Beth Tabler's Blog, page 159
October 4, 2022
Comic Review – Squee’s Wonderful Big Giant Book of Unspeakable Horrors (Squee!) by Jhonen Vásquez
Johnny “Is this milk still good?!!”
The victim “Huh?! *sip* Uh…yeah.”
Johnny “THIS LETTUCE! HOW CRISP IS IT? HOW CRISP GODDAMMIT?!
The victim “It’s Fine!”
Johnny “THESE FUDGE-POPS! FREEZER BURN?! FREEZER BURN?!”
The Victim “umm..”
Johnny “EAT THE FUCKIN’ WEENIE!!!”
The Victim “mmph… It tastes okay.”
Johnny “Whew! Thanks. I haven’t cleaned my fridge out in awhile, and well…―
Jhonen Vásquez, Squee’s Wonderful Big Giant Book of Unspeakable Horrors.
Squee’s Wonderful Big Giant Book of Unspeakable Horrors collects together the four issues of the Squee comic book series from SLG Publishing. It also contains reprints from the popular Jhonny the Homicidal Maniac series that didn’t appear in the JTHM: Director’s Cut book.
My Thoughts
Squee’s Wonderful Big Giant Book of Unspeakable Horrors (Squee!) by Jhonen Vásquez has destroyed my brain.
My God! My brain my brain. My poor abused brain.
This is really funny, but in a schadenfreude way that you feel kinda ashamed about. Very dark satire. I often found myself really feeling bad for the kid. He was going through a lot. I kept thinking, “that poor kid needs a hug” That poor kid. No wonder he neurotic. I would be neurotic too if I had aliens chasing me and giant dust mites waking me up in my sleep. Every terrible thing happens to this kid, and no one seems to care. He seems like a really nice kid.
For me the highlight of this book was Pepito. I could get a print of the strip of Pepito being introduced to his class and melting the other kids in the class with his mind when they were jerks. Kinda cathartic I think. I too have wanted to melt classmates in middle school and elementary.
“Stand back amigo, this is a job for the ANTICHRIST!”to Squee before bringing doom upon his bullying classmates
This is an offshoot of Johnny The Homicidal Maniac which is the same brand of humor. Still, it looks really funny. I might give it a go, just because of quotes like this.
Review – Battle Ground by Jim Butcher (Dresden Files #17)
Review – The Ikessar Falcon by K.S Villoso
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October 3, 2022
Television Review – House of the Dragon 1×07 “Driftmark”
HOUSE OF THE DRAGON 1×07 “DRIFTMARK” is an improvement over the previous episode and gives me hope that we’re going to be getting over the massive time skips that leave absolutely no consequences to events like Criston Cole’s murder of a guest during a royal wedding as well as sparing a knight from suicide. This takes place a reasomable amount of time after the previous episode and is mostly spent dealing with the emotional fallout that has been so far badly lacking from the series.
The premise of this episode is that the various factions of Westeros’ royal court have gathered together for Laena Targaryen’s funeral. It is happening at Driftmark and all the simmering tensions are coming to a head. There’s Daemon’s branch of the family, Rhaenyra’s spawn, Alicent’s scummy little sprogs, King Viserys trying to be peacemaker in a family that hates each other, and the Velaryons. It’s really a royal **** show and that just makes it all the better.
Oddly, the MVP of the episode for me is Corlys Velaryon because of his relationship with the obviously not-his-blood grandchildren. I come from a family that included adoption and married an adopted woman, so I am strongly supportive families that don’t involve blood kin. Corlys clearly views them as his grandsons and heirs and I like how Rhaenys, his wife, is flat out confused about how her ambitious husband doesn’t see this as a problem. It actually implies to me that Laenor may have gotten this attitude from his father.
Speaking of Rhaenys, it’s interesting to see someone who is just tired of all the court infighting and scheming as well as someone who has given up on the idea of making a name for herself. She was someone who could have been a contender but given the decades long time jump, has been worn down by it all and now just wants to retire. It’s an image of what could have happened to Rhaenyra if she’d chosen to cast aside her ambitions.
