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abbie_'s review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
I absolutely loved this memoir, one of the most candid and raw memoirs I’ve read. Mx. Sly invites the reader into the most intimate places, laying bare their experiences with Canada’s kink and BDSM scene, as well as their personal journey with gender and sexuality. No holds barred, so do prepare yourself for some very intimate sex scenes, as well as depictions and recollections of abuse.
I know very little about the fetish scene, and while Transland is by no means attempting to be a ‘how to’ or welcome guide, it is an extremely eye-opening and insightful exploration of the scene. Newbies to the scene could no doubt learn a lot from Mx. Sly’s experiences. Some of their experiences could be triggering, so do tread carefully, especially with the passages about Broadsword and his violations of Sly’s consent. The aftermath of that and the kink community’s reaction to it was so frustrating.
Mx. Sly is also incredibly open about the difficulties of navigating the kink scene as a non-binary person, coming up against gendered expectations, having their gender identity invalidated and validated depending on the circumstances. There was a tiny line when Sly is discussing labels for sexuality and gender identity that absolutely stopped me in my tracks: ‘Words cannot contain our souls’. Good lord that’s so beautiful.
I’m always a little bit disappointed when authors don’t narrate their own work, but Sebastian Marziali does do a lovely job of the narration. A fantastic read that I discovered thanks to the Lambda Literary Award’s 2024 shortlists!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual violence
_darbi_'s review
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
transland is a deeply introspective memoir on self-authorship, kink, consent, and harmful practices within unexpected communities. i could not put this book down and have found myself wanting to pick it up again to see if a new essay has appeared.
mx. sly captivates you with a raw and intimate dive into their relationship with fetish, gender, and sexuality. they humanize fetish and its liberating qualities while also analyzing its relationship to their own trauma and those in the community that use it to control and harm.
each essay shares a different (or repeated) relationship, often a specific fetish, and then a growth from said experience. there are some essays that are difficult to read due to their content. i would recommend reading the warnings before beginning.
this book is for your friend that says “i don’t like to kink shame, but…”
(i held my own prejudices about specific sexual proclivities prior to reading. this book may change your mind!)
mx. sly captivates you with a raw and intimate dive into their relationship with fetish, gender, and sexuality. they humanize fetish and its liberating qualities while also analyzing its relationship to their own trauma and those in the community that use it to control and harm.
each essay shares a different (or repeated) relationship, often a specific fetish, and then a growth from said experience. there are some essays that are difficult to read due to their content. i would recommend reading the warnings before beginning.
this book is for your friend that says “i don’t like to kink shame, but…”
(i held my own prejudices about specific sexual proclivities prior to reading. this book may change your mind!)
virgilsinferno's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
The most uncomfortable I've been while reading, and I was completely absorbed. Emotionally a hard read and hit close to home but a very engaging text. I loved it.
crustachio's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
rivm545's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
This book is so special to me
dreamgirlhunt's review against another edition
4.0
I started off the #transrightsreadathon with Mx. Sly’s memoir called Transland on audiobook narrated by Sebastian Marziala. With such topics as BDSM being taboo, I would definitely recommend this book obviously to adults and suggest each reader check the trigger warnings as there are many adult (as well as dark) topics throughout the entirety of the book. This book is very well written and the audiobook is very well narrated. I listened to this one throughout a work day and was never bored. Mx. Sly jumps right into the sexy time but definitely explores more than just the kink community. Sly describes their journey of finding identity and healing through exploring kink culture and meeting people who introduce them to new experiences that help shape their identity and sense of belonging even more. The non-binary artist delves into how they took their agency and power back after abuse and trauma through BDSM specifically to let go of control and worries, giving them a safe space to live in the moment. Throughout their young adulthood, Sly searches for connection, community, and acceptance. They focus a lot on consent which I really appreciated. It is also interesting to read about their experiences with cis queers and their exclusionary treatment toward trans and bi folks. Overall, I’m grateful for the access to this audiobook and would definitely recommend if it sounds like something you’re interested in. I think the insight from this book could help a lot of queer folks thinking of exploring the kink community themselves.