With his sophomore horror novel, Bury Your Gays, the follow-up to his smash mainstream debut Camp Damascus, Chuck Tingle has hit another home run.Tingle has been an internet sensation for around a decade for self-publishing his weird, queer homoerotic stories with titles like Pounded In The Butt By My Own Butt and Bisexually Banged By These Sentient Plastic Easter Eggs Who Eat Me Out From Both Sides While I’m In a Standing Position Which Is a Pretty Cool Move. In 2022, he made his mainstream debut with Camp Damascus, a horror novel about a gay conversion therapy camp. It blew my hair back when I read it. And I’m bald. So when I got the opportunity to review his latest work, Bury Your Gays, I was thrilled.The novel tells the story of Misha, a jaded Hollywood scriptwriter who is at a high point in his career. A short film he made is nominated for an Oscar, and his TV show, Travelers, is a hit. But when Misha is about to out the two main characters of his show as gay, he’s told he has to kill them “for the algorithm”. Faced with a choice, Misha suddenly becomes stalked/haunted by characters he created, and he, his boyfriend, and his best friend are all in a lot of danger.

Bury Your Gays is gripping from the very first chapter. Tingle creates not only some genuinely scary moments, but a mystery readers will absolutely want to know the answer to. Along the way, he also weaves in Misha’s backstory, emotionally explaining why our protagonist lives his life semi-closeted, and why it means so much to him to out his characters and keep them alive. I do my reading at night, before I go to sleep, and I found myself having trouble putting the book down to be a responsible adult and get enough sleep. It’s been a bit since I read a book I was mad to put down to do other things. I just wanted to burn through it. I had to know what happened next.

The thing I loved the most about the writing in this novel is that Tingle manages to address so many societal issues in one tale so deftly. He addresses not only the way that Hollywood stories treat the LGBTQ+ community but AI, corporate greed, data privacy, creating art for “the algorithm”, and even the phenomenon of people having freakouts on airplanes. Seems like a lot when written out like that, but it never seems anything less than natural and part of the story. A truly remarkable feat.

Bury Your Gays is a shining example of horror holding a mirror up to society and showing the ugly parts. It’s tense, gripping, scary, emotional, and, in the end, triumphant. Definitely put this one on your summer reading list.

The perfect queer horror book for the summer if you love gore and psychological horror in tandem with your queer love, confusion and success. People die, Pride survives.

This book had a somewhat slow start to it, but after reading the last book ' Camp Damascus' I knew that once events started I would get really into it. Of course, I was right. The slowness at the beginning of the book perfectly sets the scene for the sudden and horrific escalations, and the slow moments in between strike just the right tension for what could possibly be waiting around the corner.

I loved the way the way the Hollywood setting allowed Tingle to address so many things regarding the film industry and queer stories.

Misha is a protagonist that I at times rooted for, and at times just wondered what the fuck was going on. I feel there was a fun and necessary subversion of some of the stories that I expected Misha to tell, while others felt true to form. It felt like it nailed the idea that everyone's story is different, even if you share similarities. I loved figuring out Misha's story throughout the book, though I at times found the transitions between flashbacks and present jarring. All the characters are interesting and real throughout, and there are moments that you feel will be more consequential that just kind of fade away afterwards, as Misha moves on, because Misha built those moments up to be more than they actually were.

Being really into queer horror I enjoyed Misha's profession and view on his work, and thought it was very fun that Misha was in essence being haunted by himself, and the stories that he chose to tell. When everything comes to a head so many things make so much sense and yet, as always it is the working of the outside factors that is 10 times as terrifying, even if they're on your side. Read it, enjoy it, this one's definitely gay.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. I've been a fan of chuck tingle since his Space Raptor Butt Invasion days and have been immensely enjoying his journey into horror novels. I enjoyed Camp Damascus, but I loved this one so much more. The premise was such fun and the things the book had to say about the only queer tragedy or queer joy stories being allowed was so on point and cutting. The last few lines were absolutely pitch perfect.. I ascended. I've already recommended this one (and I've been hyped about it since it was announced, but wow!). Super excited to add a physical copy to my shelf when it comes out. As always, Chuck Tingle out here proving love is real.

