Read if you like: queer horror, zealots getting what's coming to them, religious horror

If you're familiar with the name Chuck Tingle and the kinds of things he writes, go into Camp Damascus knowing this is not those. You won't find anthropomorphic (insert any animal/object/thing you can think of) who likes to (insert sexual act, usually involving pounding) in this one. You will, however, find a queer horror story involving conversion camps and some opinions on the religions that still have these places and ideas active to force upon those who are part of the queer community. The subject is uncomfortable at times, but it is horror and that's what you should feel, and the payoff at the end was really well done. The main character also is someone who starts off just wanting to be a good person who is good for her family and friends, but gradually starts trying to figure out why there's moments where she seems almost 'other' in her life.

The she starts seeing the camp counselors...

I have never read his other stuff, so I'm not sure if this is just how he writes, but the way it was written was something that I had to get used to. I'm not even sure if I could explain it well or pinpoint what it was. I do think it's just how he is and wasn't done specifically for the book; if you need to know, I suggest listening to interviews he's done for this book tour. I think that's something that could turn readers off, but if you don't mind it, you're in for a really great ride.

Absolutely shows the breadth of talent and capability of polishing and honing by the ever fabulous Chuck Tingle. Definitely an eye-opening and memorable thriller that cannot be forgotten.

I love Chuck Tingle. Everyone loves Chuck Tingle (well, maybe not some conservatives), and I'm so happy he is writing beyond erotica. As someone who has read "The Haunted Vagina," this is a large leap away from the genre.

Rose, the protagonist, lives near a gay conversion camp with a 100% success rate. Rose is very Christian, but weird things are happening to her...supernatural things. And as a Christian, this is leading to doubts in her faith. She has to find out what's going on, and how/if it's connected to Camp Damascus.

I didn't LOVE this book. Something felt off - maybe the pacing? But overall, it's a good read, and I'm excited to read Bury Your Gays, Chuck's new book!

Camp Damascus is a horror novel set in a gay conversion camp run by a cult-y Christian sect that claims the camp has a 100% effectiveness rate. One of the main characters Rose is a deeply Christian and neurodivergent (autistic) young woman who begins to notice that she's having weird feelings for a female friend. This soon leads to her seeing a strange woman whom she suspects is a demon, as well as throwing up insects. As things continue to get stranger and stranger, her faith starts to crack under the pressure, and she begins to wonder about the true nature of this conversion camp.

There are definitely some pacing issues in this book, especially with Rose's revelations happening a little too soon in the narrative. The metaphors are also a little heavy-handed. However, the novel does include a great deal of nuance as well, and it's very successful in accomplishing its aims and in using the horror genre tropes to comment on religious fundamentalism, homophobia, and queer identity in our American society.

Overall, I do recommend this book for a great queer horror read - especially during spooky season!

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor, and Chuck Tingle for providing this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Camp Damascus: Curing your loved ones of all ungodly desires.

I am a sucker for religious trauma horror, and boy does this one deliver! Set in a small town within the state of Montana, Camp Damascus tells the tale of a young woman who has been raised within the strict confines of a religious community. Memorizing passages of the Bible and becoming versed on how to combat/cure any religious deviation in those around her, Rose begins to feel uneasy when she begins to see strange beings that seemingly show up at random times. These beings are frightening, and when Rose starts to feel that other aspects of her daily life are slightly off, she refuses to write them off and ignore them.

Soon she learns of Camp Damascus, a gay-conversion camp located nearby, that may be using some unorthodox methods to bring its campers back to the town’s idea of a Godly lifestyle. Through her journey of discovery, for herself and others, she finds out that love exists…and so do demons.

I found this book to be very entertaining with a tinge of heartbreak while maintaining a sense of hope. I absolutely adored the random bits of information that Rose would provide throughout the novel as a result of her coping mechanism! Is my enneagram 5 showing? My only complaint is the fact that Tingle would go back and forth between having Rose refer to her parents as “mother/mom” & “father/dad” and then their given names, Luke and Lisa”; it had me questioning if I missed something or was unaware of reasoning behind this back and forth (which is the only reason behind the void of a fifth star in my rating).

Overall, a story that had me hooked and definitely had the gears in my brain turning. I would 100% recommend this book to fans of religious horror.

Camp Damascus is about queer conversion and literal demons, but it's also about finding yourself, living with your inner demons, and stitching together a quirky family of misfits.

Chuck Tingle's narrative voice is both beautiful and approachable. Where many authors would get flowery, he strikes a welcome balance between descriptive and down-to-earth prose.

What I found most effective in Tingle's horror debut is the ingenuity he brought to the Christian mythos. His demonology and twist on the Bible's depictions of demons and Hell are wildly different, analytical, and thought-provoking.

I recommend this novel to anyone looking for an entry into queer horror.

I want to tell you that I loved this book. I want to tell you that I agree with whatever political statement it is trying to make.
But I can do neither of those things.
Where I wholeheartedly believe that conversion camps are horrible institutions that never should have existed, this book just wasn't for me in any way.

