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Transgender

The Church of the Mountain of Flesh

Kyle Wakefield
4.8 / 5.0
Published: 2024

Description

Sole De Gasinis is a man haunted by the static ghost of his past, numbing his sorrow with cheap wine and channeling his dysphoria into grotesque, fractured art. When a cryptic, cosmic entity whispers from the abyss, promising to reshape his body into the man he has always fought to become, Sole accepts the devil’s bargain. The task is deceptively simple: rebuild the derelict church of his village. But this is no house of worship; it is the throne of a dormant, starving divinity. As Sole labors under a feverish, divine compulsion, the barrier between his flesh and the architecture of the church begins to dissolve. The village—once a unified community—descends into a bloody schism of zealotry and paranoia as the building demands more than just mortar and stone. To achieve his metamorphosis, Sole must commune with the lingering, monstrous wreckage of a lost love, a boy who once claimed to be the vessel of a living god. Kyle Wakefield crafts a visceral, haunting interrogation of identity and transformation. Within the shadow of the mountain of flesh, Sole must decide if the physical salvation he craves is worth the total annihilation of his soul.

Customer Reviews

Top 2 from Amazon
C
Cyril Mezden
October 22, 2025

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+

This book is a masterpiece, and my new favorite. Literary, sentimental, gut-wrenching, dreadful, transformative, awe-inspiring… There aren’t enough words of praise that I could lay at the altar of this book that would do it justice. I came for the tentacles, but stayed for the feeling of being seen & understood by the ever-revolving eye of an omnipotent, amoral God. Get into it!!
S
Shrike
August 30, 2025
Verified Purchase

Vivid and literary

The Church of the Mountain of Flesh is a unique piece of queer art full of vivid literary prose and cosmic chaos. Wakefield's more surrealist and lyrical moments make for a striking juxtaposition with Sole's blunt manner. The visual art is what initially grabbed my attention and remains my favorite part of the book. I grabbed the hardcover a while back and stunning does not begin to describe how it looks in person. While this book was an interesting read, I would not call it an easy read in style nor subject matter. Between time jumps and stilted dialogue, I often felt lost somewhere along the way. I haven't quite figured out if I found this more frustrating or interesting. I tend to struggle with a larger cast of characters so it's very possible this was a me issue. Thanks to the Indie Ink Awards for the chance to check this book out during the judging process. While I do own a copy, I had not read it prior to judging. My review does not necessarily reflect what or how I scored the book.