Camp Damascus

By: Chuck Tingle

Narrated by: Mara Wilson

Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

Long-listed, Library Journal Best Books of the Year, 2023

"Wilson narrates with emotional depth, conveying all of Rose's intelligence, inquisitiveness, and fear as she's hunted by otherworldly beings."—AudioFile

“A joyful, furious romp through dark places, Tingle proves he's as good at fear as he is at love.”―T. Kingfisher, bestselling author of What Moves the Dead

From beloved internet icon Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus is a searing and earnest horror debut about the demons the queer community face in America, the price of keeping secrets, and finding the courage to burn it all down.

Welcome to Neverton, Montana: home to a God-fearing community with a heart of gold.

Nestled high up in the mountains is Camp Damascus, the self-proclaimed “most effective” gay conversion camp in the country. Here, a life free from sin awaits. But the secret behind that success is anything but holy.

And they’ll scare you straight to hell.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Nightfire.

©2023 Chuck Tingle (P)2023 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“A genuinely terrifying nightmare–but it ain’t the monsters you gotta be afraid of. Chuck Tingle is absolutely the best guide through this level of Hell.”—N.K. Jemisin, New York Times bestselling author

“Chuck Tingle continues to surprise and thrill. Camp Damascus is terrifying, darkly funny, and engagingly humane.”—John Scalzi, New York Times bestselling author

“A joyful, furious romp through dark places, Tingle proves he's as good at fear as he is at love.”—T. Kingfisher, bestselling author of What Moves the Dead

Chuck For President

Thank you for this, Dr Tingle. I couldn't ever be a prouder buckaroo. This is a treasure.

A brilliant new piece of horror

The horrors in here are both in your face and extremely subtle. The interweaving of physical scares with creeping psychological horrors is impeccably done, the one supporting the other in turns. The absolutely spot on portrayal both of the lgbtq characters and the Christian sect were amazing. This book became an instant classic for me and I am eagerly looking forward to seeing what Mr Tingle writes next.

The Religious Trauma

As someone who grew up in a heavily Christian family, the first 2.5 hours sparked a LOT of religious trauma for me. How nobody Rose interacted with or how she herself couldn’t go 2 sentences without spouting the glory of god. So the accuracy is very much there. The suspense and foreshadowing are excellent. The only problem I had with the story is after about the 2 hour mark you pretty much know how everything ties in and what’s going to happen. But I absolutely adore how the author played out Rose’s love story here. If you’re a queer kid from a hyper religious and anti-LGBTQ+ home, this is a must read as you will very much be able to connect with Rose.

Surprised & impressed

I enjoyed this much more than I expected. Finished it in 2 days. Absolutely a page turner. Refreshingly accurate and heartbreaking depiction of what it's like to escape a religious cult. The demons and supernatural elements are scary, but not as scary as the gaslighting.

What I appreciate most is that the book doesn't favor athiesm as the "correct" response to religious trauma, but takes the time to acknowledge healing can take many forms. Sometimes the best thing is to leave faith behind, and other times it's to start over and develop a healthy relationship with god on your own terms, and both are equally valid.

Fantastic

A beautiful, creepy, heartwarming story. Kicked me right in the religious trauma and I loved it.

pure empathetic terror

I've said for years that no one in the business does character like Chuck Tingle and Camp Damascus is about as perfect proof of that as you could ask for. Both protagonists and antagonists are shown as fully realized, frail and broken people. Even those causing harm are doing so with the best intentions at heart. Chuck gets that the most harm can be wrought by the ones who think they are helping us.

Intriguing

This was not what I expected at all, but I don't mean that in a bad way. It has a bit of a Grady Hendrix feel, but without the humor. I liked the way that religion and its response to homosexuality was handled. Definitely a new take on the topic.

Truly scary, great read!

Chuck Tingle is a real author! This is a well done book that gripped me to the very end.

The greatest horror bases itself in reality...

Great story, great narration. I have already recommended this book to 3 people. I loved that they had a neurodivergent main character, which made it even more relatable for me.

Another Total Banger from Chuck Tingle

As an autistic, gay ex-vangenical this story hit me somewhere deep. The way Mara reads the story is perfect and the way it’s written is beautifully expressive. I’m too tired to leave a very meaningful review but Chuck, thank you for trotting the trot you trot and making us the best art. You are the world’s best writer!