I adored this book! So thrilling, charming and really quite scary! The theming on this book is wonderful, the Hollywood setting, the gaze on the hypocrisy of the film industry, the deadline of the Oscar’s ceremony. I love books around Hollywood and the film industry and will read any I can and this is a new favourite! After finishing it two separate people got a full ten minute rundown of why this book is brilliant and how much it surprised me.

The way the writer’s previous work (the main character) was seamlessly integrated into the horror narrative was so exciting. I don’t want to say too much to avoid spoilers, but the way his own work was used against him felt so menacing and I loved getting to explore his back catalogue. It reminded me a little of Night Film where we get these little looks into fictional films and I just loved it! The tension and jeopardy built so steadily and skilfully and when the writer finds out what’s going on it was so clever and just completely wowed me. Some of the horror interactions were so creepy! One on a plane in particular gave me chills.

I loved the supportive relationship with Zeke and the wholesome friendship with Tara. The way these relationships created a North Star for the character and gave him strength and hope was just beautiful. I thought the author made some really smart choices here as it kept the menace laser focused but helped us understand our main character’s motivations. The book starts with our screenwriter MC getting ready to create a beautiful romantic moment in the series finale of his show Travellers between two female main characters and being told he either has to make them straight or kill them off. Having been disappointed by the lack of representation when he was growing up, he wants to celebrate queer love and is put in a horrible position by the production company. He doesn’t realise to what extent they’ll go to get what they want…. This is a scathing look at hypocrisy, homophobia and the unchecked drive for profit at all cost.

First book I’ve read from this author, after finishing it, I immediately bought his early work. I loved this so much and I’m going to recommend it to anyone I can!

4.5 stars rounded up

This is one of those books where I love it so much I can either sputter incoherently or write and entire essay about it. For everyone’s sake I’m going to avoid the latter, so in short: the awareness and subversion of media tropes around queerness was well-executed and… validating? The relationships between Misha and his boyfriend and best friend were a memorable bright spot. The commentary on capitalism and AI was very on point. Misha’s memories of 90s homophobia were painful and real. I absolutely loved the way Tara’s asexuality was handled.

The half a star is deducted because I wasn’t quite clear on how the ‘impact of the stalkers’ plotline was resolved - to avoid spoilers I’ll just say that Misha makes a ~big gesture~ and that seems to fix it? But I didn’t understand why.

4.5 stars rounded up

Bury Your Gays centres on Misha, a gay screenwriter with a back catalog of queer horror. On the surface, things are great - Oscar nomination, successful tv show, loving boyfriend and friends - but the queer horrors of todays society are looming over him as the producers pressure him to kill of his queer leads in the season finale and he is not publicly out, even though it's the worst kept secret. Misha refuses to bow to the pressure, preparing to enter a legal battle over his show and fighting against the "bury your gays" trope, when the very queer horrors he has written leave the fictional world and destroy Misha's.

Bury Your Gays is littered with familiar, relatable, yet still heartbreaking horrors of existing as a queer person in our world. Flashbacks to his childhood are brimming with terror lest his queerness be discovered alongside a deep yearning for love and acceptance, for anyone to truly care for him. Tingle weaves a familiar story of the pervasive monsters we experience and how they continue to impact us years later, probably for the rest of our lives. Aside from the unfortunate horrors of reality, we're treated to the mystery of fictional horror villains come real life threats. Initially thought to be an elaborate prank then a surreal threat from the production company, the fear mounts throughout the book with effective pacing for the most part. You begin to feel the anxiety and creeping dread as the clock counts down to Misha's foretold death. I enjoyed the villains, and I would have liked more of them (both in quantity and frequency). Once the source is revealed, I felt it lost much of the suspense. It was a pretty interesting concept, but it lost most of the horror for me. The Oscars was also swift and the solve almost too easy, when the whole book has been leading to this moment. The final scene had a poetic quality, fulfilling a years long pursuit. The ending is bittersweet, but maybe it's hope for the future, hope for a better world that doesn't hate us or profit from our pain. I like to think that the name of his queer leads calls back to queer characters we've lost to "bury your gays", and gives us an alternative reality where maybe they were happy. Maybe they lived. Maybe queer joy is possible, profitable, palatable, and even pleasurable for the masses. I think this one was for us.

