Reviews

Bound in Flesh: An Anthology of Trans Body Horror by Lor Gislason

sreader23's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.5

If you love horror this is definitely a book you should read. It is filled with so many amazing short stories that had my skin crawling. I especially appreciated how the characters trans identities were not the center of their suffering, but you could definitely see how these identities influenced the authors writing. Incredible work all around!! (Obviously read the warnings)
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vampyrrhic's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

froginhat's review

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dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.0

zea_d_writing's review

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Most anthologies - but especially horror anthologies - are a mixed bag. Usually what I’ve found is if it’s a good anthology, the majority of the stories within will be just kind of so-so, there will be a few misses, and a couple of them will manage to be truly amazing. 

This was an amazing anthology. Each story was well written, rich in vivid grotesque imagery, masterful characterization, and meaningful storytelling. There honestly wasn’t a single dud in my opinion. There were one or two stories that weren’t quite as engaging as the others, but they were still far from duds. 
I am an avid horror fan, be it in books or movies or music, and am fairly desensitized to body horror but there we’re absolutely various scenes throughout these stories that had me wonderfully grossed out. 

Trans body horror continues to be the best body horror around. 

mfrisk's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

3.0

As are most short story collections there were some hits, some misses, and a few that didn’t resonate as much to me. This collection is body horror to the extreme with some great social commentary on homophobia, transphobia, gender dysphoria, and sexism. While I didn’t enjoy every story I did feel most did a great job in connecting to important themes that are valuable to dissect within the lens of horror. 

I want to take the time to highlight my top 2 stories here which I think will stick with me the most which though less reliant on body horror still packed a significant punch: 

1. Show Me - themes around sexism, gender roles, and toxic relationships

2. Man of the House - themes around homophobia and transphobia 
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humblebee20's review

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5.0

This book is absolutely disgusting and I loved every second. The is a collection of Trans and Non-binary horror short stories that dip into any depraved thing you can think of. Some are subtle and creeping, while others are screaming and angry. Not all of them were my favorite, but there are a few standout stories that I'm still thinking about days later. "Wormspace" drew me to buy this book and gives a wonderful example of what you're in for. It's gross and wet and actually made me shudder. My personal top 3 would include in book order would be "Wormspace", "A Brief History of the Santa Carcossa Archipelago", and "Looking for the Big Death". It could be argued that these some of the more explicit stories in the collection, but 90% of this novel is super gross (again, I mean this in the best way possible). In any case, I loved this book, but I caution those who are faint of heart, or don't like explicit horror or sexual acts. This book does not hold back anything. As a genderqueer person, it always lovely to see other queer artists show off their writing chops, especially when it's for one of my favorite genres. There is nothing better that horror as a space to explore metaphors for queer relationships that then wraps back around to horror. I never thought I would swoon over a death of a character and their lover, but the format allows an "anything goes" view that makes the stories have more room to breathe when not smothered by censors or media scrutiny. If you are LGBTQ and like extreme horror, please read this book, there is something in these stories for you. It's wonderful to see stories of coming out, not only from the closet, but the tight skin we have been forced to live within.

mrj42's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

4.0

shieldat's review against another edition

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dark
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

isaiahh's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense

4.5

mbmartin42's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious fast-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

4.5

As with any anthology, there were of course some of these that I liked more that others but overall this a really solid collection. There’s something here for every type of horror reader.

(Read for the trans rights readathon 2024)