Hollywood screenwriter Misha has just received his first Oscar nomination, but is unable to enjoy it. He’s just been asked by studio heads to kill off a gay character in his ultra-successful television series as “gay tragedy” sells more than triumph. When he refuses, his personal and professional lives begin to suffer. Can Misha continue to make a stand or will he buckle under the pressure?

This is my second Chuck Tingle experience (what a sentence), and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Re-entering the world of horror following the success of CAMP DAMASCUS, Tingle once again examines the struggle to remain true to oneself and all the obstacles you must overcome. Oh, and lots of gore thrown in to boot. There is one scene in particular that takes place in an airplane that’s both wildly original and deeply unsettling at the same time.

One of the book’s central themes is the proliferation of A.I. and the ongoing reduction of art to the lowest common denominator in an effort to maximise profit. This isn’t a spoiler, but one of the book’s biggest plot points involves a deceased actor reborn as an A.I. generated presence garnering an Oscar nomination. Is that really so far-fetched? I feel like we may head down that road sooner than we think. Very much like his previous novel, things take a turn in an unexpected direction that largely left me satisfied. While I haven’t read Tingle’s more infamous work, I’m surprised at how quickly he took to the horror genre. His descriptions and creativity around many of the novel’s more grotesque moments left me reeling.

BURY YOUR GAYS is a sharp, tightly written commentary on the perils of algorithms and profit-chasing art. Hopefully horror fans eat this one up as well.