I love the idea of combining short stories with a novel or novella. Stag Dance is the novel in this case, and its meaning and themes speak to the other works in the collection, despite all of them spanning different locations, times, and character types. In that way, it's the perfect title for this book. I love the cover as well and I always appreciate when all the elements of a read are cohesive. All that said, the novel was the hardest read for me. I was flying through the stories, but Stag Dance killed my momentum and dragged the reading experience out. Admittedly, I am not southern, but the western style of writing just did not work for me - even though I did ultimately like the weird ending and the creative ways the novel explores dysphoria and belonging. I had to bump my rating down to a 3.5 because of how much the novel became a slog for me, but the collection is unapologetically queer and trans, as well as funny and inventive, so I think anyone who liked Detransition, Baby will find something to like here too!

Loved this book!! Thank you to Random House via NetGalley for my ARC! Each story in this collection is intricately connected by a shared theme, offering a deeply nuanced exploration of gender identity and the process of transitioning. What makes this work stand out is how it navigates these topics through a wide range of genres, from speculative fiction to contemporary drama, adding layers of complexity to the narrative. The stories delve into the many facets of gender identity, capturing emotions and experiences that are often left unexplored or underrepresented in literature. It tackles feelings of joy, confusion, pain, and empowerment, portraying them in ways that are raw and authentic. I was struck by how it articulated the often-complicated inner journeys that accompany transitioning, providing a perspective that felt both unique and necessary. The depth of the characters and the variety of storytelling styles made for a profound, insightful read that left a lasting impression.

Torrey Peters is a masterful writer. I read her debut novel "Detransition, Baby" when it came out and I was floored. I didn't think she could write anything better, but she amazed me once again! "Stag Dance" is written so beautifully towards to experience of transness, specifically transfemininity. I think she's saying such smart, genius things, and in such a clever way. I think Peters is playing 4-D chess and the rest of us are playing Care Bear checkers. She and this book are brilliant!

Stag Dance goes on sale next March—an eternity from now, although when it comes it will feel like September was just yesterday, I’m sure. But Random House went ahead and sent me a review copy (thank you!), to get some buzz going, I assume. And I’m more than happy to oblige. Because Stag Dance is fucking great. I love everything about it. I love how the four stories really and truly feel like they belong together, each story casting new light on the stories before and after, even though they're all so different. I love how fucked up and real and ridiculous these stories are—all four of them—how lovely, romantic, perverse, generous, absurd. I love how it starts in the future and ends in a swiftly-receding present, but spends most of its time snowbound at an illegal logging camp, in an ambiguous, near mythic past. It made me want to read lumberjack novels all winter. It made me want to write a lumberjack novel of my own. It made me want to pin a brown triangle to my pants and show up to work drunk and wander out the back door into the woods with a blinking lantern and chop wood in a pioneer dress and dance.

I've been listening—like the rest of the world, I take it—to "Good Luck, Babe!" You'd have to stop the world just to stop the feeling. I’m the kind of queer person who is either blindingly visible or comfortably invisible. My choice. How simple, for me, to navigate the world as who I’m not. But navigate the world as who you’re not—is that not then a considerable part of who you are? Selves multiply indiscriminately. Logic demands that we cannot be what we aren’t. Is the illusion of falseness just another bitter artifact of capitalist self-fashioning? Or am I asking the wrong questions? Generally, temperamentally, I have little desire to draw attention to myself. But you’d have to stop the world… Spend too much time vanishing and your whole life starts to go gray around the edges. Or put it plainly, why not? Spend too much time as a man... something I am and am not, like Schrödinger's cat (look in the box—it's a gender reveal party!)

Our bodies, our desires. These soft fleshy vessels—I’m tempted to say that we inhabit them, but that is just Christianity speaking through me, no? A soul—divine spark in flawed earthly vessel. Even as we muster our forces for a full frontal attack on binary gender, this other binary is in our sights: soul and body, mind and flesh, spirit and dust. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. I call bullshit.

None of it makes sense, because we don’t choose anything and somehow we choose everything. Because our bodies and our desires aren’t ours, not really—they’re something we do with other people, something we make and something we’re given and a series of stupid frustrating questions without answers that only make sense on Tuesday mornings and Friday nights and crack up into our own homegrown youtube oblivion the moment we try—fools that we are—to consider them dispassionately.

