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wilt's review against another edition
4.0
(I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.)
This anthology is awesome. I'm not someone who usually enjoys short story collections because there's always a few stories that don't hit as well as the others. But having read a body horror novella by a trans author in the past I knew there would be something unique and creative to find here. And this ended up being so much better than I even expected.
It's impossible to pick a single favorite story because I could go on about what think is great about almost every single one of them. In the interest of keeping this concise I wanted to limit myself to picking three favorites, but this collection is just too good for that. So here are my top 5:
Wormspace - For setting the tone and making me feel genuinely disturbed from the get go, which made me wildly curious about the rest of the stories. The tension of the buildup really makes this my favorite choice for an opening.
Coming Out - For its startling quality. This is the point where I really thought okay, this collection is something special. I loved the structure of this story, the attention to its telling, and the details in the omissions that forced my brain to meet the horrors halfway.
Long Fingers - For quote-worthy paragraphs and an energy that made me feel excited to be trans, and for showing me that horror can be heartwarming when read by the monster.
A Brief History of The Santa Carcossa Archipelago - For getting weird with it. For mixing horror and sex in a way that felt nauseating and sweet at the same time, and oddly comforting. And I'm always a sucker for science.
Looking for the Big Death - For being a strong finish that really ramped up the horror and wrapped the anthology up in a memorable, exhilerating way. This was probably the story that disturbed me the most and I couldn't ask for a more satisfying end to this lovely gruesome collection.
The only story I disliked was The Haunting of Aiden Finch because it felt like it didn't really meet the theme of body horror to me. The quality didn't feel on the same level as the others, especially following Wormspace, and that's why I can't really give this a 5 stars. Maybe if the horror was more involved with the bodies of the characters and less relegated to a seperate entity it could have worked for me. But as it is it felt out of place and just didn't click with me.
Overall I'm surprised by how much I loved this collection. It makes me excited for the future of queer horror and grateful to be at a point where trans writers can get together to form works of art like this.
This anthology is awesome. I'm not someone who usually enjoys short story collections because there's always a few stories that don't hit as well as the others. But having read a body horror novella by a trans author in the past I knew there would be something unique and creative to find here. And this ended up being so much better than I even expected.
It's impossible to pick a single favorite story because I could go on about what think is great about almost every single one of them. In the interest of keeping this concise I wanted to limit myself to picking three favorites, but this collection is just too good for that. So here are my top 5:
Wormspace - For setting the tone and making me feel genuinely disturbed from the get go, which made me wildly curious about the rest of the stories. The tension of the buildup really makes this my favorite choice for an opening.
Coming Out - For its startling quality. This is the point where I really thought okay, this collection is something special. I loved the structure of this story, the attention to its telling, and the details in the omissions that forced my brain to meet the horrors halfway.
Long Fingers - For quote-worthy paragraphs and an energy that made me feel excited to be trans, and for showing me that horror can be heartwarming when read by the monster.
A Brief History of The Santa Carcossa Archipelago - For getting weird with it. For mixing horror and sex in a way that felt nauseating and sweet at the same time, and oddly comforting. And I'm always a sucker for science.
Looking for the Big Death - For being a strong finish that really ramped up the horror and wrapped the anthology up in a memorable, exhilerating way. This was probably the story that disturbed me the most and I couldn't ask for a more satisfying end to this lovely gruesome collection.
The only story I disliked was The Haunting of Aiden Finch because it felt like it didn't really meet the theme of body horror to me. The quality didn't feel on the same level as the others, especially following Wormspace, and that's why I can't really give this a 5 stars. Maybe if the horror was more involved with the bodies of the characters and less relegated to a seperate entity it could have worked for me. But as it is it felt out of place and just didn't click with me.
Overall I'm surprised by how much I loved this collection. It makes me excited for the future of queer horror and grateful to be at a point where trans writers can get together to form works of art like this.
macclown's review against another edition
5.0
This was an incredible read, a great collection of short trans body horror stories, some of which I'm STILL thinking about even days after finishing. They were all very well written with great plots and twists but I do want to mention a couple that really stood out to me. Bit of a long review but I feel that’s got to be the case with a collection of short stories by multiple authors.
