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godzilla-reads · 9 days

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Once again I am asking you to read The Route of Ice & Salt by José Luis Zárate. It’s a novella about the captain of the Demeter in Dracula, who is gay and, if you’ve read Dracula, you know how that voyage goes.

#godzilla reads #the route of ice and salt #José Luis Zárate #dracula #vampire books #book blog #book recs #booklr

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belpheg0r-luna · 1 month

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Okay i just finished the audiobook of The Route of Ice and Salt by José Luis Zárate and it was fucking phenomenal?!? Like it was really good. I had high hopes for it cuz I've had it on my tbr for a while now and i really wanted to get to it but i had no idea what to expect from it and it delightfully surprised me by how intense and engaging it was. Honestly no notes, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it.

Just a quick description, it's a queer reimagining of Dracula that follows the unnamed captain of Demeter, the schooner which brought Dracula from Bulgaria to England. It's a mexican gothic novella filled with queer desire.

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gellavonhamster · 2 years

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The Route of Ice and Salt by José Luis Zárate is fantastic. Poetic, strange, filled with eroticism and dread. I also loved that it sort of takes the “vampirism stands for homosexuality” metaphor and subverts it? Yes, it draws parallels between the desire for sex and the desire for blood, but it also states: no thirst, no hunger is a sin. Only doing cruel acts to satisfy it makes it a sin. Those who destroy others to quench their own thirst for blood under the guise of upholding propriety are monsters - those who thirst for love and acceptance are not. Spoilers below:

Only when the Captain forgives and accepts himself, he is able to save his own soul and the souls of his men. He used to be ashamed of dreaming of other men’s lips upon his skin, and in the end he grants eternal rest to his vampirized crewmates by offering them his flesh and blood to lure them into the running water. I am deeply impressed.

#the route of ice and salt #josé luis zárate #the demeter #dracula daily #dracula #bram stoker #gella talks dracula #talk talk talk

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zielenna · 6 months

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I also am a specter when I write. It is my shadow—stripped of all that matters—that speaks through ink and paper. A shipwreck’s voice, which—strangely—is not that of shredded canvas, of wood cleaved open like a wound, the echo of those who stopped screaming in the midst of the roiling waters.

José Luis Zárate, The Route of Ice and Salt

#josé luis zárate #the route of ice and salt #this was fine. i listened to the audiobook mostly while prepping vegetables #it's a novella about the captain of the demeter from dracula #readings

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yousaytomato · 2 years

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"To-morrow will see the funeral; and so will end this one more "mystery of the sea."

For You.

However, for me...

#the route of ice and salt #josé luis zárate #it arrived today. perfect timing!#thank you for people in the tags for the rec!!#Dracula daily #Dracula daily august 9 #woes of emily

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hms-tardimpala · 2 years

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So I'm not reading Dracula Daily, but I came across The Route of Ice and Salt on boat media tumblr and I'm so happy I did.

It tells the story of the captain of the Demeter and her crew as they transport a mysterious cargo (Dracula in crates full of earth) from Varna to England. So basically it's published fanfiction that expands on that passage in Dracula.

Do you like homoeroticism? The salty sea? Horror? Sad captains? The theme of cannibalism? The ambiance of The Terror? The reflection on monsters and queerness from Black Sails? This is the book for you!

The first half of the book focuses on the captain's desire for his men and his self-loathing (motivated not only by his gayness but also by a traumatic event in his past, not to spoil). And okay, it's the horniest thing I've ever read, but it's also the best, most beautiful depiction of queer desire I've ever read. This is literature. The captain's inner monologue is amazing : he's quite pathetic and problematic, but also very relatable if you've struggled with your queerness at some point, and you can't help but feel for the guy and rage against his circumstances. His arc (in this very short book!) is very satisfying and I was cheering for him at the end. And I'd like to add, although this character and Flint are very different, he made me think of Flint sometimes. Maybe it's the queer desire thing, maybe it's the monster thing, maybe it's the captain status and the duties it implies (even though these two characters tackle that in opposite ways).