I do have two tiny notes of negativity: the pacing/horror after the truth behind the IRL fictional characters fell away and god does he use the phrase "caustic noise" a shit tonne. Otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters were great, I loved the relationships, the representstion, and the mounting terror combined with significant moments from Misha's life shaping him into who he is now, still carrying that fear of being discovered but desperately trying to do better - all fantastic. As mentioned, I would've liked more 'monster' horror but it balanced things pretty well. I hope we can have more queer stories, especially horror. Let's be scared of monsters in the closet, not of coming out of it. Queer people have always existed and they always will, and we deserve to see ourselves reflected in media in all of the ways we exist, being human. I won't harp on echoing Misha's call to the world but this was truly great. Thank you to netgalley for the arc.

a queer horror book unlike anything I've ever read before! it's super queer & super anticapitalist & filled with gore and heart and commentary on how queer people are treated in the media and I wish I could say more but I'd spoil the fun (and it's lots of fun!). I definitely still prefer camp damascus but this is SO good.

thanks to netgalley for an arc, out on July 16th! <3

Guys, gals, and NB pals - Chuck's done it again!
After reading Camp Damascus, I was very excited for whatever came next, and I was not disappointed. Bury Your Gays follows a Hollywood scriptwriter, Misha, as he finds himself navigating three horrible scenarios: the studio asking him to kill off his two gay leads because queer tragedy sells more; his own experience as a gay man who hasn't fully disclosed his sexuality (as he puts it, "Los Angeles out, not Montana out"); and a third, more horrible and gruesome scenario that I won't spoil for you.
Suffice to say, this book delivers as an LGBTQ+ story, as an analogy for corporate greed, and as a horror story. If after this you're still on the fence, hear me out: ACE REP. Hope that sorts it out for you!

Firstly a massive thanks to Titan Books and NetGalley for my eArc of this one!

Tragedy is inevitable. Fortunately, so is joy.

‘Love is real’, the phrase synonymous with author Chuck Tingle is so much more than a mantra, slogan or hashtag, and his latest novel ‘Bury Your Gays’ is the embodiment of the fearless, uncorrupted pledge of emotion that it truly represents. It is not a statement to be marketed, monetised and mass replicated, but instead to be felt wholly – a declaration of joy and peace in a world so often stripped of authenticity. ‘Bury Your Gays’ stands as a bastion of hope, a reminder that no matter how far the world seems to drift away from what it truly means to be human, love will always stand in opposition, a sprinkling of magic that no computer can replicate.

‘Bury Your Gays’ contends itself with dangerously relevant issues in 2024 day-to-day life. Anyone who spends any amount of time analysing, consuming, or creating art most likely views Artificial Intelligence less so now with a sceptic eye and more so through a lens of existential terror. I can only describe it as a multiple-headed beast that seems to be growing additional heads by the minute. Our main character Misha, a Hollywood scriptwriter recently nominated for his first Oscar, lives in a world where those with all the power believe that art and commerce have become one and the same (sound familiar?). The crux of the novel centres around the tussle between Misha’s own creative ideas, stories, and characters born through real life experiences and emotions, and plot directions produced by a computer with the single intention of optimising profit. When Misha refuses to accept that his gay protagonists be killed off, as apparently ‘queer tragedy sells’, matters quickly devolve into chaos.

‘Bury Your Gays’ offers a cautionary tale about being careful what you bring into the world. Just because you could, it does not mean that you should. AI is an all-consuming and dominating presence throughout the story, like a plague sweeping across the lands. It was difficult to read without feeling as if Chuck Tingle is a prophetic being, able to predict our near future, such was the startlingly real possibility to many of the challenges faced by Misha. The story is Frankenstein-esque in relation to creator/ creation relationships. Misha is forced to reckon with creations both of his own hand and of AI, that both grow out of his control in a way that cleverly blurs the lines between fiction, reality and his personal trauma that blends the two together.

