A review by blacksphinx
Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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

4.0

If you have ever heard the good Dr. Chuck Tingle shout LOVE IS REAL and thought to yourself, "what the heck is that all about?!", this book is your answer.

This is the most hopeful, love-filled horror novel I have read yet. It's also extremely gruesome with some eye-watering descriptions of torture and gore. The fact that he can balance these things is impressive, and I think this is a  shoo-in for next year's Stoker ballot. Our first-person narrator is a joy to be in the headspace of, with an extremely authentic and interesting voice. Publish more books with autistic protagonists! 

However, the book isn't perfect. I think it's main flaw is its brutally short length. Characters make serious emotional and philosophical changes that gave me whiplash because they happened so quickly. I think the narrative needed some more room to breathe. I also wish we got more time with our antagonists
you literally only meet one of them in the same chapter they are brutally torn apart, and I felt almost nothing about them because they were just a cardboard cutout to be knocked down.
That doesn't stop it from being a fun romp, and if you've ever wanted to watch hateful homophobic Christians get some comeuppance while the Doom Eternal soundtrack blares, this is your book. 
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