Reviews tagging 'Transphobia'

What Moves The Dead by T. Kingfisher

57 reviews

wrestleacademic's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Body horror

Moderate: Terminal illness, Transphobia, and War

lizgriffinwords's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

“House of Usher”, but with “The Last of Us” energy.

I read this in about 4 hours (audiobook at 1.5 speed). Highly recommend the audiobook. The trans rep and non-binary pronouns feel both clever and natural. And the supporting characters are so charming.

TW: brief transphobia (more ignorant than malicious, IMHO), horror elements including body horror, animal death

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death and Body horror

Minor: Transphobia and War

storyorc's review against another edition

dark funny sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

What Moves the Dead slots in neatly between Mexican Gothic and Dracula in the Something in This Spooky House is Fucking With My Friend genre. Would LOVE to see it get the limited series treatment in a few years.

The characters are the stars of this show, with Easton and Ms. Potter shining brightest. They aren't even new concepts - ka is a roughish ex-soldier and she is a chronically underestimated spinster respectively - but they feel fresh, immediate, and funny. I'd love to hang out with them. Angus was a bit too reliant on stereotypes but I was pleased how the resident American, Denton, both embodied and rose above his.

The setting carries enough hinted-at depth to sustain a whole series. It overshadowed the plot a few times, but rightfully so. The late 1800s of this world are just different enough to spark curiosity while still being able to leverage the very real weariness of war needed to sell the veteran characters. I at times felt like I was reading War & Peace through the narrator of Slaughterhouse 5. Gallacia was my favourite invented nation of course, conjuring up a ridiculous amount of charm for a people that seemed so stubbornly hopeless, and I am distraught that I can't visit and stumble over their idiosyncratic pronouns for myself.

My issues with the plot are:

1. Too much dramatic irony between what the reader immediately gathers and what Easton believes for most of the book.
2. We miss out on seeing Easton at kan full strength because others withhold information from kan too long for tenuous reasons.
3. The end was slightly too easy for my tastes. There was a beautiful piece of suspense but then it was over while I was still expecting the dramatic final confrontation.

Finally, I congratulate Kingfisher on keeping the book no longer than it needed to be for the shape of its plot. I stand a good chance of re-reading this one.

(PS - Enjoyers of this novel should also check out Annihilation, though it takes place in a swamp rather than a house.)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Body horror

Moderate: War

Minor: Misogyny and Transphobia

nyssa_jo's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Terminal illness

Moderate: Animal death and Transphobia

Minor: Body horror, Suicide, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and War

sarah984's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This novella is a retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher and follows the same broad strokes of that story's plot. This is a horror story and does have some creepy parts, but there's an overall cheerful tone to most of it that makes it a quick easy read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Body horror

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Drug use, Misogyny, Suicide, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, and War

butterymax's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

This book was a really great, fun read (and quick!) in the week leading up to Halloween. Just spooky and grotesque enough without being distressing (and I’m fairly weak-stomached). I guess it delves into body horror but it wasn’t super intense for me. I wasn’t expecting humor, even, but it was funny, too! I would definitely read again and will be looking into this author’s other works.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Moderate: Animal death and Vomit

Minor: Suicide, Transphobia, and War

With regards to the transphobia: the characters themselves don’t identify as transgender, but are from a fictional country in which multiple genders exist. The character in question is on the receiving end of some uncomfortable questions, but handles it well, and it is not a major source of conflict.

vaguely_pink's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Suicide, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Transphobia, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and War

Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, and Vomit

pvbobrien's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, and Gore

Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Violence, Medical content, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Suicide, Transphobia, Vomit, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and War

zghutcheson01's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This is an amazing short horror story that has enough humor to keep the story human without negating any of the horrors in it. All of the major characters are charming and there's nowhere that I really thought the characters were being stupid for the sake of the novel. There's a good bit of body horror but also some moral dilemmas about the alienness of something.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Suicide, Transphobia, and War

vanesst's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death

Moderate: Body horror, Death, Gore, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Suicide, Transphobia, Murder, Alcohol, and War