I have been following Chuck Tingle on socials for several years now and was absolutely thrilled when Chuck announced a trad pub debut!
Camp Damascus had everything I’m looking for in a horror novel: religious trauma, queerness, found family, memory weirdness and a mystery with heart.
I’m looking forward to reading everything Chuck publishes in the future with Tor.

I found this generally entertaining and liked the commentary on the evils of conversion therapy and the bigoted views of the Christian church, but the character development was a bit sparse, and the pacing, in general, felt rushed, especially in terms of Rose's journey with her faith. It felt like we skipped at least four stages of grief and reckoning as she reevaluated her worldview - a worldview she has held staunchly for all 20 years of her life, having been indoctrinated into the cult-like evangelical Christianity of her community. As someone who lost my faith around the same age (but came from a much more loving/relaxed branch of Christianity), it seemingly took me a lot longer to come to terms with that loss than it did Rose, and I found her rapid 180 a bit jarring.

While this is technically adult horror, this book has a very YA feel - except for the pockets of rather extreme body horror/gore - largely due to our protagonist feeling closer to 15 or 16 than 20, though, taking into account her sheltered upbringing and memory loss I suppose this can be explained. Still, the fact remains that our main character feels squarely in her teens in terms of maturity and development and that colours her thought process and interactions throughout the novel.

From what I can tell by reading reviews, it seems autistic readers have generally found Rose to be a good autism representation, which is fantastic! I could relate to some of her habits and tendencies as a fellow neurodivergent (of the ADHD variety), but occasionally found her thoughts/dialogue awkwardly written, from the excessively formal speech to vacillating between using her parents' first names and calling them mom/dad with no rhyme or reason. Generally, I liked her, though, and enjoyed her journey throughout the novel (even if it felt rather rushed). She is also a lesbian, and I found her sapphic romance with Willow quite tender and sweet.

I have a few more spoilery questions, so I'll share them here:

Why did Rose's parents go to the effort of removing her door and filling in the holes and/or replacing the entire doorframe and then gaslighting her by insisting she never had a door in the first place? While they're clearly not wonderful people or parents, this is so random and absolutely unhinged behaviour, with no other examples of similar action on their part before or after. Was this inserted just to make us wary of them? For them to appear creepy? Because I feel like there were other, much simpler ways they could have engaged in gaslighting that would have been more believable but just as insidious.

How did this rogue Christian denomination, however wealthy, arrive at demon-enslaving technology? How did they discover the rift? Who invented the machine? How did they bring the demons and larvae over? How did they learn about their lifecycle and memory-wiping effects? I don't need every tiny detail explained, but this was a lot to accept, on top of the idea that demons are, in fact, real and do, in fact, care about punishing sinners (seemingly).

Also, how have they handled demons going rogue in the past? Rose's demon viciously murdering her crush at a party packed with teens/young adults in a way that can't be explained is, well, difficult to explain away. This can't have been the first time this has happened, right? How often do people in this town die in incredibly brutal ways suddenly with no explanation? Is everyone in on it except those who have gone through the program at Camp Damascus? And if so, are they seriously willing to let their own child potentially be murdered by a demon because SOMEONE ELSE has a homosexual attraction to them?? Because that's fucking wild, I'm sorry. Possibly even more than the parents paying half a million dollars to have their own child tethered to a demon and infected with demon larvae to demonic possession the gay away.

Overall, this had an interesting concept with engaging themes, but the execution was lacking for me, which is becoming a throughline as I read more of Chuck Tingle's work. I always come away wishing I'd been able to connect to his characters more deeply, have more of the nuances explained or revealed, and generally have the story delivered at a slightly slower pace to allow it to develop/settle properly.


Representation: MC is autistic and a lesbian, WLW relationship on the page (PG), gay secondary character

Trigger/Content Warnings: conversion therapy, homophobia, insects, religious indoctrination, religious bigotry, body horror, torture, blood, gore, murder, confinement, gaslighting

I knew this was a Chuck Tingle book, so I expected campy and raunchy. I didn't expect the book to feel so much like self-published fiction. It seemed like it needed an editor. Given Tingle's reputation, perhaps that it part of the appeal, but it did not work for me, and I don't feel it meets the quality standards of my library.

This is my first Tingle novel and absolutely will not be my last. It grabbed me from the start and didn't let me go until the last page. We will definitely be purchasing for the collection!

"Camp Damascus" makes the horror and trauma of religious conversion camps very, very real. I'll forever read and support anything by Chuck Tingle.

The concept? Immaculate. The overall execution? Not as captivating. There was a hope to see more of the actual camp (being on the campgrounds) but the promise of more intriguing stories is there because Tingle did a great job with his characters and themes.

Wow! This book was a wild ride and a departure from this author's other works, which are also wild rides, but in a different way. And yet, this tense horror story about a cult hiding the nefarious reasons why their gay conversion camp has a 100% "success rate" still follows Tingle's mission to prove love is real.

The autistic perspective of our heroine was also authentic and relatable to anyone with any flavor of neurodivergent reader.

