This story started off strong and felt like horror but slowly became somewhat tiring. It also shifted genres in my mind to science fiction. The characters were fairly likable but maybe too obsessed with being gay.

I'm a bit torn on this one. Some of the creepy scenes were reeeeally creepy, and I loved the Hollywood atmosphere. However, I didn't find the characters to be all that engaging. Being in Misha's head was...fine. I feel pretty much completely neutral about it. His friends felt like nothing characters. There's sort of a "main trio" here, but the other two had very little personality and could have been replaced by any randos on the street and the story wouldn't change at all. I liked the overall message and commentary on capitalism, especially when it comes to commodifying queer characters and stories, but this overall fell a little flat. I normally like a fast-paced book, but I think this story would have benefited from being allowed to breathe more and hold a bit more tension.

While its prose is more workmanlike than inspired, a compelling narrative and timely commentary on the entertainment industry make Chuck Tingle's latest worth reading.

Chuck Tingle, for those who don't know, is the pseudonym of an eccentric writer best known for his prolific career in bizarre erotica. Well over 400 stories have been published as ebooks, most with titles like My Billionaire Triceratops Craves Gay Ass, Open Wide For The Handsome Sabertooth Dentist Who Is Also A Ghost, and My Macaroni And Cheese Is A Lesbian Also She Is My Lawyer. It seemed like an elaborate troll job at first, and an irony-poisoned internet responded in kind. (An alt-right group got Tingle nominated for a Hugo Award, a campaign the author himself has firmly disavowed.) But while Tingle is frequently funny, his body of work is no joke: he is something of an outsider artist, animated by a sex-positive, radically sincere ethos.

Bury Your Gays, Tingle's second mainstream offering after Camp Damascus, is a horror novel that satirizes modern Hollywood as a world of soulless executives who reanimate dead actors with AI and defer their decisions to the almighty Algorithm. One such directive from the C-suite of Harold Bros., a thinly-veiled parody of Warner Bros., is addressed to a cynical screenwriter named Misha Byrne who serves as our narrator. It demands that he kill off a lesbian couple on the TV show he writes for. He's not at all pleased by this, but he's not given much time to process it before he watches a lecherous old bigwig get crushed by a falling piano.

What follows is a sort of queer meditation on pop culture, weaving in threads of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The X-Files, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Misha is a frustrated creative forced to suppress his truest self for the sake of his career, just as he suppressed his sexuality growing up in the conservative state of Montana. As in I Saw the TV Glow, a recent film whose queer metafictional horror narrative is not too far removed from Bury Your Gays, nothing good comes from hiding: everything has to come to the surface eventually, and swallowing it only makes it fester.

Tingle has no shortage of great, provocative ideas, and there are plenty of amusing digs at Hollywood that add up over the course of the story. (When Misha asks if the actor resurrected by AI to play a mob boss was even Italian, he receives a stern response that the script didn't specify nationality.) But as imaginative as the author clearly is, his prose rarely does more than get the job done. There's the occasional burst of gnarly imagery (as when the aforementioned bigwig "pops like a water balloon" under the falling piano), but too often Tingle settles for phrases like "breathtakingly large" or describes a gaze as cutting "directly into your soul." Clichés become cliché for a reason, but such vivid ideas deserve equally vivid prose.

Still, it's hard to quibble when you're given a narrative as interesting as this. Simply put, you want to see where the story goes next, and Tingle is adept at making sure you never quite know what's about to happen. And as Hollywood executives seem eager to sacrifice the human condition at the altar of Silicon Valley, it's downright cathartic to see a novel portray algorithms and AI as the existential threats that they clearly are: call it Pounded in the Butt By Corporate Greed and the Insidious Devaluation of the Humanities.

Chuck is a brilliant writer. He is an auto buy for me and this book is just as good as camp damascus. He has an authentic perspective on medias outlook on the lgbtq+ community and his voice is important.

A really great book, grappling with issues of representation and the algorithm as people's identities become more and more marketing tools. I really enjoyed the shifting formats with the screenplay chapters, and getting to see glimpses of both the main character's past and his horror creations alongside the main storyline. I also loved the easter egg of Camp Damascus! Looking forward to more Chuck Tingle books.

Bury Your Gays follows Misha, a gay Hollywood scriptwriter that is being pressured to essentially not make his characters gay (or bury them) in his series finale.

(spoilers follow)

This was a super interesting concept that was executed really well. I love stories where imaginary things come to life and it was especially interesting to how each monster related to Misha’s personal life. I wasn’t expecting the technology aspect of it but I really enjoyed it especially considering the relevancy of A.I. in creative spaces, as well as queer erasure in media. The monsters are greattttt and their powers are so fun (the plane scene especially had me so stressed!!) Misha was a really interesting protagonist and I also enjoyed his found family. Tara and Zeke were both super fun additions to the cast but I do wish more was done with them.

