This is a 2024 release from Chuck Tingle, a bestselling author, two-time Hugo Award finalist, and a Bram Stoker Award nominee. He is a mysterious force of energy behind sunglasses and a pink mask. He is also an anonymous author of romance, horror, and fantasy. Chuck was born in Home of Truth, Utah, and now lives in Los Angeles, California.
Misha Burn knows that chasing success in Hollywood can be hell. But finally, after years of trying to make it, his big moment is here: an Oscar nomination for his live-action short film. And the executives at the studio for his long-running streaming series know just the thing to kick his career to the next level: kill off the gay characters, “for the algorithm,” in the upcoming season finale. Misha is sick of Hollywood romanticizing gay tragedy on screen and refuses. But by doing so, he soon realizes that he’s not only putting his career in jeopardy, but he’s just putting a target on his back. And what’s worse, the monsters that he created in his horror films have come to life and are stalking him and his friends through the hills above Los Angeles. Each dangerous encounter with one of these monsters is captured on film by witnesses, and soon Misha is all over the media.
When Misha returns to his hometown for a high school reunion, he is once again haunted by characters from his past, and he’s forced to confront the anxiety surrounding his sexuality. Upon returning to Hollywood, Paparazzi and monsters are hot on his trail, and Misha must risk his entire future to get to the bottom of why this is all happening—before the horrors from the silver screen find a way to bury him for good.
This is a wildly entertaining dark comedy, sci-fi horror book. The story is masterfully crafted from beginning to end, especially in its tension-building. Similar to Tingle’s “Camp Damascus”, readers and listeners are thrown into an unhinged world of horror that is cleverly designed to make you feel on edge and terrified.
A very dark side of Hollywood is shown in this novel, with larger-than-life characters and melodramatic dialogue. The book also includes other meaningful subjects, including the dangers of Al, the corporateization of Pride as a profitable celebration, and the pressure on high-profile gay people to come out before they are ready.
The audiobook is listed as a full-cast narration, but it’s primarily narrated by André Santana and features small snippets from many well-known popular horror voices, including Charlie Jane Anders, CJ Leede, Georgia Bird, Liz Kerin, Mara Wilson, Mark Oshiro, Sarah Gailey, Stephen Graham Jones, T. Kingfisher, and TJ Klune! André Santana does a phenomenal job at portraying Misha, making the character extremely vivid and believable while constantly maintaining an air of suspense and humor. Even if you recognize Santana’s voice from his previous work, you’ll quickly get swept away by his performance, become fully immersed in Misha’s story, and forget who’s narrating. This is a telltale sign of an exceptional performance!
The book is perfect for horror aficionados, filled with references to horror classics and cult favourites, including a clever wink to Tingle’s own ‘Camp Demascus’. If you’re looking for a story that has eerie elements, memorable characters, a highly original narrative, and profound messages, then look no further than this book! It’s no wonder it’s received such rave reviews—it’s Chuck Tingle’s best work yet and one that will be remembered!
