I remember people raving about Camp Damascus when it came out. The plot sounded interesting and I even managed to add it to my TBR list, but I never actually got around to purchasing or reading it. Boy howdy do I regret that mistake now! Bury Your Gays was phenomenal! The plot, the narration, the dialogue, the cast of characters, and even the message it spells out are absolutely on point. Yes, I will be raving about this book for some time. I will also be adding Chuck Tingle to my list of auto-buy authors. And, of course, rectifying my Camp Damascus mistake as soon as physically possible.

Bury Your Gays takes place in Hollywood. Misha is a screenwriter for Harold Brothers making shows such as Devil's Due which is about a demonic librarian (as a librarian this made me laugh). He's been nominated for an Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film. Misha visits the lot to meet with his boss Jack Hays who tells him that he needs to rewrite the ending because - according to the algorithm - people don't want to see queer characters have a happy ending. Misha tells Jack he's homophobic and Jack claims it's out of his hands. According to him "the money" says they need a conservative character added to the story and he can let the gay characters come out, but then they have to die. Bury Your Gays. Misha refuses to make the changes, so Jack gives him an ultimatum. He's got four weeks to rewrite the script or they'll be taking him to court for breach of contract. Misha is then stalked by some of the Eldritch monsters he's created for horror movies:
* The Smoker: he asks you for a light if you say no then you have five days and he'll cut your bones out, grind them into powder and smoke them.
* Mrs. Why: an unearthly being who looks human and is obsessed with order. By touching you she opens your mind to see the end of everything but it's overwhelming and you'll go into a trance and eventually starve to death.
* The Black Lamb: it looks cute, but don't get too close or its body will split open right down the middle and tendrils emerge sucking you in.
› The story is mainly told in first-person from Misha's perspective, however, we also get flashbacks to his abusive childhood and scenes that are written like a screenplay. He turns to his best friend Tara and his boyfriend Zeke for help to figure out why these characters from his movies are following him. Zeke is openly bisexual, Tara is asexual and aromantic, and Misha is out to a few people (not his family).

› Zeke is the kind of person you want on your side. Misha says, "There's some uncanny spark that always pushes them to make the right choice, because they're not even aware a choice exists. It's just what they do." He is the mascot for Love Is Real. I want to be Zeke when I grow up.

› I loved the commentary about horror stories and how they help us "explore dark places in a safe way". Horror stories get a bad rap - they are about much more than the violence and the gore.

› The characters are so interesting and unique! Especially the monsters that Misha created. They truly come to life on the page. Tingle's world-building is next level. I loved the atmosphere and the writing style is top-notch. I highlighted many lines because they were so well-written. I read and re-read them aloud so I could hear the cadence. Bury Your Gays has some of the best dialogue I've ever read. There is no fluff. The plot is moving in every scene and we have real conflict. I didn't want to put it down! I laughed, I cried. I had such a good time reading this and can't wait to read more from Tingle.

APPEAL FACTORS
Storyline: action-packed, character-driven, issue-oriented, plot-driven
Pace: fast, engrossing
Tone: angsty, heartwrenching, high-drama, romantic, suspenseful, thought-provoking, dark, mysterious
humour - dark humour
sinister - bleak, creepy, disturbing, gruesome, haunting, menacing
Writing Style: well-crafted dialogue, compelling, descriptive, engaging, gritty, witty
Character: authentic, awkward, flawed, likeable, relatable, well-developed, diverse
LGBTQIA+: asexual, aromantic, bisexual, gay
› Final Thoughts
• Bury Your Gays is an engrossing horror about the price of success, the complicated relationship between capitalism and trauma, the struggle to be authentic, and the power of love. I highly recommend this to fans of The X-Files and Fringe.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

After 'Camp Damascus', I was hugely interested in what Chuck Tingle would come up with next. Turns out he'd been brewing this gem, with easter eggs for each tale in each book! Little gestures like that really enforce what a skilled writer he is, and I am 100% here for all of it.

