"This is Chuck’s second traditionally published book, and boy is it incredible. Dare I say I enjoyed this one even more than Camp Damascus, which is saying a lot because that was also incredible. Bury Your Gays is a queer horror tale that will creep you out, while also opening your eyes! There is commentary here about much of what we face in the world, told through a horror lens. The story kept me intrigued from the very start. There is a fair amount of mystery, and the whole time the plot kept me guessing as to where it was going. Once things started to connect, it really made some powerful statements. I listened to the audiobook today, and that audiobook is INCREDIBLE.

Anywho, GO PICK UP THIS BOOK!"

I'm rating Bury Your Gays 3.5 stars. It was a fun read and touched on some very important topics. I kinda wish the last few chapters weren't there. The chapter ending with Misha reuniting with Zeke and Tara felt more natural as an ending. I honestly would have rather had a sequel that was all about taking the algorithm down.

Given that I read this in basically one sitting, I would say I really enjoyed this book. It is probably the most fun I have had with a horror book this year. Not only was it funny and exciting, but there were some scenes that were genuinely spooky and downright gross. Behind the campy horror though was a very interesting discussion on capitalism and greed within the entertainment industry specifically around LGBTQIA+ erasure. It also looked at AI in art and how its pushes and benefits corporate greed at the expense of people working in film/television today. I found the pacing to be really well done, and I never found myself really bored by the plot - which just added to the thrills. There was one aspect of the plot that I wish was a concluded in some sort of way (even though I can kind of guess how it ended) but other than that, I had a great time.

Chuck Tingle’s first horror novel, Camp Damascus (read my review here), was one of my favourites of 2023, so I was really excited to read Bury Your Gays.

Bury Your Gays is about a semi-closeted Hollywood horror screenwriter who is told by his producer to kill off the lesbian protagonists in his TV series.

When he refuses, monsters and villains from his own movies suddenly start following him in the real world.  Are they human stalkers in costume?  Some kind of supernatural nightmare?

I loved the creepiness of the monster encounters.  There were scenes in the first half of the book that gave me real chills, particularly with the Smoker and Mrs. Why.

After that, unfortunately, the book got a bit more violent and less creepy.  I liked the themes of creativity vs. money in the film world, but it never grabbed me the way Camp Damascus did.  I found the characters a bit shallow — particularly the supporting characters, who didn’t have a lot of personality beyond “perfect boyfriend” or “loud best friend.”

I think this just isn’t my subgenre; Bury Your Gays is more of a satire than a horror novel, and it leans heavily on sci-fi action in the second half.  There will definitely be readers who enjoy the tone more than I did, and I do recommend this to anyone interested in a horror-ish satire of Hollywood.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for my review copy of this book.

Ok this one is kind of on me because I don’t tend to like horror or this style of prose but I have been so endeared by Chuck Tingle on twitter for years at this point that I just had to read something by him. And I definitely think there is an audience for this book, it’s just not me, and I’m really bummed about that.

Everything Chuck Tingle does is gold, and Bury Your Gays is no exception. This book is thoughtful, insightful, terrifying, tender, and clever as heck. It's also beautifully queer and affirming. Highly recommend!

Bury Your Gays deviates from Chuck's usual specialty: satire and RAUNCH. While I do have a special place in my heart for the classics, I am such a big fan of Chuck's non-satirical work. He is a fantastic writer, and his literary voice is strong. This story is so extremely meta. A villain of your own creation trying to kill you? Is it really a 7 foot tall, two-pupiled woman or is it internalized homophobia? Will we ever really know? I was along for the ride. Now I must go run and read Camp Damascus. 4.5 stars

Campy, queer, and full of classic, nostalgic horror tropes but with twists that will keep you guessing. I had SO much fun reading Chuck Tingle's latest!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Some mild/slight spoilers to follow.

Wow wow wow. Chuck Tingle has done it again. I loved his first foray into traditional publishing Camp Damascus, but I think I may love Bury Your Gays even MORE. (Also, shout out to the Camp Damascus reference in here. Love when authors create a connected universe.) Another thing I absolutely love? When the villain is capitalism all along. Just brings that extra level of realism to a fantastical horror novel. This was just such a wonderful takedown of so many things: AI in art, corporate greed, the fetishization of gay tragedy, the inevitable pendulum swing in the other direction to the fetishization of queer joy, ace erasure... I love every minute of reading this book (even the grossly descriptive parts that made me go ewww.)

