I mean, wow! Bury Your Gays is quite literal. This was such a unique, fresh novel and I can’t wait to see more horror from Chuck Tingle. Never once did we know what was going to happen. I am wholly impressed. The audiobook was one of the best, on par with Maeve Fly. Be on the lookout for the narration of one CREEPY character. This will be a forever recommendation!

Chuck Tingle's Bury Your Gays is a peculiar blend of horror, comedy, and social commentary that's as unsettling as it is entertaining. The novel follows a struggling screenwriter as he navigates the treacherous waters of Hollywood, where queer characters seem to be marked for demise.

Tingle's signature brand of campy humor is on full display, with over-the-top dialogue and absurd situations that will leave readers questioning their sanity. Yet, beneath the layers of absurdity lies a scathing critique of the film industry's treatment of LGBTQ+ representation. The novel effectively highlights the trope of "bury your gays" and its harmful impact on queer visibility.

While the plot may be predictable at times, Tingle's ability to blend horror and humor keeps readers engaged. The narrative takes unexpected turns, and the climax is both shocking and satisfying. However, the novel's message could have been explored more deeply, and some characters feel underdeveloped.

Overall, Bury Your Gays is a thought-provoking read that offers a unique perspective on the challenges faced by queer artists in the entertainment industry. Tingle's ability to entertain while addressing serious issues is commendable, making this novel a must-read for fans of horror, comedy, and social commentary

"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

Thank you to Chuck Tingle , the publishers,editors, agents and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audio book for a honest review.
Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle is a wild ride from beginning to end. If you loved his other horror books this one won't disappoint.
Before I review the book its self I wanted to make a few comments on the audio book.
Everyone involved in he making of the audio book for Bury Your Gays have something pretty special here. This book made me fall in love with audiobooks again. The quality of this production is off the charts. The line delivery gave me chills at times. I also want to mention I know this has nothing to do with the audio book and everything to do with the app, but it took me several attempts to download and play before it worked. I almost gave up but I am glad I didn't.
Now to talk about the book. I think this book did something truey revolutionary here. It took the way the film industry treats lgbt+ people and painted such wonderful and emotional metaphors that demand your attention.
There were alot of twists I didn't see coming and when they came to fruition I was nearly brought to tears .This book may be horror but it does alot.of healing.in between scaring you.
Time for the more spoilery feelings don't read past this point if you don't want spoilers.
I love how each of the monsters were a deep reflection of Misha's trauma and lived experience . Its very true to life at least in my experience that sometimes your most vivid horrorible memories do become points of inspiration. Its truly harrowing to think of someone using that knowledge against you in a personal way but seeing your trauma you re-contextualized for your own self healing is absolutely horrific. Made me nauseous! Loved it!
His boyfriend and best friend steal the show at times. I love them so much. Its nice to see such a loving and supportive gay couple.shown outside of YA. They feel so real and you root for them the whole way.
Then there is Tara... probably my favorite character in a book this year. I don't know what would have happened to the guys without her. Also this is the most refreshing take on a asexual character I have seen in a while. If could give an extra star for her I would.
I also think this book handled all of its harder subject manner well. I think some books get swept up in it and accidently forget the humanity in their characters but Bury Your Gays really stuck the landing with its balance and unrelenting hope and resilience even in the darkest moments.
I can't wait to pick up a physical copy for my shelf and hand to my partner to read.

Thank you so much to the publisher for a #gifted copy and audiobook!

The story follows gay filmmaker, Misha, whose requests to keep his two gay characters alive are shut down by the corporate snakes of Hollywood. Misha remains persistent and refuses to participate in corporate profiting of silencing the LGBTQIA voice, which in turn unleashes a fury of deadly consequences aimed at Misha and those closest to him.

WORDS CANNOT EXPRESS HOW MUCH I LOVED THIS BOOK! I just want to SCREAM at the top of my lungs that you need to READ THIS BOOK ASAP!!! Only a genius writer like Chuck Tingle can weave in important social commentary on Hollywood hypocrisy, capitalism profiting off erasing marginalized voices, AI further silencing freedom of expression - all these current themes and yet make the entire book one helluva entertaining story.

If you’re concerned about the level of horror, there’s some blood, gore and violence but they’re all conduits to the more important topics above that Chuck addresses to his readers. If you can handle a bit of horror, do not pass this one up!

I also highly recommend the audiobook with a great cast and cameo appearances from other authors! My heart leaped with joy listening to @stephengrahamjones and hope he will consider more narrations! 👀

I looooooved this book so much I had to pick up a physical copy for my shelf the day it came out!!! No notes.the audiobook was FANTASTIC!

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A solid adventure at the intersection of horror, queerness, social commentary, and storytelling.

The story mentions a lot of in-universe horror media and characters that really showcase the author's creativity and make the world feel like it has depth. The horror elements are done well and with variety, so not just endless gruesome descriptions or just anxious anticipation or just cosmic horror. It is a nice combination and homage to the horror genre. I had a very visceral, cringing reaction to the gruesome bits, so the author is successful in getting that imagery across in text.