I went in mostly blind, having preferred to stay away from any blurbs or details - and from the first, the subtle weirdness of the story grabbed me and did not let go. There's no way anyone could predict what happens in this book. The fantastically scary and original villains who stepped straight out of fiction, the dilemma of what to do in an impossible situation, the razor-sharp satire on the Hollywood machine and the idea of what audiences want clashing horribly with reality... it's all genius.

A brilliant book. And for the record, I LOVED that the most unexpected character saved the day.

Thankyou so much to Chuck for another absolute gem.

Ahh a superb look into the social horrors and experiences many queer folks face. Bury Your Gays is a wonderfully written commentary with such grace and nuance pinpointing relevant topics such as Queer erasure, art as experiential expression, AI in art, intellectual property, piercing the veil of corporate greed, and the Hollywood fantasy backdropped with gore and horror. Poingnient and thought-provoking, Tingle gave an age-old trope a fresh and engaging twist with an exceptionally endearing MC!

Thank you to Tor NIghtfire & NetGalley for providing a complimentary ARC

(4.5 stars)

Well, this was a hell of a ride.

I’m not sure what I expected out of my first reading experience with one of Chuck Tingle’s books. Looking at their backlog left me both amused and curious. I ended up really liking this story and what it had to say.

The story doesn't really waste any time getting started. We're almost immediately thrown into a meeting in which the main character, Misha is told he has to kill off two lesbian characters. He refuses and strange things start happening to him.

The reader is taken along for the ride as Misha tries to survive the creatures coming after him while also fighting to keep his characters alive. The narrative goes from the present day to a younger Misha during his childhood and teenage years. So many of the flashback scenes were heartbreaking. I really felt for Misha. There are also some scenes that play out like a movie script.

Bury Your Gays slightly reminded me of Scream 3 (which I love). It was very meta (like Scream). It's clearly made for fans of horror.

The name of the book plus the name of the main character, Misha, brought to mind a specific show that ended it’s long running series by burying their gay character (I won’t mention the name of the show but I’m sure it won’t be difficult to figure it out). I believe the author did this intentionally. I appreciate that the premise of the book called out Hollywood's practice of burying their gays.

This book kept me guessing until the end. The reveal of the villain had me smiling because it made for an interesting story with so many possibilities. I don't want to reveal too much but I love how the author handled the villain/villains. There are so many quotes that I loved. The one below was one of my favorites.

“You know who the real villain is? Unchecked capitalism and the desire for capitalist systems to monetize other people’s trauma.”

Without spoilers, I'll just say that I love that the author also criticized another aspect of Hollywood. (Readers will know what I mean at the end). There's also fun little Easter eggs hidden for the readers.

Overall, I had a good time reading this book and I loved what it had to say.
I loved the ending. It was perfect, in my opinion. The audiobook had little guest spots from a handful of other horror authors, so that was fun too.

I'm currently enjoying my read of Camp Damascus. I'm looking forward to reading the next horror book from this author.

I'd recommend this to fans of meta horror like Scream and Cabin in the Woods.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Publishing Group, and the author for providing me with an ARC copy for providing me with an ARC copy for review.

Chuck Tingle is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. This was a terrific follow-up to Camp Damascus. I loved the Hollywood setting and exploration of gay representation in television. The horror elements also delivered with a surprising science fiction twist! The villains were like something right out of The X-Files! The novel is also a satire of the algorithm-crunching machine that is Hollywood. I recommend this to those looking for quality LQBTQIA+ representation. The story explores queer themes through horror/science fiction metaphors that will resonate with fans of shows like the X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Writers and anyone living or working in Hollywood might get a kick out of the satirical elements.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for this ARC!

I really loved Bury Your Gays and I can say only wonderful things about it. This story is original, clever and downright creepy! Chuck writes characters that feel real and that you want to root for! I was familiar with the trope “bury your gays” and I think Tingle really encapsulated how prevalent it is in today’s media.

I can’t wait for Chuck’s next book!

