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A review by horrorbutch
Preaching to the Perverted by James Bennett
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy for free through booksirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I knew I needed to pick this up when I saw the title (+ queer horror, hello!) and wow! I’m really glad I did! This collection features a gay main character in nearly every story (except in Changeling, where the story is told from the perspective of a homophobic mother), but the horror varies. From the real-life horror of homophobia over cosmic horror that just so happens to target a gay MC to retellings of other horror stories and fairy tales through a gay lens, there’s a lot in here to enjoy (if that’s the right word, considering the lots of pain and suffering featured in these stories). But if you, like me, like your horror sad and dark and always wanted some sad and dark horror for us queer folks, then this anthology is for you as much as it was for me.
The writing is often filled with symbolism and veers on the poetic, which worked really well for these short stories. Often the stories are filled with grief and queer pain, but underneath that representation of the real-world oppression queer people face, there is also the joy of community and love presented.
All in all, this was an amazing short story collection, where I adored 8 of 13 pieces and really enjoyed the other pieces as well. I am very glad that I found this author in the short story collection “The Book of Queer Saints” and that I was able to read an ARC of his short story collection. He absolutely has a great talent for short stories, because even the stories I personally did not enjoy as much are just cases of my own personal preference in horror. They were written with a length that was perfect to me, never so long I grew bored, but neither too short to immerse myself in the story and I will be looking out for this author from now on!
*FAV* Morta: This is a short story that I’ve read and enjoyed before (in the “The Book of Queer Saints” anthology) and rereading it in this collection was really great. We follow a young man, whose mother brought him to the American suburbs to allow him to grow to adulthood and be protected from forces that want to kill him. A really interesting take on a “chosen one” trope, with lovely gore and a really sweet (but heartbreaking) romance.
TW: murder, racism, xenophobia
*FAV* Husk: A hate crime by a fellow student and parental rejection leave a young gay man split into two parts. The angry, rejected part of him now seeks revenge, haunting the ones who hurt him. Heartbreaking and haunting and really scary, I loved this story a lot.
TW: domestic abuse, hate crime, homophobic slurs, murder, parental abuse, self-harm, violence
*FAV* Changeling: A desperate mother and father trade their son through a Faerie ritual, wanting a not-gay son instead, but find they have invited something much worse to their small town. I love it when conservative homophobes get their just deserts, it’s beautiful. Really interesting lore as well, I liked this a lot.
TW: animal death, death, drugging, homophobia
Frankenstein Uncut: A Frankenstein retelling featuring a heartbroken rejected scientist as he labors to rebuild the man he can’t have in his own creation. Fun to read, I enjoyed it.
TW: gore, murder, necrophilia (ish)
In Hades, He Lifted Up His Eyes: A tale of graverobbers turned murderers to sustain their business and the young man craving revenge against the murderer of his friend. Haunting and heartbreaking and I really like the gothic writing style.
TW: murder, slight necrophilia (dancing with a corpse)
Of Gentle Wolves: A red riding hood retelling following the woodcutter as he hunts the wolf and finds himself tempted. Fun! Loved the descriptions of gore.
TW: gore, murder
*FAV* Idolo: A man accompanies his fiancé to his small hometown in the mountains after he got the news that his mother is dying. When his husband-to-be confronts him about his cheating things go from unsettling small village to actual cult horror real quick. Very fun and well written, messy and messed up in the best way.
TW: cheating, gore, murder
*FAV* Sulta: A photographer has taken an amazing picture of a long-forgotten Nordic shrine of a Goddess of Hunger. But there is a price. Really interesting story, really good mythology, really haunting from start to finish, I loved it!
TW: death
*FAV* Queer Norm: A golem created by a gay man desperate for protection from threats wanders the city at night, wanting to fulfill its purpose now that its maker has been murdered, but kept from revenge by its magical bond. Heartbreaking and haunting.
TW: harassment, hatecrime, murder
*FAV* The Facts Concerning the First Annual Arkham Parade: A tax collector is asked to investigate the disappearance of his roommate from college, who has disappeared after hosting the first Arkham Pride Parade. But it’s only when he finds her that things really start being weird. Lovely cosmic horror piece and I loved seeing a trans character in here!
TW: misgendering (accidental + purposeful), murder
*FAV* Vivisepulture: A man grieving the death of his husband still after three years finds himself trying his luck in the gay club scene, when a ghost chats him up. Filled with grief and sadness and also kinda heartwarming in a weird way, I really enjoyed this one.
TW: death, gore, grief, murder, necrophilia
The Cicatrix: A magician summons a demon, hoping to find a way to revive his health. He dwells in past memories of former lovers and searches for magical artifacts in Egypt, magician rivalries and revenge. This is one of the longer stories and unfortunately since I don’t really care about deals with demons most of the time one of the less interesting ones for me personally, but if you enjoy stories about demon deals you might like this one a lot more than I did, because it was written well.
TW: addiction, cancer, death, grief, sexual abuse (implied)
End Times in Paris: A story about the Rapture and the people left behind. A man falls for the angel Uriel, positioned here to watch over the End Times. Interesting and filled with grief, which I enjoyed.