Alicent Hightower continues to be portrayed by Olivia Cooke as a vindictive spiteful woman with a possible personality disorder. I buy the dramatic change given the ten year time skip and we even have it textually spelled out she’s jealous as well as hate-filled due to the fact Rhaenyra has been able to largely live outside the confines of a woman’s expected place in Westeros’ patriarchal society. Still, people have expressed how much they missed the more sympathetic Alienct from the first five episodes.
Emma D’Arcy’s Rhaenyra is a character I think has been well-served by the time skip as she’s actually come to the realization she needs to look after her future after thirty odd years of doing what she wanted. For her children’s sake if not for herself. Unfortunately, the die has already been cast and Alicent wants her dead as well as her children. The kind of accusations thrown at them are not something that can easily be cast aside and her husband, Laenor, is a liability since he’s been sort of a load for the entirety of their marriage.
Rhaenyra may overestimate Daemon Targaryen, though, since she sees him as the kind of badass warrior prince she needs to kill everyone who stands in the way of her to the throne. Daemon is more or less ignoring his daughters and struggling with his desire for Rhaenyra that he thinks he “saved” by not seducing a decade earlier. Rhaenyra says that wasn’t his choice to make and certainly didn’t help their situation in any way. Given this is an uncle-niece relationship, I go “ahhh”, but Targaryens gonna Targaryen.
My biggest disappointment in the episode, really, is Laenor because my fears about his use in the show was realized. I was never overly concerned about the “Bury the Gays” trope (which I probably should be as a Cis Het man) but the fact that he was just going to show up, stand in the background, and eventually get shoved off stage to get to Daemon/Rhaenyra. Which is pretty much what happens and I feel like is a massive-massive waste of his character.
The children have a big role in the story, particularly Prince Aemond, who is actually the most important Green during the dance aside from Alicent herself. He claims the largest of the dragons in Westeros and goes immediately from being an unimportant second son to one who could become king himself if he desired it. That fits into the larger theme of second sons having no power other what they seize for himself and he’s changed the game so the Greens are no longer merely annoying but actually dangerous. We also see a likable bullied boy go from zero to monster in a few scenes too.
In conclusion, this was a better episode than the previous one with lots of emotional beats I enjoyed. I hope it will continue to follow up the events of episodes without any more enormous time skips. I still had some issues with how they sort of casually write out characters that should have full arcs but there’s no use complaining about spilled milk too. Indeed, my biggest complaint is they tried to fake out the audience with what our characters decide to do when they could have shown them discussing it–which I feel would have been interesting on its own. My second biggest complaint is that the episode is dark, literally so, and I could barely see what happened half the time.
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Review – Cyberpunk Edgerunners
CYBERPUNK 2077 is a game that I keep close to my heart but it’s a bit like Night City itself in that it is a relationship that is probably toxic for both of us. She’s a beautiful lady with all the pretty chrome, neon hair, and bad attitude but we’ve had our ups and downs. She wrecked my apartment, there were accusations of cheating, and then we hooked up again but I was already in another relationship. Harsh words were exchanged. Okay, sorry, this metaphor has wandered way off topic.
In any case, I played Cyberpunk 2077 on PS4 Slim, PS4 Pro, and PS5. I’ve put five hundred hours into the game and I have read a lot of the spin-off comics, played the tabletop RPG that proceeded it, and have always been a cyberpunk. Hell, I write cyberpunk fiction in general and wrote Daughter of the Cyber Dragons in anticipation of the game. However, it is a game that also disappointed me with its massive bugs, lack of promised features, and incrediby railroaded plot that didn’t live up to what could have been.
So I approached Cyberpunk: Edgerunners with trepidation. Anime and cyberpunk have a long and well-documented history with Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Cyber City Oedo 080, and Bubblegum Crisis being some of my favorite of both. I’d also heard good things about Studio Trigger, even though I wasn’t familiar with any of their works. Still, I had to ask myself whether or not they’d be able to produce something truly up to snuff. Did they?
