Reviews tagging 'Death'

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

13 reviews

sreader23's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, Death, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Medical content, Abortion, Transphobia, Gore, Homophobia, and Body horror

mfrisk's review

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Car accident, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual content, Homophobia, Transphobia, Gore, Blood, Violence, Death, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Suicide, and Body horror

arlingtonchamberofgay's review

dark 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? Yes

4.75

Each story is delightfully fucked up, exploring the horrors of having a body in a variety of different ways. To have the trans experience written in so many different ways through horror is amazing. 

My favorite was “Looking for the Big Death” by Taliesin Neith, as it explored the fascination of dying and the intimacy of killing someone.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Sexual content, Body horror, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death, Car accident, Transphobia, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

havelock's review

challenging dark

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Violence

Minor: Domestic abuse, Vomit, and Transphobia

maxence_666's review

dark mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Vomit, Gore, Death, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Dysphoria, Transphobia, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, and Murder

bladelikesbooks's review against another edition

4.0

‘Bound In Flesh’ is an adult trans horror anthology. A collection of 13 horror short stories focusing on body horror. I rated each short story separately and got an average rating of 4 stars. Horror isn’t my usual genre so starting with this was like jumping into the deep end but I had a great time! 

My favorite short stories included ‘In The Garden Of Horn, The Naked Magic Thrives’ by Hailey Piper; ‘Show Me’ by Amanda M. Blake; ‘Looking For The Big Death’ by Taliesin Neith.

I loved how different the stories were from each other even though they were all within this one specific genre and I loved how diverse the casts were. There were so many different types of representation in this and so many different stories, I feel like there’s definitely something in here for everyone. 

I’d definitely love to check out the other works of the authors and editors who contributed to this anthology and I’ve also joined the Ghoulish Books book club which has been so much fun. Overall, I had a really fun experience reading this book and it has introduced me to a whole new community of readers. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves the horror genre or queer books or anthologies. 

Representation - Autistic (A); Bisexual (A); Disabled (A); Fat (MC/A); Gay (SC/A); GenderFluid (A); He/They (A); Mobility Aid (Colostomy Bag - MC); NeoPronouns (It; A); Neurodivergent (A); NonBinary (A); Queer (MC); Sapphic (MC/A); She/Her/They/Them (A); She/He/They (A); They/Them (MC/SC/A); Trans (A); Trans (FTM, MC/SC/A); Transmasculine (A); Trans (MTF/MC/A)

TWs/CWs - Abortion; Amputation; Animal Cruelty; Animal Death; BDSM; Birthing; Blood; Body Horror; Bugs; Bullying; Cancer; Car crash (graphic); Child Abuse, Child Death; Corpse; Cult Activity; Cussing; Death; Emotional Abuse; Exorcism; Fatphobia; Financial Abuse; Gore; Homophobia; Medical Detail; Murder; Necrophelia; Needle; Nudity; Physical Abuse; Prison; Sexual Assault; Sexual Content; Suicide Attempt; Transphobia; Violence; Vomit

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Transphobia, Vomit, Blood, Cursing, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Body horror, Car accident, Gore, Murder, Violence, Death, Homophobia, and Medical content

Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, and Fatphobia

Minor: Cancer and Bullying

schomj's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Car accident, Dysphoria, Gore, Medical content, Sexual content, and Death

bruisedtigers's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.5

As always, it's hard to rate an anthology. I was a little disappointed by a good handful of these, even if they had a good premise.

Standouts for me are "Mama is a Butcher" and "Show Me." I'd consider the best of the lot to be " Lady Davelina’s Last Pet."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Transphobia, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Sexual violence, Body horror, and Violence

mythian's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I had never considered how the trans experience could be related to body horror before, but having read this book, I think it was a brilliant idea to put this collection together. The horror elements put the reader at unease with the main character's situation and their body, encouraging empathetic connections with someone of a different gender or lived experience than yours. Many of these characters have a strong sense of identity-- they know what is right for them, and when something is wrong, you can feel how disturbing the situation is. The characters also often very driven; they go for what they want, even if it may seem horrific to others.

I found several stories empowering, but there are just as many that I found really gross and disturbing. That all comes down to personal preference, but this is a reminder to be in the right headspace when reading this book, as there is frequently quite vitriolic imagery.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Dysphoria, Body horror, and Sexual content

Moderate: Medical trauma, Self harm, Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Excrement

Suicidal ideation

arthur_ant18's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Gore

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Mental illness

Minor: Animal death