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beastbark's review
3.0
I was buzzing with excitement when I bought Brave Boy World and ripped into it as soon as the Kindle download was finished. An anthology dedicated to transmasculine characters? YES please, my trans ass has been STARVED of representation for so long, and this was another promising collection of works to chew on. Unfortunately, some of the stories in Brave Boy World didn't deliver, like, at all. I went into this book expecting that I wouldn't resonate with every story, and that was okay! That's part of the joy of reading anthologies, but some of these stories were just not good. On the flipside, some of these stories are just, truly phenomenal, like REALLY amazing works! "Liner Notes for the Crash" by [a: Lee Mandelo|3418840|Lee Mandelo|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1611272773p2/3418840.jpg], "Sindali" by [a: Deven Balsam|18177112|Deven Balsam|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1544111428p2/18177112.jpg], "The Next Great Race" by [a: Jes Rausch|8364130|Jes Rausch|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], "LGB(T)" by Maverick Smith, "Coyote Dog Bitten" by Dave Riser, "Trans Mare Cognitum" by [a: Michael Takeda|5258810|Michael Takeda|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1483612854p2/5258810.jpg] (also the editor!), and "Fire Fills the Belly" by Noa Sperber are all beautiful, moving, compelling, and thoughtful stories that I loved reading. If you don't read Brave Boy World in its entirety, definitely read any of the aforementioned selections, especially those by Mandelo, Balsam, and Riser.
The rest of this review will explore individual contributions, so consider this a warning for spoilers.
"According to His Substance" by [a: K.C. Ball|3209001|K.C. Ball|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1388825720p2/3209001.jpg]: 3.5/5
A trans man, Taylor, leaps through time and space to prevent fellow trans folks from being harmed, both by themselves and by their oppressors. The ending reveals that the people Taylor has been saving are iterations of his past self. "According to His Substance" is a touching reflection on how we as trans people can heal through community, as well as the desire to reach into our past and strip ourselves of our trauma. I think there's some unanswered questions here that could have been touched on (is Taylor just saving past versions of himself? is he jumping through the multiverse to save every version of himself that attempts suicide? how did he get the burn scars on his face?), and the fact that the anthology opened with a story lamenting about the struggles of a trans existence and suicidal ideation didn't sit quite right with me. Overall, a decent story! Not my favourite, but not unreadable.
"Spoiling Veena" by [a: Keyan Bowes|4094532|Keyan Bowes|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1456176556p2/4094532.jpg]: 1/5
I hated this story. Shalini is the mother of Viktrum, her pre-teen trans son who she had genetically engineered to be female prior to his birth (as is standard practice in the futuristic setting), so she's evidently dismayed when Viktrum comes out. The entire story is from Shalini's perspective, in which she spends the majority of it misgendering and deadnaming her son as well as rejecting his identity for several years. This kind of narrative is handled with no tact, no nuance, and just feels really, really icky to read as a trans person. As far as I know, Keyan Bowes is cis, and you can tell (Bowes literally titled the story with the trans boy's deadname, like. Utterly tasteless).
"Fluidity" by [a: Eric Del Carlo|303370|Eric Del Carlo|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]: 2.5/5
Like, it was fine. Premise is that "Cycling" is the normative gender experience, in which people cycle through male and female bodies, and Xen resists his own Cycling because he's a man, and nothing more, but "mono-gendered" people are discriminated against due to their non-conformity. You know that old YouTube video that's like "what if heterophobia was real and being gay was normal! wouldn't that be so cruel if we punished straight people"? "Fluidity" felt the exact same to me. Didn't feel like it was saying anything of substance + it was pretty obtusely binary in scope. Some reviewers liked this one, but it just didn't do it for me.
"My Brother, The Horsehead" by [a: Rafael S.W.]: 1/5
Dude I. Literally what the hell was this story. I can't even understand what the author was trying to get at. I don't even know if there was a transmasc character in this story. If it were written more cohesively and edited, it could be an interesting story about grief, but this one lost me so much.
"Liner Notes for the Crash" by [a: Lee Mandelo|3418840|Lee Mandelo|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1611272773p2/3418840.jpg]: 5/5
YESSSSS LET'S FUCKING GOOOOO THIS STORY GRABBED ME BY THE SHIRT COLLAR AND KISSED ME ON THE MOUTH AND
So I really liked this one. Like a lot. Let me. Please. Just. Read the first three lines of the story:
These first three lines are already better than the cumulative past three stories. Why didn't Takeda slot this as the first story in the book. This is such a real and hilarious representation of camaraderie between cis and trans guys, this is the type of shit that you'd hear between me and my best friends. And this is just the first three lines!!!
