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An Excellent Host
"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.
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.
69 pages, Paperback
First published April 27, 2024
6 people are currently reading
7340 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 241 reviews
June 3, 2024
I’m slowly turning into a cannibalistic twink because of Chelsea G. Summers. I’m horny for more, mother.
September 30, 2024
try not to say ‘mother’ while reading this
June 8, 2024
“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!
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!
October 28, 2024
girl dinner <3
vlog: https://youtu.be/ou8c5M02Ztk
vlog: https://youtu.be/ou8c5M02Ztk
December 3, 2024
about as complex as taylor swift’s brand of feminism
May 6, 2024
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
March 3, 2025
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!
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!
May 3, 2024
A dumb man! Gets k!lled! By a group of hot women! Chelsea G. Summers doing what she does best!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2024
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. 🍷
May 5, 2024
Take me to the lakes where all the shads go to die 💞
June 16, 2024
opulent and hedonistic and beautifully grotesque but what else do we expect from chelsea g. summers? f**k you, shad.
May 27, 2024
motherrrrr
October 2, 2025
I support women’s rights and women’s wrongs
A delectable girl dinner
A delectable girl dinner
January 12, 2025
No words. Just feminist perfection.
Also her author’s note is amazing and makes the dedication even better. IYKYK.
Also her author’s note is amazing and makes the dedication even better. IYKYK.
December 31, 2025
actual rating: 2/5 stars
this one really pissed me off and not in the fun way a good horror book should which hurts because i loved a certain hunger by this author. when i found out about this novella, which was published exclusively for independent bookstore day in 2024, the plot sounded so perfect for me that i literally tracked down a secondhand copy months after release. women performing a ritual sacrifice on a man? sign me up immediately. but the fact that i went so out of my way to get this book and still ended up disliking it made the whole experience even more frustrating.
on paper this has everything i should love. in execution it's a mess. my biggest issue is that this book absolutely reeks of white feminism and i went in expecting the same sharp biting energy as a certain hunger but got something completely different. the women doing the sacrificing are so insufferable and so unaware of their own privilege that i found myself not rooting for anyone. yes the man they're targeting is terrible but honestly i wanted all of them to die because they were pissing me off that badly.
the author is clearly trying to make a point about female rage and reclaiming power but it only acknowledges such a narrow privileged version of womanhood that it feels deeply tone deaf. this is girl boss horror. this is white women asking for a fifty cent raise while black women are working three jobs to put food on the table. it's not that these feelings are invalid but the scope is so limited and the complete lack of self-awareness around their privilege made it grating to read.
what makes it worse is that i could tell the author wasn't even aware of how these characters were coming across. there's no meta commentary on their privilege, no acknowledgment that maybe these women are also part of the problem. it's just presented as the vibe, like we're supposed to find them empowering when really they're just rich women complaining about first world problems while literally committing ritual murder. if this had been intentional commentary, if the book was interrogating that hypocrisy, this could have been brilliant. but it's not. it's played completely straight.
the cherry on top of this tone deaf sundae was the author's note where she mentions taylor swift, and honestly that tracks perfectly. both this book and taylor swift give off the same energy of loud but deeply unaware of anything outside their own specific bubble. it's a very specific brand of performative feminism that feels dated and hollow. it's supposed to come across as empowerment but it doesn't feel empowering when i can't relate to these women at all.
part of the problem is that this is a novella and the author did zero work to develop these characters. they operate like a hive mind with no individual personalities and i think that was supposed to do something thematically but i honestly didn't care. i've read horror novellas this short or shorter that were way more effective at developing dread and character. it's absolutely possible to do both. the author just didn't try.
it felt like a horror version of brunch where everyone's complaining about their problems while committing murder in the background. if you're gonna write about ancient gods and blood sacrifices, the stakes and the characters need to feel deeper than a skin care routine.
i love the female rage subgenre of horror and i've read so many books i was absolutely obsessed. even a certain hunger which i'd classify in that category, worked because we understood the main character so deeply that her actions made sense. this book has none of that depth. it had so much potential to be gritty and dark but the execution was just painfully tone deaf. such a massive disappointment.
this one really pissed me off and not in the fun way a good horror book should which hurts because i loved a certain hunger by this author. when i found out about this novella, which was published exclusively for independent bookstore day in 2024, the plot sounded so perfect for me that i literally tracked down a secondhand copy months after release. women performing a ritual sacrifice on a man? sign me up immediately. but the fact that i went so out of my way to get this book and still ended up disliking it made the whole experience even more frustrating.
