Gretchen Felker-Martin

Gretchen Felker-Martin is an American horror and speculative fiction author known for her novel "Manhunt" (2022), which garnered significant attention for its post-apocalyptic transgender narrative. Her work frequently explores themes of body horror, gender, sexuality, and survival through a transgressive lens. She is also a film critic whose reviews and essays have appeared in publications including Fangoria, Polygon, and The A.V. Club. Her criticism often focuses on horror cinema and media representation of marginalized identities. Felker-Martin's short fiction has been published in multiple horror anthologies and literary magazines. Her writing style is characterized by graphic visceral imagery and explicit examinations of physical and psychological transformation. Beyond fiction and criticism, she maintains an active presence in online literary communities and regularly discusses horror genre topics, trans issues, and writing craft through social media platforms. She resides in Massachusetts where she continues to write both fiction and criticism.

Readers consistently highlight Felker-Martin's raw, visceral writing style and unflinching approach to body horror. Her novel "Manhunt" has received particular attention for its graphic content and transgender perspective in post-apocalyptic fiction. Readers praised: - Unique voice and perspective in horror genre - Complex character relationships - Detailed world-building - Bold handling of difficult themes - Technical prose quality Common criticisms: - Extreme violence and gore level - Sexual content too explicit for some readers - Plot pacing issues - Dense writing style that some found challenging Ratings across platforms: Goodreads: 3.8/5 from 5,000+ ratings Amazon: 4.1/5 from 500+ reviews StoryGraph: 3.75/5 Reader comments often note the intensity: "Not for the squeamish" appears frequently in reviews. Multiple readers described putting the book down temporarily due to graphic scenes, while others praised this same intensity as necessary for the story's impact. The book appears to find strongest reception among horror fans already comfortable with extreme content.

Manhunt (2022) A post-apocalyptic novel about trans survivors in New England who must navigate both hostile humans and a virus that turns people with high testosterone into violent monsters.

Dead of Winter (2023) An anthology of winter-themed horror short stories exploring themes of isolation, survival, and transformation.

No Kings No Masters (2023) A short horror story about surveillance and resistance in a near-future society, published as part of the Tordotcom horror collection.

Feral (2021) A short horror story about a group of women confronting supernatural forces in an abandoned summer camp.

Feed Sex (2020) A novella that combines body horror and social commentary while following a group of content moderators working for a social media platform.

Carmen Maria Machado writes horror that centers queer women's bodies and experiences through experimental literary structures. Her work deals with trauma, sexuality, and body horror through a similar lens as Felker-Martin.

Hailey Piper creates transgressive horror featuring trans and queer characters in apocalyptic scenarios. She explores themes of body transformation and gender identity within hostile environments.

Eric LaRocca produces extreme horror focused on interpersonal relationships and body horror. His work examines power dynamics and physical transformation with unflinching brutality.

Sam J. Miller writes speculative fiction that incorporates queer themes and body horror elements in climate-ravaged futures. His characters navigate survival and identity in worlds marked by physical and social collapse.

Chuck Tingle creates experimental metafiction that subverts expectations about gender, sexuality, and form. His work combines explicit content with complex explorations of identity and reality.