The rest of "Liner Notes" explores the live punk scene in a world with digital implants that allow people to be inside each other's heads. The main characters are wreck scene: Drew, the charismatic trans frontman; Ross, the energetic loose cannon guitarist; Jackson, the stoic but gentle drummer; and former bassist Jessie, whose departure (left as a mystery to the reader) weighs heavily on the band. Throughout the story, Mandelo vividly describes the experience of live music when band and audience share the same neural pathways: simultaneously euphoric and intimate but agonizingly intense, leaving Drew heaving in the bathroom and barely functioning for the next twelve hours. During the show, Drew makes an unexpected soulmate-like connection with a stranger in the audience, who happens to be a fellow transmasc punk named Jordan.
The vignette of punk culture, T4T dynamics, queer masculine love and friendship, enjoyable characterization, AND tastefully-executed science fiction? I loved this story. I just loved it so, so goddamn much and I want everybody to read it. Lee Mandelo if you're reading this I love YOU
"Boy Rescue" by [a: Ace Lo]: 4/5
I enjoyed this one! Finn is a Rescue android and was designed with the same young-woman-babysitter archetype as every other Rescue android, but Finn is a boy. This story was really sweet, and I really loved David's curiosity and wonderment surrounding the boy Rescue. "Boy Rescue" is a light and fun read and was definitely an emotional break after the impact of "Liner Notes", so it was definitely placed well in the greater collection!
i've been writing this review for over an hour now so forgive me if the remainder isn't as detailed lmao
"Sindali" by [a: Deven Balsam|18177112|Deven Balsam|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1544111428p2/18177112.jpg]: 5/5
Shay is a trans man designing an eleven-foot-tall robot dog. Seth is Shay's abusive sugar daddy. Katisa is implied to be a trans father who lives beyond the city walls and communicates with Shay through sci-fi texting. This story was really great, but definitely deserves a much, much higher word count: the setting and characters are so interesting and a full novel about Shay and Katisa would be a HIT (I say this fully knowing that Balsam is already writing that exact novel). One of the stronger works in the collection for sure!
"Deadhead Chemistry" by J. Daniel Stone: 2/5
Listen, you can write a narrative about the anxieties and apprehensions of transition, but I generally prefer that such narratives are a) written cohesively, b) about a MC who doesn't constantly misgender themself, and c) ownvoice and written by a trans author. This story was just confusing.
"Choice Cuts" by [a: Edd Vick|1000061|Edd Vick|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]: 3/5
I'm not opposed to this story, but I think it's more about reproductive justice than about transmasculine experiences. The MC is transmasculine for sure (as best as we can understand his identity at least), but his transness isn't like, the point? Which is cool! Like, this story was fine. It had the same basic premise of sex fluidity due to technological advancements/sci-fi logic as "Fluidity", but was definitely executed better, and is distinguished by gender dysphoria being a background element of the narrative rather than the plot force.
"Robinson Faces the Music" by [a: Ryan Kelly]: 2.5/5
Definitely felt more satirical than anything. I didn't dislike this one, even though the MC was annoying and hateful towards Donald and Robinson because of his projected superiority complex and pretentiousness. Robinson was a fucking DELIGHT though, I would read another 300 pages about his silly little adventures with his phobia of fish eyes and his Lovecraftian, four-dimensional aunt. My main gripe with this story is that there's no transmasculinity in it? Like, the MC was ostracized in the alien world of Winnipeg because Alien Society recognizes four genders, and the MC apparently presented as four of them despite identifying as male. The alien-genders weren't explored beyond being a funny little device to frustrate and exclude the MC for not being a man in the eyes of the aliens. Like, yeah, that's just an analogy for trans experiences, but it felt almost unintentional by the author? And there was no indication of whether the MC himself identified as a cis or trans man, though the lack of specification inclines me to believe that he's intended to be a cis man. Really weird selection for this anthology but whatever, Robinson was a fruity little treat. Love that guy
"The Three Ways of the Sword Man" by [a: Jaap Boekestein|4236749|Jaap Boekestein|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1351761434p2/4236749.jpg]: 3/5
Solid read! No real complaints here. TL;DR: twin brother dies, "sister" assumes his identity as a convenient way to transition without dealing with social fallout, fabricates a lie that the "sister" had died instead. Didn't feel overly poignant, but not every work of fiction has to be anyway.
