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69goose69's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
magenta_menace's review against another edition
4.0
dark, brutal, and eerily erotic, torrey peters stuns with a tale that’s part fantastical realism and part gender horror. the stream of consciousness is especially provocative, showing a very precarious internal battle in krys that borders on masochistic. gritty and intense, a wild ride in a compact package. i would have loved if the narrative was expanded a bit and we got more info about krys’ life in iowa and the world beyond the vegas strip. a thrilling, quick ride of a novella that’s sure to shock and excite its readers.
mxsallybend's review against another edition
4.0
In case the cover doesn't give it away. The Masker is an unusual addition to the shelves of transgender erotica. It is a dark, smart sort of literature that reminds me of Mykola Dementiuk.
Torrey Peters has written a story about the intersection of fantasy and reality. It is a story that takes an honest (and often painful) look at the many sides of transgender culture, including crossdressers, sissies, forced feminization, female masking, and transsexualism. It is a story of egos, attitudes, opinions, and stereotypes that manages to expose a little darkness in all of its characters.
Ironically, it is an angry conversation between a female masker and a sissy, brought on by the scorn of a transsexual, that exposes the heart of the story. Felix (the masker) talks about the fetish side of transgender expression as a gift, a sort of super-power, that provides the same escape or stress relief as alcohol, cocaine, and physical violence do for others. More importantly, he insists his sissy be grateful for it.
"You think it means something is wrong with you, that you should be a woman. Actually, you are as you were intended to be. Every transsexual I have met has wasted their gift and picked up so many worse habits to replace it. But our gift can bring us joy.”
The story is darker than I expected, with some moments of cruelty and betrayal that saddened me, but it is also far more authentic that I expected. The Masker feels almost autobiographical, and contains a great deal of thought and philosophy in so few pages.
As reviewed by Sally at Bending the Bookshelf
Torrey Peters has written a story about the intersection of fantasy and reality. It is a story that takes an honest (and often painful) look at the many sides of transgender culture, including crossdressers, sissies, forced feminization, female masking, and transsexualism. It is a story of egos, attitudes, opinions, and stereotypes that manages to expose a little darkness in all of its characters.
Ironically, it is an angry conversation between a female masker and a sissy, brought on by the scorn of a transsexual, that exposes the heart of the story. Felix (the masker) talks about the fetish side of transgender expression as a gift, a sort of super-power, that provides the same escape or stress relief as alcohol, cocaine, and physical violence do for others. More importantly, he insists his sissy be grateful for it.
"You think it means something is wrong with you, that you should be a woman. Actually, you are as you were intended to be. Every transsexual I have met has wasted their gift and picked up so many worse habits to replace it. But our gift can bring us joy.”
The story is darker than I expected, with some moments of cruelty and betrayal that saddened me, but it is also far more authentic that I expected. The Masker feels almost autobiographical, and contains a great deal of thought and philosophy in so few pages.
As reviewed by Sally at Bending the Bookshelf
queerbooktakes's review against another edition
5.0
I always enjoy Torrey's writing – I think it's witty, conversational and filled with the kind of small details that help me really visualise the scene.
There are some really interesting conversations in here around sex, fetish and respectability politics, and I particularly love that Torrey writes specifically for a trans audience – there's none of the simplification of trans identities that tends to happen in mainstream media, so I reckon this makes for a really juicy, gripping read.
There are some really interesting conversations in here around sex, fetish and respectability politics, and I particularly love that Torrey writes specifically for a trans audience – there's none of the simplification of trans identities that tends to happen in mainstream media, so I reckon this makes for a really juicy, gripping read.
chirson's review against another edition
3.0
Disturbing, dark and interesting, a glimpse at ways in which fear can drive one's choices and betrayals. Didn't really enjoy it, despite the clever turns of phrase, because of how sad it was: Peters's other books I've read feel more hopeful, but it was very interesting, too.
sparkdust's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
mistermistoffelees's review
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
leadpal's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
wendell's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
4.25
This was so good, and so much packed into a really short read. Really dark and erotic, a little scary, strong through line of haunting sadness especially at the end.