And so what choice do we have? We turn to stories. These four are some of the best.

Stag Dance contains one novel and three novellas that are each tied together by their overall themes and exploration of gender identity. This format feels very fresh, and I was very interested to see how each of the stories would work with one another in this setup.

After I finished this book, I sat with it for several days before I could really decide how I, personally, felt about it. I thoroughly enjoyed Peters' storytelling, and, upon finishing the first story in this collection (Infect Your Friends and Loved Ones), immediately wanted to read more. However, what I found throughout was that the stories seemed to need more time to develop and unfold. There was so much to explore with each character, and so little space to explore it in. Overall, while I thought the stories were each unique and interesting, I was left wanting at the end of each and didn't feel as satisfied as I would have liked. However, I do think that the discussions happening in this collection are important and Detransition, Baby has climbed to the top of my to be read list. The cover is also just incredible.

For those of you who may not be into <spoiler>animal cruelty</spoiler>, take some caution with the second story in this book.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the eArc of this book!

A genre-bending novel tucked between gritty and visceral novellas that push the limits of literature.

The collection includes the speculative sci-fi "Infect Your Friends and Loved Ones", boarding school obsession in "The Chaser", and claustrophobic "The Masker", insulating the title story "Stag Dance" of an illegal logging outfit in the isolated mountainside.

Horrifying, atmospheric, and a triumph of storytelling, this is a must read for 2025.

The format of 3 short stories and 1 novella isn't something I'd normally be drawn to, but presenting this as one collection really showcased the RANGE and talent of Torrey Peters' writing. Each story was connected in theme and shows a lot of nuance about gender identity and transitioning, explored through different genres. So many complicated feelings and experiences that I've never seen represented quite like this. I would read a full length novel of any of these (or basically I'd read anything she writes) but especially wanted more of Infect Your Friends and Loved Ones!

<blockquote><i>"Lisen's was an insult that jerks a laugh from your person at the shock of it being just so."</i></blockquote>
Torrey Peters is my perfect no-skip writer. Where other authors pull their punches, Peters goes after her characters with a steel chair. Like sinners in the hands of a mean-spirited (but nonetheless very funny) god, they can escape neither their worst fears nor their most dearly held desires, and too bad for them because I love to read about it.
thanks for the arc netgalley i love you forever xoxo

Usually I am not one for short stories and novellas, but I have been craving Trans representation in books lately and this seemed like a perfect fit.
What I was not expecting was to be completely enamored with everything in these pages. I loved the characters and their development, loved the genre hopping, and the representation was just exquisite. Adding this to my favorite shelf as soon as I get my hands on a physical copy. The cover is beautiful as well.

everything should be a novel and stories!! what a treat!!
In her acknowledgments, Torrey Peter shares that these stories were written over the course of ten years, exploring the complication and confusing aspects of transitioning that aren't often talked about. She explores uncomfortable conversations and deeply personal questions, and her use of speculative/horror writing to do so was so strong.
as always with short story collections, some stories were stronger than others for me. "the masker" was my favorite by far, but I truly enjoyed all of them. I need to stop procrastinating on "detransition baby" fr

Stag Dance, written by Torrie Peters, is a collection of short stories set in a pre and post transition world.

Format: NetGalley ebook
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Overall score:⭐️⭐️
Spice level:🌶️

I loved Transition Baby written by this author, however, I did not enjoy this book. It was not written bad, I just did not understand the majority of what the author was writing about. This was definitely a case of a me problem, not a book problem.

"Stag Dance" offers a captivating mix of three short stories and a longer novella by the author of "Detransition, Baby." The collection delves into various genres and timelines while exploring gender identity, sexual orientations, and the fluidity within the spectrum.

It's important to note that the content includes themes such as toxic masculinity, transphobia, misogyny, and animal abuse, making it quite uncomfortable at times. The pacing can feel inconsistent and challenging, with a predominant focus on processing trauma rather than a celebration of trans joy.

Despite this, if you're in the mood for a radical and surreal blend of queer storytelling, "Stag Dance" could be the perfect read for you. Just be prepared for the emotional rollercoaster. Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

*My rating is 3.5. The works are compelling, but I finished feeling discombobulated and despairing when I expected joy, power, or even a revenge fantasy. I think others might really resonate with the text though!