"LGB(T)" by [a: Maverick Smith|16189396|Maverick Smith|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]: 4/5
Trans superhero story! Definitely a heavy-handed metaphor for the lack of cis queer support for trans people, but I'm not mad at it. Also a solid criticism of the commodification of social services. Would love more of this story, it has a lot of potential as a long-form work.
"Flipside" by [a: Nicole Jinks-Frederick]: 3.5/5
Closeted trans son of an affluent family is on the run, disguised as the boy he wants to be. Saved by a girlboss bounty hunter. Some parts of this were confusing and underdeveloped, but I enjoyed it as a whole!
"The Next Great Race" by [a: Jes Rausch|8364130|Jes Rausch|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]: 5/5
The Itidarod, but it's on Pluto! Really cool sci-fi reimagining of the famous sled dog race with the added stakes of a trans man using illegal identification documents. The absolute cruelty of Gina made me feel as mad as Rausch described Colin, and I was like, yeah, that kind of malicious transphobia is way too familiar. Bonus: capitalist exploitation of resources and the ruthlessness of corporations! PHENOMENALLY written, definitely one of the best in the collection.
"Coyote Dog Bitten" by [a: Dave Riser]: 4/5
A lot of this story confused me, mostly the whole coyote and jackal thing, but "Coyote Dog Bitten" is such a sincere exploration of friendship between some outcasts and learning to trust when you've been kicked down for so long. Walker and Jack's (implied?) transmasculinities weren't a central component of the story, but it's great seeing trans male characters having to survive gruesome scenarios unrelated to their gender identity.
"The Tree Planters" by [a: Everett Maroon|5759590|Everett Maroon|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1330807578p2/5759590.jpg]: 3/5
I didn't like this one but I also don't think it deserves a bad rating. It was fine, I just don't think it had much of a point? Hax got to choose his hormonal template along with the other human settlers on Valus, mistakenly selected testosterone, and later regrets it and wishes he had chosen estrogen instead. This has two interpretations to me: one, Hax is a trans woman, and two, Hax is analogous to someone who transitioned to male and later reconnects with their femininity. If the intent was the former, then cool! Why was it in a transmasc anthology? If it was the latter, then I'm just disappointed at the execution of that specific experience because it could be handled so much more interestingly.
"If You Can" by [a: Bo Balder|7264874|Bo Balder|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1442946535p2/7264874.jpg]: 3/5
Another story that was just fine. Can be read with a transmasculine lens, but Peony's conflict seems to be more based in his humanity versus his Wan-ness and reconciling the two. Definitely some valuable narrative about the complex relationship between Peony and his mother. Just felt lacklustre and not-very-trans.
"Trans Mare Cognitum" by [a: Michael Takeda|5258810|Michael Takeda|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1483612854p2/5258810.jpg]: 5/5
Another one of my favourites, deals heavily with forced detransition, societal transphobia, and systemic erasure of transness when considering historical significance. Also T4T + trans parenthood! Simon expressed some beliefs that would be considered as transmedicalist in our modern context, but his biases were challenged/shut down by his love interest Alek. While uncomfortable to address transmedicalism in fiction, I think Takeda handled it really well and treated both Simon and the younger trans generation with respect and empathy. "Trans Mare Cognitum" was all-around well-written, cohesive, engaging, and fleshed out the main characters in a really endearing way that gave value to their quirks and backgrounds.
"Fire Fills the Belly" by [a: Noa Josef Sperber]: 5/5
When I finished this story and read the author's bio, I was SHOCKED to learn that Sperber was 16 years old when they wrote "Fire Fills the Belly." Doing the math, I realized that Sperber is about my age, and I'd love to see what they've written since Brave Boy World was published. Their writing was already tight, sophisticated, and professional at just 16, I literally can't imagine how they must have developed since then.
As for the story itself: a charming exploration of economic disenfranchisement and how our work interacts with our identity and relationships. Trans man MC, androgynous side character, implied trans girl minor character: love, love, love.