Will definitely be recommending this book to everyone around me and thinking about it for a long time!! I love queer horror!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I absolutely loved this book. This book had such good themes but was also so creepy. It gives American Horror Story and Black Mirror, and I love both of those shows.

This book touched on representation of the LGBTQ+ community in entertainment, which I think is such an important topic. Not only is there not enough representation in mainstream film and television, but when it is represented, it’s often so over exaggerated and stereotypical that it’s borderline appropriation. It’s also often exploited for profit. Which was also mentioned in this book.

I thought Misha’s horror monsters based on traumatic childhood experiences were so creepy and clever. This book was so well written and the scene descriptions were so detailed, I could picture the monsters clearly. Definitely nightmare fuel.

I could go on about all of powerful themes in this book but I don’t want to spoil. 🤫

This book was scary, entertaining, and just an all around wild ride and I highly recommend.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for this gifted advance copy!

A big thank you to Chuck Tingle, Tor Publishing, and Netgalley for the ARC!

3.75 rounded up! Chuck Tingle as an author and person has intrigued me for a really long time, so I was curious to get my hands on one of his queer horror books. I also know the tingleverse has some...interesting stories and series so I figured we could go off the rails with this one. While some of the twists and turns were a little over the top and definitely out there, I feel like the writing was genuine and had a lot to say about queer erasure, capitalism, and the rise of AI in movies and television. I also related to the main character Misha more than I ever thought I would as a queer horror enjoyer. Some of the tangents he went on felt like they were pulled straight from my brain. Additionally, I felt like the monsters were super creative, fleshed out, and just plain creepy. They, along with the climax of the book, added a lot to the originality of the story that I couldn't help but enjoy because I've never read anything quite like it. Like the horror movies written by the main character, it leans WAY into camp and in a way, feels cinematic for doing so. I'm super interested in the rest of Chuck Tingle's writing and really look forward to seeing more from this author in the future. I feel as though I've been burned before in a lot of modern horror, but I feel comfortable and confident here in the Tingleverse.

I thought this book was fantastic. I couldn't;t put it down. The layers of social commentary woven throughout the novel were equally hopeful and horrific. This was the first I have read from this author and am excited to go back and read his previous novel.

I can't believe I forgot to write the review for this! Curse my ADHD brain!!!
Anyways, I really loved this book. A somewhat meta horror book set in Hollywood about a gay screenwriter who's creepiest villains come to life and try to kill him? Sign me up. Also that first death with the piano? I have never actually gasped/laughed at the same time before but now I can say I have. Horrifying and morbidly hilarious.
Anyways, I loved Misha, his little jaded and yet still slightly hopeful underneath it all heart. The little flashes of backstory throughout the novel helped round out his character and explain a lot about his creations as we were being introduced to them. I also loved what Tingle had to say about corporate greed, AI and technology, and certain blindspots these big machines might have when it comes to overlooked demographics (that twist at the end especially made me laugh). I love how good Tingle is at genuinely creeping me out with both psychological and body horror in a variety of ways that I both do and don't see coming. He is so brilliantly inventive that I'm always eager to see what he has up his sleeve next. I can't wait for the next one.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my second Chuck Tingle (I previously read Camp Damascus). I enjoyed the horror aspect of Bury Your Gays (the ghost in the basement scene was SPOOKY and that black lamb?!) but overall I was slightly disappointed with this one.

I’m not a huge fan of the L.A. scene so I enjoyed the flashbacks to Misha’s childhood and when he went back to Montana for the reunion better. I liked the overall message and intention behind the story.

But I was a little confused or just didn’t fully connect to the reveal/explanation on the monsters coming to life.

Despite my few issues, I would definitely still recommend Bury Your Gays to horror fans and will pick up more of the author’s future works. The writing is really good and Tingle makes characters amazingly well.

Bury Your Gays: A Bloody, Biting Satire of Hollywood Horror

Chuck Tingle's "Bury Your Gays" is a wild, wickedly funny, and surprisingly poignant horror novel that skewers the entertainment industry's obsession with tired tropes and its callous disregard for marginalized voices.

Misha, an actor on the cusp of stardom, finds himself caught in a nightmare when studio executives demand the death of his show's gay characters. His refusal sparks a chain of events that blurs the lines between reality and the horror films he once starred in, as monstrous creatures begin to stalk him and his friends.

Tingle's writing is sharp and satirical, delivering a biting commentary on Hollywood's exploitative practices and the real-life consequences of the "bury your gays" trope. But amidst the blood and guts, there's also a heartwarming story about friendship, resilience, and the power of fighting for what you believe in.

"Bury Your Gays" is a must-read for horror fans and anyone who's ever felt marginalized by the entertainment industry. It's a thrilling, thought-provoking, and ultimately hopeful tale that will leave you cheering for the underdogs and questioning the monsters lurking behind the silver screen.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ebook copy in exchange for an honest review!

LOVED this story! My only complaint was that it was a little too up and down of the same thing. But, ultimately, it wasn't enough to spoil my enjoyment! Highly entertaining!

"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