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Brainwyrms
Brainwyrms | Alison Rumfitt
9 posts | 7 read | 4 to read
Alison is like the twisted daughter of Clive Barker and Shirley Jackson. Joe Hill, New York Times bestselling author on Tell Me I'm Worthless From Alison Rumfitt, the author of Tell Me Im Worthless a triumph of transgressive queer horror (Publishers Weekly) comes Brainwyrms, a searing body horror novel of obsession, violence, and pleasure. [An] intimate, vulnerable triumph. Library Journal, STARRED review Rumfitts talent for portraying the deplorable, disgusting, and grotesque shines throughout her masterful sophomore horror outing. Publishers Weekly, STARRED review When a transphobic woman bombs Frankies workplace, she blows up Frankies life with it. As the media descends like vultures, Frankie tries to cope with the carnage: binge-drinking, sleeping with strangers, pushing away her friends. Then, she meets Vanya. Mysterious, beautiful, terrifying Vanya. The two hit it off immediately, but as their relationship intensifies, so too does Frankies feeling that Vanya is hiding something from her. When Vanyas secrets threaten to tear them apart, Frankie starts digging, and unearths a sinister, depraved conspiracy, the roots of which go deeper than she ever imagined. Shocking, grotesque, and downright filthy, Brainwyrms confronts the creeping reality of political terrorism while exploring the depths of love, pain, and identity. Also by Alison Rumfitt: Tell Me I'm Worthless At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
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review
GerardtheBookworm
Brainwyrms | Alison Rumfitt
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Pickpick

Tor Publishing is now accepting extreme horror. This book is not for everyone, but if you're a fan of the genre, this is a book for you! NOTE: Tons of trigger warnings. Basically, a terrorism hate act causes a trans survivor to enter into a depraved relationship of deviant kink and fetishism that involves parasites and tons of unspeakable horrors. Again, not for the faint of heart, but if this is your thing, check it out!

dabbe 😱 8mo
9 likes1 comment
blurb
Oryx
Brainwyrms | Alison Rumfitt
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You know that thing that happens when you are buying a present, and you accidentally buy yourself a present too? It happened to me recently. Be careful out there.

tpixie So cute! ? A bookworm necklace? 9mo
RaeLovesToRead Haha. This is so cute. And yet also a worm. I am very confused about my feelings haha. 😋 9mo
Oryx @RaeLovesToRead I know - I was going to tag you but was worried about worm trauma. But so cute. 9mo
See All 10 Comments
RaeLovesToRead I actually had to turn Ceebeebies off the other day because they were having a worm episode. I coped through all the closeups, but then they started handling CLUMPS of worms. Clumps, Emma!!!!!! This one is adorbs though 🥰🥰 9mo
LeahBergen It happens to me ALL the time. I don‘t know why. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 9mo
julesG 🤣🤣 9mo
Gissy 🙋🏽‍♀️Guilty too 9mo
Hooked_on_books That‘s so cute! How could you not get it? 🤷🏼‍♀️ 9mo
Centique That is gorgeous! 9mo
61 likes10 comments
blurb
RaeLovesToRead
Brainwyrms | Alison Rumfitt
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julesG Your face speaks volumes. 9mo
Branwen 😂🤣👍🏻 9mo
40 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
RaeLovesToRead
Brainwyrms | Alison Rumfitt
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Mehso-so

Brainwyrms is an experimental novel that explores escalating transphobia in a plague of worminess.

Rumfitt has a compelling style of storytelling that felt like I was watching performance art, but the final 3rd was a bit of a mess, despite an intriguing start.

The body horror was nowhere near as extreme as I was expecting, but there was some really grotty sex. Also, I found the satire a bit cartoonish & unsubtle.

Interesting though, for sure.