The Haunting of Aiden Finch by Theo Hendrie
This was the first story that really stood out to me. It follows the main character who has stumbled across a body, Aiden, in the woods with no evidence but a dropped phone. On the phone they find a series of pictures and videos following Aiden documenting their transition whilst being haunted by a sheet-ghost. The build-up to the end was creepy and suspenseful, and had some good gore towards the end.
Mama Is A Butcher - Winter Holmes
This follows Riley, a not-human being who's mother sews them a suit of pigskin in order to hide their appearance. One day a neighbour girl, Samantha, is being bullied and Riley comes to the rescue. Over the next few weeks they form a friendship that Riley's mother disapproves of. This was a wonderful read honestly, their friendship really pulled at my heart. I will say I saw the ending coming but that didn't stop it from being just as impactful. Very much a "love me as I am" story.
Fall Apart - gaast
This follows the story of a man who brings the dead back to life through automatons. I'm a huge fan of horror and sci-fi and the merging of these two genres together in this story was superb. I would definitely love to read a longer, more fleshed out version of this one day.
Lady Davelina's Pet - Charles-Elizabeth Boyle
I ADORED this one. This follows the story of Meno who is abducted by what I assume are some sort of alien/witch/??? creatures. Meno is turned into many different creatures from a bear to a bird, an old man to a young woman, by Lady Davelina. He eventually meets Ray, a hart, who was also once human, and they plot to escape. Their relationship made my heart BURST, it was so good. There's a particular scene where Meno, who is a trans man, is transformed into a woman and it was heartbreaking to read their thoughts and emotions. Superb read.
And finally!
Looking For The Big Death - Taliesin Neith
Now. This one? This one made the whole book for me. By far my favourite. Just incredible. It's written in first-person which I usually avoid, but this one does it so well, I was so immersed in the character and plot I didn’t even notice it honestly. It follows the main character who has died in a car crash, except (dun, dun, DUN) they didn't die. They wake up in the morgue craving death again, but this time by murder. They stumble across Arthur on a forum who wants to kill, and begin a relationship. I don't want to give away anymore plot for this one as words cannot describe how incredible I think this one is. An incredible, amazing ending and again another story I would LOVE to read a full-length version of.
Overall an amazing collection of stories, some real gems in there, and I definitely recommend everyone to read this one, particularly if you're into queer horror.
The Haunting of Aiden Finch by Theo Hendrie
This was the first story that really stood out to me. It follows the main character who has stumbled across a body, Aiden, in the woods with no evidence but a dropped phone. On the phone they find a series of pictures and videos following Aiden documenting their transition whilst being haunted by a sheet-ghost. The build-up to the end was creepy and suspenseful, and had some good gore towards the end.
Mama Is A Butcher - Winter Holmes
This follows Riley, a not-human being who's mother sews them a suit of pigskin in order to hide their appearance. One day a neighbour girl, Samantha, is being bullied and Riley comes to the rescue. Over the next few weeks they form a friendship that Riley's mother disapproves of. This was a wonderful read honestly, their friendship really pulled at my heart. I will say I saw the ending coming but that didn't stop it from being just as impactful. Very much a "love me as I am" story.
Fall Apart - gaast
This follows the story of a man who brings the dead back to life through automatons. I'm a huge fan of horror and sci-fi and the merging of these two genres together in this story was superb. I would definitely love to read a longer, more fleshed out version of this one day.
Lady Davelina's Pet - Charles-Elizabeth Boyle
I ADORED this one. This follows the story of Meno who is abducted by what I assume are some sort of alien/witch/??? creatures. Meno is turned into many different creatures from a bear to a bird, an old man to a young woman, by Lady Davelina. He eventually meets Ray, a hart, who was also once human, and they plot to escape. Their relationship made my heart BURST, it was so good. There's a particular scene where Meno, who is a trans man, is transformed into a woman and it was heartbreaking to read their thoughts and emotions. Superb read.
