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lonelylooper's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Abandonment, Religious bigotry, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Grief
Moderate: Dysphoria, Bullying, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Deadnaming
Minor: Death, Death of parent, and Suicide
mausoleum's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Favorite Stories: The Shape of My Name (Nino Cipri), Splitskin (E. Catherine Tobler), The Need for Overwhelming Sensation (Bogi Takács), The Scaper's Muse (B.R. Sanders), Where Monsters Dance (A. Merc Rustad)
roach's review
Interesting ideas and conceptually cool collection, but I just haven't been in the mood for short stories.
bug_lightyear's review
4.5
Some stories I really love and have marked me over several re-reads, some I found difficult to follow.
Great variety of stories, people, pronouns, including disabled characters.
Great variety of stories, people, pronouns, including disabled characters.
legs_mcgee's review
3.0
Like many anthologies, you may find some things that you really adore, and others that are just... so-so. It still feels plesantly surprising to have so much trans speculative fiction in the same place.
Particular stand-outs for me (that make the anthology worth picking up!!) were Nino Cipri's "The Shape of My Name" and E. Saxey's "The Librarian's Dilemma."
Particular stand-outs for me (that make the anthology worth picking up!!) were Nino Cipri's "The Shape of My Name" and E. Saxey's "The Librarian's Dilemma."
paulataua's review
2.0
Pretty much hit and miss anthology that probably leans more to the miss side. There are a couple of good stories, a lot of just average pieces, and a few totally confusing ones that I found impossible to understand. I’m still not clear about the balance, but felt there seemed a little one sided away from the transfeminine. Of course, I may just be mistaken about that.
alexauthorshay's review
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
My hold on the second volume ended up coming in prior to this one, but as they aren't linked through plots or anything, it doesn't really matter what order you read things in. I did find more stories enjoyable and relatable in this volume than the second one, with less focus on experimental story forms. The stories themselves didn't all feel inherently trans-focused, at least in relation to character gender, but Szpara made a note in the introduction around expanding our conceptions as trans people as to who gets to write trans stories and also the various things trans can mean, especially when it comes to speculative fiction where magic and science can do so much more than in the "real" world.
choirqueer's review
3.0
Not as good as I hoped it would be; the most engaging stories in this collection were actually all ones I’d read previously. I just felt like there was a lack of stories I could relate to, which seemed odd for a collection of trans spec fic, and while I don’t expect to connect with every story in any anthology, I just felt like there were an awful lot of stories in this one where I could barely follow what was going on let alone connect with the narrative. I’ll give the next volume a try though, maybe that will be better!
bonriki's review
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0