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jessalynneal's review against another edition
4.0
I read Bound in Flesh during the Trans Rights Readathon (March 20-27)! I've always been a fan of horror and I loved reading this anthology with so many different perspectives and approaches to body horror. Below are my reviews, synopsis, and any standout quotes for each short story/novella, and due to the length of each story, there will be spoilers.
Wormspace
LC von Hessen
Our main character goes to a hard to find Physician. I found this story quite intriguing (I almost thought that it was going to be a mystery of sorts) and especially entertaining given Heidi Klum's Halloween 2022 costume.
"He didn't want to wear a costume, adopt a persona. He wanted to quite simply, to be."
The Haunting of Aiden Finch
Theo Hendrie
A hiker in a national park comes across a dead trans teen boy's phone and watches the videos on the dead boy's phone to find out what happened.
"He had imagined coming across a scene like this many times. Perhaps he had a morbid min, or perhaps spending so much time alone in the depths of the National Parks simply had that kind of effect."
I thought that this was a fun and enthralling story that felt like the intersection of true crime fanaticism and main character energy.
"He was only here to bear witness. He wanted to know how it ends."
Coming Out
Derek Des Anges
I really loved this one. The author had me from the beginning and really cemented my investment in this story with this quote: “I will die of poop."
Bren McCool is attacked by El Carnicero in prison, suffered a puncture wound to his colon, and has to use a colostomy bag. In his isolation cell, there are mushroom that grow in one corner, and in the machine shop, he gets access to the lathe and metal.
Mama is a Butcher
Winter Holmes
I mostly guessed where this story was going, but it was still heartbreaking all the same.
"It wasn't a perfect body. It was chafed and scarred and bloody. But it was them. God, it was them."
Fall Apart
gaast
This one surprised me a cool, chaotic way.
A man who makes automatas (automatons imbued with a human soul after they die) creates one for himself, but it doesn’t look like his body (it’s supposed to resemble the person as precisely as possible in order to guarantee the seance/transference of the soul) because he wants to keep living and working but living as more/not old.
"I'm not old enough to fall apart, but I'm old enough to rot."
Lady Davelina’s Last Pet
Charles-Elizabeth Boyles
This was one of my favorite stories
Davelina kidnaps a trans man and he is her pet as she transforms his body into different animals, gelatinous blobs, and human forms.
"When you woke up, you were not yourself. You never would be again."
In the Garden of Horn, the Naked Magic Thrives
Hailey Piper
This one was wild and fun and featured a phallic magical artifact, a red robed cult, an orgy with a phallus mass, and a god incarnate.
Reza buys a magic artifact that sort of resembles a dick at a yard sale, and after some research, it’s an idol of love.
A Scream Lights Up the Sky
Joe Koch
This was not one of my favorites, but that's because I'm not really a fan of dystopian sci fi.
Long Fingers
Layne Van Rensburg
This one surprised me in a good way, and I really feel like like this one embodies supporting women's rights and wrongs.
ER doctor Jennifer finds a finger in her coffee (and eventually the hand attached to it) and took it out of the coffee and performed first aid on it. She takes a sample of the finger to check out the structure of it in the lab at work.
"I fight everyone all the time anyway," I tell him. "The only difference is that I now have a chance."
A Brief History of the Santa Carcossa Archipelago
Bitter Karella
This one starts with the black eggs, the origin of which is the mystery, which allegedly make you beautiful if you eat them.
Show Me
Amanda M. Blake
This story was like the Stepford wives getting flipped and reversed on its head.
A doctor husband is obsessed with making her the perfect wife.
He took me down from the pedestal and placed me in this box, because he had no more use for a vase that couldn't hold flowers.
Man of the House
Lillian Boyd
This was hilarious and by far one of my favorite reads.
Ronald Ray buys a house that's haunted by a queer/trans kid (Alex) who was killed by their father. Ronald is homophobic and also abused his wife, and now the house aka Alex is haunting him (including playing the song Dude (Looks like a Lady) on repeat).
Looking for the Big Death
Taliesin Neith
Another story that surprised me and I'd believe is ultimately a love story. It sort of reminded me of Romeo & Juliet but in reverse (start with a tragedy and end with a love story).
The main characters wants to die until his boyfriend accidentally kills him in a car wreck and he thinks it’s a lame way to die.
Instead of exchanging vows and rings, I would put my life in someone's hands, and they would unravel it, sweetly or cruelly.
Wormspace
LC von Hessen
Our main character goes to a hard to find Physician
Spoiler
to be made into a worm"He didn't want to wear a costume, adopt a persona. He wanted to quite simply, to be."
The Haunting of Aiden Finch
Theo Hendrie
A hiker in a national park comes across a dead trans teen boy's phone and watches the videos on the dead boy's phone to find out what happened.