Not solely because of the recent rise of AI, ‘Bury Your Gays’ is a timely novel in its relation to pride month. Tingle has created a magical story here that is powered by authenticity, and this is reflected in how queer representation is treated throughout the novel. There is often so much cynicism around queer representation in media and the role that disingenuous commercial profiteering plays in the celebration of pride. ‘Bury Your Gays’ explores this matter with eloquence and humour, but what Tingle also does is show exactly why representation is so important. Tingle shows how characters are more than just figures on a screen or words on the page, they are real life role models that come to life and show you who you really are.

In the same vein of discussing characters that embody authenticity, I would be remiss in discussing this novel without touching on the relationships at the heart of the story. Misha, his best friend Tara, and partner Zeke are the light in this story of looming dark. It would have been easy for Tingle to apply the typical trope where those closest to Misha do not believe his stories of seemingly supernatural events, and so we have the arduous task of enduring as Misha eventually convinces them of the truth. There is none of that. Tara and Zeke believe Misha because why would they not believe the person they love? Sometimes it can be that simple. That is not to say that Tingle portrays unrealistically perfect relationships. Misha has a complex relationship with his own sexuality tied up in the scripts that he writes, and this does create moments of disconnect with Zeke. But like real, genuine people who want to make something last, they attempt to work through it together. My only regret finishing this story was that I could not spend any more time with these wonderful people all together.

In ‘Bury Your Gays’ Chuck Tingle offers a defence for authenticity, for horror, and most importantly for love. Tingle’s argument is raw, it is heartfelt and most of all it is honest to himself. In a piece of art, bared from the soul and unregulated, we have a combination that will in my humble opinion, always remain undefeated.

Rounded up from 4.5 stars

This book gives you exactly what you want from a queer horror called Bury Your Gays. It's got a little bit of everything in it too and it really keeps you on your toes. It gives slasher vibes and then gives you so much more. Chuck Tingle really knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat and tense the whole way through. And you'll never see where it's going.

I really loved the characters as well. The way the story weaves Misha's past and journey with being open about his queer identity with the main plot was so well done and so important. We need more queer horror like this.

Chuck Tingle, the publishing enigma, does it again!

Bury Your Gays is many things, but primarily it is both a love-letter and a battle cry, a manifesto of ultimate resistance.
And you know what? It's also a hell of a lot of fun.

We have here the story of Misha, gay scriptwriter in a very recognizable hollywood. He is being pressured to change the script for his hit TV show, to make it, well, palatable. And Misha himself has a history of not sticking to his guns, of not being open and honest about who he is. When suddenly monsters from his own stories seem to begin harassing him, his boyfriend (bisexual icon Zeke) and best friend (ace-'queero' Tara) he has to fit back, but the gruesome horror goes deeper than he could ever imagine...

This book is a huge amount of fun, clearly written by someone who loves and has deep knowledge and appreciation of Horror as a genre. Tingle references iconic killers, and franchises and dashes in a few of his own creations (Mrs Why - did give me nightmares). Gory and camp, and interspersed with moments of true tenderness, as well as recognition of how much horror comes from trauma, or can be used as a means of dealing with trauma, I really enjoyed the fast pace, and the balance between flashbacks/memories and the current day action.
The reason I called it a manifesto is because it is very very obvious what social, political and cultural ills Tingle is addressing. From the mention of writers strikes (so fresh in our memory) to what hell-scapes AI has in store for the creative industries, to the message of queer rights and acceptance (which does include asexuality!). The thing about Tingle I have come to enjoy is that there is no hiding what he is trying to say. He writes accessibly, with conviction and heart. And it's a really refreshing voice in this part of fiction. The dark is never too dark, even if the social-ills and the gore can be intense, if not overwhelming.

If I was to leverage a few small critiques at the book, it would be that occasionally the pace was nearly too fast, and we didn't get to fully explore characters, creatures and appreciate decisions and developments in the book, especially towards the end, I felt the big climax could have down with a bit of drawing out.

