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babyfacedoldsoul's review
Be sure to check out the content warnings for each story which are featured at the end of the anthology.
brandonadaniels's review
5.0
This was one of the first short story collections I have managed to make it all the way through. I often find that short stories feel like first attempts at ideas for longer work, but that was almost never the case here. It is a varied collection of stories with a lose them of weird body horror. I highly recommend it for fans of the genre. Highlights include stories about zombies, witches, serial killers, cyborgs, a centaur, and a dead gods, almost all of which are not what you are expecting.
Notes for myself with ratings.
———————
The flensing lens: 3
tonsilstonepunksplatter666!: 5 - crazy
High maintenance: 3
The infinite being: 3
Brother Maternitas: 4 - weird bennedetta
The same thing happened to Sam: 4
The ballad of the pest: 5 - something in the walls
Playing house: 3
Hybrid: 3
Cholesterol-Mononoxide: 3
Why we keep exploding: 5 - high school bully with magic
We’ve been trying to reach you: 4
Lost in reincarnation: 4 - octopus. Short but sweet
Because My Mother Tells me so: 3 - the zombie one. Weird, quirky, and funny, but it doesn’t completely come together.
Seaflowers: 5 - short, but incredibly well written. Revisit
Fencing plate: 4 - fun. Magic spells
Gender Envy: 3 - funny poem. Visceral
Rest my head - not for me
Devine Carcass: 4 - we only find them when they’re dead
Chronoplasty: 3 - centaur gender surgery
#MotherMayhem: 3 - bone hand
The lives of scavengers: 5 - zombie sad boy- well written
The simulacrum: 3 - Frankenstein
The roots they pull: 3 - hedge
Stench: 4 - bones
Pearl Diver: 4- buzzard
Tiny magic: 5- witch
Notes for myself with ratings.
———————
The flensing lens: 3
tonsilstonepunksplatter666!: 5 - crazy
High maintenance: 3
The infinite being: 3
Brother Maternitas: 4 - weird bennedetta
The same thing happened to Sam: 4
The ballad of the pest: 5 - something in the walls
Playing house: 3
Hybrid: 3
Cholesterol-Mononoxide: 3
Why we keep exploding: 5 - high school bully with magic
We’ve been trying to reach you: 4
Lost in reincarnation: 4 - octopus. Short but sweet
Because My Mother Tells me so: 3 - the zombie one. Weird, quirky, and funny, but it doesn’t completely come together.
Seaflowers: 5 - short, but incredibly well written. Revisit
Fencing plate: 4 - fun. Magic spells
Gender Envy: 3 - funny poem. Visceral
Rest my head - not for me
Devine Carcass: 4 - we only find them when they’re dead
Chronoplasty: 3 - centaur gender surgery
#MotherMayhem: 3 - bone hand
The lives of scavengers: 5 - zombie sad boy- well written
The simulacrum: 3 - Frankenstein
The roots they pull: 3 - hedge
Stench: 4 - bones
Pearl Diver: 4- buzzard
Tiny magic: 5- witch
wuggle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
ellasreadingnook's review against another edition
5.0
This book was absolutely incredible. Going into it, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to directly relate to the topics being discussed, so I took a little longer to read this anthology to make sure I understood what each short story was trying to say and what each perspective was. This book made me extremely emotional. A lot of stories reminded me of experiences some of my friends have told me about, and I found myself putting the book down very often either due to intense contemplation or intense emotions. As I mentioned, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to directly relate to the stories - there was one story in particular that caused me to cry for a good while because of how much I related to and understood it. “Why We Keep Exploding” is, without a doubt, the most powerful short story I’ve ever read. All of the stories were very well written and each one will definitely continue to have a long lasting impact on me. I literally cannot stop thinking about this book and will most likely pick it up again for a reread soon.
znnys's review
4.0
Like any collection of short stories, there are some hits and some misses, but this is definitely an anthology that will stick with me for a long time. This is a huge collection of work and really thematically brilliant, with all the stories exploring gender and identity through a horror/speculative lens. Some of my favorites were The Flensing Lens, High Maintenance, Brother Maternitas, The Same Thing That Happened to Sam, Hybrid, Why We Keep Exploding, Lost in Reincarnation, Because My Mother Tells Me So, Gender Envy, The Divine Carcass, Chironoplasty, and Tiny Magic. A lot of these stories came from names I'd never seen before and it was a delight to discover so many talented new authors. I hope to see more from many of them again soon!
