I’ve always been a fan of Chapman and his books, so I was looking forward to a short story collection from him. Oh man, do you have something fun in store for you!
Thanks to Titan Books for the gifted copy
ACQUIRED TASTE – Clay McLeod Chapman (Released September 9th, 2025)
Book Description:
A startling, witty and downright terrifying collection of short stories from the “21st century’s Richard Matheson” (Richard Chizmar, Chasing the Boogeyman.) Perfect for fans of Paul Tremblay, Rachel Harrison and Eric LaRocca.
They’re feeding on you too.
A father returns from serving in Vietnam with a strange and terrifying addiction; a man removes something horrifying from his fireplace, and becomes desperate to return it; and a right-wing news channel has its hooks in people in more ways than one.
From department store Santas to ghost boyfriends and salamander-worshipping nuns; from the claustrophobia of the Covid-19 pandemic to small-town Chesapeake USA, Clay McLeod Chapman takes universal fears of parenthood, addiction and political divisions and makes them uniquely his own.
Packed full of humanity, humour and above all, relentless creeping dread, Acquired Taste is a timely descent into the mind of one of modern horror’s finest authors.
My Thoughts: 4/5 stars
When I tell you that I wasn’t prepared for the number of short stories packed into this. There are so many and they were all unique, exciting, memorable, a little weird, and all around fun. I love his books and his writing style. Most of the stories felt complete and came together nicely. Some endings truly shocked me – Baby Carrots, I’m looking at you. There were some that I would love a little more from and get to know some of the characters more and I know that a good ambiguous ending can be hit or miss for some readers.
Some were gory, some unsettlingly descriptive, bizarre, hilarious, some scarily realistic and possible, some completely out there and creative, horrifying, supernatural, psychological, emotional, twisted, and captivating. There is something in there for everyone and I liked coming across the story that inspired this amazing cover.
Jessicamap Reviews 