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A review by macclown
Bound in Flesh: An Anthology of Trans Body Horror by Lor Gislason
5.0
This was an incredible read, a great collection of short trans body horror stories, some of which I'm STILL thinking about even days after finishing. They were all very well written with great plots and twists but I do want to mention a couple that really stood out to me. Bit of a long review but I feel that’s got to be the case with a collection of short stories by multiple authors.
The Haunting of Aiden Finch by Theo Hendrie
This was the first story that really stood out to me. It follows the main character who has stumbled across a body, Aiden, in the woods with no evidence but a dropped phone. On the phone they find a series of pictures and videos following Aiden documenting their transition whilst being haunted by a sheet-ghost. The build-up to the end was creepy and suspenseful, and had some good gore towards the end.
Mama Is A Butcher - Winter Holmes
This follows Riley, a not-human being who's mother sews them a suit of pigskin in order to hide their appearance. One day a neighbour girl, Samantha, is being bullied and Riley comes to the rescue. Over the next few weeks they form a friendship that Riley's mother disapproves of. This was a wonderful read honestly, their friendship really pulled at my heart. I will say I saw the ending coming but that didn't stop it from being just as impactful. Very much a "love me as I am" story.
Fall Apart - gaast
This follows the story of a man who brings the dead back to life through automatons. I'm a huge fan of horror and sci-fi and the merging of these two genres together in this story was superb. I would definitely love to read a longer, more fleshed out version of this one day.
Lady Davelina's Pet - Charles-Elizabeth Boyle
I ADORED this one. This follows the story of Meno who is abducted by what I assume are some sort of alien/witch/??? creatures. Meno is turned into many different creatures from a bear to a bird, an old man to a young woman, by Lady Davelina. He eventually meets Ray, a hart, who was also once human, and they plot to escape. Their relationship made my heart BURST, it was so good. There's a particular scene where Meno, who is a trans man, is transformed into a woman and it was heartbreaking to read their thoughts and emotions. Superb read.
And finally!
Looking For The Big Death - Taliesin Neith
Now. This one? This one made the whole book for me. By far my favourite. Just incredible. It's written in first-person which I usually avoid, but this one does it so well, I was so immersed in the character and plot I didn’t even notice it honestly. It follows the main character who has died in a car crash, except (dun, dun, DUN) they didn't die. They wake up in the morgue craving death again, but this time by murder. They stumble across Arthur on a forum who wants to kill, and begin a relationship. I don't want to give away anymore plot for this one as words cannot describe how incredible I think this one is. An incredible, amazing ending and again another story I would LOVE to read a full-length version of.
Overall an amazing collection of stories, some real gems in there, and I definitely recommend everyone to read this one, particularly if you're into queer horror.
The Haunting of Aiden Finch by Theo Hendrie
This was the first story that really stood out to me. It follows the main character who has stumbled across a body, Aiden, in the woods with no evidence but a dropped phone. On the phone they find a series of pictures and videos following Aiden documenting their transition whilst being haunted by a sheet-ghost. The build-up to the end was creepy and suspenseful, and had some good gore towards the end.
Mama Is A Butcher - Winter Holmes
This follows Riley, a not-human being who's mother sews them a suit of pigskin in order to hide their appearance. One day a neighbour girl, Samantha, is being bullied and Riley comes to the rescue. Over the next few weeks they form a friendship that Riley's mother disapproves of. This was a wonderful read honestly, their friendship really pulled at my heart. I will say I saw the ending coming but that didn't stop it from being just as impactful. Very much a "love me as I am" story.
Fall Apart - gaast
This follows the story of a man who brings the dead back to life through automatons. I'm a huge fan of horror and sci-fi and the merging of these two genres together in this story was superb. I would definitely love to read a longer, more fleshed out version of this one day.
Lady Davelina's Pet - Charles-Elizabeth Boyle
I ADORED this one. This follows the story of Meno who is abducted by what I assume are some sort of alien/witch/??? creatures. Meno is turned into many different creatures from a bear to a bird, an old man to a young woman, by Lady Davelina. He eventually meets Ray, a hart, who was also once human, and they plot to escape. Their relationship made my heart BURST, it was so good. There's a particular scene where Meno, who is a trans man, is transformed into a woman and it was heartbreaking to read their thoughts and emotions. Superb read.
And finally!
Looking For The Big Death - Taliesin Neith
Now. This one? This one made the whole book for me. By far my favourite. Just incredible. It's written in first-person which I usually avoid, but this one does it so well, I was so immersed in the character and plot I didn’t even notice it honestly. It follows the main character who has died in a car crash, except (dun, dun, DUN) they didn't die. They wake up in the morgue craving death again, but this time by murder. They stumble across Arthur on a forum who wants to kill, and begin a relationship. I don't want to give away anymore plot for this one as words cannot describe how incredible I think this one is. An incredible, amazing ending and again another story I would LOVE to read a full-length version of.
Overall an amazing collection of stories, some real gems in there, and I definitely recommend everyone to read this one, particularly if you're into queer horror.