For the most part, yes. This is going to be one of those “power metal” series. Which is to say that it’s not going to be for everyone but those people that do like it, will love it to an absurd degree. It is an ultra cynical, ultra violent, hyper-stylized series that perfectly encapsulates the Earthly Inferno that is Night City, California. Those who aren’t familiar with the games will not be fine but should note that Night City is basically Frank Miller’s Sin City except with better technology as well as a (slightly) more respectful attitude toward women.
The premise is David Martinez is a poor kid attending a rich kid’s school due to his mother somehow making enough Eddies on the side to send him there. David doesn’t want to be there, doesn’t care about becoming a corpo, and swiftly earns the everlasting enimity of his peers. His bad attitude doesn’t help him when a horrific accident claims the lives of his mother and he is left bankrupt by the medical expenses that weren’t enough to save her.
Not to get too deep into the series but David finds crime as a lucrative-seeming alternative to school and ends up joining a group of cyberpunks AKA Edgerunners. They’re a semi-friendly group at the best of times but David is deeply in love with a beautiful mercenary-thief named Lucy. Unfortunately, David is addicted to the power he feels getting his body cybernetically upgraded and doesn’t care about building a future for himself.
The animation is not remotely “realistic” but it is kinetic and eye-popping when on screen. Night City is beautifully realized and players of the video game will be able to spot numerous locations from the story. It is a story that can be an excellent introduction in the world of Mike Pondsmith if you haven’t played the games but will not be for the faint of heart. Also, “wrong city, wrong people” if you’re looking for everyone to end up rich as well as happy.
Visit the Cyberpunk Edgerunners Website
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The Books That Made Me – Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett
I spent my high school years crossing the Pacific Ocean on a sailboat, which was awesome—so awesome, in fact, I turned my senior year into a 24-month odyssey by slow-rolling through my snail mail correspondence program.
After I (somehow) graduated, cyclone season forced us to New Zealand, where I faced an ultimatum: if I hoped to attend college in the USA, I needed to take the SAT.
We found a testing center in Auckland, so I traveled south, bound for South African friends who promised shelter and a braai (epic BBQ). To my delight, the room they offered me boasted a groaning bookshelf! I thumbed through the books, searching for a story (preferably Star Wars-related) to ease my nervousness about my looming exam.
Whimsical cover art caught my eye. A dragon attacking soldiers? Color me intrigued.
“Guards! Guards!” by Terry Pratchett. Hmm.
I flipped the book open and read the first words from a man who would become my favorite author:
“This is where the dragons went.”
Shortly thereafter, I met Captain Vimes, a watchman who would someday make me cry when he discovered the truth of Koom Valley.
Next, Sir Terry busted out his signature use of dialect to create authenticity and emotion.
I turned the page, met the Librarian, and toured the Unseen University. Interesting…
When I witnessed a secret society trade non-sensical passwords with deadly seriousness, I was hooked.
I stayed up far too late, reading through the night. The next day I took the SAT and my friends sent me home with a parting gift: their copy of “Guards! Guards!”.
This book is more than a storytelling masterclass, it’s a gateway drug to one of the richest fantasy worlds of all time: Discworld.
Reading a Discworld novel means diving into prose that makes you laugh on the surface and weep when you plumb its depths on your ninth re-read. Sir Terry took no prisoners as he skewered humanity’s foibles and lay unspoken truths bare.
Death, a recurring character, taught me how precious the strands of life are.
Granny Weatherwax, a witch, taught me the power of faith.
Vimes, a stone-faced cop, taught me how to be a father.
Carrot, an adopted dwarf, taught me how to sacrifice.
Tiffany Aching, a young witch, taught me to do what needs doing.
Cohen the Barbarian taught me how to grow old.
Nobby just made me laugh.
Sir Terry’s work made me want to become an author. He gave me the courage to embrace absurdity as I tackled heavy themes. I named my first novel “Debunked” in tribute to his penchant for punchy, short titles.
After Sir Terry died, I waited months to read the final installment in his Tiffany Aching series because I wasn’t ready for our story to end. His voice had comforted me when I was a worried young man and shepherded my journey into fatherhood. Along the way, he taught me to love words and treasure life.
