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eyebrightt_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
abandoned because i ended up gifting it to a friend before i finished the book.
like any compilation, it has both good and bad stories. i ranked what i read and made some quick notes on each, here:
travellers stay 1/5
- badly written w forgettable and unoriginal characters
toother 4.5/5
- packed with story. felt like i read a whole novel but the ending was disappointing
painlessness 4.5/5
- queer?
you go where it takes you 2/5
- good characterization i guess, but the ending is silly. at least it's short
a positive 3/5
- love the fucked up family cult vibes
la beaute sans vertu 4/5
- i enjoyed the cultural critiques :3
subsumption 3.5
- felt distinctly covid/quarantine-inspired (depending on when it was written). i rlly like some of the body horror in this but i wish it was a little longer bc the pacing was a Lot
spar 3.5/5
- super horny super horrible situation. i wish it didnt have such a hopeful ending
it was the heat 4/5
- idk what happened but i love cadigan's narrative voice !
atwater 0/5.
- this was too much happening all at once. it felt like random shit thrown together with a dose of "mental illness is scary." this was boring and incoherent to me
the transfer 3/5
- very very loosely horror but i enjoyed it. not sure what happened though
welcome to mengele's 4.5/5
- i didnt want it to end !!! its so simple and i love it
black neurology 5/5
- reads like a poem more than anything. gets a bit weird and absurd but again it feels like a poem so its great ! reminded me of lovecraft's reanimator idk i loved this so much
cuckoo 5/5
- i love the concept. id read a whole novel on it, but im happy even just for the short story
cinerous 4.5
- i would have read an entire novel on this concept. possible commentary on colonialism? unsure! fun setting!
the truth that lies under skin and meat 3/5
- i felt like i was trying to catch my breath the whole time i was reading this. it feels like its missing something because while i like the descriptions of eating but i was just getting whiplash with the mystery side of things. what was happening :(
like any compilation, it has both good and bad stories. i ranked what i read and made some quick notes on each, here:
travellers stay 1/5
- badly written w forgettable and unoriginal characters
toother 4.5/5
- packed with story. felt like i read a whole novel but the ending was disappointing
painlessness 4.5/5
- queer?
you go where it takes you 2/5
- good characterization i guess, but the ending is silly. at least it's short
a positive 3/5
- love the fucked up family cult vibes
la beaute sans vertu 4/5
- i enjoyed the cultural critiques :3
subsumption 3.5
- felt distinctly covid/quarantine-inspired (depending on when it was written). i rlly like some of the body horror in this but i wish it was a little longer bc the pacing was a Lot
spar 3.5/5
- super horny super horrible situation. i wish it didnt have such a hopeful ending
it was the heat 4/5
- idk what happened but i love cadigan's narrative voice !
atwater 0/5.
- this was too much happening all at once. it felt like random shit thrown together with a dose of "mental illness is scary." this was boring and incoherent to me
the transfer 3/5
- very very loosely horror but i enjoyed it. not sure what happened though
welcome to mengele's 4.5/5
- i didnt want it to end !!! its so simple and i love it
black neurology 5/5
- reads like a poem more than anything. gets a bit weird and absurd but again it feels like a poem so its great ! reminded me of lovecraft's reanimator idk i loved this so much
cuckoo 5/5
- i love the concept. id read a whole novel on it, but im happy even just for the short story
cinerous 4.5
- i would have read an entire novel on this concept. possible commentary on colonialism? unsure! fun setting!
the truth that lies under skin and meat 3/5
- i felt like i was trying to catch my breath the whole time i was reading this. it feels like its missing something because while i like the descriptions of eating but i was just getting whiplash with the mystery side of things. what was happening :(
chamomile1's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
1.0
Honestly it was not good. Not really graphic enough to be considered "extreme tales of body horror", to be frank the vibes overall were just weird. Honestly none of the stories were good. None of them stuck with me. None of them were scary. I am not even really sure why I finished it, other than perhaps the hope that the next story would be worth my time.
sana98's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
taylorlanxon's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Medical content, Pregnancy, Rape, Toxic relationship, Incest, Physical abuse, Blood, Child death, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Domestic abuse, and Medical trauma
jugglingpup's review against another edition
3.0
To see a full review check it out here.
Really hit or miss. The ones that hit though, oh boy, they turned my stomach and will haunt me for weeks.
Really hit or miss. The ones that hit though, oh boy, they turned my stomach and will haunt me for weeks.
vexatiousbird's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
As with all compilations it’s a mixed bag, but the good stuff is really good and memorable, and most of the less good stuff is at least interesting conceptually. A lot of it is very conceptual in fact, almost more psychological horror than body horror, but I like both so it worked for me. I skipped a few stories, but not a lot. Thought-provoking, often genuinely creepy, liable to haunt your dreams/nightmares.
Favorites: Natural Skin, Painlessness, Atwater, The Truth that Lies Under Skin and Meat, Spores, You Go Where it Takes You
Content warnings: all of them, probably. Not a lot goes unexplored, from suicide and terminal illness to sexual slavery and incest.
Favorites: Natural Skin, Painlessness, Atwater, The Truth that Lies Under Skin and Meat, Spores, You Go Where it Takes You
Content warnings: all of them, probably. Not a lot goes unexplored, from suicide and terminal illness to sexual slavery and incest.
jiggityjog's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
coelacanth's review against another edition
dark
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
4.5
smalefowles's review against another edition
3.0
Ugh, I don't know. Anthologies are tough. Also 'body horror' has a much broader definition than I perhaps realized.
I almost gave up on this collection twice, but made myself keep going because I cannot internalize the sunk cost fallacy and I knew some of my favorite horror writers were in the second half.
Ultimately I guess enjoyed a few stories:
“The Lake” by Tananarive Due is very well done.
"Spores" by Seanan McGuire seemed a little too possible for my comfort.
"A True Friend" by Brian Evenson was a very short, very effective piece.
Kiernan is perhaps my favorite horror writer, and her story here is just okay. I think it reminded me too much of Koja's The Cipher, which is a true horrible classic of body horror.
“Cinereous” by Livia Llewellyn did a tremendous amount of world-building very quickly, and I should look up more work by her.
I almost gave up on this collection twice, but made myself keep going because I cannot internalize the sunk cost fallacy and I knew some of my favorite horror writers were in the second half.
Ultimately I guess enjoyed a few stories:
“The Lake” by Tananarive Due is very well done.
"Spores" by Seanan McGuire seemed a little too possible for my comfort.
"A True Friend" by Brian Evenson was a very short, very effective piece.
Kiernan is perhaps my favorite horror writer, and her story here is just okay. I think it reminded me too much of Koja's The Cipher, which is a true horrible classic of body horror.
“Cinereous” by Livia Llewellyn did a tremendous amount of world-building very quickly, and I should look up more work by her.