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shawcrit's review
4.0
Each story in this collection is visceral like a punch in the face. Touching on issues of gender, sexuality, mental health, and a ton of other topics, this collection is complex and layered, and there is a lot to unpack and absorb. This collection is an excellent example of the political power and potential of the horror genre: at its best, it forces us to confront ugly realities and push back against propriety/established norms.
In terms of the stories themselves: in my opinion, this starts off and ends really strong. While all of the stories are interesting and kept my attention, many felt less like stories, and more like sketches or ideas of stories, or just really cool, surreal images. Many of the stories in the middle of the collection were three stars for me, but I’ve punched up my rating to a four because of my overall experience and the 5 star stories that really resonated with me. I’ve reflected on my favourites below:
Tonsilstonespunksplatter666! - Rain Corbyn - 5*
Absolutely brutal, intense, and tongue-in-cheek in the best ways. Combines smart social commentary with punches of slasher surrealism. Features a neurodivergent, queer protagonist defending themselves against a group of bullies.
High Maintenance - S.A. Chant - 5*
Pretty heartbreaking story about a cyborg, Jay, who is owned by Thomas, his “boyfriend.” Thomas continuously finds reasons to criticize Jay and get him modified to suit his increasingly specific desires. This has a gut punch of an ending - I was surprised by it and it added another layer of horror to the story.
The Lives of Scavengers - Rhiannon Rasmussen - 5*
Moody, gothic vibes, heavy on the baroque descriptions - the language and the setting remind me a bit of Baudelaire. A “grave-child” of the “under-city” is taken under the wing of the widow Voierry. The grave-child has a rivalry with another child that the widow is taking care of, Ivan, and sad things ensue. As with many of the other stories here I wanted more of this world as the distinction between the under-city and “the city above” interested me and added some commentary on class stratification. Favourite quote: “The first time someone met my eyes, it was a person dressed in the plump rose of a worm’s belly [...] Later, I learned rose was the color of mourning. Of woman’s mourning. Men mourned in other colors.”
The Roots They Pull - Taylor J. Pitts - 4*
Another lush one that felt like a cross between a queer Rebecca and Sleeping Beauty - gothic folktale vibes.
Stench - Vincent Endwell - 5*
Really enjoyed this. One of the longer stories which allowed me to get more invested in what was going on and allowed tension to build. Jessica is pregnant, cheating on her husband, and attracted to/fascinated by a Christian mommy blogger who just passed away. I’d like to return to this one as the ending is amazing and speaks to motherhood, pregnancy, relationships between women, patriarchal/heterosexist pressures around gender and women’s sexuality/reproductive rights - so much is packed in here.
Tiny Magic - G.E. Woods - 5*
The more I think about this the more I like it. The language in this one morphs as the protagonist ages, and given that this is a kind of coming-of-age tale, I interpreted the shift in voice as a commentary on how language shapes our understanding of our self-identity and the world generally, but also how language can circumscribe and limit how we perceive ourselves and others (for example, requiring individuals to fit into binary gender identities). The fact that certain characters were bolded when introduced (“THE MOTHER” enters; “THE BOYFRIEND” arrives) also gave this a cinematic quality as though we’re reading a play; characters are like archetypes briefly introduced to propel the “hero’s” development. For this reason, and also because of what I interpreted as references to Baba Yaga, this has the quality of a classic fairytale. There is an unlikely hero overcoming obstacles to learn a lesson that initiates them into adulthood, but with a twist. The ending felt triumphant and liberatory: a perfect ‘fuck you, deal with it’ to end this collection.
In terms of the stories themselves: in my opinion, this starts off and ends really strong. While all of the stories are interesting and kept my attention, many felt less like stories, and more like sketches or ideas of stories, or just really cool, surreal images. Many of the stories in the middle of the collection were three stars for me, but I’ve punched up my rating to a four because of my overall experience and the 5 star stories that really resonated with me. I’ve reflected on my favourites below:
Tonsilstonespunksplatter666! - Rain Corbyn - 5*
Absolutely brutal, intense, and tongue-in-cheek in the best ways. Combines smart social commentary with punches of slasher surrealism. Features a neurodivergent, queer protagonist defending themselves against a group of bullies.