RaeLovesToRead @jhod initial thoughts... 10mo
jenniferw88 One for me to avoid then! 10mo
See All 14 Comments
Ruthiella I‘m skipping this unless there‘s some other compelling reason for me to try it. Thanks for taking one for the team! 10mo
dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 10mo
Suet624 I decided to skip this one. 10mo
Megabooks Nope. Great review though. 10mo
Deblovestoread Grateful for your review…hard pass. 10mo
BarbaraBB Thanks for reading and reviewing it! 10mo
batsy Interesting review! Now I feel like reading it 😆 10mo
RaeLovesToRead @jenniferw88 Quite probably! 😅 10mo
RaeLovesToRead @dabbe She's never far from my side haha 10mo
RaeLovesToRead @Ruthiella @Suet624 @Megabooks @Deblovestoread @BarbaraBB It was certainly an interesting foray out of my comfort zone 😅😅 Gonna finish my video in the next couple of days hopefully. 10mo
RaeLovesToRead @batsy It is one of a kind, I'll say that 🤣 10mo
62 likes14 comments
blurb
RaeLovesToRead
Brainwyrms | Alison Rumfitt
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Diving back in. This book is very readable. The sex is... niche. Worm talk is still at a minimum 90 pages in.

Coping, so far.

@jhod

vivastory I hadn't seen this cover until your post 10mo
Liz_M Thank you for being the canary in the coal mine for this read. 10mo
BarbaraBB “Coping” 😂 10mo
See All 17 Comments
RaeLovesToRead @vivastory Trust me, Scott, if I had the version with the American cover, I would not be reading it, hahaha. Can't even look at it 😅 10mo
RaeLovesToRead @Liz_M You're welcome......... I think! 🤣🤣 10mo
RaeLovesToRead @BarbaraBB Haha... thus far 😅 10mo
vivastory Gummy worms. Or is that gummy wyrms... 😂 10mo
RaeLovesToRead @vivastory Whatever they are, yeeeuuuuch! They make me shudder. This was a blind date with a book (you may have seen my unwrapping video a few months ago)... oh my days, imagine if I'd unwrapped the US version 🤣🤦🏼‍♀️ 10mo
vivastory I didn't know you had a YT channel but I'm watching it now. 😂 I'm still watching & I just paused it as you're reading the description of the third book bc I am going to guess that it is Mishima's “Beautiful Star“ (I stumbled across it on the Penguin site a couple of weeks ago & thought it sounded fascinating).... 10mo
vivastory I have now finished the video & am mentally patting myself on the back (lol) The wrapping paper for that bookshop looked really cool. That was a fun video, Rae! 10mo
RaeLovesToRead @vivastory Aww thanks! It's the first one I did. Well done on getting it right 😁 I fell in love with all the bookshops in Edinburgh. My friend asked for a follow up video on the blind dates, so that is a work in progress. 10mo
vivastory “I Read Brainwyrms in 24 hrs & Now My Life is Ruined Vlog“ I'd def watch that! Seriously though, you got some fun & interesting selections. I've always been reluctant to try the blind date w/ a book because I feel like I would end up with a book I already own. 10mo
RaeLovesToRead @vivastory Hahaha. It's not actually that bad so far. There's some pretty fetishy sex, but it's the body horror I'm not looking forward to... 10mo
Branwen Your expression is everything! 😂 10mo
Reggie This is 2 days late but just wait……. 10mo
RaeLovesToRead @Branwen Haha, thanks! 😅😅 10mo
RaeLovesToRead @Reggie The worminess has increased by about 200% since this post... 🤭 10mo
66 likes17 comments
blurb
jhod
Brainwyrms | Alison Rumfitt
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Home from Toby's 50th bday ski hol - one holiday where I just can't fit in any reading at all 😭 - and am so excited to get going for 2024 especially with a read along with @RaeLovesToRead - I am reading a version courtesy of @squirrelbrain, many thanks!!

merelybookish Will be curious to see what you think! 10mo
BarbaraBB Can‘t wait for your thoughts 😱 10mo
RaeLovesToRead What have I let myself in for? 🤣 10mo
See All 7 Comments
squirrelbrain I had to get rid of it somehow! 🤣 10mo
Ruthiella Super curious to see what you think! 10mo
MicheleinPhilly Good luck! 10mo
Reggie Good luck on this! This was tough for me. I thought it was great even though I didn‘t like it. 10mo
60 likes7 comments
review
Addison_Reads
Brainwyrms | Alison Rumfitt
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Mehso-so

If you've followed me for long on Litsy, then you know that weird, grotesque horror is right up my alley. However, this book pushed some boundaries that left me feeling uneasy. It also still left me with a lot of questions once I finished.