"He had imagined coming across a scene like this many times. Perhaps he had a morbid min, or perhaps spending so much time alone in the depths of the National Parks simply had that kind of effect."
I thought that this was a fun and enthralling story that felt like the intersection of true crime fanaticism and main character energy.
"He was only here to bear witness. He wanted to know how it ends."
Coming Out
Derek Des Anges
I really loved this one. The author had me from the beginning and really cemented my investment in this story with this quote: “I will die of poop."
Bren McCool is attacked by El Carnicero in prison, suffered a puncture wound to his colon, and has to use a colostomy bag. In his isolation cell, there are mushroom that grow in one corner, and in the machine shop, he gets access to the lathe and metal.
Spoiler
Eventually, he eats the mystery mushrooms and we/they begin to change. Then, they announce that "We're coming out" and they spill out of the cell as a mix of mushroom and machine (like spores and spider legs).Mama is a Butcher
Winter Holmes
I mostly guessed where this story was going, but it was still heartbreaking all the same.
Spoiler
Mother sews skin (what she says is pig skin) onto her “monster” child to make them human. Then, the child, Riley, makes a new friend, Samantha. Mother doesn't like the new friend, kills Samantha, and tries to sew her skin onto Riley's, but Riley recognized a birthmark and realizes that mother was using human skin the whole time. Riley was human the whole time but their skin was "damaged" according to mother."It wasn't a perfect body. It was chafed and scarred and bloody. But it was them. God, it was them."
Fall Apart
gaast
This one surprised me a cool, chaotic way.
A man who makes automatas (automatons imbued with a human soul after they die) creates one for himself, but it doesn’t look like his body (it’s supposed to resemble the person as precisely as possible in order to guarantee the seance/transference of the soul) because he wants to keep living and working but living as more/not old.
Spoiler
His automata (fashioned in the image of the man he’s jealous of) twists and warps all night into a metal being something new with horns and more. He then eats the other man (the likeness of the automate) and they are merged in the automata together (this was the plan the whole time)."I'm not old enough to fall apart, but I'm old enough to rot."
Lady Davelina’s Last Pet
Charles-Elizabeth Boyles
This was one of my favorite stories
Spoiler
(What can I say? I'm a sucker for the friendship and a hopeful ending.).Davelina kidnaps a trans man and he is her pet as she transforms his body into different animals, gelatinous blobs, and human forms.
Spoiler
Eventually, he gets the ring (source of Davelina's power) and then a giant mouth forms on his torso and swallows and eats Davelina during his escape. He and Ray the red hart escape together."When you woke up, you were not yourself. You never would be again."
In the Garden of Horn, the Naked Magic Thrives
Hailey Piper
This one was wild and fun and featured a phallic magical artifact, a red robed cult, an orgy with a phallus mass, and a god incarnate.
Reza buys a magic artifact that sort of resembles a dick at a yard sale, and after some research, it’s an idol of love.
Spoiler
If you cut yourself with the idol (magic artifact), you will grow a penis, which Reza finds out the hard way. Then, Reza's partner Carver (trans man) does as well. Eventually, Charlotte (a nurse hunting Reza) attacks Reza and Carver at their home, Reza stabs her with the idol, and the phalluses sprout and devour Scarlett. The robed cult members all descend on the phallic mass of Charlotte to fuck the phalluses, and then when they’re done with the orgy, the phallus mass starts forming into the god incarnate and Reza returns the horn idol (which is really a penis) to the god.A Scream Lights Up the Sky
Joe Koch
This was not one of my favorites, but that's because I'm not really a fan of dystopian sci fi.
Spoiler
A swarm of breeders (cockroach spider things) are birthed and attack Charlie and Kaiden (it was Kaiden’s idea to come to the beach area out of the city). Kaiden fights off the swarm attacking them and then they fight off the swarm attacking Charlie, but one of them got to Charlie and now Kaiden has to perform an abortion on Charlie, but then the two of them end up having sex (like an endorphin-fueled haze due to the breeders). Kaiden takes the sack of the thing from Charlies (who knows if he survived) up to the top of the lighthouse."Long Fingers
Layne Van Rensburg
This one surprised me in a good way, and I really feel like like this one embodies supporting women's rights and wrongs.
ER doctor Jennifer finds a finger in her coffee (and eventually the hand attached to it) and took it out of the coffee and performed first aid on it. She takes a sample of the finger to check out the structure of it in the lab at work.
Spoiler
Jennifer starts learning more about it and finding more growths of it, including teeth in her sink and a teratoma (type of tumor) at work. Her boyfriend Will is curious and supportive. Jennifer realizes that she is the flesh/new cells and spreads them around the city. Her house is her and sentient and kills a cop. In the end, Jennifer and Will go to Heathrow to keep spreading her across the world."I fight everyone all the time anyway," I tell him. "The only difference is that I now have a chance."
