A review by horrorbutch
We Can Always Tell by Sirius .

dark emotional medium-paced

4.0

 A great anthology of short stories combining horror with erotica and (for the most part) trans identity. While some stories definitely dive deeper into the field of horror and others lean more towards erotica, most are quite good at striking an intriguing balance between the two. 

There are quite a lot of things I really, really enjoyed about this anthology, besides my favorite short stories of course. I really like that this anthology features a variety of trans identities, trans women, trans men and nonbinary, as well as a variety of transitional stages, genital configurations and character’s feelings about their bodies. In particular I enjoyed that there is a story featuring a trans man, who had gotten surgical phalloplasty, something I still rarely see in trans erotica, especially queer trans erotica, despite reading quite a lot of it. I also enjoy the wide variety of horror subgenres featured here, from witchy rituals, swamp gods, southern gothic, zombies, sentient penises and more there’s something here for everybody. 

While some stories were not really to my taste and at least three left me scratching my head at their inclusion (I don’t think it is weird to be weirded out by a trans erotic horror anthology including stories that do not feature erotica or trans characters/storylines), this was thankfully only very rarely the case and the anthology also included a lot of stories that more than made up for it, both in its focus on trans characters and its unabashed often horrifying eroticism! In general, there were only two stories that I did not like, with only one of those being a story that failed to include trans characters or sufficient eroticism. The other two stories that I felt did not fit in with the theme were stories I would have liked in another context, but did not feel quite fitting for this anthology. But me not enjoying two stories out of 21 pieces (17 stories and 4 poems) certainly is no big issue, so let’s move on to what I liked! Because there was a lot of that besides the things I’ve already mentioned. 

My favorite stories were Transymbiosis, The Light Behind the Black Chrysalis, The Angel out of Space, Margaret, Juice, How to Cheat: For Dummies, The Creature and Born from Earth. As big fan of the combination of horror, erotica and gore, these were absolutely some of my favorites and I really had a good time reading those. 

All in all, this is certainly an anthology I’m very glad to have read and I’m especially excited that I have found some new authors to check out! 

Now in the rest of my review you can find my thoughts on each specific short story as well as trigger warnings. 

The Wicked Ways We Writhe by A.L. Davidson: I love the title. It immediately made me think of some type of bug/worm horror and while this is not what is in here, I still feel like this association does set the tone a bit and it worked really well. The romance between the two main characters was really cute (well, at least until something happened, but you gotta read this yourself to find out what :D) and it's always a classic to have a Gays Fuck In The Cemetery Story. I expected some parts of this, did not expect some others, but I especially loved the very dark gothic ending to this tale, really great start to this anthology! 
 TW: murder, necrophilia, dubious consent 
 Rep: trans man LI 

*FAV* Transymbiosis by Shrike: I really enjoyed this short story (although my initial thoughts were very much along the lines of Oh Nice, so that’s where my bug horror happens…. Well, yeah, kinda!) Silk making is really fascinating and I loved the depictions of it here. Set in a world where many tales warn of the dangers of changing your body, the trans male MC desperately wishes for a way to become himself and finds a way to do so in a swamp. I really liked the descriptions of the environment here as well as gory way connections were formed. It really dives deep into the joy of a monstrous transformation and I really enjoyed the steamy aspects of this story. Definitely a big win for plantbased erohorror <3
 TW: body horror, digestion, dysphoria, gore, transphobia, woundfucking 
 Rep: trans man MC, nonbinary LI 

You Know What Happens After Dark by Aaron Romano: This story is set in a claustrophobic apartment after a trans woman finds out an ex-partner of hers is dying of AIDS, kept company only by the voice of her abusive ex. I liked the bare bones of this and I always enjoy a good haunting that explores a character’s emotions and guilt, so there are aspects here that were fun, but this is one of the stories I didn’t really like. First off, the main character is called Sylvia Rivera (which just felt weird ngl), has her deadname used constantly (which felt bad because again… she is called after a real person), featured a plot that could be ripped from Pose, if Pose had zombies and did not really dive into eroticism at all… All in all, I wasn’t a big fan of that one unfortunately.
 TW: deadnaming, death, domestic abuse, medical neglect, murder, slurs, terminal illness, transmisogyny 
 Rep: trans woman MC 

