On Twitter, fellow YA author Rin Chupeco (they/them) vaguely discussed events that had been occurring through Slack (a messaging software). Other authors recently exposed Emily Duncan for attacking other authors, specifically authors of color, unprovoked to make matters worse. That alone is enough to definitively state that fans cannot separate the art and the artist since their craft makes them problematic. As we already established, Duncan’s books are rife with anti-Semitism (mainly in the form of blood libel). Since the book wasn’t wildly popular outside of these small communities after readers exposed the problematic elements, any traction the series had previously picked up died for the most part. Even within these somewhat niche groups, fans began noticing and discussing some of the anti-Semitic tropes Duncan had weaved into the foundation of her magic system and world-building. When they reached their maximum popularity, it was within groups dedicated to Young Adult Dark Fantasy books and were never quite able to crack mainstream popularity. The first book, Wicked Saints, was met with moderate success, and their subsequent books performed similarly. This push to separate the art from the artist sparked even more discussion about if it was even possible.Įmily Duncan (she/they) is a dark fantasy author known for writing the Something Dark and Holy trilogy.

With these recent discoveries and subsequent discussions on how to handle the situations, many argued that readers should be able to separate the author’s actions from the contents of their books.

In particular, it became increasingly more accessible for readers to learn of the less than desirable actions taken by some of their favorite authors. Within these communities, people can talk about their favorite books and authors, and eventually, they were able to help expose some of the uglier parts of publishing as a whole. With the increased connectedness and dispersal of information that comes with the internet, it didn’t take long for a larger community of book lovers to form. Reading is a wildly popular hobby made all that more prevalent with the rise of social media.

After each person is introduced, their pronouns are included in parentheses for your reference. DISCLAIMER: Even though most of the authors mentioned in this article have engaged in damaging behavior, it is essential to respect their pronouns.

Something dark and holy trilogy