I think this is my favorite thing so far that I’ve read by Chapman. A couple of the stories in this collection felt like they ended just as they were getting started. A few of them just flat out weren’t my thing. (The political horror was just too on the nose for me, personally.) But the good ones were great. There were many instances of characters putting disgusting or weird things in their mouths, so the title absolutely tracks.

You will be treated to a variety of scenarios here, including a wild story about baby carrots, a creepy tale about hotel pools, and a fungal body horror story about Dementia that is very sad but also disturbing.

There’s a fun one that I’m absolutely certain is based on Huggy Wuggy from “Poppy Playtime,” but Chapman’s version is named Tubby Wubby. And a great concept involving a department store Santa.

I want an entire book about the three young sisters who can talk to ghosts and make money for their dad by talking primarily to the dead Civil War soldiers that follow them around. Historical fiction is typically not my thing, especially when it’s themed around war. But this spooky story is now one of my all-time favorite pieces. It’s incredible.

I will say that a theme or two end up coming back to be re-used later, but I enjoyed the stories enough that this didn’t really bother me. I can see some people pointing out the recycling of ideas, though. Another thing I noticed is that he uses the name Pendleton a LOT. I double checked to make sure it wasn’t just a recurring character and that wasn’t the case. I guess he just likes that last name? It was in at least three different stories. I personally would have left out the final story that was nothing but fanboying over a fellow author because it felt very cringe to me, but this wasn’t my collection.

Overall, I do recommend it! Entertaining, gross and unsettling with a twist of sentimentality.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for the copy in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.

Biggest TW: Animal death, Harm to children, Politics, Hate language, Chronic illness, Pedophilia, Drug use

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan for this ARC!

Clay is one of my favorite horror authors so I was so excited to read his short story collection. I had already read Stay on the Line when it was published by Shortwave and it’s still one of my favorites. I also enjoyed our summer in the pit, stowaway, knockoffs and sweetmeat.

All of these stories will definitely make your skin crawl and keep you from eating for the next 24 hours!

Clay McLeod Chapman's short fiction is perpetually vivid and unsettling; each tale a unique fever dream that leaves the reader floating in a pool of what-the-hell-just happened? The stories in this collection range from unhinged to poignant, hopscotching a million different points in between. Fans of first-person narratives will unabashedly devour this Acquired Taste.

Finally I have found a short story collection I really enjoyed! Out of the 25 short stories in this book there was only 3 I wasn’t so keen on which is a great ratio I think. There was a clear and satisfying ending to each of the stories and each were very unique. I enjoyed Clay’s writing style and will be keen to read some more of his work now!

The title says it all - Clay McLeod Chapman's books may not be for everyone, but his loyal fans will be sure to eat up this collection of odd and creepy stories. While some got firmly under my skin, others didn't really make an impact - Baby Carrots was just too absurd to be creepy!

Wtffffffff Clay. After reading this, I may not look at baby carrots the same way, but I kind of want to buy a bag of them because I find them really delicious. Maybe I’m the weird one…

Clay is such a lovely and awesome person. How can a sweet guy write such horrid stories? I love short horror stories! If I want something to creep me out, I’ll read a collection of them. This was the perfect balance between funny and scary!
The ones which really struck me were;

Who Brings A Baby? Hilarious and disturbing!! That opening sentence had me laughing.

The Spew of News. I loved Wake Up and Open Your Eyes so that was the opening of that novel.

Stowaway - creepy and weird, the ending at me like 👀

Baby Carrots - ok, do I really need to say anything else about this one?

Pump and Dump - I spent most time reading this one saying “what the f Clay”.

Knockoff - who doesn’t love a good knockoff.. this one really hit home, especially when you have children between the ages of 5-8. I refuse to buy anything to do with Rainbow Friends and Huggy Wuggy.

Psychic Santa - This was an emotional one for me.

Sweetmeat - I love anything to do with cannibalism right now.

Hermit - maybe we all need a little Hermit in our lives?

All Ears - Excellent.

Stay On The Line - I’ve had this one sat on my shelf since I bought it from Shortwave! A unique story.

I didn’t dislike one story and they were all brilliantly written. Thank you Titan Books for sending me an ARC.

These short stories were all so bizarre and crazy. Some were comical and some were creepy asf. I loved the baby carrots one, I thought that was hilarious!

Clay McLeod Chapman is truly one of horror's all-time greats.

