A review by apollo0325
Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.5

I was really intrigued to see Chuck Tingle, an author well known for his spoofy/satirical erotica release a traditionally published horror novel, and the premise hooked me immediately. Unfortunately, I felt the execution was fairly lackluster, and while the concept of a conversion camp mixed with horror elements was super cool, it didn’t feel like enough.

Spoilers ahoy!

Don’t get me wrong, the body horror and the horrific imagery were baller as hell. Tingle does a great job of making you feel unsettled with his descriptions, but the rest of the book was lacking in coherency. Why the Peter Pan/shadow reference? It felt very out of place especially because we’re having characters recite Bible verses every chapter at least once if not multiple times. The conversion camp part was cool, but it didn’t feel like enough. I wanted to see more of the camp and Rose interacting with other campers. The pacing of the book was FAST which I don’t think was a bad thing initially because it got you into the momentum of the story. However, the pacing sacrificed characterization for both the protagonists and the antagonists. Rose’s dad is obviously heavily involved in the conversion camp; why was his plot almost immediately dropped after Rose left? Also, why was Pastor Ben the BBEG?? That felt odd too. And Rose’s mom, why was nothing followed up there? Lastly, what forces your conversion camp demon to kill you? When is the line drawn? The rules of this universe were confusing at best and convoluted and convenient at worst.

I think there was a lot of ideas and moments that definitely felt thought of first before the plot was present. Even if that wasn’t the case, then it feels like that was the case. Was not impressed and even a bit disappointed :(