NOTE: You may notice that “Guards! Guards!” isn’t present in this photo of my Discworld collection. That’s because I loaned it out to yet another friend who was looking for a good book. I always smile as they flip through its pages because I remember the journey it started for me. This book didn’t just Make me—It Unmade me, then built me from the ground up.
Thanks for the ride, Sir Terry.
Buy from Amazon
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October 2, 2022
Review – ARVEKT by Craig Lea Gordon
ARVEKT by Craig Lea Gordon is a kinetic action-filled cyberpunk thriller that I absolutely love. If anyone anything about me, they’ll know that I am a huge fan of the cyberpunk genre. It is my favorite thing to read and write alongside superhero fiction. However, there’s a lot of what I term to be “falsely advertised” cyberpunk that claims to be about the gritty dark dystopian futures of the world with transhumanist themes but is usually just Lit-RPG by another name. There’s plenty of good Lit-RPG out there but very little of it is cyberpunk.
I’m pleased to say Arkvekt is the exception to this rule as it is a fantastic novel that is square within the hole of what I consider to be “true cyberpunk.” It is a bit more Ghost in the Shell than William Gibson, but I don’t consider that a bad thing. Cyberpunk can be a bunch of crazy borged-out ninjas fighting government conspiracies just as much as it can be dark and skeevy alleyways where people have more implants than food.
The premise is that Tannis Ord is a young soldier working for a mysterious black ops organization that protects the world from hackers as well as AI cultists and terrorists. It’s a brutal business and Tannis has a history of mental illness that has seemingly not stood in her way of continuing to serve as their assassin. Apparently, the Director just thinks they can erase the trauma and related issues with a wave of their hand.
Something is rotten in the state of the future, though, and Tannis can’t help but question her reality. In what is probably a nod to The Matrix but the more practical Augmented Reality, she struggles with seeing things that are not there as well as gaps in her memory. It could be related to her previous breakdowns, or it might be her mind rebelling against the reality that she has been presented.
Tannis is not the only character, though, and there’s multiple other interesting individuals trying to deal with the sense that things are not as they seem. My favorite is a Senator for the world government that is absolutely hell bent against giving the control of the world to the mysterious Ix that already runs most of the world’s functions. Indeed, I like that he’s as perplexed as anyone as to why so many people want to do it in the first place.
The book is excellent for slowly doling out its worldbuilding. You always have a bunch of information that gives you context for what is happening but there’s a lot of mysteries that keep you speculating. I especially liked the allusions to past tragedies and conflicts that brought humanity to this present state of authoritarian technocracy.
Arvekt is a book filled with twists, turns, fake-outs, and illusions. Many times, I thought I had a handle on where the book was going, only for it to surprise me by revealing it was going someplace entirely different. I occasionally got lost in the technology and jargon but that helped make the book feel like it was taking place in a wholly different world.
Buy from Amazon
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Review: Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix – A Tale of Retail Hell
Grady Hendrix, HorrorstörAboutLet’s make sure it’s really raining before we worry about floods.―
Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring bookshelves, shattered Glans water goblets, and smashed Liripip wardrobes. Sales are down, security cameras reveal nothing, and store managers are panicking.
To unravel the mystery, three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour dusk-till-dawn shift. In the dead of the night, they’ll patrol the empty showroom floor, investigate strange sights and sounds, and encounter horrors that defy the imagination.
A traditional haunted house story in a thoroughly contemporary setting, Horrorstör comes packaged in the form of a glossy mail order catalog, complete with product illustrations, a home delivery order form, and a map of Orsk’s labyrinthine showroom.
My ThoughtsGrady Hendrix, the author of Horrorstör, is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. The books I have read thus far, We Sold Our Souls, and now Horrorstör are a combination of the ridiculous, the scary, a hell of a lot of fun.
As someone who worked retail in and outside of IKEA, I felt this book on a deeply visceral level. I feel like Hendrix wrote this for my poor bedraggled retail battered soul. And, even though IKEA as a company is better than others, it can get a bit Stepford Wives in upper management. IKEA has inane terms and culture; there is constant upselling and forced smiles and a vast rat-maze-like store trying to funnel you as much as possible.
