The Worm and his Kings, by Hailey Piper
A short, inventive cosmic horror novel with a likable protagonist and characters who are mostly female, queer, trans, or all of the above. I say “female” rather than “women” because some of them aren’t human.
Monique is a young homeless woman searching for her older girlfriend Donna, who like many homeless women has recently vanished. Rumors say they’ve fallen prey to “Gray Hill,” a serial killer. But when Monique finally encounters Gray Hill, it’s not a serial killer in any conventional sense, but a monster. Rather than running, she follows the creature in the hope of finding Donna, and discovers a bizarre underground cult that worships “the Worm.”
This fast-paced, quirky book is a lot of fun and takes some unexpected turns. I enjoyed the startling yet oddly satisfying ending, and the unusual nature of "the Worm." Also the commentary on gender, glowing fungus, cool creatures, and an incredibly determined heroine.
It's more a horror novel with trans/queer/female characters than a novel about being trans/queer/female that's also horror. The non-horror elements in the content notes are an integral part of the story, but occupy a relatively small page-space.
Content notes: gender dysphoria, scars from a botched gender affirmation surgery, existence of homophobia and transphobia, body horror, horror-style violence.
The Worm and His Kings
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Monique is a young homeless woman searching for her older girlfriend Donna, who like many homeless women has recently vanished. Rumors say they’ve fallen prey to “Gray Hill,” a serial killer. But when Monique finally encounters Gray Hill, it’s not a serial killer in any conventional sense, but a monster. Rather than running, she follows the creature in the hope of finding Donna, and discovers a bizarre underground cult that worships “the Worm.”
This fast-paced, quirky book is a lot of fun and takes some unexpected turns. I enjoyed the startling yet oddly satisfying ending, and the unusual nature of "the Worm." Also the commentary on gender, glowing fungus, cool creatures, and an incredibly determined heroine.
It's more a horror novel with trans/queer/female characters than a novel about being trans/queer/female that's also horror. The non-horror elements in the content notes are an integral part of the story, but occupy a relatively small page-space.
Content notes: gender dysphoria, scars from a botched gender affirmation surgery, existence of homophobia and transphobia, body horror, horror-style violence.
The Worm and His Kings
[image error]
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