Elizabeth Hopkinson
Historical fantasy and fairy tales with asexual representation
www.elizabethhopkinson.uk
Books by Elizabeth Hopkinson
I’ve written 7 books including Cage of Nightingales and Asexual Fairy Tales, and featured in numerous anthologies.
A vow to an archangel. A web of unspoken love. A commission that could shatter it all.
Two years ago, Tammo and Carlo saved Celestina’s life—and bound themselves in a sacred vow to the Archangel Michael. Now, Tammo’s rare gift as a bird-charmer has made him a favorite of the nobility, and Carlo’s voice is taking Angelio’s opera world by storm. But beneath beauty and acclaim, tangled feelings churn between the three of them: love, duty, and truths too long unspoken.
When alluring and dangerous Marchesa della Pamina offers Tammo a commission, it sets off a chain of betrayals that threatens to unravel their bond—and expose Carlo’s most closely guarded secret.
As Carnival season draws them into a glittering world of masks and misdirection, desire and jealousy begin to distort the very gifts that once bound them together. And when trust falters, even an angel’s blessing may not be enough to hold them
Masquerade of Finches is a story of fragile devotion, found family, and queer identity—featuring a tender portrayal of an asexual, nonbinary eunuch at its heart.
Shortlisted for the Tempest Prize
“Compelling throughout and very accomplished.” - Patience Agbabi
Two boys. One meek, one rebellious. Both discover a power that will set them free…or sever them.
In a highly structured eighteenth-century society, the city-state of Angelio is known for two things: its music and its guardian, the Archangel Michael.
At Angelio’s music school—nicknamed the Cage of Nightingales—castrato singer Carlo is destined for fame at the opera…at the price of his freedom. Charity pupil Tammo hates the school and the restrictive future it offers, dreaming instead of escaping to live in the woods to charm birds with his flute.
When Tammo meets Carlo, their lives change forever. With the Archangel’s help, they are granted the power to fulfil each other’s deepest desires—but every gift demands a price.
As music opens doors to a glittering world beyond the Cage, the bond between them is tested by ambition, longing, and the fragile promises they have made. And their choices will shape not just their futures, but that of Celestina—a young aristocrat who will become entwined in their lives in ways neither of them can foresee.
Cage of Nightingales is a story of found family, and queer identity—featuring a tender portrayal of an asexual, nonbinary eunuch.
Almost everyone knows the familiar fairy tale ending: the prince marries the princess and they live happily ever after. Or do they?
Once upon a time, our ancestors were much more honest and open about the spectrum of human sexuality. Among the fairy tales and myths they told were stories of androgynes, neither male nor female; of women and men who resist sex and marriage for other kinds of love; of chaste romances, miraculous childbirth and bodily transformations. These are the asexual fairy tales you will find in this book.
These tales come from many places: from Grimms’ Fairy Tales to The Thousand and One Nights, from Greek mythology and Arthurian legend to the silent films of the 1920s and from Scandinavia to Japan. Retold, reimagined, and sometimes reinvented as new stories for the 21st century, these stories will change the way you think about fairy tales, and bring asexuality out of the closet.
Once upon a time, our ancestors told tales of asexuality, symbolic stories that hint at other identities: a princess who grows a beard to escape marriage, a knight who forsakes his wife's bed to become a werewolf, a goddess with detachable parts, a planet where everyone is asexual.
Drawn from many times and places, retold and reimagined for the 21st century, Elizabeth Hopkinson's second book of myths and tales brings asexuality out of the closet and gives it the history it has been denied.
A girl who crafts a husband from marzipan. A man who thinks he’s made of glass. A nonbinary sibling who succeeds where their brothers fail. An origin story for the asexual flag.
In this third collection, Elizabeth Hopkinson collects, combines and reinvents tales from Spain to China, El Salvador to India, bringing asexual identities to the fore. With original stories about a gender-swapped Cinderella, a poster in love, and a queer platonic relationship, this is her most inventive collection yet.
A trans monk. A mermaid saint. A headless healer. A werewolf refugee.
Asexual Fairy Tales author Elizabeth Hopkinson lends her numinous storytelling voice to lesser-known saints from Celtic lands in the age of Patrick, Columba and Cuthbert - alongside some of their influencers and inheritors.
From Brigid the Time Traveller to Cædmon the Socially Anxious, from Brendan the Respecter of First Nations to the Black Madonna of Montevergine who protects same-sex couples and traditional third genders, this collection of tales from the past has much to teach us about diversity and inclusion today.
A mysterious pendant. A sinister suitor. And an epic chase to the Edge of the Map... 1706. The rival Dutch and English East India Companies sail the world s oceans, bringing back exotic treasures and tales of fantastical lands. In coastal Hollyport, Margaret faces a terrible choice: to abandon herself to a marriage that could erase her very soul, or to risk all aboard a ship bound for dangerous waters. With her betrothed husband, the sinister Mr Van Guelder in pursuit, Margaret embarks on a journey like no other: where pirates, flying islands and secret empires await; along with unexpected friendship from troubled young nobleman Taro, whose estate holds surprises and sorrows of its own. But Van Guelder is never far behind, nor is the power of the mysterious lodestone round his neck, and Margaret will have to learn the true nature of suffering before she can ever be free.
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