The Trade (Hymn to a Crossroads Angel) by Sera Quim: A poem about a bloody trade to find a body that feels right for you, I enjoyed the gory and sensual descriptions a lot and as always, I do love a good t4t story!
 TW: dysphoria, gore, murder, possession 
 Rep: trans man/masculine MC, trans woman LI 

*FAV* The Light Behind the Black Chrysalis by Carlos Ruiz Santiago: A heartbreaking story about a closeted trans woman, who finally finds a way to be herself thanks to an amulet. Everything could be perfect if it weren’t for the way the shadows start hunting her. A harrowing exploration of internalized shame and transmisogynistic violence, but with a really touching end and a big focus on self-acceptance that I enjoyed a lot!
 TW: gore, physical assault, transmisogyny, violence 
 Rep: trans woman MC 

The Goddess’ Creation by A.W.: A short poem about a Goddess’ acceptance, does not have a lot of story, but very lovely imagery  
Rep: no gender specified 

*FAV* The Angel out of Space by Lindsey Betty: A pastor has a confession to make about his past sins and feeling he has achieved redemption sets about redeeming the rest of his congregation. I really enjoyed the horror presented here and my heart broke for the trans girl caught up in this horrible small town queerphobia, but I loved the ending and her triumphant revenge! While I kept waiting for this to lean more into the erotica aspects, that did not happen and the story remained within the less erotically charged aspects of southern gothic. Obviously, exploring the dark sides of sexuality without necessarily feeling erotic is an interesting approach to horror and all in all I enjoyed this short story, even if my own personal expectation were obviously different than what was presented.
 TW: crucifixion, csa, deadnaming, homophobia, incestuous abuse, misgendering, suicide attempt 
 Rep: trans girl MC 

*FAV* Margaret by Freddie A. Clark: A new parasitic disease changes humans, forcing a new stage of evolution and a nurse is asked to help with this birth. During this she heals from past trauma and finds connection with one of the beings tasked with transforming the world. I really liked this story and while I wish there had been a bit more world building, I liked the characters and their relationship with each other a lot. Certainly a story I would love to read more of and an author I will keep an eye out for!
 TW: grief, gore, parasites, rape (past), trauma 
 Rep: trans man LI 

Mother by M.C. Crane: A story about a “good mother” and the lengths she’ll go to protect her child. A good depiction of the way abusers like to pretend their control is love with some really heavy gore, but not erotic at all.
 TW: gore, parental abuse, transphobia 
 Rep: trans boy SC 

Untucked by Jester LeRoux: A trans woman just wants to enjoy a nice night out with her boyfriend, but when he gets mad about her genitals, her body decides to defend her. This story explores the disconnect she feels from her penis, especially after being made to feel like it make her monstrous despite not actually feeling dysphoric about that part of herself. I like that she found a partner that accepted and loved her in the end, that was very cute. I also liked that while this story explored the horrors of transmisogynistic violence, it also added some really intriguing body horror aspects that made it very intriguing to read.
 TW: murder, sexual assault, transmisogyny, transphobia, violence 
 Rep: trans woman MC 

*FAV* Juice by v.f. thompson: A trans woman meets an enchantrex at a music concerts and learns that magic is real after dysphoria disrupts their attempts to become intimate. The magic might not have been tested before, but beggars can’t be choosers, right? Very fun, really gory/gross in the best way with some delicious erohorror elements, I love nature based gender magic so, so, so much, all in all an intriguing exploration of gender-affirming magic and the joys of eating a girl (out).
 TW: cannibalism, death, dubious consent due to mind-altering smells, dysphoria, gore, vomit
 Rep: trans woman MC 

