The biggest of thank yous to NetGalley and Quirk Books for my E-arc of this novel!

Clay McLeod’s latest and most ambitious novel to date walks the tightrope. Reading this exceptionally unique and memorable story feels like a merging between the madness and absurdity of a fever dream and the horrors of a world all too real, all too startlingly familiar. This book is a living nightmare, and it is time to wake up and open your eyes.

‘Wake Up and Open Your Eyes’ splits nicely into three distinct parts, or as Clay puts it, ‘phases’. Phase One follows Noah Fairchild, who is forced home to check up on his parents, after becoming increasingly concerned with their obsession with conspiracy theories that they have seen online, culminating in days upon days of unmissed calls. Phase One sets the tone for the chaos that is to come, thrusting you into the insanity and holding you under. It feels like the cold open to a slasher that is never going to end, capturing the anticipation and adrenaline that these bloody scenes encompass and strapping them to your chest. The novel settles in at a break-neck pace that neither Noah nor the reader is ready for. We are starting from behind, trying to collect the pieces of a wreckage that we had no hope of preventing. We are slowly waking up and opening our eyes, but it is way too late.

On surface level, ‘Wake Up and Open Your Eyes’ seems singularly like a commentary on radicalisation, on the helplessness so many of us feel as our elders slip down dangerous, fascism-laced rabbit-holes that we cannot pull them out of. This is a starring aspect of the novel, and Phase Two of the novel is an in-depth examination into the process of radicalisation. The story observes how your typical happy family can fall apart in record time, and in a multitude of different ways, whether that be politically motivated conspiracy theories, incel culture, or wellness-orientated pyramid schemes. We begin Phase Two thinking we know what to expect, but the body blow upon body blow that is inflicted on our senses cannot be prepared for. I, quite frankly, was a mess. The story unapologetically pushes the boundaries of how extreme you think it will go. I will warn you now that anything goes in this story, there truly are no rules. The consequences are visceral, they are shocking, and they are oh so bloody. Chapman places you in the safe and secure surroundings of the nuclear family and then relishes in the gore as he tears it limb from limb.

The dangers of the internet, technology, and how it can worm into your brain chemistry makes up the beating heartbeat of the novel. You can call it radicalisation, you can even call it possession, but ultimately the word behind the action matters little when the world is in disarray. The story is frightening and unnerving with how it taps into very real and very prescient aspects of the world around us. Reading it while living in the UK in August 2024, it was impossible not to think of the mindless racism-fuelled riots that occurred over here just weeks ago, all because of lies on the internet. However, Clay’s novel does much more than simply point the finger, it is a story that forces uncomfortable thought and self-reflection. We are left wondering what responsibility we have in all of this, where did it all go wrong? ‘Wake Up and Open Your Eyes’ may make a catchy mantra for a radicalised nut trying to convince you that slaughtered children are paid actors, but any phrase can have multiple interpretations, multiple meanings, and this mantra, this book, explores all of them.

‘Wake Up and Open Your Eyes’ is unlike anything else I have read this year. It is experimental and it is ballsy, but it absolutely works. Clay Chapman’s vibrant personality gleams through the pages, and you can’t help but laugh maniacally alongside him. ‘Wake Up and Open Your Eyes will indoctrinate you, cling to your mind, and make you view the world around you through a different lens - through new, open eyes.

Noah finds himself traveling to check on his parents after strange phone calls and then silence altogether. What he discovers when he gets there is unimaginable horror caused by…what? As Noah moves through the next week, he learns half the country has been affected by the same thing. Media.

Clay McLeod Chapman does it again. He takes real current issues and shows us the horrors that can come of the way those issues are portrayed to us by the media. Whether you’re in the right or left or somewhere in the middle, you’re susceptible to falling for the spewing of newscasters, YouTubers, wellness gurus, and scammers. I couldn’t put it down and I will not stop thinking about it a time soon.

Well, let me first say that if you like horror, but you disliked Stephen King’s HOLLY for its political content…then boy, are you going to HATE this one! I, personally, thought it was really enjoyable and it’s the best thing I’ve read by Chapman.

Noah Fairchild is a progressive living with his wife a daughter in Brooklyn. From afar he sees his parents, who are from Virginia, slipping into far-right conspiracy theories; his mother is constantly calling him with the newest “information as they head on down that slippery slope of lies. When things seem to get really bad, then his parents stop answering the phone, Noah makes an emergency trip to Virginia to check things out. Big, big mistake. Humongous. Because their twenty-four hour news station has taken them over. Literally. And it’s not pretty. And they aren’t the only ones, either.