If you have been told that your presentation is not IKEA, you don’t have that coworker attitude; your feet hurt constantly, you have been called names by customers, yelled at for policies, and must do it all again with a smile, this story is for you.
“The more Amy struggled, the faster she sank. Every month she shuffled around less and less money to cover the same number of bills. The hamster wheel kept spinning and spinning and spinning. Sometimes she wanted to let go and find out exactly how far she’d fall if she just stopped fighting. She didn’t expect life to be fair, but did it have to be so relentless?”
― Grady Hendrix, Horrorstör
The book is set up as an IKEA catalog, same size, and same general heft. Every few chapters, there is an advertisement for a piece of furniture that is bound to make your life better and more ORSK. ORSK being the fictional lifestyle and furniture company that is a direct knock off of IKEA and the setting for the much of the story. Amy, the main protagonist, is a struggling 20+ associate that is on the fetid hamster wheel of life. The harder she struggles, the further she gets behind.
Amy is about to lose her home due to late rent and is feeling the desperation of not having anywhere to go. Plus, she feels her boss Basil (I have never read a more perfect name for a character) is about to fire her for not being ORSK enough. Amy has put in her transfer, all she has to do is stay away from Basil for the next three days, and she is free of this ORSK store. One problem though, Basil would like to do some special one on one coaching.
This is usually shorthand for firing. But, instead of firing Basil as an offer: stay overnight and patrol the store. See what is going on, stop whoever is shitting on the couches at night, and vandalizing the bathrooms. In exchange, Basil will grant her transfer request and give her 200 dollars cash. She thinks that this might save her, but things get a whole lot more complicated overnight and chockful of horrors instead.
Grady Hendrix, HorrorstörHere was the other option: the tranquilizing chair. It was always waiting for her. It always wanted her back. It always wanted her to quit again, to sit down and never get back up. In the end, Amy thought, everything always comes down to those two choices: stay down or stand up.―
ORSK is as a beautiful piece of fruit with worms inside. We occasionally see a colossal rat scurrying about. Or, there is a general feeling of unease when you walk the beautifully lit and European-esque halls lined with furniture. Could it be that this building this built on the ruins of an insane asylum with a mad doctor who tortured and killed his patients? It sounds like a crazy plot jump, but trust me, Hendrix makes it work.
“I know this is your religion, but for me, it’s just a job.”
― Grady Hendrix, Horrorstör
I loved this book, as I said, Hendrix is becoming one of my favorites. It is a perfect mix of horror, current events, with just the right touch of the insane to keep me turning page after page. Check it out, and next time you are at IKEA, remember this book.
Check Out Some of Our Other REviewReview Lil Classix: Little Women by Grady Hendrix, Louisa May Alcott, and Ryan Dunlavey
Review My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
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Review – The Blueprint by Wesley Cross
Corporate warfare.
Buckle up for a wild ride.
THE BLUEPRINT by Wesley Cross is a cyberpunk political thriller and corporate conspiracy. The former is virtually unknown in the genre while the latter is usually, “guys bust in to steal stuff” not “a bunch of guys use illegal stock manipulation in order to facilitate a hostile takeover. Actually, no, they did that in HARDWIRED by Jon Walter Williams and that may be the only time in history that the heroes successfully beat the megacorporations in a way I completely believe.
The premise is that it is the near-future, maybe a couple of decades, with 9/11 as well as the 2008 Banking Crisis in recent memory. Corporations have become even more powerful and started using mercenary teams to eliminate competitors as well as intimidate businessmen into selling their property to those attempting to buy them out. The police have grown so jaded about the prospect that they don’t even respond to these sorts of calls.
Jason Hunt manages to barely survive an attempt on his his and wife’s life when she accepts a job offer from a cybernetics developer. This is only the start of his problems as they’re soon faced with a cancer scare, people determined to put him underground, and a potential coup happening in the United States government. The conspiracy webs are thickly woven throughout the story and I was reminded pleasantly of Tom Clancy without a cyberpunk sheen. Wesley Cross lacks the former’s excesses, though, like lecturing the reader and using ten words when one would suffice.
