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A review by sdsmith80
Inside Out by Lor Gislason
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
<Strong>Goopy Apocalypse</strong>
This novella was my first pick for the #TransRightsReadathon 2023. It's been in my TBR for quite some time, however I admit I was a bit hesitant to check it out due to its... goopiness. I don't generally enjoy reading about pus, slime, and other liquids, only really tolerating blood, viscera, and less moist forms of body horror. Luckily, I found that this book actually didn't go too far down the road of the gross stuff, and I was able to stomach it overall.
First, let me say that I absolutely loved the way that the story was told through little vignettes. Breaking it up and making the narration change from segment to segment was a great choice. I especially enjoyed the sections told by report or post. I've always been a bit of a sucker for stories told through things like that.
One of my favorite moments in the book was actually the complaint sent to the transit authority, specifically their response. Of course they weren't actually dealing with the stated problem, but solving the problem in the least helpful way possible, removing the benches that people absolutely need. Their parting line of "Hope this helps!" had me cracking up. It very much reminded me of Ben Palmer and his fake customer service responses to obnoxious people complaining online.
The last thing I want to mention is that the whole book felt like a wonderful throwback to other similar stories of the past. The lab parts brought to mind a certain creepy pasta I read in an anthology I read not too long ago, and the description of the main character of Segment 9 < The Patrol, losing his facial features immediately reminded me of I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison.
Overall this was a great, quick read and I'm very interested in reading more of their work. The anthology they recently edited, Bound in Flesh, which has been released early for the event this week, is already one of my favorite reads this year. Lor Gislason definitely has a bright future ahead of them.
This novella was my first pick for the #TransRightsReadathon 2023. It's been in my TBR for quite some time, however I admit I was a bit hesitant to check it out due to its... goopiness. I don't generally enjoy reading about pus, slime, and other liquids, only really tolerating blood, viscera, and less moist forms of body horror. Luckily, I found that this book actually didn't go too far down the road of the gross stuff, and I was able to stomach it overall.
First, let me say that I absolutely loved the way that the story was told through little vignettes. Breaking it up and making the narration change from segment to segment was a great choice. I especially enjoyed the sections told by report or post. I've always been a bit of a sucker for stories told through things like that.
One of my favorite moments in the book was actually the complaint sent to the transit authority, specifically their response. Of course they weren't actually dealing with the stated problem, but solving the problem in the least helpful way possible, removing the benches that people absolutely need. Their parting line of "Hope this helps!" had me cracking up. It very much reminded me of Ben Palmer and his fake customer service responses to obnoxious people complaining online.
The last thing I want to mention is that the whole book felt like a wonderful throwback to other similar stories of the past. The lab parts brought to mind a certain creepy pasta I read in an anthology I read not too long ago, and the description of the main character of Segment 9 < The Patrol, losing his facial features immediately reminded me of I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison.
Overall this was a great, quick read and I'm very interested in reading more of their work. The anthology they recently edited, Bound in Flesh, which has been released early for the event this week, is already one of my favorite reads this year. Lor Gislason definitely has a bright future ahead of them.
Content Warnings
Content warnings are listed at the back of the book.