One of Vulture's Best Horror Novels of 2022
One of Paste’s Best Horror Books of 2022
One of Book Riot’s Best Horror Novels of 2022
One of CrimeReads’ Best Horror Fiction Books of 2022
One of Tor Nightfire’s Horror Books We're Excited About in 2022
September 2022 LibraryReads Pick
An October 2022 Indie Next Pick
“Shades of Flatliners and addiction drama pepper this tale about a woman who learns her college sweetheart died of an overdose – from a drug that allows folks to see the dead.”—USA Today
“Trainspotting meets Requiem For A Dream, rewritten as an avant-garde horror movie soundtracked by Nine Inch Nails.”—Esquire
“A legitimately terrifying ghost story and also a thoughtful and smart (if grim) exploration of how addiction destroys lives, Ghost Eaters should make Clay McLeod Chapman a star.”—Vulture
“Full of great character moments, unbelievably tense hauntings, and an emotional core that runs so deep you’ll still be unpacking it long after the last page.”—Paste
“A keenly observant narrative that, with a mix of body horror and just plain horror, plucks at the raw nerves of the grieving process.”—SCI FI Magazine
“Rife with body horror and hallucinations...the narrative sucks readers into its dark, disorienting world. It’s equal parts moving and gruesome.”—Publishers Weekly
“Chapman has created an experience so anxiety inducing, immersive, and intense that readers will feel like something is actually there, lurking over their shoulder as they turn the pages. A great choice for fans of A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay, Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and Orphans of Bliss, edited by Mark Matthews.”—Booklist, starred review
“A high anxiety, utterly original, and compelling contemplation of what it means to be haunted.”—Library Journal
“If Clay McLeod Chapman’s previous novels hint at his burgeoning talent for horror storytelling, Ghost Eaters sees it fully realized...A compelling, relentless read...”—Rue Morgue
“The best book from Chapman yet…wicked, full of heart, and lasting, or more appropriately, haunting.”—Cemetery Dance
“Fans of body horror will rejoice as Chapman leads readers through a trippy world.”—Book Riot
“A nuanced, heartfelt story about addiction, grief, loss, and regret…Ghost Eaters is as humane as it is horrific—which is another way of saying it’s Chapman doing what Chapman does best.”—The Big Thrill
“I truly loved it and all its creepiness.”—Lauren Simonis-Hunter for AARP
"While this book warns you away from mainlining Ghost, because of, you know, ghosts, what you will get hooked on here is Clay McLeod Chapman's writing."—New York Times bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones, Don't Fear the Reaper
“A Gothic-punk graveyard tale about what haunts history and what haunts the human soul. An addicting read that draws you into its descent from the first page.”—Chuck Wendig, New York Times best-selling author of The Book of Accidents
“Clay McLeod Chapman's guided tour of a shroom-and-gloom ghost world, where everyone is addicted to death, reads like a scared straight program that horrifies you into choosing life.”—Grady Hendrix, New York Times bestselling author of The Final Girl Support Group
“A terrifying meditation of the horrors of modern life and our collective fixation with death. Clay McLeod Chapman’s Ghost Eaters promises to fix what ails you, existentially speaking. But be warned: follow Chapman down this rabbit hole and you will see dead people.”—Alma Katsu, author of The Fervor
“Ghost Eaters is one of those rare horror novels that have everything: a dash of humor, real life demons, complex characters, a heavy dose of the supernatural, and the kind of ending you never forget. This is high-grade horror, and Clay McLeod Chapman is the real deal.”—Gabino Iglesias, author of The Devil Takes You Home
“Clay McLeod Chapman is a weaver of nightmares and Ghost Eaters is his darkest creation yet. A non-stop thrill ride, all you can do is strap in and prepare to be haunted. Chapman is the 21st century’s Richard Matheson. He’s that good.”—Richard Chizmar, New York Times best-selling author of Chasing the Boogeyman
“A quintessential ghost story with a fresh, trippy twist. Chapman weaves hair-raising, goosebump-inducing horror through a sharp exploration of loss, addiction, and grim history. Haunting guaranteed.”—Rachel Harrison, author of Cackle and The Return
04/25/2022
Chapman (Whisper Down the Lane) probes the terrorizing psychological grip of addiction, both to drugs and to toxic relationships, in this psychedelic psychological horror novel. Erin has spent most of her adult life entwined with Silas, moving from a romantic attachment into a codependent friendship. Now, she’s just trying to keep him alive after years of addiction. But when he ditches rehab and ignores her intervention attempt, she finally kicks him out of her life—only for him to overdose and die days later. Following this tragedy, one of their mutual friends introduces a guilt-ridden Erin to Ghost, a new drug he and Silas were testing, which enables users to communicate with the dead and lets her to see Silas once more. She soon develops an addiction to Ghost. But the door to the land of the dead lets through more than just Silas—and, it turns out, it’s not so easily closed. Chapman captures the visceral tragedy of drug addiction and grief as he follows Erin through the unhealthy relationships she has with both herself and others. Rife with body horror and hallucinations, some of which may get a bit too trippy for some, the narrative sucks readers into its dark, disorienting world. It’s equal parts moving and gruesome. (Sept.)
07/01/2022
The latest novel from Chapman (Whisper Down the Lane) starts off in a Richmond, VA, cemetery with four young adults who are mostly content in their drug-fueled haze as their ringleader, Silas, brings them to a mausoleum for a séance. What Silas doesn't bank on is actual ghosts showing up. Erin, now Silas's ex-girlfriend, dodges his calls after this, but then Silas dies, leading Erin to honor his dying wish that she take the drug called "Ghost" that made him see the ghosts. Then the original group of friends who were at the séance perform another ritual to try to draw Silas out. What they unleash is so much worse than what they expected, and the plot escalates as Erin's hauntings worsen with centuries of ghosts and revenants suddenly everywhere she goes. The Silas hauntings are disturbing and get progressively worse as the novel goes on. VERDICT With similarities to the horror movies Flatliners and Bodies Bodies Bodies, minus the humor, Chapman's story comes to a head as readers begin to understand that Ghost has so much more of a morbid meaning in this enthralling addiction horror tale.—Anita Siraki