"Edge of Everything" by [a: M. Raoulee]: 3.5/5
I may need to return to "Edge of Everything" because I read it at the tail end of an 8-hour hyperfixation and my brain was pretty fried, so I may not have had the capacity to engage with the work as it deserves. My impression from reading it though was that it was okay, I mostly enjoyed Idris' unapologeticness about his trans body and the way he slept shirtless (pre-op/non-op) while in Ansil's company. Otherwise, this was another story that went over my head, but I can't determine whether that's due to my own reading comprehension-or-lack-thereof or the writing itself. Personally, if I were the editor for this anthology, I would have chosen "Coyote Dog Bitten" or "Fire Fills the Belly" as the closing story, but maybe there was something big that I missed in "Edge of Everything" (likely).
The rest of this review will explore individual contributions, so consider this a warning for spoilers.
"According to His Substance" by [a: K.C. Ball|3209001|K.C. Ball|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1388825720p2/3209001.jpg]: 3.5/5
A trans man, Taylor, leaps through time and space to prevent fellow trans folks from being harmed, both by themselves and by their oppressors. The ending reveals that the people Taylor has been saving are iterations of his past self. "According to His Substance" is a touching reflection on how we as trans people can heal through community, as well as the desire to reach into our past and strip ourselves of our trauma. I think there's some unanswered questions here that could have been touched on (is Taylor just saving past versions of himself? is he jumping through the multiverse to save every version of himself that attempts suicide? how did he get the burn scars on his face?), and the fact that the anthology opened with a story lamenting about the struggles of a trans existence and suicidal ideation didn't sit quite right with me. Overall, a decent story! Not my favourite, but not unreadable.
"Spoiling Veena" by [a: Keyan Bowes|4094532|Keyan Bowes|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1456176556p2/4094532.jpg]: 1/5
I hated this story. Shalini is the mother of Viktrum, her pre-teen trans son who she had genetically engineered to be female prior to his birth (as is standard practice in the futuristic setting), so she's evidently dismayed when Viktrum comes out. The entire story is from Shalini's perspective, in which she spends the majority of it misgendering and deadnaming her son as well as rejecting his identity for several years. This kind of narrative is handled with no tact, no nuance, and just feels really, really icky to read as a trans person. As far as I know, Keyan Bowes is cis, and you can tell (Bowes literally titled the story with the trans boy's deadname, like. Utterly tasteless).
"Fluidity" by [a: Eric Del Carlo|303370|Eric Del Carlo|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]: 2.5/5
Like, it was fine. Premise is that "Cycling" is the normative gender experience, in which people cycle through male and female bodies, and Xen resists his own Cycling because he's a man, and nothing more, but "mono-gendered" people are discriminated against due to their non-conformity. You know that old YouTube video that's like "what if heterophobia was real and being gay was normal! wouldn't that be so cruel if we punished straight people"? "Fluidity" felt the exact same to me. Didn't feel like it was saying anything of substance + it was pretty obtusely binary in scope. Some reviewers liked this one, but it just didn't do it for me.
"My Brother, The Horsehead" by [a: Rafael S.W.]: 1/5
Dude I. Literally what the hell was this story. I can't even understand what the author was trying to get at. I don't even know if there was a transmasc character in this story. If it were written more cohesively and edited, it could be an interesting story about grief, but this one lost me so much.
"Liner Notes for the Crash" by [a: Lee Mandelo|3418840|Lee Mandelo|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1611272773p2/3418840.jpg]: 5/5
YESSSSS LET'S FUCKING GOOOOO THIS STORY GRABBED ME BY THE SHIRT COLLAR AND KISSED ME ON THE MOUTH AND
So I really liked this one. Like a lot. Let me. Please. Just. Read the first three lines of the story:
Jackson thumped his fist on the door three times and called through, "Open up, assholes."
"Drew's got his tits out, hang on," Ross hollered.
"Seen it," Jackson responded. "Come on, we're gonna be late."
These first three lines are already better than the cumulative past three stories. Why didn't Takeda slot this as the first story in the book. This is such a real and hilarious representation of camaraderie between cis and trans guys, this is the type of shit that you'd hear between me and my best friends. And this is just the first three lines!!!