on paper this has everything i should love. in execution it's a mess. my biggest issue is that this book absolutely reeks of white feminism and i went in expecting the same sharp biting energy as a certain hunger but got something completely different. the women doing the sacrificing are so insufferable and so unaware of their own privilege that i found myself not rooting for anyone. yes the man they're targeting is terrible but honestly i wanted all of them to die because they were pissing me off that badly.
the author is clearly trying to make a point about female rage and reclaiming power but it only acknowledges such a narrow privileged version of womanhood that it feels deeply tone deaf. this is girl boss horror. this is white women asking for a fifty cent raise while black women are working three jobs to put food on the table. it's not that these feelings are invalid but the scope is so limited and the complete lack of self-awareness around their privilege made it grating to read.
what makes it worse is that i could tell the author wasn't even aware of how these characters were coming across. there's no meta commentary on their privilege, no acknowledgment that maybe these women are also part of the problem. it's just presented as the vibe, like we're supposed to find them empowering when really they're just rich women complaining about first world problems while literally committing ritual murder. if this had been intentional commentary, if the book was interrogating that hypocrisy, this could have been brilliant. but it's not. it's played completely straight.
the cherry on top of this tone deaf sundae was the author's note where she mentions taylor swift, and honestly that tracks perfectly. both this book and taylor swift give off the same energy of loud but deeply unaware of anything outside their own specific bubble. it's a very specific brand of performative feminism that feels dated and hollow. it's supposed to come across as empowerment but it doesn't feel empowering when i can't relate to these women at all.
part of the problem is that this is a novella and the author did zero work to develop these characters. they operate like a hive mind with no individual personalities and i think that was supposed to do something thematically but i honestly didn't care. i've read horror novellas this short or shorter that were way more effective at developing dread and character. it's absolutely possible to do both. the author just didn't try.
it felt like a horror version of brunch where everyone's complaining about their problems while committing murder in the background. if you're gonna write about ancient gods and blood sacrifices, the stakes and the characters need to feel deeper than a skin care routine.
i love the female rage subgenre of horror and i've read so many books i was absolutely obsessed. even a certain hunger which i'd classify in that category, worked because we understood the main character so deeply that her actions made sense. this book has none of that depth. it had so much potential to be gritty and dark but the execution was just painfully tone deaf. such a massive disappointment.
October 21, 2024
Short and a lot of fun.
May 15, 2024
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!
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!
November 16, 2025
ya know I wish I could understand what I just read a little more but the entire authors note is about taylor swift
June 16, 2024
Chef's Kiss
November 11, 2024
Absolutely loved this story and found a new favorite author! Feminist, spicy, sacrificial, and timeless.
December 17, 2024
shoutout jennifer's body
November 25, 2025
there’s just something about a culty group of women tricking men into becoming their meal that just gets me going!
May 29, 2024
3.5 stars
an enjoyable short story
an enjoyable short story
June 30, 2024
4.5/5
December 14, 2024
better than her debut, i’ll say that much.
Read
July 5, 2024God I love Chelsea G. Summers, her books are deliciously fucked up.
An Excellent Host was frantic and I left feeling satisfied, content.
An Excellent Host was frantic and I left feeling satisfied, content.
May 10, 2024
this was wonderful mother but I would like another novel asap <3
December 22, 2024
it put me in a (surface level) trance and then i read the author's note, where she credits practically everything to taylor swift. i understand that she gives a voice to rage and deep emotion, but i dont like reading a story about maenads physically ripping a man apart and then reading the literal words "#unhingedwomen girlies" and "#cannibalgirlboss stans." shad's voice felt unpolished and disingenuine to what a real man would sound like. it was fun to put an ancient act into a modern setting but felt a little too devoid of the actual ancient aspect to me. it felt like every other modern contemporary 'i am a craaAaAzy woman. because i feel Angry... and sometimes even... nonsensical...' i am sounding like i hated it much more than i actually did. it was a fun quick little read, but not too revolutionary.
February 11, 2025
While beautifully written, "An Excellent Host" ultimately lacked depth for me. I really enjoyed the modern interpretation of the death of Orpheus (and the book's cover portraying it), but that was the only part of the story that truly stood out to me.
The afterword crediting Taylor Swift unfortunately felt very fitting-the whole story screams girl boss feminism. The concept of has been done before, and in ways that are much more interesting (think Bunny by Mona Awad).
Overall, it's a fun read, but calling it a feminist novella feels like a huge oversell.
The afterword crediting Taylor Swift unfortunately felt very fitting-the whole story screams girl boss feminism. The concept of has been done before, and in ways that are much more interesting (think Bunny by Mona Awad).
Overall, it's a fun read, but calling it a feminist novella feels like a huge oversell.
July 28, 2025
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?
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?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 241 reviews