Okaaayyyy, so this isn’t my first Rumfitt, so I don’t know why I’m surprised but this was some of the nastiest shit I have ever read in my young life. I read Tell Me I’m Worthless, her previous book, and it was wild but overall I thought it was really interesting. I thought the structure was unorthodox but really creative and an original way to tackle a haunted house narrative. This one… this one ramped up the incredibly graphic body horror and sexual content and violence up to eleven. I was squirming more than any worm in this book, and I like intense horror books. I think there are some really interesting ideas in here, especially about the insidiousness of people online and the spread of hate and radicalization that can grow in online spaces. I genuinely can’t even list the amount of trigger warnings for this, it truly has it all. This book is absolutely not for everyone, but it has some really interesting ideas and will absolutely stick with me for the good and gross.

I'll be posting this review on my Instagram @boozehoundbookclub

What in the ever loving fuck did I just read?! LOL

Brainwyrms is a queer horror with a current and highly controversial social and political theme. It has some of the most disgusting (in a good way) body horror I’ve ever read, and I loved the title connection in the story. This is a brutal read, and a huge fever dream, but so very very clever.

If you enjoy gross horror, social horror, cult-ish activity, and non-linear plots with multiple POV then this is your kind of read!! I had a little trouble understanding where the book was going in the first 50% of the book, but as soon as I got to 60% it was smooth sailing and I started picking up on the author’s intent.

Alison Rumfitt is so fucking cool. I've been following her on Twitter (X) for a few years, and have found her voice to be incredibly valuable. I loved "Tell Me I'm Worthless", so hearing that she had another novel coming out, I jumped at the chance to read it. "Brainwyrms" is maybe my top read of 2023. It's brutal, it's gross, it's perfect. It's been a joy to see more queer horror hit shelves, but more specifically, it's been a joy to see trans horror becoming A Thing That Exists.

Rumfitt is brilliant and she never holds back from being graphic or cruel. This isn't going to be for everyone, but even so, I cannot recommend it enough. Just a fucking delight to read, even though it made me feel viscerally ill and uncomfortable several times throughout.

BRAINWYRMS by Alison Rumfitt is one of the most (if not the most) revolting, disgusting, grimy books I've ever read.

What starts as a story of a trans woman processing her trauma after a transphobic attack at work turns into an absolutely unhinged work of political terrorism, filthy kinky xes, and discovering oneself.

It's truly vile and yet compelling at the same time! I'm kinda shocked to see a major publishing house put this extreme horror out in the world, but I'm so very excited to read whatever this author does next!!

READ THIS IF:

You're an extreme horror fan

Not squeamish

Okay with ALL the trigger warnings

- Looking for something creative and weird

Alison Rumfitt’s books are not for the faint of heart, but to be fair, she did warn me. I knew things were going to get wild after that content warning. I just didn’t know how wild. This is probably the nastiest book I’ve ever read. It’s also very effective.

Brainwyrms explores the rise of transphobia and fascism into the mainstream political discourse (specifically in Britain, but it’s not that different from what’s happening in Canada right now). Public figures and private citizens are banding together to write transphobic vitriol, vandalize ad copy featuring trans folks, and even bombing a gender identity clinic. Frankie, a twenty-something trans woman and an employee of the clinic, survives the bombing and begins to rapidly circle the drain.

When Frankie meets Vanya at a fetish club, she’s taken with them right away. Vanya’s far too young for her and has a host of their own problems to deal with, but their toxic relationship sprouts deep roots. Their tandem downward spiral involves power play, internalized transphobia, unsafe and unsanitary sex, and worms. Yeah, that’s right – worms.

Rumiftt intentionally makes the reader uncomfortable in Brainwyrms. It is everything it claims to be on the jacket copy: shocking, grotesque, and filthy. As I’ve come to expect from Rumfitt, it’s also very well written. There’s no way I’d read this stuff from a less-talented writer. I was suffering alongside the characters, without the added benefit of the ecstasy that they enjoyed.

Brainwyrms is not a fun book, in fact I wouldn’t even call it enjoyable. It did make me feel, though. I felt unsettled, enraged, deeply saddened, and even disgusted. Rumfitt is committed to the nastiness of human life and sexuality. The body horror in her work is relentless in its intensity, but isn’t that the point? The rise of fascism and transphobia is relentless, and we need to be moved enough to fight against it. Recommended.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc of this title!Brainwyrms was full of creepty vibes and queer influence. I should have loved this more than i actually did. With that being said, this isnt a bad book but it just didnt hit all the marks i hoped. I do however like this better than this authors debut. 3.5

This book has stayed on my mind for months. What an incredible reading experience! I can’t wait to read more from this amazing author. Made me feel angry, icky and very very satisfied.