I have been a follower/fan of Chuck Tingle's for a while now, and was delighted when his first novel, Camp Damascus, came out last year (I have a signed bookplate, framed, on my shelf, thanks to a lovely friend). So I am delighted to have been given an early glimpse into this next fantastic roller coaster ride. Thank you Netgalley, Titan Books and of course Chuck Tingle for the honour!

The protagonist of Bury Your Gays is Misha, a successful queer horror screenwriter. Under the shadow of billboards for Broken Don, a movie in which the lead has been nominated for a posthumous Best Actor Oscar—the first in which the entire performance is AI-generated—Misha has just been told that he has to change the season finale of the hit TV show he's working on. Rather than the kiss scene he's been writing the two female leads towards for years, he's given an ultimatum: either lose his job, scrap the scene completely, or let it happen, then kill the characters off. Not wanting to partake in the titular trope, he refuses and waits for the axe to fall—but soon he begins seeing antagonists he's created in the past approach him in real life. Are they fans cosplaying a little too well? Is Misha losing his mind? Or is something more sinister underway?

I'm a huge cinephile, and the idea of a horror novel set in the industry immediately appealed to me. Add in the current zeitgeist around the use of artificial intelligence within Hollywood and an exploration of queer representation into the mix, and I was immediately sold. For me, Bury Your Gays lived up to its promise and then some—sometimes camp, sometimes getting very meta about the film industry, sometimes chilling, and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny—I found myself using every free minute to squeeze in one more chapter.

The conflict in the book, as well as being driven by malevolent external forces, is also very internal for Misha. Flashback chapters dotted throughout take us to a time in his childhood where his sexuality was explored, shunned, and more often than not punished. These are painful reads that inform his actions and motivations as an adult in the bulk of the story, but more importantly, they are heartbreakingly relatable, and no doubt they will be for so many that read this book. It feels more than a little like Tingle exorcising demons from his own past, and one in particular struck a real nerve for me, too. They're beautifully executed and as touching as anything I've read this year, while also serving as a reminder for creatives that burying your gays can have repercussions that ripple out through people's lives.

Despite these moments, the general vibe of the story leans towards a fun one. The antagonists range from almost OTT hilarious in their ways of hurting you to genuinely chilling, and it's a blast to follow the twists and turns through Misha's journey. For a lot of the read, I was wondering if this would be my favourite book of the year to date; the really good but not quite GREAT ending has left me feeling like it's fallen a little short of that title, but it's still right up there as one of the more entertaining reading experiences of 2024, and it's one that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to anyone interested.

There's no better way to end this than by echoing the overarching theme of the book—queer stories are important and should be told, but that doesn't mean only the traumatic ones. Embrace and support the stories and the writers that promote queer joy, too. As Tingle himself would put it, love is real, and it feels so real in Bury Your Gays.

Review: Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle
July 1, 2024 by George Dunn

Rating: 8.5/10

A novel that balances horror and heart, Chuck Tingle’s “Bury Your Gays,” is for anybody who has ever felt under-represented, overlooked or ignored. Throughout this anti-capitalist, queer, “Hollywood horror,” Chuck pulls on heartstrings, churns stomachs and causes fits of laughter between grimaces. “Bury Your Gays,” has certainly earned its place amongst Tingle’s other titles (sitting proudly betwixt “Helicopter Man Pounds Dinosaur Billionaire Ass,” and “My Ass Is Haunted By The Gay Unicorn Colonel,”) and I can not wait to see how he proves that LOVE IS REAL next.

I've been trying to think of a good way to sum this book up descriptively, but the best way I can think to put it is just that I really, really liked it. I loved the concept, and I think it's probably one of the best horror books I've ever read, because it's just close enough to the way reality seems to be headed that it's terrifyingly easy to imagine it being real.

Bury Your Gays is a spectacular indictment of Hollywood in a way that doesn't even try to be subtle, and I enjoyed every page of it. Every new revelation just made the story even more compelling. It was brilliant, watching the mystery unravel, each new piece of information more fascinating and terrible than the last. Everything tied back into the narrative, and I loved being able to see how things had been hinted at before they were revealed. Not to mention that in just a few pages, Chuck Tingle managed to perfectly and painfully capture the experience of being queerbaited in a way that felt all too familiar to me.