TW: death
I knew I needed to pick this up when I saw the title (+ queer horror, hello!) and wow! I’m really glad I did! This collection features a gay main character in nearly every story (except in Changeling, where the story is told from the perspective of a homophobic mother), but the horror varies. From the real-life horror of homophobia over cosmic horror that just so happens to target a gay MC to retellings of other horror stories and fairy tales through a gay lens, there’s a lot in here to enjoy (if that’s the right word, considering the lots of pain and suffering featured in these stories). But if you, like me, like your horror sad and dark and always wanted some sad and dark horror for us queer folks, then this anthology is for you as much as it was for me.
The writing is often filled with symbolism and veers on the poetic, which worked really well for these short stories. Often the stories are filled with grief and queer pain, but underneath that representation of the real-world oppression queer people face, there is also the joy of community and love presented.
All in all, this was an amazing short story collection, where I adored 8 of 13 pieces and really enjoyed the other pieces as well. I am very glad that I found this author in the short story collection “The Book of Queer Saints” and that I was able to read an ARC of his short story collection. He absolutely has a great talent for short stories, because even the stories I personally did not enjoy as much are just cases of my own personal preference in horror. They were written with a length that was perfect to me, never so long I grew bored, but neither too short to immerse myself in the story and I will be looking out for this author from now on!
*FAV* Morta: This is a short story that I’ve read and enjoyed before (in the “The Book of Queer Saints” anthology) and rereading it in this collection was really great. We follow a young man, whose mother brought him to the American suburbs to allow him to grow to adulthood and be protected from forces that want to kill him. A really interesting take on a “chosen one” trope, with lovely gore and a really sweet (but heartbreaking) romance.
TW: murder, racism, xenophobia
*FAV* Husk: A hate crime by a fellow student and parental rejection leave a young gay man split into two parts. The angry, rejected part of him now seeks revenge, haunting the ones who hurt him. Heartbreaking and haunting and really scary, I loved this story a lot.
TW: domestic abuse, hate crime, homophobic slurs, murder, parental abuse, self-harm, violence
*FAV* Changeling: A desperate mother and father trade their son through a Faerie ritual, wanting a not-gay son instead, but find they have invited something much worse to their small town. I love it when conservative homophobes get their just deserts, it’s beautiful. Really interesting lore as well, I liked this a lot.
TW: animal death, death, drugging, homophobia
Frankenstein Uncut: A Frankenstein retelling featuring a heartbroken rejected scientist as he labors to rebuild the man he can’t have in his own creation. Fun to read, I enjoyed it.
TW: gore, murder, necrophilia (ish)
In Hades, He Lifted Up His Eyes: A tale of graverobbers turned murderers to sustain their business and the young man craving revenge against the murderer of his friend. Haunting and heartbreaking and I really like the gothic writing style.
TW: murder, slight necrophilia (dancing with a corpse)
Of Gentle Wolves: A red riding hood retelling following the woodcutter as he hunts the wolf and finds himself tempted. Fun! Loved the descriptions of gore.
TW: gore, murder
*FAV* Idolo: A man accompanies his fiancé to his small hometown in the mountains after he got the news that his mother is dying. When his husband-to-be confronts him about his cheating things go from unsettling small village to actual cult horror real quick. Very fun and well written, messy and messed up in the best way.
TW: cheating, gore, murder
*FAV* Sulta: A photographer has taken an amazing picture of a long-forgotten Nordic shrine of a Goddess of Hunger. But there is a price. Really interesting story, really good mythology, really haunting from start to finish, I loved it!
TW: death
*FAV* Queer Norm: A golem created by a gay man desperate for protection from threats wanders the city at night, wanting to fulfill its purpose now that its maker has been murdered, but kept from revenge by its magical bond. Heartbreaking and haunting.
TW: harassment, hatecrime, murder
*FAV* The Facts Concerning the First Annual Arkham Parade: A tax collector is asked to investigate the disappearance of his roommate from college, who has disappeared after hosting the first Arkham Pride Parade. But it’s only when he finds her that things really start being weird. Lovely cosmic horror piece and I loved seeing a trans character in here!
TW: misgendering (accidental + purposeful), murder
*FAV* Vivisepulture: A man grieving the death of his husband still after three years finds himself trying his luck in the gay club scene, when a ghost chats him up. Filled with grief and sadness and also kinda heartwarming in a weird way, I really enjoyed this one.
TW: death, gore, grief, murder, necrophilia
The Cicatrix: A magician summons a demon, hoping to find a way to revive his health. He dwells in past memories of former lovers and searches for magical artifacts in Egypt, magician rivalries and revenge. This is one of the longer stories and unfortunately since I don’t really care about deals with demons most of the time one of the less interesting ones for me personally, but if you enjoy stories about demon deals you might like this one a lot more than I did, because it was written well.
TW: addiction, cancer, death, grief, sexual abuse (implied)
End Times in Paris: A story about the Rapture and the people left behind. A man falls for the angel Uriel, positioned here to watch over the End Times. Interesting and filled with grief, which I enjoyed.
TW: death
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Transphobia
Additional content warning for Necrophilia (in the context of supernatural beings/magic)