This is the second book I’ve read by Tingle, the first being Camp Damascus (which gets a nod in this book but you don’t have to have read it at all). Both books are solid and I really need to check out some of his other books in other genres. I really enjoyed this book and I really liked the characters.
It’s a horror novel, but he does a great job of pointing out issues that people in the LGBTQIA+ community go through on a daily basis and their struggles. I loved the MC’s growth in this and watching him fully embrace who he is.
I also really appreciate the Bi and Ace rep in this novel as well.

TW/CW: Language, homophobia, gory scenes, blood, violence, guns, drinking, toxic family relationships, anxiety, depression

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
Misha is a jaded scriptwriter who has been working in Hollywood for years, and has just been nominated for his first Oscar. But when he's pressured by his producers to kill off a gay character in the upcoming season finale―"for the algorithm"―Misha discovers that it's not that simple.As he is haunted by his past, and past mistakes, Misha must risk everything to find a way to do what's right―before it's too late.
Release Date: July 6th, 2024
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 304
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
1. Cover is gorgeous ✔️✔✔✔
2. Writing is fantastic
3. Love Misha and Zeke
4. Queer rep
5. Asexual rep

What I Didn't Like:
1. Nothing

Overall Thoughts:
{{Disclaimer: I write my review as I read}}

Misha being forced to drop his two gay characters to replace them with a straight white male that's conservative is absolutely disgusting. The fact that Jack can't understand why Misha would be upset at what's happening.

Love that Dark Encounters is like a fictional version of X-Files but instead of Mulder and Scully with their sexual attraction it's two queer characters.

All the monster characters are creepy. The fact that they are coming out to reveal themselves to Misha.

I kind of had an idea that something had happened between Misha and Richie because Richie was trying to get Misha to come hang out with him alone at the reunion.

We then get a flashback to Misha sneaking over to the Richie's house and bringing valentine's box candy to his house, when Richie's brother, Justin comes downstairs to see the box. Pour mesha tries to cover their tracks by saying that the candy was on sale but Justin interrupts him asking Richie if he gay. Richie could have said something other than insulting Misha and making out like he was disgusted with Misha, but no he says that Misha is wanting him to do gay things. Then he punched him in the face at the insistence of of Justin. Not surprised that Misha in the future pretty much ignored Richie.

Misha's uncle is ridiculous when he finds out that Misha is gay rather than being supportive he goes out and gets his girlfriend brings her back and then forces Misha to sleep two days in his car so he can have fun with his girlfriend. What a piece of crap.

Ah this book just dropped a reference to Camp Damascus!

It's insane to me that Misha went to the Oscars despite his boyfriend and best friend being paralyzed in the house.

As soon as Misha comes out that he is gay suddenly the whole production company is embracing queerness. They even hire a person to replace Frank who is the typical stereotype flamboyant gay man. This made me really mad. First they shame him for even having gay characters and then wanting them to kiss to now it's totally okay to be gay. I understand that this is a play on how people work in Hollywood and in life when it's gaywashing.

Love the happy ending in this book.

Final Thoughts:
I thought this book was really good it had a lot of deep meaning within the horror and a story that was told about what it's like to be gay. It made me mad that Misha was forced to come out and admit to people that he was gay when he wasn't exactly 100% ready to. It speaks volumes about how people will force it out of you when what does it even matter. Your sexual orientation doesn't decide who you are as a person.

The writing was just fantastic in this book. I loved the characters.

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Thanks to Netgalley, Tor Nightfire, and, Macmillan Audio for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Bury your gays is a splendid horror novel filled with cultural commentary, eldritch terrors, and a plot that never stops. How Chuck Tingle manages to terrify and unsettle, but leaves the reader with a tender feeling of contented hope, is astonishing. I loved this book whole heartedly. The style of writing was honed in and polished too.

Our main character Misha is a queer horror screenplay writer, freshly nominated for an Oscar. One day he walks into to work to meet with his boss about a current project, and is asked to kill of his main gay characters- who were written to have a romance and live all for the sake of “the algorithm”. Misha refuses, he can’t tolerate this ridiculous request and decides to terminate the contract with the studio. He soon realizes he might be facing retaliation and has to decide how to cope with his new reality.