A Brief History of the Santa Carcossa Archipelago
Bitter Karella
This one starts with the black eggs, the origin of which is the mystery, which allegedly make you beautiful if you eat them.
Spoiler
Main character Echidna seeks out the black eggs and wants to know where they come from (the animal that lays them). Echidna meets Stephanie, the black egg deal, who tells Echidna that she will tell her about the origin of the eggs. Stephanie tells Echidna where they get the black eggs as Echidna goes down on her because Stephanie has sex with and then absorbs Echidna (trans woman) like a a male fish fertilizing the larger female fish as Stephanie has done with at least two other people.Show Me
Amanda M. Blake
This story was like the Stepford wives getting flipped and reversed on its head.
A doctor husband is obsessed with making her the perfect wife.
Spoiler
This trope is flipped on its head as we watch the husband become the perfect wife thanks to their wife.He took me down from the pedestal and placed me in this box, because he had no more use for a vase that couldn't hold flowers.
Man of the House
Lillian Boyd
This was hilarious and by far one of my favorite reads.
Ronald Ray buys a house that's haunted by a queer/trans kid (Alex) who was killed by their father. Ronald is homophobic and also abused his wife, and now the house aka Alex is haunting him (including playing the song Dude (Looks like a Lady) on repeat).
Spoiler
The exorcism is hilarious and so is Darryl’s death by a thousand (internal) paper cuts. Ghost Alex splits Ronnie in half and emerges and reclaims her house.Spoiler
"Foul," Darryl says, face purpling, "foul queer, be not here."Looking for the Big Death
Taliesin Neith
Another story that surprised me and I'd believe is ultimately a love story. It sort of reminded me of Romeo & Juliet but in reverse (start with a tragedy and end with a love story).
The main characters wants to die until his boyfriend accidentally kills him in a car wreck and he thinks it’s a lame way to die.
Spoiler
Then, he wakes up in a morgue. Eventually he finds Arthur who wants to kill someone and Arthur kills him (this was always the plan). The main character once again wakes up after dying. That's when he proposes to Arthur to keep trying new ways to kill him because then Arthur won't become a serial killer.Instead of exchanging vows and rings, I would put my life in someone's hands, and they would unravel it, sweetly or cruelly.
maxence_666's review against another edition
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
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
redknightrabbit's review against another edition
5.0
Nauseating, bloody, and sensually abhorrent, these are delightful tales about metamorphosis, vengeance, and the bonds we build with others. Sometimes touching, sometimes vindicating, the stories contained here are grotesque in a way that is uniquely trans. This book made me feel seen and terrifying and powerful as a nonbinary person, and also made me See the same in others. Beautiful. Would recommend future readers to have a strong stomach.
bootlegdarklord's review
challenging
dark
funny
tense
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? Yes
4.75
They weren’t kidding that body can horror. This genuinely had moments that scared me, which is rare for me in written media. Every time you think “oh they won’t go there” it goes there. The only flaw is that there isn’t more of it in my opinion
stitching_ghost's review against another edition
4.0
This anthology explores multiple forms of body horror sometimes in quite unique ways. Like most anthologies it's really a mixed bag with some stories being satisfying while others are just plain weird and other yet heart wrenching, some stories tip toe towards something more extreme and transgressive some are more traditional horror so there is something in there for every type of horror lover.
If you enjoy taking the time to think about the deeper meaning of stories and subtext, you'll definitely find a lot of thinking material in this book but with that being said all of the stories are enjoyable at face value so you don't have to get academic about it to have a good time.
I was particularly fond of Long Fingers by Layne Van Rensburg, Looking for the Big Death by Taliesin Neith and Wormspace by L.C. Von Hessen but all stories had a charm of their own.
I received a digital review copy of this book through Booksirens and this is my honest review.
If you enjoy taking the time to think about the deeper meaning of stories and subtext, you'll definitely find a lot of thinking material in this book but with that being said all of the stories are enjoyable at face value so you don't have to get academic about it to have a good time.
I was particularly fond of Long Fingers by Layne Van Rensburg, Looking for the Big Death by Taliesin Neith and Wormspace by L.C. Von Hessen but all stories had a charm of their own.
I received a digital review copy of this book through Booksirens and this is my honest review.
odyodyodyssey's review
5.0
as a trans person this book was somewhat triggering but in an incredibly cathartic way. I absolutely adore it.
destynnee's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
5.0
"If you've got some kind of snuff fantasy," she began, "you're barking up the wrong tree. I do not kill people."
-The Physician / Wormspace
Bound in Flesh
An Anthology of Trans Body Horror
Edited by Lor Gislason
Wormspace
by LC Von Hessen
191 pages
Publication date April 18, 2023
I received a copy of this book, and this is my review.
Please, watch out for possible spoilers, including but not limited to, TW/CN/Etc.