I didnt actually finish it because it was too scary, but I think liked the beginning. Horror fans will probably enjoy it.

I loved this book. It has some meta horror elements, a touch of cosmic horror, and so much Hollywood. While navigating the bad guys he created, Misha explores being gay in today's society and how Hollywood magnifies it. He also deals with his past in hopes to save his future and his friends. There were so many times while reading that I had to stop and audibly say "awesome." Lots of fun, but perfectly serious where it needs to be.

Full body shudder! This one is extra super creepy but it is also full of love...it's relentless but also heartwarming...

A fun, engaging romp of a horror novel! Chuck Tingle never ceases to intrigue me. He gets better with each horror, so even when I have minor problems with things, I feel like I'm seeing tangible growth. You can tell he writes comedy first, in that way that Jordan Peele's horror understands comedic relief and timing. I think comic writers should always transition into horror– they always know how to make things terrifying, absurd while building up the right suspense to lead to that epic moment of release.

OH MY GOD! Seriously, this was incredible. Tingle is such a stellar author and I can't imagine that any other could pull off this story so successfully. This is a must-buy for our library and will be promoting it during reader's advisory for sure.

This was such an AMAZING book. The opening premise of a writer who is being pushed to kill off his queer characters quickly turns into a creepy adventure into the difficulties of small town life and the dark sides of the film industry. We watch as a character is truly haunted by homophobia of his upbringing as well as the true haunts that were inspired by his upbringing.

This book solidified Chuck Tingle as an auto-buy author for me!

BURY YOUR GAYS is a rollercoaster of emotions, seamlessly weaving between genuine humor, grotesque horror, and profound moments of emotional depth. The inclusion of screenplay excerpts was a stroke of brilliance, enhancing the narrative and immersing the reader even further into the world Henry has crafted. This thrilling and adrenaline-fueled novel challenges preconceived notions about artistry and success, leaving you questioning everything you thought you knew.

Chuck Tingle's reputation for campy romance initially piqued my interest in this book. However, knowing his style, I never anticipated the profound depth I encountered within its pages. I was pleasantly surprised by the unexpected depth and would wholeheartedly recommend it.

Thank you Tor and NetGalley for the arc!

I want to thank NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for exchanging an e-arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first-time reading Chuck Tingle, but it will not be my last. The rebellious energy in these pages is next level. I read Bury Your Gays in one sitting. What a story!

Bury Your Gays is a tantalizingly queer horror novel that stares into the abyss known as Hollywood. Our narrator is a gay screenwriter by the name of Misha. Who is renowned for his in-your-face queer horror stories and characters. Misha is confronted by a jerk-off in a suit and tie to either change the sexualities of his beloved characters or kill them off. This is where things take off and land at the final sentence of this gut punch of a story.

Mr. Tingle delivers a story that examines the motivations of greed in Hollywood while taking the reader on an action-packed ride. Misha deals with so much thrown his way from his trauma, protecting his friends, and defeating astonishing odds in a novel brimming with humor, tension, horror, and even a few moments of heartfelt tenderness.

Bury Your Gays is a refreshing addition to the horror genre space set to hit shelves July 9, 2024. Five Out of Five Stars.

Prior to reading this book, the extent of my knowledge of Chuck Tingle’s work was spending down time at my bookstore, looking at his chaotic book covers/titles with my coworkers. It became an inside joke with us, partially because of how strange they were, but also because we’re a bunch of queer 20-somethings loving the joy that the author puts into the world.

This being my first foray into reading Tingle’s work, I had no idea what to expect. Turns out, he’s an insanely talented writer who left me in tears by the book’s end. It’s a celebration of nuanced, complicated queer characters (including ace representation- thank you, Chuck!), and also honestly one of the best contemporary horror novels I’ve ever read.