And finally!
Looking For The Big Death - Taliesin Neith
Now. This one? This one made the whole book for me. By far my favourite. Just incredible. It's written in first-person which I usually avoid, but this one does it so well, I was so immersed in the character and plot I didn’t even notice it honestly. It follows the main character who has died in a car crash, except (dun, dun, DUN) they didn't die. They wake up in the morgue craving death again, but this time by murder. They stumble across Arthur on a forum who wants to kill, and begin a relationship. I don't want to give away anymore plot for this one as words cannot describe how incredible I think this one is. An incredible, amazing ending and again another story I would LOVE to read a full-length version of.
Overall an amazing collection of stories, some real gems in there, and I definitely recommend everyone to read this one, particularly if you're into queer horror.
laurens_bookstagram's review against another edition
3.0
These stories were brief, disturbing, niche and also seemingly unique in my experience. Lots to unpack in the way of TW, so I very much recommend checking those out first. Some of these, I found very difficult to read, others hard to read at times, but curious to know. Chapter 2 was the one I enjoyed most.
its_rosa_reading's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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
whimsyqueen's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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
4.0
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Mental illness
Minor: Animal death
vanmeers's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
4.75
Bound in Flesh is a great collection of trans body horror from 13 different trans and non-binary authors, all amazing at what they do, and definitely a collection worth reading if you’re intro queer horror or body horror! There’s a story for everyone in this book.
Lor Gislason did an exceptional job picking the stories to appear in Bound in Flesh as they’re all extremely well written, supremely gross, and not one story is like the other — you literally cannot predict where this book will take you next. There’s different takes on body horror and it’s a great selection that really showcases how body horror can mean different things to different people. It’s a trope that doesn’t have to be done in just one way. Bound in Flesh is also a good example of how body horror can excel when written through a trans lens and how horror, as a genre, really benefits from having amazing trans, non-binary, and queer authors write it.
This is an amazing collection and one that I will definitely go back to again as the stories can easily be read more than once. I’m already looking forward to getting a physical copy of this in the future so I can get my partner to read it as well, there’s a few stories I know they'll absolutely love as much as I did.
Thank you to BookSirens and Lor Gislason for the ARC.
elliel_nook's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
5.0
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I have also cross posted this review to my Goodreads account.
Body horror is one of my favorite subgenres of horror and I'm trans. So, when I saw " Bound in the flesh: An Anthology of Trans Body Horror" I knew I'd love it.
The stories in the book kept me up reading until nearly dawn (until I finished the book). Every story in this book is great. Although, I can't hear the word worm anymore without having a visceral reaction. How do calloused gums look anyway?
I absolutely loved this disgusting book! I'm so excited to read even more queer horror.
I have also cross posted this review to my Goodreads account.
Body horror is one of my favorite subgenres of horror and I'm trans. So, when I saw " Bound in the flesh: An Anthology of Trans Body Horror" I knew I'd love it.
The stories in the book kept me up reading until nearly dawn (until I finished the book). Every story in this book is great. Although, I can't hear the word worm anymore without having a visceral reaction. How do calloused gums look anyway?
I absolutely loved this disgusting book! I'm so excited to read even more queer horror.
milt_theo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This anthology of trans body horror delivers thirteen pieces of horror art, equal parts sublime and disgusting, wrapped up in a sometimes surreal, sometimes immersive and shocking package. I confess not expecting it to be THAT good: gender misidentification is horror enough, and I imagined I knew what to expect. Wrong! From the get go, 'Wormspace' by LC von Hessen, I got such strong body horror vibes, I knew I’d end up loving the anthology. Indeed, with such stories as 'The Haunting of Aiden Finch' by Theo Hendrie, brimming with originality both of narrative format and theme, or ‘Looking For The Big Death’ by Taliesin Neith, it becomes a difficult task to pick favorites. Some of the twists, combined with the occasional toxic atmosphere of gender shaming, were heart-breaking. I highly recommend this anthology!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.