The second half is foggier (literally). The proper horror comes into play, with a stranger atmosphere, crewmen disappearing, rats acting weird, etc. Very mild spoiler : Dracula is in this book, he doesn't spend it sleeping, and he is terrifying. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Gabriel De Leon, and the man gives it his all, in erotic and horror scenes alike. His Dracula chilled me to the bone, and it wasn't only the performance. The character pulls the worst things from your soul to use them against you, he's a mind vampire, not just a bloodsucker. I don't know if Dracula is like that in the original book, but I loved it.

The ending is terrific. I don't know what else to say to recommend it. It will be too horny for some, but if you love boats and queerness, it's basically required reading.

#the route of ice and salt #dracula #book #queer literature #josé luis zárate #nautical fiction #I feel like this is something Black Sails and The Terror fans would like

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5nake-eater · 2 years

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Currently thinking about this quote by José Luis Zárate, a gay mexican man born in the 60s, from the preface to his novella The Route of Ice and Salt

“Back then, it seems, everyone loved vampires. Not old Lugosi, but David Bowie, modern and gothic. The publicity for the film The Lost Boys proclaimed, “Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die. It’s fun to be a vampire.” The game of Masquerade showed us the sons of Cain, sophisticated and filled with a security born of knowing themselves masters of the night. The last rebels, the urban pirates, whose fury, appetite and desire responded only to their will.

I couldn’t love them. I was upset by so much power, so much carefree impunity…

Oh come on, they said. Imagine yourself being a predator, carnivorous, the lion amongst the sheep.

But I looked at my fluffy wool and told myself it was dangerous to love assassins.”

#Like god damn that is such a good fucking quote #anyways the book is good it's a retelling of the ship segment from Dracula only the captain of the ship is a closeted gay man #that sounds insignificant but it is very much so it is very good in its exploration of homophobia and repression #josé luis zárate #jose luis zarate #the route of ice and salt #la ruta del hielo y la sal #dracula #vampires

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ladzwriting · 8 months

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HALLOW-READS 2022: 31 Book Recommendations for the 31 Days of October

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laciere · 2 years

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I touch myself, questing for a liquid that does not exist, the cold oil of the darkness, but there is only my skin, which is still no skin, only that which covers my body. A living sheet. I touch my sex. So sensitive that I shudder, fingers at the base, along the wrinkled flesh, on the moistened foreskin that waits in vain. I do not caress myself. To what end? I have drawn away from any sensation; all that passes is time, minute by minute. Every first night is the same.

The Route of Ice and Salt by José Luis Zárate, tl. David Bowles (Innsmouth Free Press, 2021)

#the route of ice and salt #José Luis Zárate #LGBT literature #reading log #vampires #embodiment

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paseodementiras · 2 years

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La ruta del hielo y la sal

1. ANTES DE LA TORMENTA. DEL 5 AL 16 DE JULIO 1987

En la noche: el olor; el peso, el tacto de la sal.

-José Luis Zárate

#Démeter #Obra derivada #Drácula #La ruta del hielo y la sal #José Luis Zárate #Novela de misterio

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kunoichi96 · 2 years

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Queer Horror Reading Recommendations

Sounds gay and scary, I’m in. My love of horror is pretty well documented at this point. I’ve discussed Lovecraftian horror and gothic horror in Halloweens’ past. Now let me share some queer horror to terrify you this Halloween. Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield I am somewhat cheating with this one, as it’s more gothic than pure horror, but I say it counts due to its promising…

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#A Dowry of Blood by S. T. Gibson #Book Blog #Book Blogger #Book Recommendations #Books #Bookworm #Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu #horror #Horror Book #Horror Book Reccomendations #It Came From the Closet by Joe Vallese #Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield #queer book recommendations #queer books #Queer Horror #The Route of Ice and Salt by José Luis Zárate

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godzilla-reads · 2 years

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“They do not pronounce words because they have something meaningful to share, but because silence sits heavy on our hearts when we know it looms larger than we.”