catacombsaint's review
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
favourite stories: “high maintenance”, “brother maternitas”, “lost in reincarnation”, “the divine carcass”
beastbark's review
5.0
I read this in the tragic wake of Brave Boy World (my review), and thank God I did because Your Body is Not Your Body whipped ass. Not all of the stories were all that great, but the book delivered on its promise of featuring weird fiction exclusively by trans, non-binary, and intersex writers. Not every story was about transness or featured trans characters, but the anthology isn't necessarily striving to highlight stories that centre transness in their execution, but instead offer solidarity with trans readers who seek solace in horror (hi that's me).
Are all of the stories in this particularly good? No, not really, but none of them are bad, offensive, or disrespectful to the intended trans audience (I'm looking at you, "Spoiling Veena"; seriously, why did Takeda let that make its way into Brave Boy World?). Issues I had were with incomprehensibility due to pompous writing styles, or general lack of clarity in what's actually happening in the story, but that's about it honestly! A lot of the stories are maybe a bit middling or average, but yeah, I'll take that, they were enjoyable to read nonetheless. My main advice to potential readers would be to check the trigger warnings at the back because these writers hold NOTHING back.
tl;dr: read Your Body is Not Your Body if you like horror/weird fiction written by trans folks, have a strong stomach, and can handle triggering content
Here's my own list of favourite stories from this anthology
"tonsilstonesplatterpunk666!" by [a: Rain Corbyn|5455941|Rain Corbyn|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1649336737p2/5455941.jpg]: I LOVED THIS ONE SO MUCH, really humorously written, oozed with satire, loved the MC a lot (non-binary and autistic! fuck yes), and the trans vengeance was cathartic as fuck. Body horror was also the most grotesque I've ever read!
"High Maintenance" by [a: S.A. Chant]: sad. ow. really heart-wrenching exploration of new love and grief
"The Infinite Being" by [a: F.T. Catulla]: cool story, T4T, cosmic horror, unique writing style
"Brother Maternitas" by [a: Viktor Athelstan]: this was so fucked up and yummy (no I'm not biased towards religious themes what are you talking about)
"The Same Thing That Happened To Sam" by [a: M. Lopes da Silva|7856125|M. Lopes da Silva|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]: funny. queer spite
"Ballad of the Pest" by [a: Meagan Hotz]: this was a bit too relatable
"Hybrid" by [a: Rose Sable|7116372|Sable Rose|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1508710885p2/7116372.jpg]: man-made horrors beyond our comprehension, creature edition
"Why We Keep Exploding" by [a: Hailey Piper|18453878|Hailey Piper|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1660148263p2/18453878.jpg]: about patriarchal silencing of women, and how a trans girl turns the tide against Tall-Boy
"We've Been Trying To Reach You" by [a: Charles Maria Tor]: unflinching, heart-wrenching, and horrific story about schizophrenia. I'm not schizophrenic myself so I can't quite judge if this is considered good representation due to the inherent pessimism of the story and how it ends, but nothing jumped out as being ignorant or malicious in Tor's depiction of the MC. Definitely proceed with caution for this story if you have psychosis, paranoia, or hallucinations because this story could be a heavy, heavy trigger
"Fencing Chestplate" by [a: Avi Burton|14357158|Aviana Burton|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]: probably one of my favourite stories from this anthology. Body horror and teenage trans rage/revenge; explorations of a disconnect between body dysphoria and social expectations, internalization of how cis people perceive our gender, and how we react and respond to transphobia.
"Gender Envy" by [a: Gabriel Valentine]: so true tbh
"The Divine Carcass" by [a: Bitter Karella]: this kind of fell into the camp of a work that was confusing to read, but I think that was intentional. More religion (trans people are God, actually)
"#MOTHERMAYHEM" by [a: Jei D. Marcade]: really interesting, even though I don't quite get it, but that's because I just haven't. figured it out yet lol
"The Simulacrum" by [a: Max Turner|4902840|Max Turner|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1344112781p2/4902840.jpg]: THIS WHIPPED ASS SO HARD HOLY FUCK. science-driven experimental life, trans revenge
"The Pearl Diver" by [a: Bri Crozier|68012|Brian Crozier|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1344623703p2/68012.jpg]: short meditation on death (I do mean that broadly because it is pretty broad)
"Tiny Magic" by [a: G.E. Woods|137623|Geraldine Woods|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1600353709p2/137623.jpg]: phenomenal ending to a thrilling series of little horrors. story about youth enacting justice with murder
Are all of the stories in this particularly good? No, not really, but none of them are bad, offensive, or disrespectful to the intended trans audience (I'm looking at you, "Spoiling Veena"; seriously, why did Takeda let that make its way into Brave Boy World?). Issues I had were with incomprehensibility due to pompous writing styles, or general lack of clarity in what's actually happening in the story, but that's about it honestly! A lot of the stories are maybe a bit middling or average, but yeah, I'll take that, they were enjoyable to read nonetheless. My main advice to potential readers would be to check the trigger warnings at the back because these writers hold NOTHING back.