Possible TW, Tropes, and Genres
Mature, Body Horror, Horror, Horror Anthology, Gay Fiction, Transgender Fiction, Illegal Medical Practices, Profanity, Sex, Violence, Death, Suicide, Abuse, Blood, Gore, Death of a Child/Teen, pareidolia, cryptid, monster, prison, colostomy bag, usage of a slur, and possibly more.
If you can not handle body horror, extreme.. EXTREME bodily mutilation, and or extreme medical/body modifications.. This will not be a book for you. If you can…. :: wicked grin ::
The whole anthology is amazing. I say read it cover to cover,
I will be specifically talking about the story Wormspace, by LC Von Hessen in this review though.
“The Physician’s forte was neither safe nor sane and only
nominally consensual.” I would fucking say so.
If you have ever been in the extreme body mod community, or extreme BDSM community, you will know that there are people like this, and people who will do this for the right price.
““If you’ve got some kind of snuff fantasy,” she began, “you’re
barking up the wrong tree. I do not kill people.” She crossed her legs.
“It’s not an ethical thing. It’s just boring, to me.” The Physician spoke
with an assured, velvet-lined voice. Her thin lips were painted a deep
red verging on black, the color of menstrual clots.”
I just want to say, that the way the lip coloring was described was FUCKING AMAZING. As someone who has Endometriosis, and has dealt with horrible blood clots and one miscarriage, the visual this game me. I had to take a moment and gather myself. I applaud you LC Von Hessen. FUCKING PERFECT,
I have been in the BDSM and body mod community since I was like 18, that's over 20 years of seeing and hearing about some of the more subtle “extremes” and then HEARING/SEEING the actual extremes. This story, while fiction, touches on things I have heard about. Things that with the right amount of money…
Anyway, it is visceral, it made me stop once or twice, and remind myself this is fiction. While I know of real world things, THIS what I am reading is fiction. And that kind of writing, that makes me think about real world things, or makes me think about other media I have consumed that has touched on this sort of topic.. That is my kinda story. It pulls me in, and makes me want to stay in that head space and intake more bit of entertainment like this.
This is the first time reading anything by these authors, I would highly suggest giving this a read/
5 / 5
-Destynnee
-The Physician / Wormspace
Bound in Flesh
An Anthology of Trans Body Horror
Edited by Lor Gislason
Wormspace
by LC Von Hessen
191 pages
Publication date April 18, 2023
I received a copy of this book, and this is my review.
Please, watch out for possible spoilers, including but not limited to, TW/CN/Etc.
Possible TW, Tropes, and Genres
Mature, Body Horror, Horror, Horror Anthology, Gay Fiction, Transgender Fiction, Illegal Medical Practices, Profanity, Sex, Violence, Death, Suicide, Abuse, Blood, Gore, Death of a Child/Teen, pareidolia, cryptid, monster, prison, colostomy bag, usage of a slur, and possibly more.
If you can not handle body horror, extreme.. EXTREME bodily mutilation, and or extreme medical/body modifications.. This will not be a book for you. If you can…. :: wicked grin ::
The whole anthology is amazing. I say read it cover to cover,
I will be specifically talking about the story Wormspace, by LC Von Hessen in this review though.
“The Physician’s forte was neither safe nor sane and only
nominally consensual.” I would fucking say so.
If you have ever been in the extreme body mod community, or extreme BDSM community, you will know that there are people like this, and people who will do this for the right price.
““If you’ve got some kind of snuff fantasy,” she began, “you’re
barking up the wrong tree. I do not kill people.” She crossed her legs.
“It’s not an ethical thing. It’s just boring, to me.” The Physician spoke
with an assured, velvet-lined voice. Her thin lips were painted a deep
red verging on black, the color of menstrual clots.”
I just want to say, that the way the lip coloring was described was FUCKING AMAZING. As someone who has Endometriosis, and has dealt with horrible blood clots and one miscarriage, the visual this game me. I had to take a moment and gather myself. I applaud you LC Von Hessen. FUCKING PERFECT,
I have been in the BDSM and body mod community since I was like 18, that's over 20 years of seeing and hearing about some of the more subtle “extremes” and then HEARING/SEEING the actual extremes. This story, while fiction, touches on things I have heard about. Things that with the right amount of money…
Anyway, it is visceral, it made me stop once or twice, and remind myself this is fiction. While I know of real world things, THIS what I am reading is fiction. And that kind of writing, that makes me think about real world things, or makes me think about other media I have consumed that has touched on this sort of topic.. That is my kinda story. It pulls me in, and makes me want to stay in that head space and intake more bit of entertainment like this.
This is the first time reading anything by these authors, I would highly suggest giving this a read/
5 / 5
-Destynnee
cecilowo's review
dark
funny
mysterious
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? No
4.5
bladelikesbooks's review
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
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