I was rather ambivalent on Tara for most of the book, mostly because I only ever see aroace characters included rarely and even when they are, I have long since learned not to get my hopes up. She wasn't around much for a while and her introduction seemed to be setting her up as the best friend who's great at relationship advice because she isn't attracted to people herself, and not much else. By the end, though, I have to say I wouldn't change a thing about her or her role in the story. And she's right. There are never any asexual heroes. But I'm very glad Tara was there and was aroace in this book.

There were a few things in the book that initially confused me, parts that, when getting further on in the book, I was beginning to doubt would ever be satisfactorily resolved. I never should have doubted, though. Not only did it all tie together in the end, when I finally had the eureka moment it came with the thrilling realisation that things were even more screwed up than I had speculated them to be.

Bury Your Gays really is an excellent book, and I very strongly recommend it to any fan of queer horror, or horror in general. I would say that it was better than Camp Damascus, but it's more that it appealed to what I enjoy more. So if you weren't sold on Chuck Tingle after reading Camp Damascus, this book has a rather different atmosphere, and one that I certainly preferred, so it's worth giving it a shot. And if you haven't read any Chuck Tingle yet, you should rectify that as soon as possible. If you ask me, you should start here.

Wow! Ich habe es geliebt!
Dies ist nicht nur eine fantastische Horrorgeschichte mit großartigen Elementen von psychologischem Terror und Gore, sondern auch eine vielschichtige Geschichte über die Gier von Unternehmen und die Zensur, fast schon Auslöschung, von Queers.
Man braucht viel Talent, um ernsthaft über solch schwere Themen zu schreiben und dabei trotzdem unterhaltsam zu sein.

In "Bury Your Gays," Misha, a jaded Hollywood scriptwriter, has seen it all: toxic personalities, coverups, structural barriers to reform, and even CGI resurrections of dead actors. Just as he's nominated for his first Oscar, Misha faces pressure from producers to kill off a gay character in the upcoming season finale "for the algorithm." The same day, he witnesses the gruesome death-by-piano of treasured yet notorious animator Raymond Nelson.

Despite his success, Misha realizes it isn't the answer to everything. With support from his best friend, Tara, a paranoid database queen, and his boyfriend, Zeke, Misha must confront his traumatic childhood and past mistakes. In an industry that casually discards talent, finding a way to do what's right proves perilous. "Bury Your Gays" weaves a compelling narrative of navigating personal and professional ethics in a cutthroat world.

3,5 stars rounded up.
Misha works in Hollywood and he is one step closer to getting an Oscar.
His creations haunt him as well as his past.
The breakdown of my thoughts into categories are as follows
Concept 4/5
Themes 4/5 (great/inclusive LGBTQI+ representation, important topics, trauma, AI - at times felt too crowded)
Plot 3.5/5 (I expected more classic, gritty horror)
Tone 4/5 (witty)
Pacing 4/5
Plot 3.5/5
Characterisation 3/5

I would have liked a little more depth and layering.

Chuck Tingle, continues to captivate readers with his distinctive voice in the horror genre through Bury Your Gays. His latest masterpiece follows the journey of Misha, a character haunted by his past. Tingle’s exceptional talent is evident from the very first page, thanks to his unique writing style. Bury Your Gays is characterized by its unfiltered emotional depth and relentless fight for survival, leaving the reader feeling raw and battered. This novel offers a truly immersive and one-of-a-kind reading experience that sets it apart. Tingle’s powerful and unique voice is perfect for this compelling first-person narrative.

Tingle skillfully weaves together multiple themes to create a compelling exploration of how Hollywood has historically marginalized and suppressed gay narratives. What sets apart Bury Your Gays is Tingle’s unique incorporation of film script excerpts and poignant chapters. This not only adds a distinct flavour to the narrative but also creates a powerful and resonant reading experience.

While it is is a work of fiction,
Bury Your Gays powerfully addresses real-world issues such as the struggle for representation and the exaggerated impact of AI on this struggle. It serves as a potent metaphor for the challenges faced by marginalized voices in our society. Through Misha’s journey, Tingle sheds light on the real struggles many people encounter in their quest for acceptance and equality. Making Bury Your Gays a powerful and thought-provoking read.

