A review by leandrathetbrzero
Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Trans-Horror: The Perspective We Have Been Missing
 
↓ Similar Reading Experiences ↓

  1. Lydia Conklin’s Rainbow Rainbow (Trans-rep)
  2. Adam Cesare’s Corn in a Cornfield (YA horror)
  3. Any suggestions?

Life has been rough since the virus known as T-rex found its way into every community world-wide. It targets those with high levels of testosterone. If infected, you become feral, more aggressive and violent. In this post-apocalyptic world, most of the men (cis and trans) in the world run in hordes, tearing apart any fleshed being in their path. And if they don’t tear you apart, they try to impregnate you. Beth and Fran, two trans women and skilled manhunters, hunt these packs and harvest their estrogen-rich organs. In this balls-to-the-wall dystopian novel – pun 100% intended – prepare for lots of gore but also…and even scarier…TERFs.

This was a buddy read with my friend, Moriah, and both of us ruled this as such an important addition to the horror genre, and literature in general. It highlights an area in dystopian lit especially which is lacking: the trans perspective. How different would gender-focused dystopias like The Handmaid’s Tale and The Power be if they included a dominant trans voice into the mix? As I read this book, I reconsidered numerous futuristic titles with a feminist focus that failed to include a sufficient trans voice.

I also had a personal revelation as I considered this book’s genre. Labeled as horror, I found myself categorizing Manhunt as more of a dystopian thriller. But then, I contemplated the reality of characters like Beth, Fran, and Robbie. Due to the T-rex virus, and the desolation of society as we know it, these characters will remain in perpetual transition. It makes you rethink what horror truly is to the individual person, what hell might look like to someone unlike myself.

I cannot emphasize how important this book is. As someone who is a novice to the horror genre, I’m grateful this is among the titles to introduce me to horror. And I want books like this to continue to shape my understanding of this complex, rich genre.