I really enjoyed the characters and watching them try to figure out how to deal with enemies who have billions of dollars and a bunch of surprisingly well-developed sociopaths on their payroll. This includes attempting to get their own resources and making contact with other people they think might be able to help. The technology level is established firmly here as well. It’s not a bunch of chrome cyborgs punching things but setting up that to occur in the future.
Despite its somewhat more grounded premise, I wouldn’t say this is a particularly “realistic” book. In addition to its fun action scenes, some of the events stretch reader credibility like the fact that anyone wouldn’t think Jason Hunt is a massive fraudster after his hostile takeover using computer hacker trickery. The thing is, “realism” is overrated and the story benefits strongly from the believability of the characters, which is more important. Besides, a lot more overt fraud has been gotten away with in RL.
Wesley Cross also notably eschews the usual moral ambiguity of the genre as his protagonists are very good and his antagonists are complete scum. A warning that a sexual assault is implied to happen in the book as part of the villain’s activities for those who are sensitive to said things. However, generally The Blueprint is an action and intrigue-filled thriller that will appeal to both fans of spy fiction as well as those who like near-future sci-fi.
I was well and truly engrossed by the book at the end and eager to pick up the next installment of the series. Cyberpunk is too often limited to street punks trying heists against megacorporations while this gives us an unusal hero in a white collar businessman as well as some ex-veterans. I think it adds a very different sort of feel and I could easily see this adapted to a regular network television show rather than streaming. The Blueprint is a great book and I think a good example of its genre.
Buy from Amazon
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October 1, 2022
Review – The Witch and the Vampire by Francesca Flores
Francesca Flores is an author who I believe to be severely underrated. I first came across her when I received a Netgalley ARC of her debut Diamond City, a story about a bad ass assassin named Aina Solis. That book and its sequel Shadow City stole my heart and really made me fall in love with Francesca Flores’ writing.So you can imagine how excited I was when I found out that she was writing a third book. With the release date being announced as March 21, 2023, I had the honor of receiving an early ARC to read and review.The Witch and The Vampire is a sapphic Rapunzel retelling/reimagining. In this story, our Rapunzel (named Ava) is a vampire with root Witch abilities who is trapped in a tower by her mother. Her ex best friend Kaye is a Root Witch hell bent on finding out what vampire killed her mother and exacting revenge. As a Root Witch, Kaye also has a duty to prevent vampires from breaching the barrier wall surrounding her village.She and Ava cross paths once again, and Kaye finds out that Ava is a vampire. On the night that Ava manages to escape her tower, Kaye follows her and convinces her to travel together into the forest, while secretly planning to turn her in. Ava agrees, with the hope of rekindling the friendship (and maybe the potential romance) between them from the past.As they travel, they realize the forest is dying and trying to attack them. They must learn to trust one another while making this treacherous journey. But can they?What I really enjoyed the most about this book was the atmosphere. I really felt the forest come alive and could almost see the decay and rot permeating throughout. There was always tension on every page, between our main characters and their distrust for one another, and the enemies they kept encountering.Every element and plot point of this story felt crucial to both Kaye and Ava. the different internal battles they fought, and the comparisons that were made between mortals and vampires was so interesting and complex.To me both Ava and Kaye felt really fleshed out and their behavior towards one another felt wholly realistic. I was rooting for both throughout the entire book and couldn’t wait to see how their story progressed.Another thing that was well done in this book was the yearning. If you are looking for a passionate fantasy romance where things get hot and heavy, I wouldn’t recommend this book. Instead, there was so much delicious secret longing between both characters that had me on the edge of my seat. ever subtle brushing of the hands, every observation Ava and Kaye would make about the other, every poetic line the they thought about one another had me absolutely feral. it just made their relationship that much more believable and I wanted nothing more than for them to finally be together.I’m not sure if there are plans for a second book, because this did end satisfyingly as a stand alone. However, I definitely would not be opposed to a sequel, because i feel there is a lot of potential for Kaye and Ava’s story.Overall, if you are the type of reader who is looking for a sapphic fantasy that is light on romance but heavy on action and yearning, I would highly suggest you pick this up. As for me, the Witch and Vampire has solidified Francesca Flores as one of my top authors, and I can’t wait for her next book. Buy from Amazon
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Review – Ogres by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Ogres are stronger than you.
