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esme_bonner's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Hell Followed With Us is an unusual book. Set against a dystopia of biblical proportions (literally), we follow Benji, a trans teenager, and unwilling vessel of the end times' end game. Having fled the Evangelical death cult he was raised in, Benji falls in with a crowd of young, queer, survivors, and ironically, given that he may now have only weeks to live, finally learns what it means to have something to live for.
Beset by the monstrous remains of zombie-esque plague victims, the cult's 'Angels' AKA death squads, and, perhaps most frighteningly of all, a plethora of cis white men, Benji forges real friendships with his rescuers. But the lure of love is strong, and he must figure out who he is willing to sacrifice, and what for.
This book was both queerer, and more religious than I had initially been expecting. When I read the blurb for this book I expected something that was going to end up more like Charlie Higson's Enemy series - specifically the Angus Dei angle. But I ended up with something that was a little more Evangelical, which given the US setting I should have been expecting. White builds a very plausible world, his blending of religious and environmental extremism with a kind of Evangelically intense white supremacy feels like a possible future, and whilst I would have liked to know more about how the rest of the world has fared (plagues might be global, but evangelicalism is relatively US-centric), he has managed to cram a lot of detail into a relatively short book.
For those worried about the focus on religion, particularly Christianity, particularly conservative Christianity, I, personally, don't think White's representation is 'bad,' or, like, a pointed attack. In my opinion, which is admittedly limited by neither being from the US nor of a Protestant-off-shoot persuasion, White made it very clear that the Angels were an extremist group, a cult, who had co-opted religion, but who had essentially abandoned a lot of the core tenants of the religion. This was obvious to me, as someone from a Catholic background, because the actions of the Angels are in direct opposition to a lot of very important things, e.g., Commandment not to kill. Now, again, I am not from an Evangelical background. I'm Irish Catholic, if we're getting specific, and my experience in religion is vastly different to that even of Catholics within the US, but to me this read as a commentary on the way the far-right, white supremacists, and other extremist groups pick up elements of religion and twist them. This could definitely be viewed, through that lens and given the very close relationship most conservative leaning people in the US have with Christianity, as a commentary on contemporary evangelical practice... but if you read this and thought 'you're attacking my church specifically' I think you should maybe take a step back and ask, "is my church treating others the way we would want to be treated?" If the answers no, then the call is coming from inside the house. White isn't attacking you, you are attacking others. Sit with that, and then do better.
Back to our regularly scheduled book reviewing,
I don't read a lot of horror, so I am appreciative of how the gore was handled in this book. I felt that there were some visceral moments, but for the most part the description was impressionistic, or focused on feeling. That being said, I do wish a little more time had been given to the (SPOILER) final descriptions of Seraph, I struggled to understand what exactly that might look like. My mental image was kind of dragon-y, and I think it should maybe have been more humanoid. All the same, I found the world, and the people within it, fascinating to read about.
All taken together, I really enjoyed this. There was a lot in it that gave me pause, and a lot in it I think could be polarising, but personally I found it very readable. 4 stars.
Graphic: Deadnaming, Body horror, Violence, Religious bigotry, Gore, Transphobia, Vomit, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Death, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Genocide, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, and Dysphoria
This is a horror novel about a trans teenager from a conservative religious cult becoming a monster - physically.melll_brisk's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Gun violence, Transphobia, Body horror, Death of parent, Gore, Blood, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, and Body shaming
saint_mikael's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Vomit
Moderate: Transphobia
labrume's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Gore, Transphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Genocide, Dysphoria, Blood, Body horror, Deadnaming, and Death
percival_wise's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, Abandonment, Blood, Confinement, Death, Mass/school shootings, Gore, Vomit, Kidnapping, Pandemic/Epidemic, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Dysphoria, Gun violence, Murder, Police brutality, Child abuse, Homophobia, Cursing, Transphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Hate crime, Violence, Deadnaming, and War
pacifickat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Grief, Child death, Confinement, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Misogyny, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Deadnaming, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Murder, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Body horror, Pandemic/Epidemic, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Cursing, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Classism
Religious extremism, religious fanaticism, religious terrorism, mass extinction, disease transmission, misgendering, fundamentalist parents, biblical text quotations, the book of Revelation, end times theology, violent rage, guilt, shame, fear, religious indoctrinationmaresuju's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Transphobia, Body horror, Gun violence, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Genocide, Grief, Murder, Torture, Deadnaming, and War
Minor: Dysphoria, Death of parent, Body shaming, and Bullying
elstarkey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, Genocide, Child death, Dysphoria, Blood, Cursing, Transphobia, Deadnaming, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, and Death
Moderate: Racism
alice_underland's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Dysphoria, Death, Body horror, Gore, Homophobia, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, Gun violence, Child death, and Death of parent
spadedigsbutts's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Body horror, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, Ableism, Child death, Transphobia, Vomit, Blood, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Death of parent, Misogyny, Sexism, Xenophobia, and Murder
Moderate: Mass/school shootings, Child abuse, Hate crime, Body shaming, Bullying, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Confinement, Outing, and Classism
Minor: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Torture, and Toxic friendship