pedantichumbug's review
I read around 8 stories from this collection years back for a class and forgot about it. I remember loving Imogen Binnie's story. Wanna come back to it this year.
caseythecanadianlesbrarian's review against another edition
4.0
I was pretty excited to pick up the anthology The Collection, which brings together quite the diverse group of writers all creating narratives, to paraphrase editors Tom Leger and Riley Macleod, featuring trans characters as protagonists, rather than comic relief, or a character used as a tool to further the plot of a cisgender main character. The Collection aims to present trans characters as agents of their own destiny. This anthology has been a long time coming, and a fantastic venue for up-and-coming trans writers, although MacLeod and Leger are explicit in that they “did not police the genders of the authors themselves, and as of the date of publication have not formally inquired about their chromosomes, their genitals, or how many trucks/dresses they own.”...
See the full review at my website: http://caseythecanadianlesbrarian.wordpress.com/2013/10/31/black-holes-tim-hortons-chat-rooms-and-competitive-eating-just-a-taste-of-the-random-awesomeness-that-is-the-trans-fiction-anthology-the-collection/
See the full review at my website: http://caseythecanadianlesbrarian.wordpress.com/2013/10/31/black-holes-tim-hortons-chat-rooms-and-competitive-eating-just-a-taste-of-the-random-awesomeness-that-is-the-trans-fiction-anthology-the-collection/
joans's review against another edition
4.0
I'm glad that this book exists, and some of the stories were wonderful. It felt like a wonderful bit of insight into how trans people see themselves in the world. Many of the stories were forgettable, though some were remarkably good/interesting/memorable.
verumsolum's review
3.0
I found this a difficult book to read as a trans woman. But it was difficult, to some extent, because it is good: it forced me to confront some of my own uncomfortable emotions and memories, even though I often try to bury them and hide them from myself.
mxpringle's review
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
george_tte's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Rape
jeninmotion's review against another edition
3.0
I had to abandon about 2/3rds of the way through. I think Casey Plett's story was hot, I like K. Tait Jarboe's, I liked Ryka Aoki's story and a couple others, but this is an incredibly uneven (and sort of badly copy-edited) collection, it was hard to be into it.
becleighton's review against another edition
2.0
This was an incredibly uneven anthology, and I was a bit surprised at how dreadful so much of it was considering Topside Press's stellar later record.
There are some I really enjoyed: Imogen Binnie and Casey Plett (of course), Ryka Aoki, Red Durkin, Riley Calais Harris, Cyd Nova, and others in which it was just nice to see some decent representation if it wasn't spectacular. Generally, the stuff by trans women was pretty decent.
But so much of this was just an odd insight into some collective trans dude id: trans dudes with names like "Kant" talking to cis women they call things like "Pussy Chick" (I'm not even making this up), and a wider array of anxious transmasculine Jock Halberslam-esque Lost Boy crap featuring unintentionally terrible characters than I thought I'd ever see in one place. It also could have done with a little less poorly-contextualised experimental work from all sides, from which the second half in particular really suffered.
It was an interesting read and I'm glad that I did read it because there's such a shortage of fiction by trans people, but it meant reading an awful lot of dreck for the gems in the midst of it.
There are some I really enjoyed: Imogen Binnie and Casey Plett (of course), Ryka Aoki, Red Durkin, Riley Calais Harris, Cyd Nova, and others in which it was just nice to see some decent representation if it wasn't spectacular. Generally, the stuff by trans women was pretty decent.
But so much of this was just an odd insight into some collective trans dude id: trans dudes with names like "Kant" talking to cis women they call things like "Pussy Chick" (I'm not even making this up), and a wider array of anxious transmasculine Jock Halberslam-esque Lost Boy crap featuring unintentionally terrible characters than I thought I'd ever see in one place. It also could have done with a little less poorly-contextualised experimental work from all sides, from which the second half in particular really suffered.
It was an interesting read and I'm glad that I did read it because there's such a shortage of fiction by trans people, but it meant reading an awful lot of dreck for the gems in the midst of it.
mechankily's review
4.0
I'm not sure how you write a review of this book. It's relatively unique. There aren't many books of trans fiction by trans authors, so if you want to read that, then this is one of the few options. This book can be a big fish in a small pond.
It has about 28 stories from different authors, so there's a lot there. Type of story varies as well, so it's not all the same. Relatively equal mix of trans female and trans male stories. A handful of nonbinary stories I think.
It has about 28 stories from different authors, so there's a lot there. Type of story varies as well, so it's not all the same. Relatively equal mix of trans female and trans male stories. A handful of nonbinary stories I think.
wcsheffer's review
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed Léger and MacLeod's anthology of contemporary trans fiction (published in 20102). I was quite impressed with the breadth of stories included ranging from more poetic biographical explorations to more mainstream short stories about superheroes featuring trans protagonists. Many of the stories featured heartbreaking portrayals of a trans person's continuous struggle with acceptance from themselves and others in a contemporary society that does consistently tells them they are wrong. It was also fun to read stories where trans identity played very little role other than basic description of the character. I would have enjoyed more intentionality from the authors on how they organized the stories are at least some explanation in the preface about why they didn't organize the stories in a discernable way.