare; he has also been a past nominee for awards, including the Nebula, Lambda, and Hugo. Aside from a stint overseas learning to speak Scouse, Mandelo has spent his life ranging across Kentucky, currently living in Louisville and pursuing a PhD at the University of Kentucky.
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Louisville, Kentucky, USA
- Places of residence
- Louisville, Kentucky, USA
- Map Location
- USA
- Disambiguation notice
- Lee Mandelo is writer, critic, and academic who is queer and gender nonconforming/transmasculine. Please use he/they pronouns.
Members
Reviews
Let me start by saying that this is NOT going to be for everyone. The descriptions are a bit misleading as to what the reader is in for. You think it’s a horror story with monsters and such... and it is, to some extent...but the reader has to separate the ghost in the room from the one in Andrew’s head. One of the scariest scenes in the entire book is when Andrew feels the ice-cold foot crawl into bed with him on his first night home. He doesn’t dare look but he knows deep in his bones show more that it’s Eddie. This is also a story that deeply hinges on the exploration of grief, loss, denial, and a hunt for truth set against an atmospheric backdrop of the deep south. The book also attempts to show the darker side of academia and privilege. A lot to wrap up in one story, but it fleshes into a memorable and excellent ghost story, on both physical and metaphorical levels. You won’t always like the main characters nor will their behavior set well but it will produce several good cases of goosebumps long after the final page is turned. show less
I spent the majority of this book going between, my god this is beautifully gay and I don’t care about cars to I SWEAR IF THIS BITCH ISNT THE BAD GUY ILL SCREAM. It can’t be SAM I swear to god….I like that west took his shot and sued the school. And that the topic of racism and academia was handled well, not to mention homophobia in the south. I love that Sam and Andrew were left with possibilities and overall I am satisfied with the ending, however I would read about the beautiful show more train wreck of them finding their ways back to one another. You know Andrew is a mess and would be SO HUMAN and I just….
I love this book whole heartedly show less
I love this book whole heartedly show less
This is a dark book... with a lyrical writing style. I loved that this is a trans character in a historical time when it was dangerous to even exists (although even as I write that I find it troubling that my brain is screaming "It's still dangerous!")
I'm a Lee Mandelo fan and this book didn't disappoint. It's a gutsy story...full of visceral energy, explorations of gender, acceptance and adversity. A great read.
I'm a Lee Mandelo fan and this book didn't disappoint. It's a gutsy story...full of visceral energy, explorations of gender, acceptance and adversity. A great read.
Mandelo's Summer Sons has such a swampy angst to it, and I adored everything about it. In a lot of ways, the book reads like a queer lovechild of Poppy Z. Brite and Flanner O'Connor, with some flavoring that feels more like it came from Shirley Jackson. Haunting and smart, the author's prose makes for characters who aren't just believable--as much as they're sometimes infuriating--but nuanced and carefully drawn in such a way as to make the book ever more powerful. And that's what so much of show more this book comes down to...powerful storytelling. Mandelo has managed to build a story which is so beautifully written, and so powerful, that I only allowed myself to sink into it when I had time without any distraction, just to devote to reading and living in this book. Summer Sons has made me a fan of Mandelo for life, and I know I'll be re-reading this one, as well.
I don't want to give anything about this horror novel away. I just want you to read it. show less
I don't want to give anything about this horror novel away. I just want you to read it. show less
Lists
I Love Horror (1)
Appalachia (1)
Summer Books (1)
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 12
- Also by
- 13
- Members
- 1,428
- Popularity
- #18,016
- Rating
- 3.7
- Reviews
- 50
- ISBNs
- 25
