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noonanjohnc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Ableism, Abortion, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Medical content, Torture, Abandonment, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Misogyny, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Body horror, Deadnaming, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infertility, Sexism, Drug use, Eating disorder, Hate crime, Mental illness, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Transphobia, Violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body shaming, Confinement, Racism, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, War, Colonisation, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Lesbophobia, Toxic relationship, and Trafficking
bebidocrimes's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic, Violence, Grief, Gore, Cannibalism, Drug use, Dysphoria, Medical trauma, Trafficking, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Transphobia, War, Blood, Body shaming, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Medical content, Rape, Sexual violence, and Slavery
babayagareads's review
- 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
2.25
This book is definitely not for the weak-stomached.
I'm content with having read this piece, but it's not one that I'm going to recommend to others. If you're thinking of reading something that is going to make you uncomfortable, go ahead.
The biggest content warning I've got is also a spoiler: very early in this book there is
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Suicide, Drug use, Car accident, Deadnaming, Rape, Confinement, Genocide, Medical content, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Gun violence, Slavery, Transphobia, Violence, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Gore, Terminal illness, Child death, Murder, Outing, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, War, Body shaming, Biphobia, Sexual assault, Death, Fatphobia, and Body horror
You want to feel uncomfortable? This book has it all!andykarnik's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.0
A lot of this book was saying aloud the quiet parts of American society with regards to transgender people so sometimes it was a revelation that other people experience the same things I do and other times horror that things could be so much worse.
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, War, Transphobia, Rape, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Violence, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Deadnaming, Body shaming, Slavery, Cannibalism, Child abuse, and Fatphobia
chelbawamba's review
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I definitely see why there are people that love this book. I love a lot of weird gross unhinged horror books. Just not this one!
Graphic: Alcohol, Biphobia, Body horror, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Deadnaming, Death, Rape, War, Body shaming, Drug use, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Self harm, Cancer, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Gore, Mental illness, Outing, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual content, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Grief, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Violence, Child death, Excrement, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Slavery, Vomit, Alcoholism, Cursing, Dysphoria, Genocide, Gun violence, Medical content, and Toxic friendship
erindb's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Death, Violence, Sexual violence, Deadnaming, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Gore, Body horror, Cannibalism, Dysphoria, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Rape, Medical content, Torture, Confinement, and Murder
Moderate: Cancer, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Gun violence, Infertility, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Alcohol, and Genocide
Minor: Pedophilia, Police brutality, Eating disorder, Animal death, and Mental illness
solenodon's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: War, Transphobia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death, Violence, Sexual content, Rape, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Pregnancy, Racism, Slavery, Self harm, Murder, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Infertility, Gun violence, Gore, Grief, Death, Confinement, Classism, and Body shaming
Minor: Deadnaming and Infertility
katipheria's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
However, the actual story within this world just doesn't do it for me. There's a lot of unnecessary sex scenes and as someone who prefers to avoid an excess amount of that (regardless of sex/gender of participants), I found myself skimming a lot to get back to the actual plot and feeling disappointed. While I understand that an apocalyptic setting inspires depravity and these moments highlight an innate desire for comfort and companionship,
While it's not necessarily a horrible book, it is most definitely designed to be an uncomfortable read centered around characters who don't have many redeeming qualities.
Graphic: Genocide, Blood, Body horror, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Rape, Toxic relationship, Violence, Biphobia, Cannibalism, Classism, Death, Sexual violence, Ableism, Body shaming, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Slavery, Toxic friendship, and Transphobia
nostradamnus's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.75
The two strongest elements of Manhunt are its prose and characters, in that order and on purpose; by which I mean, despite having the trappings of a traditional dystopia, Manhunt is a horror novel, and the first priority of a good horror novel (which this is) is making its readers connect with their "ugly feelings," à la Sianne Ngai. To that end, the author prioritized viscerality and humanity (however fucked it may be) over worldbuilding and plot. If you go in knowing that, I think you'll have a better reading experience than if you're expecting something more whimsical.
What struck me most about the prose and characters of Manhunt was the way that F-M was able to weave them together to create an argument-driven novel that rarely feels like it's trying to convince you of something. One of the most poignant commentaries of the book is its perspective on the violences committed against trans woman, particularly non-passing trans women, in spaces that claim to welcome them. F-M weaves this commentary seamlessly into the narrative
Where F-M lost me was when this honestly masterful rhetorical work was interrupted by what I can only describe as cloying complaints about issues that are at best, tertiary to the text and, at worst, self-apologetics that bully readers into compliance under the guise of being equivalent to essential issues of self that are above interlocution.
My point in all of this is that F-M is an excellent creative writer and rhetorician, and so the moments where she is less than excellent are distinctly unpleasant not in the way that good horror must be, but in the way that real people often are. For a different reader, that could be a welcome thing, but for me, it was disappointing. I'll read more of Felker-Martin's work in the future, but if the flaws of Manhunt carry forward, I'll inevitably tap out of her list.
Tertiarily: Manhunt reminded me a lot of The Handmaid's Tale, in that it engaged in the white literary tradition of reimagining violence committed in the name of anti-Blackness/misogynoir to victimize white women? It was particularly odd in this case because white trans women (our primary protagonists) face their own contemporary struggles that could have been and were taken to their reasonable conclusions within the text, but those conclusions were kind of replaced in the last act by chattel slavery? Very weird, very white.
Graphic: Rape, Pandemic/Epidemic, Misogyny, Hate crime, Body horror, Transphobia, Violence, Torture, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Death of parent, War, Animal death, Incest, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death, Slavery, Toxic friendship, and Fatphobia
norspider's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The birth of a virus that targets anyone with high enough testosterone levels, turning them into mindless, ferocious beasts. Things that hunt in packs to eat (and do worse) to any prey.
The characters we follow most are Beth and Fran, 2 trans girls surviving by any means necessary in the wilderness. A chance encounter puts them in the crosshairs of a merciless army of TERFs. Beth, Fran, and most other characters we're introduced to get a fulfilling amount of depth and development.
This book is GRAPHIC with its violence and sex. Be aware of that going in, and then expect more.
There are pop-culture references that may alienate some potential readers but I hope I'm wrong about that. More people should read this book.
Graphic: Dysphoria, Gore, Homophobia, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Murder, Sexual content, Death, Medical content, and Transphobia
Moderate: Death of parent and Animal death
Minor: Deadnaming, Excrement, Slavery, and Sexual assault