—The Route of Ice & Salt by José Luis Zárate

#godzilla reads #the route of ice and salt #josé Luis Zárate #reading #book quotes #book blog #book blurb #book excerpts #booklr #bookworm

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belpheg0r-luna · 1 month

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I'm reading The Route of Ice and Salt and it's the most hilarious thing! This captain just wants to jack off in his cabin but he keeps getting distracted by the screams of the ship rats that dracula is draining unbeknownst to him under the cover of night

#the route of ice and salt #José Luis Zárate #dracula #bram stoker #dracula reimagining #dracula retelling #mexican literature #queer literature #belphegor luna

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makingqueerhistory · 5 months

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The Route of Ice and Salt

José Luis Zárate (Author) David Bowles (Translator)

A reimagining of Dracula's voyage to England, filled with Gothic imagery and queer desire.

It's an ordinary assignment, nothing more. The cargo? Fifty boxes filled with Transylvanian soil. The route? From Varna to Whitby. The Demeter has made many trips like this. The captain has handled dozens of crews.

He dreams familiar dreams: to taste the salt on the skin of his men, to run his hands across their chests. He longs for the warmth of a lover he cannot have, fantasizes about flesh and frenzied embraces. All this he's done before, it's routine, a constant, like the tides.

Yet there's something different, something wrong. There are odd nightmares, unsettling omens and fear. For there is something in the air, something in the night, someone stalking the ship.

The cult vampire novella by Mexican author José Luis Zárate is available for the first time in English. Translated by David Bowles and with an accompanying essay by noted horror author Poppy Z. Brite, it reveals an unknown corner of Latin American literature.

(Clicking the affiliate link above goes to supporting MQH's research fund)

#queer history #making queer history #queer books #queer classics

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averyqueerhalloween · 8 months

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Horror & Thriller Books with Queer characters: 🏳️‍🌈🎃

The Girls Are Never Gone by Sarah Glenn Marsh

Ace Of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand

Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado

Interview With The Vampire by Anne Rice

The Coldest Touch by Isabel Sterling

Murder Takes The High Road by Josh Lanyon

A Dowry Of Blood by S.T Gibson

The Taking Of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo

Catherine House by Elizabeth Thomas

Manhunt by Gretchen Felcker-Martin

The Honeys by Ryan La Sala

A Lesson In Vengeance by Victoria Lee

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Her Body And Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado

The Route Of Ice And Salt by José Luis Zárate

The Dead And The Dark by Courtney Gould

The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros

The Picture Of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu

Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt

Queen Of Teeth by Hailey Piper

Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

What Moves The Dead by T. Kingfisher

The Cabin At The End Of The World by Paul Tremblay

It Came From The Closet by Various Authors

House Of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

What Moves The Dead by Ursula Vernon

These Fleeting Shadows by Kate Alice Marshall

Night Of The Living Queers by Various Authors

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey

They Drown Our Daughters by Katrina Monroe

Graveyard Of Lost Children by Katrina Monroe

The River Has Teeth by Erica Waters

Hell Followed With Us by Andrew White

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew White

Dead Flip by Sara Farizan

The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester by Maya Macgregor

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca

Everything The Darkness Eats by Eric LaRocca

Into The Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth

The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht

White Is For Witching by Helen Oyeyemi

The Promise of Lost Things by Helena Dunbar

Prelude For Lost Things by Helena Dunbar

My Dear Henry by Kalynn Bayron

All The White Spaces by Ally Wilkes

As I Descended by Robin Talley

This Is Where We Talk Things Out by Caitlin Marceau

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drawn-and-quarterd · 2 years

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for anyone interested in dracula daily, theres a book called The Route of Ice and Salt by José Luis Zárate that takes place on the Demeter during draculas travel. its a short read and was republished recently. it also happens to be one of the few Mexican published translated horror novels! (to exist globally, translated into english)

gay horror, recommended for 18+ for sexual themes

#dracula daily #the route of ice and salt

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