When diving into a Chuck Tingle novel you can expect the unexpected. This goes for Fabulous Bodies. I was looking forward to a fun and weird story when it came to this novel, but was utterly surprised with how emotionally connected I felt with the tale. Fabulous Bodies is the weird blend of influencer, grave robber, and rockstar chaos you have been looking for. Let’s be honest you weren’t, but now are.
Poppy Stringer was born to be a star. An aspiring fashion influencer by day, Poppy moonlights as a grave robber to make ends meet, wheeling and dealing dead bodies across Palm Springs.
When her hero, the flamboyant, piano-slamming rockstar Eddie Michaels, unexpectedly dies, Poppy gets a call to retrieve his body from the medical examiner’s office for a lucrative sum. It could be the last job she’ll ever need―if everything goes to plan. But the night’s delivery quickly veers off course when Eddie wakes up.
Now Poppy must fight for her life if she hopes to survive this blood-soaked joyride of carnage and extravagant entertainment.
As I said to kick things off here, expect the unexpected, that is what I have come to find with Tingle. This goes for the story itself, the method of storytelling, or really anything. What I expected with this story was grave robbing and the associated risks with this endeavor. While that is the case, it was not exactly what I had pictured in my mind. Yes, I knew Eddie would wake up, as described, I just figured there would be more to it. This is not a dig (pun-intended), but a change of what I had gone in expecting.
While it starts off a bit slow, setting the foundation for the rest of the story, Fabulous Bodies does come at you quick with neck breaking pacing. There is no rest for the wicked. When shit hit the fan, there is no stopping the fast paced, campy horror, and even humor that takes place. The speed of the book doesn’t take away from the overall story, but adds to the experience. Even in the emotional moments, the again surprised me, things felt like the peddle was to the floor. Making for an easy, and fun read.
Poppy is setup as a fantastic character from the start, someone who is extremely public facing as an influencer but also leads the double-life as some making some quick cash in the trade of the dead. I couldn’t help but think of stories such as Dexter whereas it should be obvious to those around you that something is off about you, but no one is the wiser. Makes for a funny, campy, and sometimes intense story. And when Poppy ends up on an intense, horrifying adventure with Eddie we are introduced to another well crafted character and a terrifying but amazing connection between the two.
Fabulous Bodies is filled with a great amount of dark humor paired with just the right amount of body horror and action. It can be intense at moments, but the campiness helps balance this out. How Tingle is able to accomplish all of this in a zombie-style journey is beyond me, but it works.
Fabulous Bodies is somehow disgusting, hilarious, and genuinely sweet at the same time. It’s impossible not to have fun reading this. Chuck Tingle understands that camp and sincerity actually work really well together. The book is ridiculous in the best possible way.
Let’s be honest, Fabulous Bodies shouldn’t work on paper, but somehow Chuck Tingle turns this influence satire, body horror, zombie-fueled chaos into something that is truly wildly entertaining, all while also being surprisingly heartfelt. Fabulous Bodies is disgusting and funny, making for a blood-soaked fever dream that proves Tingle is one of horror’s most original voices.
Fabulous Bodies hits bookstores everywhere on July 7, 2026 from Tor Nightfire. The audiobook, narrated by Mara Wilson, is available via Libro.fm!
