a black and endless sky by matthew lyons

Their odyssey across a postapocalyptic New England showcases an array of threats, from feral men to militant TERFs, self-loathing chasers to rich-idiot survivalists. In the world of Manhunt, the already life-or-death nature of transition is taken to new heights: Protagonists Beth and Fran have to scavenge enough estrogen to keep from succumbing to the virus while Robbie tries to forge a life in a state of persistent dysphoria since taking testosterone is a death sentence. In an era of cultural remakes, remixes, knockoffs, and infinite bland variations on corporate IP, it’s all too rare to encounter a book like Manhunt - a true original that not only eviscerates an existing subgenre (gender-based apocalypse stories like Y: The Last Man, in this case) but also plants a flag in its steaming corpse and says, This is the future of queer horror.Īnger simmers underneath every word of Felker-Martin’s prose as she tells a story of trans women and men fighting for survival after a plague transforms anyone with a certain amount of testosterone into a feral monstrosity. The Hacienda is romantic, frightening, claustrophobic, and entirely satisfying. Together, they must try to uncover the hatred at the heart of San Isidro or risk becoming its next victims. Enter Padre Andrés, a young troubled priest hiding brujo powers. San Isidro doesn’t want Beatriz there, and the longer she stays, the darker and more violent her dreams and visions become.

But rather than the damp English moors, we find ourselves joining Beatriz at her new husband’s estate, Hacienda San Isidro, in the baking Mexican countryside shortly after the Mexican War of Independence. The standard gothic elements are all here: a remote estate crumbling into decay, a woman searching for stability in an unstable world, a husband with dark secrets, and, of course, a haunting.

Cañas isn’t reinventing the wheel here she’s just making a really, really good wheel.

What makes The Hacienda a refreshing change of pace is how straightforward it is: It’s a classic historical gothic novel, impeccably executed. You can hardly walk through a bookstore without tripping over any number of gothic variations, innovations, and pale imitations. There’s just something irresistible about the gothic.

A black and endless sky by matthew lyons