Manhunt

Manhunt is a post-apocalyptic horror novel set in New England after a catastrophic plague transforms people with high testosterone levels into feral, violent creatures. Trans women must take black market estrogen to survive, while hunting and processing infected men to create the hormone treatments they desperately need. The story follows Fran and Beth, two trans women traveling through the devastated landscape while searching for supplies and safety. They encounter other survivors, including a trans man named Robbie, and must navigate both the physical dangers of the infected as well as hostile militant groups that have emerged in the aftermath. The book contains extreme gore, body horror, explicit violence and sexual content as the characters fight to survive in a world that has completely broken down. The writing is visceral and unflinching in its depiction of both physical and psychological trauma. This intense survival narrative explores themes of gender, bodily autonomy, and what humans will do when pushed to their absolute limits. Through its transgender protagonists, the story examines questions of identity and community in crisis.

Readers praise the raw intensity, unique perspective on trans experiences, and vivid body horror elements. Many note the book's unflinching approach to violence and survival feels authentic rather than gratuitous. Multiple reviews highlight the deep character relationships and emotional core beneath the horror surface. Common criticisms focus on the extreme gore and sexual content, with some readers finding it overwhelming. Others mention pacing issues in the middle sections and occasional confusion with the multiple viewpoint characters. "The violence serves the story rather than shock value," notes one Goodreads review. Another states: "Too graphic for me to finish, but the writing quality is undeniable." Ratings: Goodreads: 4.1/5 (3,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (850+ ratings) StoryGraph: 4.27/5 (1,100+ ratings) The book appears frequently on LGBTQ+ horror recommendation lists and generates significant discussion in horror reading communities.

The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison A post-apocalyptic chronicle follows a woman navigating a world where a fever has killed most females and the remaining survivors face threats from violent men.

Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica In a world where animal meat becomes poisonous, humans establish a system for breeding and processing other humans for consumption.

The Power by Naomi Alderman Women develop the ability to release electrical jolts from their bodies, leading to a complete restructuring of society's gender dynamics and power structures.

Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich Evolution begins working backward and pregnant women face imprisonment by authorities who want to study and control the future of human reproduction.

Wilder Girls by Rory Power Students at an all-girls school face quarantine as a mysterious illness transforms their bodies and the surrounding environment into something inhuman.

🔪 The controversial novel sparked heated online debates for its visceral depiction of trans characters surviving a plague that turns people feral based on their hormones - making it both praised for boundary-pushing representation and criticized for its extreme violence. 🏳️‍⚧️ Author Gretchen Felker-Martin wrote much of the book while experiencing homelessness and living in her car, drawing from her own experiences as a trans woman to inform the story's themes of survival and identity. 🧟 The book's premise flips traditional zombie/infection tropes by having testosterone trigger the transformation, making cisgender men the primary victims rather than the typical survivors in apocalyptic fiction. 📚 Despite its horror elements, Manhunt incorporates numerous literary references, including nods to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying. 🎮 Before becoming an author, Felker-Martin worked as a video game journalist and critic, writing for publications like Fanbyte and Vice about horror games and LGBTQ+ representation in gaming.