Part 2 of the book focuses on Noah’s brother Ash, his wife Devon and their sons Caleb and Marcus and their own struggles with far-right new programming, the wellness community and social media, especially Twitter (I will NEVER call it “X,” just because you want me to, Elon.). Oh, and a healthy dose of “this is…and I’m just going to say it here - this is some white people shit.” Well, I guess that’s not wrong. And we also get the crisis actors/Sandy Hook was not real/Alex Jones insanity. And speaking of insanity, it has breached this branch of the Fairchild family as well. I always thought being a right-winger might be a sickness! :)

But there are insights on why these nutjobs (sorry, am I being offensive? I will have to try to go on somehow, I guess.) believe what they do, have Fox News (here “Fax News”) on 24/7 and are willing to buy into QAnon theories (here what is going on is called “the Great ReAwakening,” Q theory has its own “Great Awakening.). “Anderson Cooper made him feel stupid. Fax didn’t make him feel stupid. Fax just made him FEEL.”

And there’s some fun, with that same Anderson Cooper as a ride-along narrator for a bit, a “Baby Shark” take off which finally made me go watch the You Tube version of the song (parents…how did you possibly stand it? I would have left my child on a street corner with absolutely no remorse, and I listened to the song ONCE.). Oh, and adrenochrome which is what the Q followers say the pedophiles steal from young bodies and Hillary Clinton and a pizza place in D.C. are both involved, I don’t know.

Like I said, I’ve read Chapman before and in my opinion this is the best thing he’s written. This is not HOLLY, don’t read it if you are a die-hard Trumper; I can guarantee you won’t like it. However, if you aren’t, and you like horror I really think you will enjoy this.

Open your eyes!

Some readers will undoubtedly be upset by this, and I'm somewhat delighted by that. Am I evil? Oh, absolutely.

The world is changing rapidly, and that isn't always a positive thing. The media inundates us with so much information that it's hard to know who to trust. Consider this – what happens when the media turns people into mindless zombies? How would you react?

If you're interested in gaining insight into the near future, hell, or even just tomorrow, then I highly recommend reading this book. It offers a disturbingly accurate portrayal of our times. It's a wild ride into the darkness that is both thrilling and unsettling. I finished this days ago and I'm still thinking about it and yes, I'm still creeped out.

Chapman brings the fun to dysfunction in this gripping body and psychological horror novel. It's a fast-paced and compelling read, quickly becoming my favorite book by this horror genius.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

This was too on the nose for me. Certain parts were well done and clever, but it needed some more nuance and trimming. I think the idea has potential, but it was very heavy handed in terms of the messaging. All in all, a bit clumsy

Going to start this review by being transparent: I’m a huge fan of Chapman, both as a person and as a writer. This book is probably my favorite of his work so far.

What I wanted more of or might not work for some readers: I wanted more of Noah and his family, as I felt he was the least well rounded of the characters we saw. I would have been curious to see more leading up to the situation, as the second part of the novel was the strongest element for me. Some of the carnal and physical violence might be a bit much for some readers—this is, in a lot of ways, both a psychological and body horror story. Proceed carefully.

What I liked: the characters! I found myself sucked into Asher, his family, and how they each succumbed to the pandemic through various means. I thought it was creative and addressed how we all find ourselves inundated by various ideologies, and theories. I also really appreciated the experimental choices of the novel, outside of the footage format.

What I really loved: the found footage style narrative. He experiments with the concept in a great anthology called FOUND, and this novel allows him to play with it even more. I also loved the balance of condemnation—meaning, we are all to blame for this pandemic of sorts. I will be thinking about one of the “videos”, and its commentary on responsibility. There were also images and experiences from this that will stick with me for a long while (I’ll never be able to drive in the harbor tunnel again without a certain song in my head).

All in all, a five star read for me. I’m curious to hear the audiobook in January.

A short horror focused on the ills of modern American society: twitter, beauty influencers, far right media personalities.

I picked up the book because I enjoyed Chapman's mix of scariness and empathy in his other books - unfortunately this book has none of that.

The prose also wasn't to my taste; lots of repetitive fragments and quippy one liners that prevent the reader from sitting with any of the commentary the book is gesturing towards.

The horror also goes for a more gross-out scare than anything else, which also isn't to my personal taste. If you dont mind your horror with a decent serving of goofiness and which has sat in Twitter discourse for too long, you may enjoy but this wasn't for me.