tl;dr: read Your Body is Not Your Body if you like horror/weird fiction written by trans folks, have a strong stomach, and can handle triggering content
Here's my own list of favourite stories from this anthology
"tonsilstonesplatterpunk666!" by [a: Rain Corbyn|5455941|Rain Corbyn|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1649336737p2/5455941.jpg]: I LOVED THIS ONE SO MUCH, really humorously written, oozed with satire, loved the MC a lot (non-binary and autistic! fuck yes), and the trans vengeance was cathartic as fuck. Body horror was also the most grotesque I've ever read!
"High Maintenance" by [a: S.A. Chant]: sad. ow. really heart-wrenching exploration of new love and grief
"The Infinite Being" by [a: F.T. Catulla]: cool story, T4T, cosmic horror, unique writing style
"Brother Maternitas" by [a: Viktor Athelstan]: this was so fucked up and yummy (no I'm not biased towards religious themes what are you talking about)
"The Same Thing That Happened To Sam" by [a: M. Lopes da Silva|7856125|M. Lopes da Silva|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]: funny. queer spite
"Ballad of the Pest" by [a: Meagan Hotz]: this was a bit too relatable
"Hybrid" by [a: Rose Sable|7116372|Sable Rose|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1508710885p2/7116372.jpg]: man-made horrors beyond our comprehension, creature edition
"Why We Keep Exploding" by [a: Hailey Piper|18453878|Hailey Piper|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1660148263p2/18453878.jpg]: about patriarchal silencing of women, and how a trans girl turns the tide against Tall-Boy
"We've Been Trying To Reach You" by [a: Charles Maria Tor]: unflinching, heart-wrenching, and horrific story about schizophrenia. I'm not schizophrenic myself so I can't quite judge if this is considered good representation due to the inherent pessimism of the story and how it ends, but nothing jumped out as being ignorant or malicious in Tor's depiction of the MC. Definitely proceed with caution for this story if you have psychosis, paranoia, or hallucinations because this story could be a heavy, heavy trigger
"Fencing Chestplate" by [a: Avi Burton|14357158|Aviana Burton|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]: probably one of my favourite stories from this anthology. Body horror and teenage trans rage/revenge; explorations of a disconnect between body dysphoria and social expectations, internalization of how cis people perceive our gender, and how we react and respond to transphobia.
"Gender Envy" by [a: Gabriel Valentine]: so true tbh
"The Divine Carcass" by [a: Bitter Karella]: this kind of fell into the camp of a work that was confusing to read, but I think that was intentional. More religion (trans people are God, actually)
"#MOTHERMAYHEM" by [a: Jei D. Marcade]: really interesting, even though I don't quite get it, but that's because I just haven't. figured it out yet lol
"The Simulacrum" by [a: Max Turner|4902840|Max Turner|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1344112781p2/4902840.jpg]: THIS WHIPPED ASS SO HARD HOLY FUCK. science-driven experimental life, trans revenge
"The Pearl Diver" by [a: Bri Crozier|68012|Brian Crozier|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1344623703p2/68012.jpg]: short meditation on death (I do mean that broadly because it is pretty broad)
"Tiny Magic" by [a: G.E. Woods|137623|Geraldine Woods|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1600353709p2/137623.jpg]: phenomenal ending to a thrilling series of little horrors. story about youth enacting justice with murder
heathersbooks100's review
3.5
Like almost all anthologies, there are some storied I loved and some I didn't.
But BUY THIS BOOK if you like horror because portions of proceeds will go to help trans youth in Texas!!!
But BUY THIS BOOK if you like horror because portions of proceeds will go to help trans youth in Texas!!!