by Chuck Tingle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
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.
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My rating: 5 of 5 stars
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.
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1 comment:
Okay, I'll add this to my to-read-list, that's not the issue, but...what's up with this author?! Not just the pink mask stuff, but he writes THIS and also 'Trans Wizard Harriet Porber', which (by the cover of it) looks like the worst/best kind of parody fan fiction ever? I'm intrigued, I'm very intrigued...
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