Ogres rule the world.”
Adrian Tchaikovsky takes on a dark satire in Ogres.
Adrian Tchaikovsky, the uber-talented, multi-genre author, has brought us a new novella that delves deeply into a science fiction dystopia where humans are bifurcated between the “haves” and “have nots.” The “haves” are those that exist modification free. They are societies workers, cooks, maids, and craftsmen. They serve the “haves,” who are the lords and ladies of all by blood and economic level and they only eat the “have nots…” occasionally.
“But when you’re property, it doesn’t matter if your owner treats you well or badly. The ownership is all. We don’t split hairs about who is a better slave master. And you would have been the best owner of all, and that still isn’t enough reason to keep you alive once you’ve decided that owning people is fine, just so long as it’s you that owns them.”
Torquell is the protagonist of Ogres, and while he is tall and over 6′, he is undoubtedly not an ogre. “But when the headman’s son, Torquell, dares lift his hand against the landlord’s son, he sets himself on a path to learn the terrible truth about the Ogres and the dark sciences that ensured their rule.” I wish I could say more, but this is a concise and tight book. It would ruin the conflict, surprise, and resolution. But let’s just say that Ogres is such a surprising book. Tchaikovsky writes about the power inblalances such a system would cause and the slow realization Torquell has as everything he knows comes crumbling down. It is superbly written. I have never read a Tchaikovsky story that missed the mark. Stories that are long-form, serial, novella, or short story, he nails it, and this is no exception.
I loved this story, and I finished it in a single sitting once I picked it up.
Buy from Amazon
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September 29, 2022
Interview with Chuck Tingle
I had the distinct pleasure to interview smut peddler and internet sensation Chuck Tingle, who recently signed with Tor for two books: Camp Damascus (2023–pre-orders are live here!) and Bury Your Gays (2024).
This interview contains #nsfw language and content, so if that’s not your thing, feel free to move along!
Thank you for joining me! I’d like to start with the most important question: How is your mental health these days?
DANG i do not think chuck has ever started interview this way but this is a kind question that cuts to the heart of all our trots i suppose so thats nice. i would say my way is particularly good as man name of chuck i have found ways to balance myself and maintain gratitude, which seems to be a key for my trot. fortunately that comes easy to chuck for some reason i have always been able to find perspective in dire times. but also it is difficult to complain when you get to spend your days making art and proving love and just writing joyful stories. really cant complain about that buckaroo
Do you remember the first piece of erotica that you read, and what the experience of reading it was like?
no i do not remember this but honestly chuck does not read very much at all. did a little when younger but not much but now i have recently started to listen to audiobooks which is nice. i would say chucks medium of consumption is FILM this is where i learned about things like story structure and characters and all that. also most of my time is taken up by WRITING i write all day and night so theres not much time left over to read. anyway long story short i dont remember reading first erotica because i do not have THAT many memories about reading anything.
When did you first start writing erotica, and how long did it take before you became comfortable publishing it?
as man name of chuck i have been interested in sexuality in art as long as i can think of MAKING art because i have always been interested in taboo trots and things that have a mysterious social presence where they are always here but tucked away as if they are NOT HERE. also always enjoyed things that pushed the boundaries of any one medium to say ‘i am going to redefine this in my own way and let the viewer or reader question is THIS the art or is THAT the art?’ and so i think questions about what is ‘pornography’ are going to be part of that because legal definition of pornography in united states according to supreme court is something without ‘artistic value’ which is just ABSURD to chuck. i do not think such a thing exists. anyway just exploring these realms has always been a comfortable place for me. reason i did not publish what i was writing is because i just didnt think of it, until a bud came along and suggested it.