I don't want to say anymore because I don't want to spoil the crazy journey this story takes us on.

Incredible book with wonderful characters and really important themes. Truly horrifying in parts and tearjerking in others. Chuck Tingle is a masterful and empathetic storyteller I am excited to read more from.

I watched with anticipation to see Genre Fiction’s Hero edited and published traditionally. When wholesome interpersonal relationships are on display, the book GLOWS. Bright like the emissions of a flamethrower. I really appreciate that the book doesn’t take the easy path that paints all Christians with the same brush. I appreciate the nuance of faith being portrayed in a number of different fashions, and that the acts of the individuals are treated individually. Shorthand would have been easy to take, but we receive complexity and nuance instead.

Ultimately, this book is true to the vision of the Chuck Tingle we get to see on social media. It shows that the way to defeat the Devilman is to prove that Love Is Real. Keep trotting, Buckaroos.

My most anticipated book and it did not let me down. Creepy, campy, engaging. After conquering the self-published short format market, I'm excited for Tingle's mainstream success!

"This is my parents' worst nightmare. Their gay daughter and her lesbian girlfriend in a spooky old farmhouse doing drugs with a metalhead." Camp Damascus is my first Chuck Tingle book and it won't be my last!

Rose is just a normal Christian girl, living out the typical teen lifestyle in Neverton, famous for Camp Damascus, a gay conversion therapy camp. Or at least she was normal until those nasty flies started spilling out of her body, she can't stop seeing a strange woman wearing the nametag "Pachid", and the funny feelings she gets around a girl she sees taking photos at the park. This was such a unique concept for an LGBTQIA+ horror novel! There were some great comical elements meshed with terror, and all wrapped around a very relevant message. With censorship and book bans gaining traction in 2023 mainly due to so-called religious values, this book took something that is actually happening to kids (conversion camps) and discussed it.

Rose's father, Luke Darling, had this particular diatribe to say about Rose's penchant for being curious about everything in life: "It's good to be thoughtful, but when the desire for more knowledge takes over your life, what you're really saying is even in the presence of God's light, I am not full. It's a sin, hon. That feeling you call curiosity is fine in small does, but when you turn it into a habit, it becomes gluttony. A hunger for knowledge is still hunger." Statements like this lead to the rise of ignorance and fake news being shared on social media everyday. Rose struggles with her evangelical upbringing in conceptualizing who she is as a queer person, however it's a privilege that she is able to have that opportunity of self-realization because there are many people who are not able to approach that place of self-awareness (or respect for themselves) for a myriad of reasons, and this is something important I think the book really drives home.

I couldn't stop reading the book and enjoyed the journey throughout! Thanks, NetGalley and Publisher for the ARC!

When I first heard about this book I honestly thought it was going to be like a summer camp slasher style horror story. Boy was I wrong, and not in a bad way. The book is focused on the POV of a 20 year old named Rose. She is about to graduate from high school because in her community the church is a very important thing and they take 2 years off during school to focus their learning on church teachings. Their church is a Christian church however, it's got a little bit more up it's sleeve than your typical American Christian church, at least in my experience. I grew up in the Lutheran church but I am no longer religious today (more agnostic at this point). Anyways, back to the point. As you have read in the summary, this town is also home to Camp Damascus which is considered to be one of the most effective gay conversion camps in the US. Well there is definitely a reason for that as you come to read. At first Rose is very conservative in her thoughts and actions. Always putting God at the forefront of her mind. And because of my experiences with church, it was a little off putting for me personally but I wanted to hang in there to see what was going to happen and I'm really glad that I did. Not long into the book, Rose sees what she thinks is a woman with strange blank eyes in the forest while at the local swimming hole with her friends. But the woman disappears into the trees before she can ask if anyone else saw her. The next time Rose sees this woman, she sees that she is not actually a human being. I don't want to give a lot of the plot away because I think going into this as blind as possible but things very quickly go downhill and get downright creepy. Despite my initial struggle in the first few pages, I ended up really enjoying this book. It is geared towards adults but at times it did feel a little more on the young adult side but overall I think any adult horror fan would enjoy this book if they gave it a chance.

I’d heard of Chuck Tingle, but Camp Damascus was the first novel I’ve read by him, and wow, it was a disgusting yet empowering journey. While rife with abuse, homophobia, and supernatural elements to make your stomach churn, this was a powerful reclamation of queer power and agency in the face of corrupt institutions.

Conversion camps are a tricky topic for me, and supernatural elements aside, that is what Camp Damascus deals with. This novel is earnest and straightforward in its messaging, and while that may not work for some, it worked for me. Protagonist Rose is both lesbian and autistic, and though she suffers (it is a horror novel), there’s more than despair to be found in Camp Damascus’ pages. Mind the content warnings, especially around religious trauma and homophobia if those are topics you’re sensitive to.

The on-point satire, disgusting imagery, and earnest emotions were worth sticking with. Overall, I enjoyed Camp Damascus a great deal and will be on the lookout for Tingle’s next foray into horror, Bury Your Gays.

Thank you to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for an advance review copy. All opinions are my own.