Bury Your Gays also offers an intriguing investigation of what standing up for marginalized voices means. Both within the context of the story and in the broader societal perspective. It touches on the impact of artificial intelligence on the struggle for representation. Providing a thought-provoking exploration of what it takes to succeed when the odds are stacked against you. Misha’s journey powerfully represents the challenges many face in their pursuit of acceptance and equality.

Without a doubt, this book delivers a compelling commentary on the urgency of representation and the ongoing battle for acceptance. Despite its intense moments, Tingle’s exceptional storytelling makes it a transformative journey worth embarking on. If you desire a book that will challenge your viewpoints and leave a profound impact on how you view the world today, then it is a must-read.

We all know Chuck Tingle is a great writer. This is an author who, no matter what genre he is writing in, consistently proves love is real. Camp Damascus was excellent. Bury Your Gays is just as good. Misha is a scriptwriter who seemingly has everything laid out perfectly; his long running show is going well, and he’s been nominated for his first Oscar for a live short. He’s made his name in queer horror, even if he isn’t fully out of the closet.

But the board have run the numbers and having the two leads on his show out and proud won’t be profitable, so they ask that he kill off a gay character in the season finale. Misha is well aware of the usual treatment for queer characters, and pushes back. But when his own creations appear to torment him, Misha has to reckon with his past and his present, and his own status as a queer writer, to stop his monsters before it’s too late.

There’s a certain level of humour to Tingle’s work that always works so well, no matter what horrific events are taking place around the characters. He utilises a particular Hollywood weirdness here, contrasting the glitz and glamour with Misha’s inner turmoil. It really shines a spotlight on Hollywood and the treatment not just of queer characters, but anyone working for a studio, with a strong commentary on recent developments that feel like they prioritise ‘tech bros’ over creatives, and algorithms over actual real humans.

Without going into spoiler territory, I need to comment on something towards the end of the book – there is a chapter near the end which essentially would be recognisable to anyone who has attended a Pride event and felt it has gone down a too corporate route. It’s a point where things feel so deeply disturbing, even more than the events before it, and it reflects very real issues in how the ‘mainstream’ view queer creators, characters and even the ‘aesthetic’ of being queer. Like most things Tingle does, it’s incredibly clever, and yeah, exhausting – as a queer reader, you’re likely to feel as tired and exasperated by it as Misha does.

Bury Your Gays is due to hit shelves next month, and I think it’s really going to be one of the stand out books of the summer. When it is, it’ll be extremely well deserved.

Being in the splash zone when someone is Wile E. Coyote’d piano style isn’t the strangest thing that’s happened to Misha this week. He’s been nominated for an Oscar and he’s probably about to lose his job. Oh, and a bunch of the characters he’s written are out to get him. If he’d chosen any genre besides horror, this might not be quite as scary, but here we are.

Misha is dealing with the evils of AI in creative spaces and the unscrupulousness of the entertainment industry, with a good dose of past trauma intruding on the present thrown in for good measure.

“It’s no fun when your plotline goes sideways, is it?”

Supporting Misha through the ups, downs and ‘OMG, we’re gonna die!’ are his boyfriend, Zeke, who’s the kind of too good to be true that you really want to be true, and his aromantic and asexual best friend, Tara.

I loved Zeke and Tara in their supporting roles and spent much of my time with them hoping they wouldn’t be collateral damage. I needed more page time with Tara, though. There aren’t enough asexual characters, especially ones with personalities that bound off the page.

“They’ve got everyone up there besides an ace character,” she observes. “Every fucking time.”

Taking place in the same universe and after the events of Camp Damascus, this book has the body horror, the heart and the WTF that I was looking for.

I didn’t even attempt to try to figure out what was going on when the impossible started showing up. I was happy to sit back and enjoy the ride, and enjoy it I did. This was such a fun blend of ‘what’s going to happen next?’ and ‘I need to see that movie!’ I wanted to watch every TV series and movie described, even the crappy sequels. Especially the crappy sequels.