As a B-horror fan, this was right up my alley. Think a weird three-way literary love child of Bret Easton Ellis, Lloyd Kaufman, and John Waters. It was genuinely scary one second, pitch perfect satire the next, all with so much heart (and heartbreak- I cried, ngl).

Thank you, Chuck Tingle, for this story. It was a joy to read. Now I have to go back and read his erotica about sentient bowling pins and sleep paralysis demons.

When it comes to reading ARCs, I usually pace myself--but not this time. I couldn't STOP reading, and happily worried and winced my way through until the last page. It's such a fun twist on a horrible trope, and I can't wait to share it with our customers.

If The Cabin in the Woods was a Twilight Zone episode it would be this book. The best thing I can say about this story is that it is so well thought out.

Misha is a Hollywood screenwriter who is forced by his producers to either kill off his gay characters or make them straight. As a gay man who grew up in small town America he's fought hard to crush these hurtful queer tropes in media, so he say F that—thats when 💩 gets weird 👀

I can honestly say that there were a few parts that had me thoroughly creeped out, and as the story went on it got even creepier with all the real world commentary. And a couple scenes broke my heart. It's a great story about fighting the personal demons of your creation, powerful and highly hilarious!

I was hooked from the beginning. Bury Your Gays is a queer horror/love story that follows Misha a successful, semi closeted, gay screenwriter who dares to stand up for queer joy at a time when queer tragedy is the norm. As a result, Misha soon finds himself in a situation where he’s faced with battling his own monsters, figuratively and literally, but the clock is ticking and the target on his back couldn’t be bigger. Misha must figure out a way to beat the monsters from his past as a horror writer and overcome the grip that his past as a closeted gay kid from Montana still has on him.
I absolutely loved the characters, the love story and the friendship throughout this novel. The horror also did not skip a beat, the description of Misha’s monsters and getting those mental pictures was chilling while at the same time the AI aspect was absolutely horrifying.
Definitely worth the read, I could not recommend enough!

Love is real. 🫶🏼

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for the pre-release copy of Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle. Below is my honest review.

Camp Damascus was a change of pace for Mr. Tingle, but it was really good. This one stepped it up even more.

I really loved the concept *AND* the execution in this one. The setup is really good, and the buildup is expertly done. The monsters coming after Misha and his friends were intriguing and well-developed - just enough creepy and just enough explanation to really make them believable without taking away from the storyline.

I also loved the message, about how we can and should overcome the tropes and should be pushing for happy, wonderful, queer joy stories.

Definitely recommended for LGBTQIA+ fans and horror fans.

I was so excited to get an advance copy of Chuck Tingle's Bury Your Gays. I was only familiar with him via his Pounded in the Butt... series but the synopsis of this novel sounded so intriguing and I'm always looking for queer content to consume (especially queer horror) so this just seemed perfect.

Bury Your Gays is probably one of the most perfect books I've read this year. It really has it all - compelling characters, a plot that moves and shakes, some pretty graphic horror scenes, and more twists and turns than an actual roller coaster. It kept me guessing up until the end. It also made me laugh and cry and I was thinking about Misha and all the other characters well after I finished. I will definitely be buying this when it comes out in July and probably gifting it to several friends.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this early. Bury Your Gays is one of those books I will not soon forget.

Told with a wit that’s characteristic of Chuck Tingle but also surprisingly chilling. A solid LGBTQ horror novel with thoughtful social commentary.

I've been a fan of Chuck Tingle for a long time, and BURY YOUR GAYS just deepens that love. A knockout queer horror about the horror of telling stories. I loved it.

This is the second book I've read by Chuck Tingle, and I will say so far both books have been great.

I was really excited to see that he had a new book coming out and much like his first I had no idea where this was going to go. I'm not really good at reviews but I have been telling everyone I know about this book