I'm thankful books like this are showing up in the #tob24 though.

If you had trouble reading last year's pick, Manhunt, then you'll probably want to skip this one.

squirrelbrain Ha! I nearly commented that this was like Manhunt but worse. In fact, I bailed on Manhunt but that was because it was on audio, and you can‘t skip paragraphs or skim-read on audio. 11mo
See All 14 Comments
ImperfectCJ Thank you for this review! I was wondering about this one. Manhunt was not my thing at all, and this cover doesn't inspire confidence that this one would be a good fit for me. I still might try it, but I won't prioritize it. 11mo
BarbaraBB I was indeed thinking of you when I read about this on the longlist 😀 11mo
dabbe That cover! Yikes! 😱 11mo
Hooked_on_books Yeah, between you and @squirrelbrain , I‘ll be skipping this if it doesn‘t make the shortlist. So good to know! 11mo
Megabooks Only if it makes the shortlist… 11mo
Ruthiella I love Manhunt, but not for its goriness, but for its ideas and righteous anger. I don‘t typically like gore. So maybe this‘ll work for me if the plot does… (edited) 11mo
RaeLovesToRead I was just casually scrolling down and this HORRIBLE front cover makes me jump out of my skin 🤣🤣🤣 I have the UK version (got it as a blind date with a book). I'm 99% sure I'm gonna hate it. I wouldn't actually be able to read it with this cover 😆 11mo
Addison_Reads @Ruthiella I was a fan of Manhunt, and while I liked the ideas presented in Brainwyrms, I didn't think it was as well-done as Manhunt. I'm interested to see what you think about it if you read it. 11mo
batsy What @Ruthiella said about Manhunt. It's a book I haven't forgotten. Really curious about this one but also afraid of it lol. 11mo
Readerann The cover. Nope. Life is too short. 😳 11mo
Reggie I liked her execution of someone becoming radicalized through fear. The mother, that crazy mother. There was a cult in here right? That kinda springs itself on us near the end. Great review. Have you read her other one? Tell Me Im Worthless? It‘s way better than this one but I still respect this book. 11mo
45 likes14 comments
review
squirrelbrain
Brainwyrms | Alison Rumfitt
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Mehso-so

I really couldn‘t decide whether to give this a pick or a so-so. A pick because I have huge respect for the author writing a book like this, but a so-so because who on earth would I recommend it to. (Even fellow Littens who have much broader minds than the general public 😬).

It really is the most disgusting book I have ever read, from both a sex and worms POV.