I am a huge fan of short stories — there's something so awesome about how writers are able to scare you, unsettle you, gross you out, make you uncomfortable, make you laugh, make you cry, make you run the emotional gauntlet, surprise you, and more, all in such a short time. Clay did that here.

He hasn't missed yet with his novels - Clay is an excellent novelist — one of the best out there, period. I had no doubt his shorter work would also be amazing. Hell, some of the earlier works of his l'd read were his Short Wave chapbooks and those are BONKERS (a couple are featured in here).

So, with my love for short stories and Clay's work already, you can probably guess my excitement levels were very high when Clay and Titan Books announced Acquired Taste. This collection proved he kicks ass at short stories too and my anticipation was absolutely warranted. The opening sentence of every one of these stories is the ultimate fish hook. If you're not immediately intrigued, idk what to tell you.

I read through these 25 stories (we had already read 4 of them), and not a single one left us disappointed. Wanting more? Maybe for a few, but that's only because we know Clay could easily warp any of these into a full-on novel and it would be a work of art. Funny enough... one of these stories WAS turned into a novel: Wake Up And Open Your Eyes

All this to say, Acquired Taste is one of the best short story collections out there. Clay is a gem and I am honored to be around when he's writing new stuff for us every year... often more than once... twice...

Seriously, this collection is absolutely fantastic. It's very gnarly at times and definitely takes you on a roller coaster of chaos.

Overall, Acquired Taste is an easy 5/5 from me and I can't recommend it, and Clay, enough. It hits shelves everywhere September 9th. Get those pre-orders in yesterday and crack it open as soon as you get it. It won't be an Acquired Taste for long.

These stories were equally frightening and suspensful. My first from the author and will not be my last!

I was not expecting so many of the stories in Acquired Taste to be weird and I absolutely loved it! Not all of them were a hit for me—as is the case with basically every short story collection—but many of them were and I think they’ll be lingering in my mind for months.

To give a sense of the range: there’s a story about a man being tormented by baby carrots, one about a convent of salamander-worshiping nuns, and one about a very weird breast pump. All so strange and all utterly captivating. I also have to mention “Nathan Ballingrud’s Haunted Horror Recs,” which might not work for those unfamiliar with Ballingrud, but as someone who’s devoured everything he’s written, I had a huge smile on my face the entire time.

Here's the thing. I am a bit of a short story hater, but a Clay McLeod Chapman loyalist. This collection is the perfect example of why I don't like short stories,

I. Need. More. Some of these stories are simply so good I do not want them to end. Give me 350 pages of a psychic mall santa with a troubled past helping ghost children. A haunted hammed that makes you kill? I want all the details!! Halloween candy gone wrong? Tell me more.

Clay is brilliant. These stories are brilliant. Maybe a little twisted, but brilliant nonetheless.

This collection of short horror stories is a wild ride through the eerie, grotesque, and sometimes hilariously absurd corners of human fear. Chapman’s writing style is consistent across the stories, which makes reading this collection feel cohesive despite the variety of settings and subjects.

Some highlights:
The Fireplace (4★) – Spooky and fun; a perfect Halloween tale.
Who Brings a Baby? (4★) – My personal “cinema fear”; could easily work as a tense aeroplane scene.
The Spew of News (5★) – Brilliant! I didn’t expect to love this, but the idea of radical political views infecting viewers like horror is executed perfectly.
Baby Carrots (4★) – Creepy, goosebump-inducing story. Honestly, I’d prefer a parent telling me to eat Doritos over baby carrots any day.
Fairy Ring (4★) – Quiet, unnerving horror; a perfect short film concept.
Pump and Dump (4★) – The most horrifying piece for me; intense and unforgettable.
All Ears (5★) – Raw PTSD horror; genuinely sad and powerful, could make a film like Jacob’s Ladder.

Some stories didn’t land for me, while others were more bizarre, amusing, or gory than scary. Overall, I appreciated the creativity, the dark humour, and the unsettling scenarios. Some tales made me shiver, some made me laugh, and a few made me think, “What did I just read?”

If you enjoy horror that blends psychological dread, absurdity, and occasional social commentary, Acquired Taste is a collection worth exploring. Chapman’s voice is distinctive, and even the weaker stories are still intriguing in concept.