This is for fans of well written horror, that has a fast pace cutting social commentary, and gorey goodness.

Campy, fun and sort of goofy? I didn’t dislike this book, it was a decent read and will definitely keep you entertained. However, it does read as a “fun time” and borders on the line of cheesy. Nothing wrong with that but that’s not really my sort of horror. I’ll give this a rating right down the middle. A for effort, love the LGBTQ representation, writing is good but the content misses the mark for me.

This book was absolutely perfection and also absolutely TERRIFYING!!!! There so many times that you don't know what is real and what is not and that just adds to the creepiness of this book, and then when you find out what all of it is.....your even more scared then you started out!!!! The underlining tale of persecution and erasure for the LGBTQIA+ community is just the icing on the cake that is shoves into your face. I think everyone should read this book not just horror fans.

5 Stars and my infinite thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC!

Tingle, ya did it again. An almost perfect horror novel.
I loved Misha as a character and his support network of Zeke and Tara. I loved that there was a little tension between Zeke and Misha at the beginning, but they really do love each other. The monsters were spooky as hell and I still don't really understand how it all worked, but I was riveted. Finished it at the beach and immediately had to tell my friends about it.

Spoilerish:

The full 180 to over doing the queer acceptance at the end was almost as chilling as the ignoring and denial of queer films. Because it's all fake. There is no actual acceptance, it's a façade the studio is putting on to ride the current trend.

I enjoyed the creepy characters created in this book and there were moments that felt actually scary. I would say this book squarely falls into the self referential horror world akin to a scream movie. I liked that the horror had real world ties and enjoyed the tongue in cheek reference to movies that did already exist. As i sometimes feel with horror books like this one I wish the climax was better executed and plotted. That being said I enjoyed reading this one and would recommend it to anyone looking for someone who is not looking for something too heavy or as a fun palate cleanser.

I really enjoyed this book. Misha is a screenwriter who is nominated for his first Oscar. When Misha is asked to kill off his gay characters, he refuses. Suddenly, characters from his past shows are haunting and hunting him. Misha is on a timeline, fighting for his life and the storyline he wished he saw as a child.

Having thoroughly enjoyed Tingle's previous book, Camp Damascus, I was very excited to receive NetGalley approval for his latest.

Here we have Misha, a much-lauded Hollywood writer, who's also pretty excited at the prospect of having his two female leads in the TV show he's currently scripting reveal their love for one another in the season finale. The studio he works for, however, wants the characters killed off. Apparently the audience LOVES queer tragedy. No happy endings for the gays, it seems . . .

And as if that's not enough, fictional creatures from the writer's horror movie past are coming out of the woodwork to terrorize him.

Can Misha figure out how to stop all this before his own life story becomes a queer tragedy?

This one had an imaginative premise, and a strong message, but the material seemed stretched from short story to novel length. Though there were some genuinely creepy moments, I had trouble staying focused on the story.

If only we could sic some of Tingle's "imaginary" monsters on the creators of Project 2025. What a wonderful, wonderful world this could be . . .

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

I loved Camp Damascus last year, so I was excited when I saw that this book was coming out. My husband and I also watch a lot of movies which also played into my interest. This has lots of camp, which I also love. If you liked Camp Damascus or murder mysteries wrapped in horror, then this is for you.

Rating: 4.5/5

Rating: 4.5 stars

Telling stories has always been part of Misha’s life and he’s pretty good at it. His current show, a sci-fi mystery series, Travelers, is headed into its third season and his short film about a mouse has been nominated for an Oscar. When Misha is suddenly called into his boss’ office for a meeting, he’s pretty sure it’s just going to be a few notes on the new season, maybe some congratulations for the nomination. What he doesn’t expect is for Jack to tell him to kill off his characters.

Agents Lexa and Naomi, the stars of Travelers, have been in a will-they-won’t-they relationship for two seasons, and Misha was planning for season three to cement their romance. Now, Jack’s telling him has to either make one of them straight, or kill them off. Misha, of course, refuses, leaving the office in a fury. He can’t help but feel betrayed that Jack doesn’t believe in him, that he is letting some think-tank change his story because some poll says the numbers do better without Lexa and Naomi being allowed to be in love, and it pisses Misha off.