Take heed of the CW at the front, and there‘s even a point in the book, as ⬇️

squirrelbrain ….@Reggie pointed out in his review, where the author suggests you, the reader, takes a break to prepare yourself for what‘s coming next. If you didn‘t like what came before this, take heed and give up. 11mo
Suet624 This is on the TOB list? How strange. 11mo
Ruthiella 😐 um, I think I will pass. Thanks for taking one for the team! 11mo
See All 29 Comments
BarbaraBB Wow this sounds tough. 11mo
Deblovestoread Appreciate your review because I was leery about it before and now know it should be a hard pass. You are a braver reader than I! 11mo
Deblovestoread Appreciate your review because I was leery about it before and now know it should be a hard pass. You are a braver reader than me! 11mo
TrishB Thanks Helen👍🏻 11mo
willaful Not touching this with a ten foot pole. I can't even stand looking at the cover.
11mo
Megabooks Wow. Sounds like a difficult read. Kudos for finishing. 💜 11mo
quietlycuriouskate You've convinced me I don't even want to look at this one through binoculars, Helen! 11mo
MicheleinPhilly NOPE! I don‘t care if this wins the TOB - you couldn‘t pay me to read it. 11mo
Hooked_on_books Wow! That sounds…dreadful! If it makes the shortlist, I‘ll give it a try, but based on this, I won‘t read it if it doesn‘t. Thanks for taking one for the team! 11mo
BkClubCare Oh dear. 🤔🫣 11mo
Reggie I am shocked that you read this. Super shocked…😮😦😲😵funny enough even though I said I didn‘t like it, I‘ve been thinking about it a lot since I read it. The radicalization of that mother. Oof. 11mo
Chelsea.Poole Sounds like “yikes” but also, I‘m always curious about just how bad things can get. But then the other side of me doesn‘t want icky scenes worming around rent free in my brain. Didn‘t plan for that reference but there it is 😉 11mo
The_Book_Ninja Sex worms? Not gonna lie…I‘m intrigued 11mo
Anna40 This sounds original but also extremely gross. Not for me. 11mo
GondorGirl @The_Book_Ninja I'm really glad that I'm not the only one who feels that way. 😅 11mo
Addison_Reads I just started this one today. We'll see how it goes. 11mo
batsy I'm both intrigued and grossed out. I've got another one of Rumfitt's books on my tbr 11mo
The_Book_Ninja @GondorGirl yeah but that playful comment just cost me 5 followers!😂 11mo
squirrelbrain @Reggie - I‘m rather shocked that I read it too! 🤣 11mo
squirrelbrain @Addison_Reads - good luck! Can‘t wait to hear what you think. 😬 11mo
squirrelbrain @Chelsea.Poole @batsy - if either of you *does* want to read it, I can send it to you. I mean, what else am I going to do with it? I don‘t want to keep it, and I think if I sent it to a charity shop I might get charged with indecency! 🤣 11mo
batsy @squirrelbrain Thank you for the kind offer, but it's OK 💜 If I decide to read it I'll get it on the Kindle because I'm not sure it's a book I'll hang on to and need as a physical copy 😅 Perhaps you can casually leave it behind at a cafe or something for some lucky soul to chance upon it? 😂 11mo
sarahbarnes Thanks for this very helpful review. Sounds like a tough book to read indeed. 11mo
squirrelbrain I think I may just hide it on my shelves for now @batsy 😬 11mo
66 likes1 stack add29 comments
review
Reggie
Brainwyrms | Alison Rumfitt
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Pickpick

Frankie, a trans woman, is a survivor of a terf terrorist bombing. She meets Vanya at a kink club and the book spirals from there. This was Chuck Palahniuk but instead of humor there is anger and frustration at a world so easily given to hate. A hate that infects, poisons, and destroys everything. Frankie and Vanya have backstories that are so extreme and harrowing. This was not something I would say I like, but I respect it. Pick!

TheLudicReader That cover though. Ick. 12mo
Bookzombie Even though I just stacked this, it‘s been on my radar. I thought TMIW was so good. Great review as always! 🙂 12mo
dabbe That cover! 😱 12mo
See All 7 Comments
Suet624 Oh Lordy! that cover.... 12mo
Reggie @Bookzombie Thanks, Margie. Um, this book is tough. I think because the world thinks so poorly of trans people, people who are trans get pushed into some really ugly corners of the world and they produce this art. And it‘s so uncomfortable. I almost want to tell you not to read it. Also, there is a moment in the book when she herself tells you, hey reader, take a break because the next section is rough. She wasn‘t lying. 12mo
Reggie @TheLucindaLife @dabbe @Suet624 It‘s eye catching, right? Lol 12mo
Bookzombie @Reggie Thank you for the heads up. I will keep it in mind when I get to it. 12mo
47 likes1 stack add7 comments