A wild, bizarre, fever dream of a book that will leave you both horrifying and mystified. A book full of sex, graphic images, and gross ideas -- it's a wild ride. I loved the meta narrative at the beginning, which have a great indication of what we had in store. It's a book like none other and I'm so glad we have Rumfitt as a premier horror novelist today.

4.5 stars


This was absolutely nasty revolting disgusting vomitous, and I loved the entire experience. The horror in this book approached levels that I've never read before (I am never going to look at a worm the same way again, rip), and while it made me viscerally and deeply uncomfortable at times, I think that's what Rumfitt was trying to do -- not just to revolt you on a genre level, but to drive home how visceral the experience of being in the present as a (trans, immigrant, etc) person under capitalism (and nearly-fascism) is. Rumfitt proves once again that sometimes the most effective way to approach these conflicts and terrors is through genre fiction; here she can stretch the world and the word to niggle at the minutiae that are hard to examine or describe otherwise. Absolutely cannot wait to see what this author does in the future -- her work has become an instant-buy for me.

This was disgusting and I can't stop thinking about it! I would say go into this as blind as you can, but look up CW before you read this one. There are a lot!

Looking at the cover I knew I would be in for something weird, but Brainwyrms really went there. The building where Frankie works is blown up by a TERF and from there her life spirals quite exceptionally. She meets Vanya one night and the pair embark on a relationship. Vanya has their own secrets though and their own desires.

I really don't even know what to say about this one as I've never read anything like it. Definitely not for the faint of heart, but some very grotesque body horror and moments that will stick with me for awhile. This book also has a lot of commentary on the attacks against trans people that are happening around the world (particularly in the UK where this novel is set) that are hard to read about. My advice if you pick this up is to take your time and take breaks when you need.

I haven't read Alison's previous novel, but I've had Tell Me I'm Worthless on my tbr for awhile now. I may need some time in between the two books, but I'll definitely be moving it towards the top.

Thank you to Tor NightFire and NetGalley for a review copy.

I wished I had read TMIW first, but this was still a very unsettling and disturbing read. Can't wait to read TMIW and follow it by this one!

This was a wild and interesting read. A ton of trigger warnings, so
Obviously check that.
I loved the writing style though, and it had me keep reading!
Definitely loved the multiple point of views and thought it was done really well.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. The following opinions are my own.

This was a lot. We have incest, scat, orgies, kinks, eating disorders, grooming, racism, gaslighting, suicide.

The cover was maybe my favourite part? I think I'm getting very picky about what I like in horror novels. I just didn't love the writing style. There was some very gross depictions though. I give this book that. If you want to feel ill buckle in. But there is also some repetition. Which was a bit frustrating.

Brainwyrms was weird, but I think you knew that? No one looks at that cover and thinks "wow this is going to be a totally mundane book about cuddling kittens". The author's debut was weird for me too, but this one was better-weird, if that makes sense? (Also, this is why we always give authors another chance around here- I didn't love Tell Me I'm Worthless, but this one was a ride. I can't say I "liked" it, that would make me sound psychotic, but I will say it was good.)

The start of the book was incredible. Honestly I'd give it a million stars, I loved some of the things the author attempted here. I do sort of wish the whole book had followed that format, but frankly, seeing the creativity the author has... she's going places. Without giving anything away, I literally wrote in my Kindle "Pretty fucking genius." as a whole description of a part of the book. So.

Now, obviously it's hard to live up to that level of awesome for the whole thing, but I will say the whole story is very solid and had me invested throughout. Did I want a bit more from the ending? Yeah I kind of did. But in this case, the whole of the book far outweighs the slight underwhelmingness I felt from the end. (Is that a word? Anyway.) It's a horrifically plausible story about transphobia going (even more) mainstream. Terrible JKR-like people banding together to not only openly show their disdain for the trans community, but to outright physically attack it. And Frankie, a twenty-something trans woman, finds herself way too close to said hateful events. As such, Frankie is... well she's a hot mess, basically.

Then she meets Vanya. She's mesmerized by Vanya from the start, but Vanya has their own shit to deal with, and is a mess too. We get some glimpses into both of their pasts, as well as their presents, but there is so much more going on than Frankie could have ever imagined. You will need to discover it all for yourself, truly. It's... a lot at times, in terms of the uh, depravity, for lack of a better word? That isn't really my jam, and I still really enjoyed this book. So unless you downright loathe that sort of thing, I'd say it's worth it for the very bizarre and awesome ride.