In addition to being a beloved author, you are a popular social media presence. How much enjoyment do you get out of the social media game?
well speaking of WHAT IS ART i very strongly believe that social media and online communication is also art. i understand why some buckaroos do not enjoy this way but chuck has always thought of art as not just what is in the book or painting or song but the things that swirl around it, so i would say i very much enjoy social media. also in PRACTICAL way just good way to connect with buckaroos all over the world and cant really complain about that, that just makes it easier to prove love is real
Since it’s spooky season, I’d like to ask about your Halloween tingles like The Sentient Physical Manifestation of Halloween Eats Me Out, The Handsome Physical Manifestation Of Autumn Turns Me Gay, and Scary Stories to Tingle Your Butt. What is it about Halloween that makes us want to fuck it/be fucked by it/eat it out/be eaten out by it, etc. more than the other holidays?
this is interesting question because there are actually plenty of holiday tinglers there is hanukkah and christmas and july 4th and valentines day books HOWEVER you are correct i think there is probably disproportionate amount of halloween tinglers out there. answer becomes clear when you consider that chuck is releasing horror novels with nightfire now and answer is: old chuck just really enjoys writing about spooky things. have always liked horror and maybe that goes with what i was saying earlier about enjoying taboo art that pushes boundaries, sexual art does this but so does frightening art.
People love to guess as to your “real identity.” While we can all agree that this method of envisioning reality is deeply flawed on an epistemological level, what is your favorite theory you’ve read about who you “really” are?
yes you are correct i have torn relationship with this as the idea of OUTING is very bad, but i also understand this physiological drive deep down in buds in a PLAYFUL way, where they do not really want to know but actually would just like to GUESS. i suppose this fun all depends on whether or not worlds greatest author chuck is even KNOWN without my dang mask on and i can say that i am IN FACT known in some ways. chuck did a lot of trotting around before settling in billings and now city of devils and during that time i have become known enough outside of my masked way that im sure one or two buds would say THATS HECKIN CHUCK WOW DANG. so i can confirm this fact for buckaroos and hopefully this truth at least lets them know there is small answer to this question that is more than just ‘oh thats just some dang guy down the street’. but all that being said it is not really kind question to get too SERIOUSLY wrapped up in, as you have said. i think all guesses i have seen are pretty fun there have been one or two where chuck knows BEHIND THE SCENES this person is a scoundrel so i do not really like if buds think i am those ones. but i will say FAVORITE theory is probably chris pine theory because it is correct OR IS IT just kidding OR AM I?
If you could recommend just one tingler and one novel of yours as a primer to your larger œuvre, what would you recommend, and why?
get asked this a lot and honestly would say best tingler is one that strikes your interest. they are very diverse and feature buds from across the queer spectrum. maybe since it is spooky season would recommend HORROR NOVELLA name of STRAIGHT or if you want to prepare for spooky season next year you can preorder CAMP DAMASCUS
You have recently signed with Tor for several books, including Camp Damascus in 2023 and Bury Your Gays in 2024. What differences might readers find between these upcoming books and your previously published work?
well biggest difference between CAMP DAMASCUS or BURY YOUR GAYS and other chuck books is that these are horror and i think most buckaroos know my work as erotica writer. but really core of everything chuck makes is to PROVE LOVE IS REAL and write from a place of love when exploring these ideas. i think if this resonates with you then you will find something that you will very much enjoy in chucks horror writing. also there is THROUGHLINE where across any genre i am often exploring queer themes and queer issues, so that is something that is also similar. CAMP DAMASCUS will also be first HARDCOVER book i have released so that is pretty dang cool, it is out for preorder and it is a dang BEAUTIFUL hardcover book so if you enjoy my way and would like to support chuck that is great way to do it.
What are you reading right now and how spicy is it?
as mentioned chuck does not read very much but TRYING to get some of that reading in. so i am not reading anything at moment but did just finish NIGHTMARE FUEL by nina nesseth and i enjoyed reading this very much but i would say not spicy more sciencey thats okay sometimes too
Read my review of Rescued by the Married Monster Hunters, an MMF fantasy hurt/comfort romance
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