Locker's Rebellion by Jesse Pohlman

Katherine London, an arcane scientist for the Kingdom of Emor, is alarmed when her much-needed vacation with her swordswoman wife Clarice is interrupted with a summons to the capital. The Kingdom has always had trouble keeping the Principality of Presia in line, but a peasant uprising striving for independence is brewing and it falls to Kathy and Clarice to track down its ringleader. There are just two problems making Presia an awful place for Kathy: First, the theocratic Principality is hostile to non-conformist relationships like hers’. Second, arcane gifts are viewed as witchcraft. But when an ancient relic tied to Presia's mythological savior is stolen through what can only be magic, the uprising’s leader gains an air of legitimacy. Kathy would love nothing more than to leave this problem to someone else, but if she did - if the rebellion succeeded - it would strip away the Kingdom's protection from those like her who call Presia their home. She and Clarice cannot risk leaving others like them to a theocracy's scant mercies. When an opportunity to both quell the rebellion and place a more reform-minded cleric in charge of the Principality emerges, Kathy has a first-hand opportunity to help guide him to the right side on both core issues. That leaves her with two unknowns: Whether or not they'll be in time, and what they'll find when they get there. Locker's Rebellion is a fantasy action story which plays out like your favorite battle-manga centered around themes of Queer liberation and self-acceptance. Pick it up if you're ready to stand up and defend the defenseless!

Adult • Diversity Representation/LGBTQ+/Own Voices • Fantasy/Sword and Sorcery • Science Fiction

Length: 114,500 words (about 327 pages)

Content Warning: This novel contains scenes of fantasy violence (up to and including broken bones and other severe injuries), death, suicide; it also contains Queerphobia and bias against marginalized people (magic users) in various forms, all under the jurisdiction of a theocratic system.