These 25 or so stories left me so uneasy that, if you hadn't told me, I could probably guess it was Clay McCloud Chapman's work. He is quickly becoming a favorite horror author of mine, and I absolutely devoured this book. I love that you have to marinate on some of these stories and they seep into your brain and won't leave! There were times I thought I knew what was going on, but clearly Chapman had a much better idea. All Ears and Stay on the Line were two of my favs, but that was a hard choice as I loved them all. This was an absolute 5 star read hands down!!!

Clay McLeod Chapman has this uncanny ability to say the most disturbing, revolting things and make them sound completely reasonable. I believe - and I mean this in the most complimentary way possible - there are alternate realities where he’s a cult leader, a serial killer, or U.S. president.

Acquired Taste is Clay McLeod Chapman’s most nefarious work yet. He’s telling us right in the title what his diabolical plan is. We may not like that first sip of - I was going to say “beer”, but when you see his opening sentence, it’s something more like a dirty gin martini - but by the end of 25 stories, we’ll be slurring “shaken, not stirred” with the best of them, even though by then, we’ll know you want to stir it for better flavor.

Story collections by their nature are a bit of a mixed bag, and while this was overall a strong one, there were a few highlights for me.

who brings a baby? - My enjoyment of this may be due, at least in part, to the hilarious recitation I saw the author perform at the Chattanooga Film Festival. But, seriously, who brings a baby to a horror movie?

fairy ring and stay on the line are both stories that deal with loss; the former, losing a parent to dementia, the latter, a coastal town dealing with the loss of several to a hurricane, including the narrator’s husband, and how their grief makes them lose themselves

Nathan Balingrud’s haunting horror recs was my favorite for a couple of reasons, 1. I love a road trip for almost no reason and 2. The imagery evoked in the final paragraphs of being completely wrapped up in a book, because don’t all the best ones do that? I know it’ll take me some time to get all the bits of Acquired Taste out of my hair.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for the advance copy.

It’s rare for me to give a short story collection such a high rating. Usually there are one or two weaker entries that bring the overall score down, but Clay McLeod Chapman proves, once again, that he’s an absolute master of satirical, offbeat horror.

This collection had me equal parts grossed out and laughing out loud at the absurdity of it all. Chapman has a gift for walking that razor’s edge between horror and humor, delivering stories that are as unsettling as they are wildly entertaining and hilarious.

At this point, he’s become an auto buy author for me. Few writers capture horror with such sharp wit and dark playfulness. And after one particular story… let’s just say I’ll never eat another baby carrot. But honestly, I’m okay with that.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Clay McLeod Chapman, and Titan Books for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Dark, unsettling and wickedly funny, Acquired Taste by Clay McLeod Chapman is a wild ride. I love a good short story collection that I can really sink my teeth into and this one definitely delivered!
For a bit of a more in depth, spoiler free review please check out my YouTube review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiAAuRtFl2o

Acquired Taste by Clay McLeod Chapman is a sharp, unsettling little gem that blends body horror with biting social commentary. Chapman takes the familiar and makes it grotesque, weaving in themes of consumption, vanity, and the ways we literally and figuratively devour one another. The pacing is tight, the imagery is vivid in a way that sticks under your skin, and the ending lands with a punch. It’s weird, queasy, and addictive—the kind of story that makes you both squirm and keep turning the page.

Acquired Taste collects a plethora of Clay McLeod Chapman's short fiction. While some of them contain the more subdued or subtle horror of his first three novels, many of the others are not for the squeamish. They'll make you squirm with the myriad grotesqueries and uncomfortable situations Chapman seems to relish in spilling forth on the page. His excellent prose and story telling prowess keep you reading no matter how much discomfort you feel (well, except for one story I just couldn't bring myself to finish). While I had read a few of the tales before, the majority were new to me, though my favorites remain "Stay on the Line" and "Knockoffs," both of which I already owned.

I love Chapman's stuff. He is amazing at novella length, great at novel length, and good at short story length.

There were a few standout stories in here, but I think I'd recommend all of his other work over this one

Dark, weird, and razor-sharp, Acquired Taste is one of those collections that lingers long after you’ve finished it. Clay McLeod Chapman balances horror with heart in a way that’s unsettling and strangely beautiful. These stories dig into modern anxieties—parenthood, media, isolation—and twist them into something grotesque but familiar. Some will make you laugh nervously, others will just make you squirm. If you like your horror smart, socially aware, and deeply unnerving, this is for you.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books for providing an eARC of Acquired Taste prior to publication.