Bottom Line: This book showed all kinds of creativity and unique storytelling. Also, all the weirdest shit you could never imagine, unless you're Alison Rumfitt.

Wow that was so fucked up!! I have no idea what that ending was!! People are awful!! Humanity is doomed!! five stars easy. I’ve also never encountered a horror novel that marks when the book is about to get royally fucked by telling its readers to take a break - loved that

rep: every flavor of trans person

spice: a couple graphic consensual sex scenes and several horrifying non consensual sex scenes

tw: CSA, child abuse, sexual assault, terrorist attack, bombing, getting fired, kidnapping, parasites

Not for the faint of heart!! BRAINWYRMS is a queer body horror that jumps around in time and place, really pushing my expectations of grenre and format. Other reviewers have noted, and I'll emphasize, that this is really meant for the trans horror girlies who love fucked up stuff. You will know immediately if it is a book that you will enjoy, and honestly it'll probably be a love or hate response!

I really enjoyed the uncertainty of the timeline and context of BRAINWYRMS—the way that the timeline jumps around in different chapters constantly invites the reader to reassess relationships between different characters and the wider world. This is going to be a great read for readers who loved the exploration of kink, unsafe sex, and messed up queers in X by Davey Davis—well, those who also like pushing the envelope in terms of how gross bodies are.

But I think BRAINWYRMS fell apart for me in its lack of a larger structure. Body horror isn't always my jam, but trans horror is. I don't mind distopian explorations, and the intersection of all of the horror of contemporary politics felt sharp and accurate. But those threads didn't always neatly tie together, and I wish the plot had been pushed one step further to pull everything into greater alignment. Otherwise, certain transitions felt incomplete, and as if the narrative were gushing out of a fire hydrant rather than being laid out to its greatest and most devastating impact.

Not quite the book for me, but it has made me curious about Rumfitt's other work, and I can think of at least one or two horror girlie who is just going to devour this book.

𝟰.𝟱 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗦 𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗗 𝗨𝗣
Alison Rumfitt has now solidified her spot as an AUTO-BUY AUTHOR for me!

I’m not even entirely sure how I could possibly sum up all my thoughts on this book…it’s a wild one but an enjoyable one!

I really really enjoyed this book! It’s definitely not for those who easily offended, easily disgusted, or easily put off by explicit sexual content. If you enjoyed Tell Me I’m Worthless (which I also loved) then I would say it’s a safe bet that you’ll enjoy at least some aspects found in this book. However, I would also say it’s like a SOUPED UP version of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke! It does get very very weird and insane so if you aren’t into that, then steer clear.

Utterly grotesque and horrifying in the all the ways the ways only literary horror like this can achieve. Alison Rumfitt's ability to create imagery so unsettling that it will stick with you forever alone makes her a horror icon. Going into it as blind as possible (granted you've read the content warnings provided at the beginning of the book if you need them) is the best way to read.

What to say about “Brainwyrms” by Alison Rumfitt…this was a crazy book! The first chapter totally threw me for a loop. For a novel pitched as body horror, I wouldn’t have thought the story to start how it did!
⁣
However, I’ve tried to get through body horror novel before (*cough “The Troop” by Nick Cutter), and I couldn’t get through this one, which upsets me. Because I REALLY wanted to. I’m starting to think that genre of horror isn’t for me, and I know that’s okay! ⁣
⁣
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for providing me with an ARC copy in return for an honest review!

A Disgustingly Brilliant Masterpiece
Alison Rumfitt has done it again! "Brainwyrms" is not for the faint of heart, but if you're like me and love a good, disgusting horror tale, then this book is a must-read.

The story is a rollercoaster of emotions, from the gut-wrenching events that shake Frankie's world to the mysterious allure of Vanya. Rumfitt doesn't shy away from the grotesque; in fact, she revels in it. The body horror elements are so vividly described that they almost become a character in themselves, adding layers of complexity to an already intricate narrative.

What I particularly loved about this book is how it tackles serious issues like transphobia and political terrorism without sacrificing the essence of a good horror story. It's a difficult balance to strike, but Rumfitt nails it.

The LGBTQIAP+ representation is also commendable. As a queer individual, it's refreshing to read a horror novel that doesn't just include queer characters but also addresses the unique challenges they face.

In summary, "Brainwyrms" is filthy, searing, and hideously intimate—a modern classic in the making. If you're a fan of transgressive queer horror, do yourself a favor and pick up this book. You won't regret it.