Hell Followed With Us (Review)

A review of Hell Followed With Us by AJ White

AJ White's stunning debut takes place in a post-apocalyptic future where a manufactured virus transforms humans into fleshy monsters. A loosely Christian-based cult has developed around the virus and the creatures it creates with the belief that it is God's will that humanity suffers and dies.

A young trans man, Benji, finds himself at the center of the cult. Forcibly injected with the virus, he's raised with the intention of becoming a horrific creature they call the Seraph. Despite having been brought up in the cult, he doesn't agree with their mission. They abuse him and misgender him constantly, making life a living hell.

This novel is marketed as YA, and our main character is 16, but it is not for the faint of heart. It is firmly rooted in queer religious trauma and is fraught with graphic body horror. Although not to the degree of say, Felker-Martin's Manhunt, readers should still take caution when reading. Even I, in my 20's, was deliciously horrified and disgusted by White's gory descriptions.

Benji is rescued by a group of queer teens holed up in an old LGBT+ center. He must grapple with the contradiction of the destiny chosen for him, the ticking time bomb of a virus in his body, versus the new family he has found and their crusade against the cult.

The cultists who call themselves 'Angels' are a scourge to the remaining humans after the virus wiped out the majority of the population. Their death squads sweep through survivors without mercy. Despite their atrocities, it is all Benji has known for most of his life. His reconciliation with his abusive religious past and his new queer friends is a direct parallel to the struggle that young queer people raised religiously know all too well. Hell Followed With Us is a groundbreaking YA horror novel that I will be thinking about for years to come.