Tingle writes so smoothly and so well. Many books, including horror, often have slow buildups, lulls, disappointing endings, etc. Bury Your Gays is solid writing throughout. It was emotional, funny, touching, gruesome, and thought-provoking. I didn't expect the sci-fi element at the end but it worked so well.
I can't wait to read Camp Damascus!

Bury Your Gays follows Mischa, a scriptwriter working on a TV show where he is gearing up to finally write a lesbian arc for his two main characters. His dream arc for these two characters coming to fruition and an Oscar nomination should be the best time in Mischa’s professional life. But then the studio demands he kill off one of his characters instead of letting them get together, and this one note sends Mischa into a fight for his life and the life of everyone he loves as he refuses to be bullied by the studio. I loved how light on plot the synopsis online is, so I’m also not going to get much more into the actual plot details here. But this is a really fun, gory adventure against capitalism and the squashing of art within the current studio system of Hollywood. It’s also a heartfelt look at coming to terms with your gay identity and who and when you fully come out, especially when they’re trauma surrounding it in your childhood. I found Mischa as a main character realistic and sympathetic and you root for him to figure it all out. Great gore and kills, creative creature designs, and a really solid mystery at it’s core, this is a fantastic follow up to Camp Damascus (a book I adored). The Camp Damascus even gets a shoutout in this novel that had me doing the Leonardo DiCaprio pointing meme. Anyway, I recommend!

This review will post on my instagram @boozehoundbookclub

ARC Book Review | BURY YOUR GAYS by CHUCK TINGLE

4/5 ⭐’s | ARC Review | PUB DATE: 9 July 2024
I received this ebook for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Read if you're looking for:
* Cheeky, satirical horror
* Critique of queer representation in Hollywood & corporations condescending to queer consumers
* The real horror is capitalism
* Creepy creatures of mysterious origin
* Written by a queer, autistic author

This book follows Misha, a closeted Hollywood tv and film writer who has been in the industry many years, when he is suddenly told to kill off two of his gay main characters in one of his popular shows by the upper management. Misha refuses, stating that he will not perpetuate the “bury your gays” trope that has long been common in Hollywood. After this refusal, strange events begin happening to Misha and his friends, and to other queer writers in the studio, with monstrous and dangerous characters from Misha’s previous shows somehow showing up in real life. Misha must figure out what’s going on in order to save himself and those he loves, and to do that he must face his traumatic past and embrace who he really is.

This is Chuck Tingle’s second full-length novel, and it was a campy romp of a horror novel. Chuck Tingle also wrote Camp Damascus, which was one of my best books of last year, and he’s quickly becoming one of my favorite horror writers of all time. The horror in this book is fueled by capitalistic greed, which I think is pretty relevant at the moment. The book also pokes fun at the performative, and often empty actions, of corporations to appeal to the LGBTQIA+ community, with shallow representation and rainbow merch. It was gory and full of action, and there was never a dull moment. I also really appreciated the diverse representation, with an asexual/aromantic major character, which is sorely lacking in a lot of LGBTQIA+ stories. I strongly recommend this for anyone who enjoys humorous or satirical horror.

CW: Homophobia, Gore, Blood, Child abuse, Outing, Vomit, Acephobia/Arophobia, Drug use, Cursing

Chuck Tingle is the master of feel-good horror. This was such a lovely and spooky read. It took some surprising turns and almost had me in tears at the end. I think I loved this even more than Camp Damascus.

This novel had everything. With some great creepy villains and some unsettling moments it would have made a decent horror novel. But on top of that it was fun, queer, full of heart and had great characters (especially a very well realized, easy to love protagonist). Now mix all that up with pop culture references and the commentary against the shiny facade of Hollywood, corporations, AI and feeding the algorithms, and you’ve got yourself a spectacular ride. I honestly didn’t want to stop reading this once it got going.

This book offers thought-provoking social commentary and genuine scares, making it a standout favorite of the year. From the very first page, I couldn’t put it down. It skillfully blends horror and humor, delivering a mix of psychological terror, queer erasure and representation, and queer love. All these elements come together in a single, fantastic read.

