Review: 'Camp Damascus' a Thrilling, Horrific Depiction of Religion Gone Wrong

The Golden Rule of the Bible says, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Rose Darling, the introspective narrator of Chuck Tingle's electrifying horror novel "Camp Damascus," takes those words to heart and risks her own life and the safety of others when she attempts to put them to the ultimate test.

A devout Christian from Neverton, Montana, Rose is a young woman who appears to be on the path of following in her family's evangelical footsteps until a weird series of events brings her previously unquestionable faith to a grinding halt. She abruptly declines her boyfriend's offer to consummate their relationship, vomits live insects, sees the ghostlike image of a woman in the woods, and crosses paths with another girl around her age who seems oddly familiar.

It just so happens that Neverton is home to Camp Damascus, a wildly successful gay conversion camp with a 100% success rate. Meanwhile, the town church is run by a veritable cult leader, and its inhabitants (including Rose's parents) proudly and blindly revel in his infinite wisdom. Despite being told to leave well enough alone, the interminably curious Rose becomes convinced that something has gone awry and begins her own investigation, much to the chagrin of her father.

Without revealing any more than is necessary, let it suffice to say Rose uncovers an abundance of incriminating information about her family and the community and its leaders, while the female stranger whom she was certain she had met before turns out to have been more than just a casual friend. These discoveries not only put Rose in danger, but release a supernatural entity with interminable, uncontrollable conviction and vengeance.

Rose's mastery of scripture – and her impressive talent for recognizing the similarities among Christianity, paganism, and the occult – proves to be invaluable in her quest to better understand her own behavior and free herself and other innocent victims from maltreatment.

"Camp Damascus" is an insightful, captivating work of suspense, complete with a highly intelligent, exemplary narrator, and an important underlying message about the ramifications of religion when it is misinterpreted and used to do harm rather than help.

"Camp Damascus" is available now from Nightfire Books.