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.

Great set of short stories from Clay McLeod Chapman, most of which are five-ten minute reads - a short sharp and typically unpleasant shock. Lots of body horror and a wee bit of psychological horror thrown in for good measure. There’s some repetition of theme which could perhaps have been sequenced differently but this is a minor point.
Highlights - pump and dump which feels properly nasty, all ears which is both nasty and carries a bit of psychological truth and the nocturnal gardener which was quietly touching.

A collection of short stories that, with a few exceptions, hit the mark.

As with all compilations, there are the good and the not so good, but there is something in this bundle that should please most tastes. For me, it was Pick of the Litter - short, sharp but oh so evil! The last story, Nathan Ballingrud’s Haunting Horror Recs, was the perfect ending. What horror fan wouldn’t follow their dark hero, no matter where they led?

Horror stories that are bizarre, unpredictable and downright barking mad (yes, Pump and Dump I’m talking about you!), this offering will thrill and delight, leaving the reader with perhaps more questions than answers. Read them with the spirit in which they are offered, you won’t be disappointed!

A well paced book that reads quickly, and with the tales so short it never gets boring!

Thank you NetGalley and Titan Books.

Well… this was definitely entertaining. My emotions ranged from being creeped out to asking myself what the heck is going on? This collection has 25 short stories, and like with any anthology, some stood out more than others, but a few have been rattling around in my brain ever since I finished.

“Baby Carrots” had me laughing way too hard. “Knockoffs” is one of those stories that’s both entertaining and unsettling—especially if you’re a parent. And then there’s “Pump and Dump”… seriously, what the heck, Clay? The final piece, “Nathan Ballingrud’s Haunting Horror Recs,” was the perfect ending to this bizarre, creepy, and darkly funny ride.

This was my first time reading Chapman, and I had such a blast. Acquired Taste feels like the kind of collection where everyone will find at least one story that sticks with them. It’s a perfect pick for horror newcomers who want something accessible but eerie and for seasoned horror fans who just love stories that balance creepy with entertaining chaos.

Overall vibe: Creepy, a litte funny, and unhinged in the best way.

Acquired Taste is a collection of short stories by horror author Clay McLeod Chapman, with a huge range of premises across 25 stories. The stories in the collection are mostly pretty short, never outstaying their welcome, and I liked how much they could differ, meaning that the stories don't end up getting too repetitive. There's also a mix of horror styles, from darker, more extreme horror to more bittersweet moments and satirical stories.

There were a lot of fun concepts in the stories (there's one that involves plushies similar to Labubus which is a great romp) and creepy moments (like someone hearing a crying baby in the cinema, only to realise they're alone). The only stories I found less engaging were one about civil war psychic sisters (as I'm not really a historical fiction person) and another that was presumably the precursor to CMC's recent novel Wake Up and Open Your Eyes as it felt like a slightly watered down version of part of that book, and as I've read that novel, it wasn't very exciting to read that.

The collection is great if you like punchy horror short stories, and would work as a good introduction to Clay McLeod Chapman as well. Short stories aren't always my favourite format, but this kind of well-paced, varied, doesn't-shy-away-from-being-nasty collection is what I do like.

Acquired Taste is a great collection of short weird, creepy and sometimes terrifying short stories. I think there's something for everyone is this collection. This was fast paced and I flew through it and loved every story bar one. I highly recommend.