"Horror stories aren't just things we want to see, they're the things we need to see."

Boy Howdy!!! BURY YOUR GAYS by @chucktingle is the queer, anti-capitalist greed horror story that my heart needed right now! Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publisher @tornightfire and @macmillanaudio for the e-ARC and audio-ARC.

First of all, if you have the chance to listen to this one, you should definitely go that route! This story features an all-star cast of author narrators including Charlie Jane Anders, T Kingfisher, Stephen Graham Jones, Sarah Gailey and more which leads to an incredible audio experience!

There is so much social commentary in this book and I am sure I cannot hit all the hot spots but here goes:

💲Modern Hollywood's cult of greed
🍭Late stage capitalism sucking the life and art from us all
🤖The dangers of AI and nano-tech
👨‍💻Our lack of concern about tech insecurity (data mining)
🏳️‍🌈The importance of representation and being an active participant in your own representation
💚Always being proud of who you are
⚠️The dangers of straightwashing queer stories or gay erasure

But my favorite concept of all that Tingle discusses in this one is the idea that fear is a muscle that needs to be exercised -

"There are scary things in the world, that's just a fact. And if you pretend they're not all around us, you are in for a rude awakening. Horror offers a chance to recognize this truth; to explore dark places in a safe way." -

I feel this one to my soul and it is the reason I have had such an explosion of horror in my life in the last few years. Gotta keep this muscle pumping!!

Read this one if:

🏳️‍🌈You think we need more queer stories in the world
🏳️‍🌈You love tired tropes being smashed to pieces
🏳️‍🌈You want to read a new spin on slashers
🏳️‍🌈You wanna buckle up for a wild ride
🏳️‍🌈You have ever been haunted by your own actions or stories

All the stars! As your queer auntie I recommend you get this one IMMEDIATELY and devour it in all its glory!!

💚SMASHBOT💚

#buryyourgays #chucktingle #tornightfire #macmillanaudio #queerhorrorbooks #horrorbooks #queer #netgalley #netgalleyreviewer #booknerd #bibliophile #bookis

Thanks to NetGalley & Tor Publishing Group for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

A very fun, fast-paced meta-Hollywood romp. I really loved all the digs at Hollywood and how it treats LGBTQ+ media through a monetary lens.

I feel like this book is best enjoyed when having followed Hollywood vs LGBTQ+ drama for decades--especially in the fandom-sphere. You know which shows and films the author hints at thanks to the useless knowledge, ha. Well, it's not useless for this book!

The only negative is how focused it is on Misha that it ignores the 2 side characters that are said to be important to the character but we rarely see them interact in the book. I also truthfully skipped the script/screen-writing mini sections, they didn't interest me as much as the story itself did.

Right off the bat I'll say that while I did enjoy this book, I personally found his previous horror novel (Camp Damascus) to be more up my alley, but that's not to say that this one was bad (it wasn't!). I think this one actually has a higher goodreads rating, so go figure. Now, I enjoyed this book, I really did, and I can honestly say I was never 100% sure where things were going (as in they kept me guessing), so kudos to Tingle for that. There were also so many things about it that were important. Elements of AI, intellectual property, and talks of art and artists, elements of queer erasure and tragedy. All of it was great. And there were honestly some gross/terrifying scenes here. I think my main issue was that it just seemed slightly disconnected and the ending was a little too...easily resolved I guess. I feel like we got this whole big bad thing happening and the climax was just slightly anti-climactic. Again, these are just my thoughts, and I do think there are so many things in this book that are great. I'll probably re-read it at some point too, just to see if knowing where it's all going will change how I look at it. Either way though, I will be very happy to recommend this book to just about any horror fan out there, and I am so glad to see another Tingle horror book on the market. I've also read there will be at least three more coming in the future, and I can't tell you how pleased I am about this. Tingle not only proves that love is real, but that weird horror stories can say important things, and all of his work should be taken seriously.

This is in my top 5 of the year. Absolutely phenomenal. The horror novel that everyone should read. Witty. Humorous. And full of nuance, it's a breath of fresh air. I hope Chuck Tingle keeps writing these for the buckaroos

Thank you for the arc Tor

The amazing Chuck Tingle does it again!! I love his previous tinglers, but this is just a whole different level.