While venting to his best friend, Tara, at a cafe, Misha is accosted by a fan who looks just like a character from one of his movies: The Smoker. He is a monstrous, supernatural killer who promises to be seeing Misha in five days … when he comes to kill him. Misha has no idea what the fuck is going on, but he’s soon moving from anger to terror because The Smoker isn’t alone. While flying back home for a high school reunion, Misha sees Mrs. Why, a seven-foot tall alien whose touch destroys the minds and souls of those around her. Mrs. Why is a character on Travelers who shouldn’t … can’t … be real, but whose touch is killing the passengers around her as she struggles to get to Misha. And let’s not forget the Black Lamb, an eldritch creature from one of his early films, who stares at him with blank, wide eyes on a jogging path.

Is this a stunt by the studio to make him kill his characters? Is this just some prank by fans having a good time? Because the third option — that this is real — is too ridiculous and too frightening to be believed.

This book is a murder mystery wrapped in a horror novel, with some very visceral, gory moments and some wonderfully tragic ones. Misha has always looked at the world with a writer’s eye, seeing people — such as his boss, Jack, or Tara, or even his boyfriend Zeke — through the roles they fill: the sassy friend, the devoted boyfriend, the blustering but good natured boss. And yet, they’re still people. Jack and Tara and Zeke are all integral parts of Misha’s life, and when someone threatens them, he’s there to … well, to do his best. Even if it isn’t good enough.

There’s a scene where Jack’s life is being threatened and Misha, knowing he’s not a physically inclined individual, tries to bolster himself up by thinking “how would an action star handle this?” He tries to put himself in the mindset of a character who can do the things he wants to do, needs to do, to give him the courage to move. And yet, when it comes to being open with who he is when he’s not pretending to be a character, Misha tends to simply want to be invisible. It’s easier to people watch when you’re not a part of the crowd, but apart from it.

That invisibility, Misha’s desire to stay safe, leads to him heading to his high school reunion without Zeke, because Misha isn’t out, doesn’t feel safe telling everyone that he has a boyfriend. He knows this hurts Zeke, even as he apologizes for it. And Zeke, for his part, is understanding. Zeke is here for the long haul, expecting if not to be brought for the twenty-year anniversary, then maybe to come along for the fifty. Because he loves Misha. Misha leans on that love, sees Zeke as his rock, as one of the good things in his life. Their romance, while not the focus of the story, is made of warm and lovely moments sprinkled through the book, much as Misha’s relationship with Tara, an outspoken black, asexual woman who is more sarcasm and cutting wit than ‘sassy.’ She both supports and mocks Misha, loves him enough to yell at him when he needs it, and trusts him enough to run to him for help when she needs it.

I settled down to read this book after dinner. As it grew later, I thought .. one more page. I mean, I have to get to the end of the chapter. Then it was “one more chapter” and, before I knew it it, was two in the morning and I’d finished the book. The author has a gift in making this book just so approachable and readable and smooth. The pace was constant, with no lulls or slow moments, and the tension was on point, with a quiet and character-driven focus that kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next. Really, this was just so much fun to read.

Chuck Tingle went all the way in with this critique of capitalism, mass and social media, and cultural appropriation within a fast-paced time-is-running-out horror mystery. Misha, a television screenwriter, is urged to kill off his gay characters and his reluctance kicks off a series of increasingly frightening and dangerous events. Why are his most terrifying characters coming to life? Buckle your seatbelts, you'll love this bumpy ride.

This was a fun, gory take on the entertainment industry. I really liked the main trio and rooted for them throughout. There's a lot going on in this one. The social commentary was on point.

I tend to be a very squeamish reader who can't handle much gore. There were some parts that made me cringe here, but I got through them fairly easily. The story held my attention from start to finish and kept me guessing. The ending was bizarre in a fun way.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.