High Maintenance - S.A. Chant - 5*
Pretty heartbreaking story about a cyborg, Jay, who is owned by Thomas, his “boyfriend.” Thomas continuously finds reasons to criticize Jay and get him modified to suit his increasingly specific desires. This has a gut punch of an ending - I was surprised by it and it added another layer of horror to the story.
The Lives of Scavengers - Rhiannon Rasmussen - 5*
Moody, gothic vibes, heavy on the baroque descriptions - the language and the setting remind me a bit of Baudelaire. A “grave-child” of the “under-city” is taken under the wing of the widow Voierry. The grave-child has a rivalry with another child that the widow is taking care of, Ivan, and sad things ensue. As with many of the other stories here I wanted more of this world as the distinction between the under-city and “the city above” interested me and added some commentary on class stratification. Favourite quote: “The first time someone met my eyes, it was a person dressed in the plump rose of a worm’s belly [...] Later, I learned rose was the color of mourning. Of woman’s mourning. Men mourned in other colors.”
The Roots They Pull - Taylor J. Pitts - 4*
Another lush one that felt like a cross between a queer Rebecca and Sleeping Beauty - gothic folktale vibes.
Stench - Vincent Endwell - 5*
Really enjoyed this. One of the longer stories which allowed me to get more invested in what was going on and allowed tension to build. Jessica is pregnant, cheating on her husband, and attracted to/fascinated by a Christian mommy blogger who just passed away. I’d like to return to this one as the ending is amazing and speaks to motherhood, pregnancy, relationships between women, patriarchal/heterosexist pressures around gender and women’s sexuality/reproductive rights - so much is packed in here.
Tiny Magic - G.E. Woods - 5*
The more I think about this the more I like it. The language in this one morphs as the protagonist ages, and given that this is a kind of coming-of-age tale, I interpreted the shift in voice as a commentary on how language shapes our understanding of our self-identity and the world generally, but also how language can circumscribe and limit how we perceive ourselves and others (for example, requiring individuals to fit into binary gender identities). The fact that certain characters were bolded when introduced (“THE MOTHER” enters; “THE BOYFRIEND” arrives) also gave this a cinematic quality as though we’re reading a play; characters are like archetypes briefly introduced to propel the “hero’s” development. For this reason, and also because of what I interpreted as references to Baba Yaga, this has the quality of a classic fairytale. There is an unlikely hero overcoming obstacles to learn a lesson that initiates them into adulthood, but with a twist. The ending felt triumphant and liberatory: a perfect ‘fuck you, deal with it’ to end this collection.
ghada_mohammed's review
5.0
Body horror is waaaay outside my comfort zone, but queasy as I was at the begining, I'm glad I picked this up. Your Body is Not Your Body is a wonderful amalgam that is equally graphic, entertaining, profoundly eye-opening, and a giant fist in the faces of the naysayers (they know who they are). My only complaint was that I would have loved to experience many of these works as full-length novels. I highly recommend.
seitenreise's review
5.0
Was für eine imposante Anthologie voller (für mich) neuer Stimmen, die mir wieder so viel Lust auf Weird Fiction und Weird Horror gemacht haben!
Es gibt einige Namen, bei denen ich in einer ruhigen Minuten schauen möchte, was sie noch veröffentlicht haben. Und ich möchte mir auch unbedingt die Anthologie noch als gedrucktes Exemplar kaufen, mittlerweile ist das auch abseits der Website möglich.
Vor allem "Why we keep exploding" wird noch lange in mir nachhallen, so großartig finde ich diese Geschichte!
Es gibt einige Namen, bei denen ich in einer ruhigen Minuten schauen möchte, was sie noch veröffentlicht haben. Und ich möchte mir auch unbedingt die Anthologie noch als gedrucktes Exemplar kaufen, mittlerweile ist das auch abseits der Website möglich.
Vor allem "Why we keep exploding" wird noch lange in mir nachhallen, so großartig finde ich diese Geschichte!
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