Polyamory-Related Books

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Polyamory in Fiction

Even more fictional books that feature polyamorous situations, relationships or concepts. (And even more are reviewed here.)

The Book of Laughter and Forgetting

Milan Kundera

Harper Perennial

Perhaps Kundera's most famous work save for The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Laughter is part novel, part a series of related short stories. It's part humor, part history, with themes and characters popping up in unexpected places.

The books most distinctly poly situation revolves around Eva and Karel, and the question of how to deal with their lover when Mama arrives. Funny, charming, insightful, this book should be read for far more than this poly situation, but that particular story is worth the price of the book alone.

Matthew Rodbro rated this book a 9 and said:

Kundera has created a novel of masterful insight. Endowed with political undertones, the author gives insight into the nature of the forces that drive man. Weaving a remarkable tale, he masterfully expounds on the interplay of greed, passion, mysticism, and interdependence, while documenting the bitter sadness of the Czech occupation. This is a must read for anyone blessed with a soul.

vala rated this book a 8 and said:

The book of Laughter and Forgetting" reveales the cruel world ruled by the sick politicians. Kundera discovers devilish side of the human laughter, and praises sincere laugh that's distinct of the laughter beyond joking. Kundera examines the dark side of communism writing using the pieces of his autobiography. He describes the brainwashed nation and the fugitives that are looking for salvation in memory. This book opens the door to one different world, the world you have to discover. This is the sword that fights human ignorance.

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Bedlam's Bard

Previously published as:
Knight of Ghosts and Shadows
and
Summoned to Tourney

Mercedes Lackey
Ellen Guon

Baen Books

Eric, a musician at a Renaissance Faire, discovers Elves. Real elves. In Los Angeles. They've got a problem, and he's their man (so to speak.) This opening for Knight foreshadows the tone of the book--an imaginative lighthearted fantasy with bits of darker themes mixed in for flavor.

Without giving too much away--Eric ends up struggling during much of the book with his own multiple desires as well of those of one of his partners. Of course, given the tone of the novel, you shouldn't expect a lot of deep poly insight to be had here, but of course that isn't the point, Knight is fun.

Melissa Craycraft recommended these books to us and said:

As part--though by no means the main feature--of the plots, we see the formation and maintenance of a poly triad.

Kaia Wolf (celestia@inorbit.com) rated this book an 8 (Excellent) and said:

This book, aside from being a fun romp, was the first fiction I'd ever read which featured--and yes this is a bit of a spoiler--a MFM triad. In my involvement with the poly world (both in person and in fiction) I see a lot of FMF triads but very few like my own "two guys and a girl" reality. This book gave my partner and I hope that such things are possible and was our own jumping off point into our investigation of polyamory. And FWIW, Mercedes Lackey has done the best job in fantasy of offering a truly balanced cast of characters of all sexual/societal orientations.