The rest of "Liner Notes" explores the live punk scene in a world with digital implants that allow people to be inside each other's heads. The main characters are wreck scene: Drew, the charismatic trans frontman; Ross, the energetic loose cannon guitarist; Jackson, the stoic but gentle drummer; and former bassist Jessie, whose departure (left as a mystery to the reader) weighs heavily on the band. Throughout the story, Mandelo vividly describes the experience of live music when band and audience share the same neural pathways: simultaneously euphoric and intimate but agonizingly intense, leaving Drew heaving in the bathroom and barely functioning for the next twelve hours. During the show, Drew makes an unexpected soulmate-like connection with a stranger in the audience, who happens to be a fellow transmasc punk named Jordan.
The vignette of punk culture, T4T dynamics, queer masculine love and friendship, enjoyable characterization, AND tastefully-executed science fiction? I loved this story. I just loved it so, so goddamn much and I want everybody to read it. Lee Mandelo if you're reading this I love YOU
"Boy Rescue" by [a: Ace Lo]: 4/5
I enjoyed this one! Finn is a Rescue android and was designed with the same young-woman-babysitter archetype as every other Rescue android, but Finn is a boy. This story was really sweet, and I really loved David's curiosity and wonderment surrounding the boy Rescue. "Boy Rescue" is a light and fun read and was definitely an emotional break after the impact of "Liner Notes", so it was definitely placed well in the greater collection!
"Sindali" by [a: Deven Balsam|18177112|Deven Balsam|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1544111428p2/18177112.jpg]: 5/5
Shay is a trans man designing an eleven-foot-tall robot dog. Seth is Shay's abusive sugar daddy. Katisa is implied to be a trans father who lives beyond the city walls and communicates with Shay through sci-fi texting. This story was really great, but definitely deserves a much, much higher word count: the setting and characters are so interesting and a full novel about Shay and Katisa would be a HIT (I say this fully knowing that Balsam is already writing that exact novel). One of the stronger works in the collection for sure!
"Deadhead Chemistry" by J. Daniel Stone: 2/5
Listen, you can write a narrative about the anxieties and apprehensions of transition, but I generally prefer that such narratives are a) written cohesively, b) about a MC who doesn't constantly misgender themself, and c) ownvoice and written by a trans author. This story was just confusing.
"Choice Cuts" by [a: Edd Vick|1000061|Edd Vick|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]: 3/5
I'm not opposed to this story, but I think it's more about reproductive justice than about transmasculine experiences. The MC is transmasculine for sure (as best as we can understand his identity at least), but his transness isn't like, the point? Which is cool! Like, this story was fine. It had the same basic premise of sex fluidity due to technological advancements/sci-fi logic as "Fluidity", but was definitely executed better, and is distinguished by gender dysphoria being a background element of the narrative rather than the plot force.
"Robinson Faces the Music" by [a: Ryan Kelly]: 2.5/5
Definitely felt more satirical than anything. I didn't dislike this one, even though the MC was annoying and hateful towards Donald and Robinson because of his projected superiority complex and pretentiousness. Robinson was a fucking DELIGHT though, I would read another 300 pages about his silly little adventures with his phobia of fish eyes and his Lovecraftian, four-dimensional aunt. My main gripe with this story is that there's no transmasculinity in it? Like, the MC was ostracized in the alien world of Winnipeg because Alien Society recognizes four genders, and the MC apparently presented as four of them despite identifying as male. The alien-genders weren't explored beyond being a funny little device to frustrate and exclude the MC for not being a man in the eyes of the aliens. Like, yeah, that's just an analogy for trans experiences, but it felt almost unintentional by the author? And there was no indication of whether the MC himself identified as a cis or trans man, though the lack of specification inclines me to believe that he's intended to be a cis man. Really weird selection for this anthology but whatever, Robinson was a fruity little treat. Love that guy
"The Three Ways of the Sword Man" by [a: Jaap Boekestein|4236749|Jaap Boekestein|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1351761434p2/4236749.jpg]: 3/5
Solid read! No real complaints here. TL;DR: twin brother dies, "sister" assumes his identity as a convenient way to transition without dealing with social fallout, fabricates a lie that the "sister" had died instead. Didn't feel overly poignant, but not every work of fiction has to be anyway.
"LGB(T)" by [a: Maverick Smith|16189396|Maverick Smith|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]: 4/5
Trans superhero story! Definitely a heavy-handed metaphor for the lack of cis queer support for trans people, but I'm not mad at it. Also a solid criticism of the commodification of social services. Would love more of this story, it has a lot of potential as a long-form work.
