Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

43 reviews

raneyak's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! That being said, I really wish it slowed down and spent more time on the details. I would have liked to see more internal struggle when

Rose gets her memory back and loses faith in religion

rather than the abrupt shift we see. Additionally, there are many sci-fi elements that I would have loved to learn about in more detail. For example:

How did the mayfly testing work? How long has it been going on? What was the origin of the camp? How did they trap the demons in the first place? Etc.

Overall a good read for those interested in the complicated intersection between religion and the queer community.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Religious bigotry, Death, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Forced institutionalization, and Lesbophobia

trashgobby's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, and Homophobia

Moderate: Gore, Medical content, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Confinement, Abandonment, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Torture, Gaslighting, Ableism, Gun violence, and Drug use

murderousscottishgremlin's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Spooky stuff and gay people kicking ass. Nice.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Medical content, and Body horror

emmehooks's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, Lesbophobia, Torture, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Body horror, Misogyny, Blood, Physical abuse, Car accident, Sexism, Medical content, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Kidnapping and Gun violence

maxolotl99's review

dark emotional hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Gaslighting, Car accident, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Vomit and Suicide

betsythegremlin's review

adventurous dark inspiring mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Car accident, Medical content, Homophobia, Body horror, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, and Gaslighting

rayne_fall's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Medical content, Violence, Car accident, Confinement, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Alcohol

skylarkblue1's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Representations: https://trello.com/c/4qXpzK8F/92-camp-damascus-by-chuck-tingle

Ooooo I loved this so much. This reminded me a lot of The Honeys by Ryan La Sala but they're both very different books in their own ways - just similarities of summer camp kinda, body horror and queer horror. If you loved this, you probably will enjoy The Honeys and vice versa. 

This book is a wild ride. It's one of the few times a book description is actually very good with not spoiling basically anything, even the description on the back of the book! If you enjoy the concept the blurb shows, read it and don't try and find more information except for the content warnings. Topics do get quite heavy here, but they're all conversations that are very relevent today still - somehow - and conversations that really don't happen often enough.

Religious abuse and conversion therapy are very real problems in the world to this day. Cults still exist and kids are still growing up being brainwashed by horrible people. One bit of this book that's really stuck with me is it explicitly acknowledged how religion can be used for both good and evil with the exact same texts. I loved that conversation that ran through the book because all too often does religion get demonised for a specific sect - this happens more often with Islam for example. The actions of a few do not represent the actions of everyone.

The representation I really loved, especially the autistic rep. The stimming, the self-conciousness about stimming and how you navigate social situations and more it's just... You can tell it's lived experience over just some research, it's so well portrayed imo.

And yes now I will acknowledge the author. How in the actual fuck is this from *the* Chuck Tingle?? I don't remember even a single butt joke??? Chuck you're a wonderful author, I've not read any of your satirical erotica but I know of your previous works for sure - this book though handles it's topics so incredibly well for how heavy it all is and I'm just astonished. Please, I'd love lots more queer horror. I cannot wait for Bury Your Gays!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Car accident

queergoth_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Wow! That was so intense. I knew I would enjoy it but I was very blown away. The mixing of the real life horror of conversion therapy and the supernatural really made this book. Also had some very hellraiser vibes in parts. It was so tense.  

I do with we'd got to know a bit more about Saul though!

I also think it's worth mentioning how well done and inter sting it was to see the way Rose and Saul's relationship to their faith differed despite them both going through the same horrors at the hands of their church.  Even though I'm not religious myself I think it is good to see someone being able to keep their faith, like Saul, even when the main church hates him. And it's good to see him find that space for himself. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Death, Medical content, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Car accident

Minor: Gun violence

cuddlygryphon's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Body horror, Car accident, and Homophobia

Moderate: Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Drug use, Gun violence, and Violence

Minor: Confinement, Medical content, and Vomit