Best lamb ever!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Titan Books for the opportunity to read this book.

What a fascinating, clever horror read.

Loved the combination of horror elements like gore, death and monsters with real insightful, satirical commentary on social issues.

Such a great way to highlight the problems with Hollywood’s representation of queer people - queer baiting, killing them off and doing whatever they think will please the masses and make money. A great critic of capitalism and commercialising.

It also addresses AI and it’s super sinister! Allowed for some super creepy moments, but also helps to express how AI and technology can be such a hindrance to real expressive creativity and actual artists.

This is the kind of book I’m not sure I’d say I enjoyed as such. I was too on edge 🤣 But one I’m glad I read. So appreciate a book that can use a creative format to highlight and critic real issues in society. It was so appropriate and brilliant to use horror in this way, as the genre is known for having lots of queer coded elements. Will definitely try more from this author.

Misha is a scriptwriter in Hollywood, up for an Oscar for a short film and tying up the newest season of his TV show.

However, at Harold Brother's Studios, they have just released their first movie with an AI star, a perfect likeness of a recently deceased actor in a whole new film. And at the same time, Misha has a meeting about the finale of his show, which the execs at HBS really don't want to see the two leads get to live their gay lives together. They need more drama than that apparently. The studio asks Misha to change the ending or they will do it for him

Misha could not have anticipated just now far they would go with this threat, and when he starts being hunted by some of the horrors from his own movies, he now has bigger problems at hand... just how goes a guy screenwriter get through all this alive....

I really enjoyed this book, obviously dealing with some big issues but in a fun way. Also with some pretty decent creepy and yukky horror bits throughout, was squirming at a few points. With all the issues covered and horror themes, definitely check if this is one for you before reading

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan for the review copy, out in July so you've loads of time to preorder!

Bury Your Gays is a queer horror novel about a Hollywood screenwriter being forced to kill off his characters after they come out on screen, who discovers the industry isn't all it seems. Misha is being pressured to kill off his two agent characters by the studio, even though he's been nominated for his first Oscar and things seemed to be looking okay. The industry is bringing back actors using CGI and it seems as ruthless as ever. But when it seems like he's being followed by characters, Misha must enlist the help of his best friend Tara and boyfriend Zeke to work out what is really going on under the Hollywood glamour.

Having read Tingle's previous horror novel, Camp Damascus, I was intrigued to see what this one would bring. It starts with a gruesome death and some weird things going on, combining real-life-seeming struggles of creating queer work in Hollywood with the sinister sense of being followed by your own characters. There's some flashbacks to Misha's childhood that explore some of the trauma that has led to his current work, and those were some of the best bits of the book, giving emotional depth to a book that is often satirising to the point of ridiculousness, particularly by the end. The horror side becomes less scary and more of a fight for survival as the book goes on, with some fun twists and turns (one particularly gory scene was foreshadowed previously, and I liked how plot elements were woven in like that).

There are lots of obvious and less obvious references throughout, including a lot about artificial intelligence and deciding what content should be made based on algorithms. Near the end, this takes a twist that takes a biting look at what queer creator success might mean in a world obsessed with making money, though it is quite quickly resolved. I picked up that the earlier agent show was surely an X-Files reference, but it was only reading reviews afterwards that I noticed Misha's show feels like Supernatural (it's a very long time since I've seen an episode of SPN), and it is pretty hilarious to feel like a novel is based around the idea of being allowed to make a happy queer ending to that.

Tara and Zeke felt like promising characters who weren't really given enough space, though the ending makes it seem like that might be intentional to show Misha's own sense of being the main character and not always helping out other people. Misha's emotional connections to them and elements like him not being out in his hometown felt a bit forgotten later in the book, as it becomes much more focused on the "big bad" and ideas of AI and algorithms.

Bury Your Gays is a chaotic ride through queer Hollywood, as might be expected from Chuck Tingle. It's silly and overblown, but with some real emotional moments, and it makes some good points, even if at times it simplifies things down and removes nuance (as satirical horror often does). Personally, I like my horror with a bit more darkness and grit, but as the book itself says, there needs to be all sorts of queer stories and takes with genres.