"Flipside" by [a: Nicole Jinks-Frederick]: 3.5/5
Closeted trans son of an affluent family is on the run, disguised as the boy he wants to be. Saved by a girlboss bounty hunter. Some parts of this were confusing and underdeveloped, but I enjoyed it as a whole!
"The Next Great Race" by [a: Jes Rausch|8364130|Jes Rausch|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]: 5/5
The Itidarod, but it's on Pluto! Really cool sci-fi reimagining of the famous sled dog race with the added stakes of a trans man using illegal identification documents. The absolute cruelty of Gina made me feel as mad as Rausch described Colin, and I was like, yeah, that kind of malicious transphobia is way too familiar. Bonus: capitalist exploitation of resources and the ruthlessness of corporations! PHENOMENALLY written, definitely one of the best in the collection.
"Coyote Dog Bitten" by [a: Dave Riser]: 4/5
A lot of this story confused me, mostly the whole coyote and jackal thing, but "Coyote Dog Bitten" is such a sincere exploration of friendship between some outcasts and learning to trust when you've been kicked down for so long. Walker and Jack's (implied?) transmasculinities weren't a central component of the story, but it's great seeing trans male characters having to survive gruesome scenarios unrelated to their gender identity.
"The Tree Planters" by [a: Everett Maroon|5759590|Everett Maroon|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1330807578p2/5759590.jpg]: 3/5
I didn't like this one but I also don't think it deserves a bad rating. It was fine, I just don't think it had much of a point? Hax got to choose his hormonal template along with the other human settlers on Valus, mistakenly selected testosterone, and later regrets it and wishes he had chosen estrogen instead. This has two interpretations to me: one, Hax is a trans woman, and two, Hax is analogous to someone who transitioned to male and later reconnects with their femininity. If the intent was the former, then cool! Why was it in a transmasc anthology? If it was the latter, then I'm just disappointed at the execution of that specific experience because it could be handled so much more interestingly.
"If You Can" by [a: Bo Balder|7264874|Bo Balder|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1442946535p2/7264874.jpg]: 3/5
Another story that was just fine. Can be read with a transmasculine lens, but Peony's conflict seems to be more based in his humanity versus his Wan-ness and reconciling the two. Definitely some valuable narrative about the complex relationship between Peony and his mother. Just felt lacklustre and not-very-trans.
"Trans Mare Cognitum" by [a: Michael Takeda|5258810|Michael Takeda|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1483612854p2/5258810.jpg]: 5/5
Another one of my favourites, deals heavily with forced detransition, societal transphobia, and systemic erasure of transness when considering historical significance. Also T4T + trans parenthood! Simon expressed some beliefs that would be considered as transmedicalist in our modern context, but his biases were challenged/shut down by his love interest Alek. While uncomfortable to address transmedicalism in fiction, I think Takeda handled it really well and treated both Simon and the younger trans generation with respect and empathy. "Trans Mare Cognitum" was all-around well-written, cohesive, engaging, and fleshed out the main characters in a really endearing way that gave value to their quirks and backgrounds.
"Fire Fills the Belly" by [a: Noa Josef Sperber]: 5/5
When I finished this story and read the author's bio, I was SHOCKED to learn that Sperber was 16 years old when they wrote "Fire Fills the Belly." Doing the math, I realized that Sperber is about my age, and I'd love to see what they've written since Brave Boy World was published. Their writing was already tight, sophisticated, and professional at just 16, I literally can't imagine how they must have developed since then.
As for the story itself: a charming exploration of economic disenfranchisement and how our work interacts with our identity and relationships. Trans man MC, androgynous side character, implied trans girl minor character: love, love, love.
"Edge of Everything" by [a: M. Raoulee]: 3.5/5
I may need to return to "Edge of Everything" because I read it at the tail end of an 8-hour hyperfixation and my brain was pretty fried, so I may not have had the capacity to engage with the work as it deserves. My impression from reading it though was that it was okay, I mostly enjoyed Idris' unapologeticness about his trans body and the way he slept shirtless (pre-op/non-op) while in Ansil's company. Otherwise, this was another story that went over my head, but I can't determine whether that's due to my own reading comprehension-or-lack-thereof or the writing itself. Personally, if I were the editor for this anthology, I would have chosen "Coyote Dog Bitten" or "Fire Fills the Belly" as the closing story, but maybe there was something big that I missed in "Edge of Everything" (likely).
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