A review by thevampiremars
The Book of Queer Saints by Belle Tolls, Nikki R. Leigh, Eric Raglin, Mae Murray, Joe Koch, Joshua R. Pangborn, Briar Ripley Page, K.S. Walker, Hailey Piper, Eric LaRocca, Perry Ruhland, LC von Hessen, James Bennett, George Daniel Lea

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

3.0

I liked “The Love That Whirls” by Joe Koch and “Therianthrope” by Briar Ripley Page. I also enjoyed “Heliogabalus Fabulous” by Belle Tolls but that wasn’t a horror story in the slightest. Ironically it might be the collection’s best example of “Queer Saints” (as promised by the title of the book) – I had expected more religious/spiritual imagery. Christianity does inform this anthology, though; in the introduction the editor talks about being “a queer person who grew up in the repressive Bible Belt” which maybe explains why some of these stories felt a bit lacklustre to me personally – I don’t think vaguely sapphic witches are particularly shocking or revolutionary, but maybe they would be in Arkansas or whatever. idk... This book came out in 2022 but you wouldn’t know it.