An Excellent Host

by Chelsea G. Summers

"In An Excellent Host, modern dating goes wildly awry (at least when Chelsea G. Summers is in charge of the Airbnb booking).

Somewhere in Brooklyn, a feast awaits its guests, a man cannot believe his great good luck, and ancient gods get ready to receive their due in this horror-fantasy updating of Greek myths.

An exclusive paperback for Indie Bookstore Day, featuring a new story from Chelsea G. Summers, the bestselling author of A Certain Hunger. Signed by the author.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Novella, Fiction, Fantasy, Mythology, Gothic

69 pages, Paperback

First published April 27, 2024

Reviews

[Flo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m slowly turning into a cannibalistic twink because of Chelsea G. Summers. I’m horny for more, mother.

[makayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

try not to say ‘mother’ while reading this

[Summer · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Io evohé”

Upon first glance, I noticed the cover art is a famous work by Émile Lévy titled Death of Orpheus so I knew going into this one that it would be good.

Essentially An Excellent Host is a modern retelling of Orpheus, maenads, and all. The writing is superb and at only 51 pages the story packs a punch. Which is my only complaint, I wished it was longer. So to quench my craving for more of Summers’ work, I'm going to reread A Certain Hunger and (im)patiently await her next work.

An Excellent Host by Chelsea G. Summers was printed exclusively for Independent Bookstore Day 2024 (April 27) so it's available now. Many thanks to Unnamed Press for the gifted copy!

[Sara (sarawithoutanH) · Rating 4 out of 5]

girl dinner <3

vlog: https://youtu.be/ou8c5M02Ztk

[sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

about as complex as taylor swift’s brand of feminism

[Carolina (Percy’s mom) · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you smiled at the end of Midsummer, paused Mother! while Jennifer Lawrence belt her monologue at the end, if you support Women’s Rights AND Women’s Wrongs, or you keep a crowbar in your car in case you see your ex, then I happily implore you to read An Excellent Host!! Not only did I love every second of total power, but the shared bond. Whether violent, sexual, or unforgiving, I never knew how desperately I needed it until now

[Kiera ☠ · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading 'A Certain Hunger' and subsequently having that book take over my personality, I started looking into what else Summers had written and this one popped up. Seeing as it is a limited availability, signed edition from a smaller press in America, I didn't immediately pull the trigger on purchase since the shipping was going to cost me $30USD. However, after about a month I said 'fuck it' and just decided it was worth it to me.

Overall, I'm glad I picked it up. I guess my only gripe is I wish it was longer. I loved the vibes of this short story. It was gothic yet modern, haunting and tantalizing. I want to know more about these woman and this cult. Summers does a really incredible job at writing erotic, bloody horror. I loved the ambiance of this story, its dark and rich and sensual. If you're a fan of 'A Certain Hunger' you'll enjoy this read. If you decide to order it, just know it's a short story. I'll now just be sitting and waiting, highly anticipating her next book!

[Hannah (hngisreading) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dumb man! Gets k!lled! By a group of hot women! Chelsea G. Summers doing what she does best!

[Colby · Rating 5 out of 5]

what more could i possibly want from a story than a group of beautiful, wine-drunk maenads luring in a handsome man and tearing him apart with their bare hands? io evohé, indeed. 🍷

[Adelaide · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take me to the lakes where all the shads go to die 💞

[Gabriella · Rating 5 out of 5]

opulent and hedonistic and beautifully grotesque but what else do we expect from chelsea g. summers? f**k you, shad.

[pozaprzypisem · Rating 4 out of 5]

motherrrrr

[Dorien Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I support women’s rights and women’s wrongs
A delectable girl dinner

[Paulameena · Rating 5 out of 5]

No words. Just feminist perfection.

Also her author’s note is amazing and makes the dedication even better. IYKYK.

[Lau Ampelmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and a lot of fun.

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

I don't know how Chelsea G. Summers does it but her writing is always so delicious and visceral. This story was everything I wanted out of a short story. I loved the dual perspective, and although this was written in 2015, it really gave me Bunny by Mona Awad vibes except from the perspective of the bunnies and one of their male victims, and if it were Greek mythology transplanted into the modern world. Absolutely amazing, and I loved the essay in the back about Taylor Swift, how her music partially inspired this story, and the respect she has for Swifties and young women of this new generation allowing themselves and showing out loud their girlhood, womanhood, and all the complexities that comes with them, especially with regards to female rage. I only wish everything could have been longer because I want more!

[Kaysey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chef's Kiss

[MJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this story and found a new favorite author! Feminist, spicy, sacrificial, and timeless.

[lauren ruiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

shoutout jennifer's body

[Ness (Vynexa) · Rating 4 out of 5]

there’s just something about a culty group of women tricking men into becoming their meal that just gets me going!

[dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

an enjoyable short story

[kaleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

[genevieve · Rating 3 out of 5]

better than her debut, i’ll say that much.

[Kaleigh Basso]

God I love Chelsea G. Summers, her books are deliciously fucked up.

An Excellent Host was frantic and I left feeling satisfied, content.

[Ally Tuttelman · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was wonderful mother but I would like another novel asap <3

[Athena · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

I support women's rights, but more importantly, I support women's wrongs. But in hindsight, maybe I don't support this? At least not the writing, if women want to be in cannibalistic cults, who am I to stop them?

[sophelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

the power of taylor swift, ladies and gentlemen

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

she ate with this one

[gracie s · Rating 4 out of 5]

MORE CHELSEA G SUMMERS BOOKS NOWWWWWW

[kaitlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

ya know I wish I could understand what I just read a little more but the entire authors note is about taylor swift