Fall Into Me by Andromeda Ruins: An angel falls from grace, but luckily the demon he loves is there to catch him. Mostly cute and kinky, but not enough horror for me to fully enjoy this. If you enjoy your trans erotica with some blasphemy this will be certainly more enjoyable for you!
 TW: injury, non-prediscussed kink but with a constant focus on consent 
 Rep: trans man MC, nonbinary LI 

*FAV* How to Cheat: For Dummies by Enoli Lee: A trans man becomes obsessed with cheating on his boyfriend and then with the thoughts killing him should he ever find out. I love a horrible trans guy in fiction and oh wow, does this dude suuuck (honorific). A very enjoyable story following a very terrible guy, I loved it!
 TW: cheating, murder
 Rep: trans man MC 

T4T Text Messages by Blue Sunshine: A short poem about a grisly transformation. Really nice imagery!
 TW: gore
 Rep: transmasculine MC 

Gluttony Doll by Jude DeLuca: A crossover fanfiction! Really fun to see something like this included here, I did not expect that. I don’t know either fandom, so this was an interesting experience there as well. The story can kinda stand on its own without knowing the characters, but I feel like fans will get more out of it than I did. Obviously good fanfiction should engage with character traits and plot points I cannot know about, so for me the characters fell flat due to this. Plus it did employ a very fanfiction-y writing style, which probably won’t work for every reading. I did enjoy the exploration of creepy dolls, ace friendship and the kinky aspects of magical weight gain as well as the inclusion of nonsexual kink. Unfortunately there was no mention of trans identity that I could find in this story, which did disappoint me a bit.
 TW: body horror, child abuse, incest mention, murder
 Rep: no specific mention of trans identity

The Math of Love (1+1=1) by Ziaul Moid Khan: A lovestruck young man only wants to touch his girlfriend (mostly her big tits), but she denies him. While they are having a date at the edge of a cliff, she tells him there is only one way they can be together... This was a really weird one, not just because there were a few typos, but more so because it was neither trans, nor erotic. It was just a rather typical don’t date the big-titty stranger you met near the graveyard warning (Spoiler Alert: Yes, She Is A Ghost. There’s only 10.000 Urban Legends with that exact plot…). Quite obviously I expected something different in this anthology than what I got here and found the inclusion really weird. One highlight was the main character thinking “My love for her – for reasons unknown to me – had ceased substantially” after she tried to drown him… Which is some great comedy, but all in all one of my least favorite pieces here.
 TW: murder
 Rep: no specific mention of trans identity

Saint Valentine by Blue Sunshine: A short poem about a possessive relationship, again nice imagery, but not much else.
 TW: gore 
 Rep: no specific mention of trans identity 

*FAV* The Creature by Aiden E. Messer: A trans man feels as if he’s being watched and can’t help the desires this awakens in him. When the feeling persists during his hike the next day, he hopes that his fantasies might become reality. I loved this one! It is so rare for erotica to feature a trans guy with bottom surgery and I really liked the combination of sexual fantasies, the weirdness of intrusive thoughts as arousing and some really intense gore. I also think this one could be really interesting as a longer piece, I want to know more about the world and the characters in it!
 TW: gore, sexual fantasies centered around rape, violence
 Rep: trans man MC, trans man LI 

Angel of the Night by A.W.: A demon revives the woman recently sacrificed to a cruel god and they spend a night desecrating the altar together. Fun, horny, blasphemous, I liked it.
TW: murder 
Rep: demon that is not constrained by physical limitations of a binary sex 

Appetite of the Ruthless Virtuoso by Sirius: A story about being invited to dine with a Count written in the style of a Victorian etiquette guide. Despite being horror with very little erotica and with no direct hints at trans identity, I enjoyed the writing in this one and found the atmosphere it built very well done.
TW: cannibalism, surgery 
Rep: no specific mention of trans identity

*FAV* Born from Earth by Jake Vanguard: A couple prepares for a dark ritual that should be able to finally change their lives. Featuring a t4t magic sex ritual, a gory transformation and being buried alive to finally be reborn happier, this story is a really good finale for this anthology.
TW: gore 
Rep: transmasculine MC, trans woman LI