The book explores a lot of themes with finesse: being queer, coming out, consumerism of stories (particularly queer stories, both in general and in horror), the unfettered capitalistic hellscape that commodifies everything, creativity as an outlet, art vs capitalism, and the ways these things interweave with each other.

Even though I knew by the end what purpose the scenes told in third person serve, at first they were really confusing and ultimately seem like a complicated and tangential method for getting to that story point. The audiobook full-cast narration with sound effects gives those scenes a lot of weight that didn't pan out into anything substantial story-wise. Otherwise the audiobook narration is very good.

The author uses the word ""questioned"" instead of ""asked"" for probably every single instance of those question dialogue tags, which sounds strange to my ear and jarred me out of the book a little every time. There is a lot of Misha referring to characters as ""my boyfriend"" or ""my friend"" in the narration, which also sounds strange and weakens the writing a bit.*

I got hooked into the story and characters pretty early. I read through the book fairly quickly because the momentum caught me up and I just had to know what happened next. The journey was worthwhile and satisfying and made me reflect on the themes mentioned above. If you're a horror fan this book fits the bill, and if you're not normally a horror fan (I'm not), this book is a good entryway into the genre.

You might like this if you like: The Newsflesh series by Mira Grant

*Edit: Chuck Tingle posted that characters referring to people by tags like "my boyfriend" and "my friend" reflects how many autistic people think. I learned something new and am glad of it.

The amazing Chuck Tingle does it again!! I can't say enough about this, and I especially loved the audio.

I recently listened to the audiobook for Bury Your Gays during a long drive and absolutely devoured it. The narration and production were top-notch and really added to the overall atmosphere and experience of the book.

Bury Your Gays is one of those stories that grabs you right from the start. Our main character, Misha, has been grinding away as a writer in Hollywood for years and is finally seeing some success. Then his studio boss drops a bombshell: Misha needs to kill off the two main characters in his TV show as soon as they confess their love for each other (basically, he’s told to bury his gays). When Misha refuses, he suddenly finds himself with a target on his back, and monsters from his old horror movies start showing up to haunt him.

I'm not usually into horror, but this book had just the right amount of creepiness without going overboard. I was hooked the whole way through and was both surprised and delighted with the reveal at the end.

That said, some of the characters, including Misha, felt a bit one-dimensional at times. I wish they had been fleshed out more. Also, the ending felt a little rushed—I would have loved an extra chapter or two to let things come together more smoothly.

Overall, I highly recommend Bury Your Gays if you want a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end!

An absolute masterpiece that proves love is real and the validity of the queer experience. This was some of the most unnerving violence I have read to date and I couldn’t stop reading any of it. (The broken don stuff was just INSANE). I also thought the AI angle was incredibly well thought out and clever. (As well as horrifying). Now, the Asexual representation, Tara was probably hands down my FAVORITE thing about this entire novel. (I mean, there was an awful lot I loved) but EVERYTHING about Tara just felt like a warm hug and someone I fiercely love, look up to and admire. I hope everyone has a Tara in their life. Once again, Bless Chuck for giving us another novel so authentic and unabashedly queer and full of queer authenticity, struggles and joy.

Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle is a wildly entertaining listen. I also have the physical copy and plan to read it as well. Very entertaining!


Thank you NetGalley & MacMillan Audio for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Bury Your Gays is a poignant horror story illuminating the artifice of queer representation in mainstream media. I found the descriptive violence to be quite gruesome at parts, but the author-protagonist rejects a tragic ending for his characters and himself by trusting and communicating with his found-family. The main character coming out publicly is a central element of the conflict resolution.

I finally got around to listening to this book and it was such a fun time. I love the way Chuck Tingle's books flow, he has such a fun writing style. I loved the concept, I loved the characters. It was gory it was weird and so chaotic I really really enjoyed my time listening to it!

I loved the way the audiobook was done, there were many different narrators for specific scenes which I always love and appreciate as a reader.

Thank you so much Netgalley for a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

I finally finished it! I've been a fan of Chuck Tingle since "Camp Damascus". I do not purchase books unless I have already read and love them, but in two books Tingle has become one of those reliably great authors that I trust enough to buy a copy as soon as the book comes out.

"Camp Damascus" and "Bury Your Gays" both are very personal stories, but "Bury Your Gays" has a righteous anger to it about not just disappointing queer representation in media but also last year's writers and actors strikes that just felt so cathartic. I loved the way that he tied in each of the monsters to the moments that inspired them was great to see and I love the way that having that variety of monsters made so much room for different kinds of horror. There were multiple scenes that were just so visually striking that I know they are going to be stuck in my head for years to come they were so well done. No spoilers, but the scene with a thematically appropriate 80s needle drop has me both cackling and shuddering.

I read this both as a book and an audio book and I have to applaud the audio book for not just great narration but also for the segments that featured a full cast. The production value using sound effects and background audio was great enough, but the cast list of horror authors as voice actors was an insane choice. My only regret was that I have not heard enough of them speak to be able to identify who played what part.

Overall, great book that I will definitely recommend not just to people looking for queer horror but also the "cursed movie" sub-genre.

Thank you netgalley for the free eaudiobook in exchange for a honest review.

I really loved this! I think on a normal day, this would be a 4 star read but I’ve had a lot going on and it really put me in the anxiety of this book! The threats were big and inescapable, but the heroes were bigger!
The audiobook was produced with so much care and energy, it really elevated the story.

Who knew that Hollywood could be so freaking horrific? Tingle obviously does and he takes that horror, creates an enormous monster of a tale, sears it into your brain, then leaves you feeling like you just watched the best horror flick you've ever fucking seen. Scary AF, raw and unhinged, and one of the best books this Summer.

Our main character, is a not quite out of the closet, horror screenwriter who is told to kill off his gay characters in this major hit show. After refusing, his creepypasta, cosmic horror characters start showing up in real life and folks start dying. He's fumbling in his relationship with his boyfriend because nobody at home knows the real Misha, and apart from trying not to die or let his friends die, he's up for a huge award. Like the fucking award, the biggest award! I'm not going to give it all away but just know, you won't see this shit coming! The ending is an impeccable finale that will make you want to recommend this read to everyone you know!

A whip-smart satire of the entertainment industry with a unique voice and incredibly dynamic and loveable characters. Tingle deposits somewhat dystopian Hollywood landscape with a Lynchian flair and earnestness. This creepy plot feels like an X-Files episode in the very best way.

It’s been a long time since I went into a book with relatively moderate expectations and came out blown away!! I just read the last 70% of this book within 24 hours. I couldn’t put it down. After flipping the last page I feel out of breath!!
Chuck Tingle has taken a (mostly) closeted gay man’s story in Hollywood and turned it into a Stephen King, Michael Crichton, Blake Crouch sci-fi, horror, contemporary thriller!

What’s more, this book has a clear message, stop killing off all the gays! This resonates for me as a bi-sexual woman who first saw Willow and Tara kiss on screen, and then was horrified by the storyline being crushed only ONE episode later. ONE! They couldn’t let us have happiness for our lesbian ladies for more than a week or two (between airing shows) and for less time than it takes to watch the average rom-com. These types of stories are STILL being told 25 years later. We STILL see token gay characters written out in media (of all kinds) relatively frequently. Tingle has written the perfect aesthetic of horror, love, the question of existence (AI anyone?), and technology together to take the reader on the ride of their life AND give us a message worth shouting from the heights of the Hollywood sign; queer is here!

I want to say everything and yet nothing about the major plot points of Bury Your Gays! I went in fairly blind and I recommend that for everyone. Be aware it’s horror, there are some very squeamish, gory moments (I did have to stop listening to the audio and go to my ebook as I couldn’t stand the descriptions and ‘noises’ of the narrator, done so well but too much for my sensibilities), actual gays (who may or may not die), and a King/Crichton plot to ensnare you in for the duration. Seriously, be ready to read this all the way through from 30% on. You’ve been warned!

I know I NEED to see a movie adaptation of this; and yet it might be too scary for me to do so, lol. I’m so glad my horror buff husband has gotten me into horror since COVID started. Knowing horror’s many tropes helped me understand some of the dark humour, and nods to the past that are here. It is not necessary to pick-up on them, but it does add to the surrealism of the story.

I really didn’t think anyone would rival Blake Crouch and be worthy of the Crichton, King banner this decade. Let me tell you I was wrong! I feel the same, yet different, but equally blown away by Bury Your Gays as I did after reading Dark Matter (Crouch), Prey (Crichton), any of King’s older works, and all of Mira Grant’s (love her!) worthy contributions to horror. There’s the perfect amount of everything in this novel; just as I believe those authors have done before. Watch out for some possible Easter eggs to those who came before within these pages.

I suspect Tingle has more in store for us of this nature, and I’ve already put Camp Damascus on my TBR to see if it started there. All I know is this is a mystery man that can write! It may be worth noting that a key message in Bury Your Gays is about coming out and being your true self; an irony I can’t help but chuckle at given Tingle is a pseudonym and we don’t really know anything much about the writer himself.
Hey Chuck! My message to you, after you’ve given me so many great messages in this book, is Practice what you Preach! (Lol).

Okay stop reading this blabbering review and go get Bury your Gays! Be ready for twists, turns, horrors, coming outs (in so many unique ways, heh), and a dash of love that helps keep some of our characters just stable enough to crawl away stunned, like I am after finishing this novel.

On a personal note: this will be adds to my physical bookshelf in the near future and I will be forcing my husband to read it. Just like I did after reading Dark Matter. It’s that damn good!

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

This one was FUN and gory, and brought the dread. I loved the audio and couldn’t stop listening as Misha’s past horror characters came to life and started stalking him. Bury Your Gays is an amazing portrayal of gay characters in media, and how they are often pigeon-holed into specific tropes and endings.

The writing in this one was incredible and while Camp Damascus has been on my TBR since its release - it absolutely moved up the list after listening to this one. I loved the portrayal of big media in this novel and the futuristic AI elements (that don’t seem too outrageous in our current times,) were really well done.

Check this one out if you like movies, horror, AI, and Hollywood!

**Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Nightfire, and Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this incredible title!**

This story was so easy to stay engaged with. I'm really enjoying this pivot in Chuck Tingle's career!