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Trans Wizard Harriet Porber #1
Trans Wizard Harriet Porber And The Bad Boy Parasaurolophus: An Adult Romance Novel
Trans wizard Harriet Porber is a master spellsmith who's found herself in a bit of a pickle. After finishing wizard college, Harriet made a name for herself by creating a hit viral spell, but has since failed to craft a follow up. Now Harriet’s agent, Minerma, is breathing down her neck, suggesting that Harriet take a trip to an island off the coast of England for inspiration.
Hoping for some peace and quiet to clear her head, Harriet Porber arrives to find that her new neighbor, an angsty bard named Snabe from the band Seven Inch Nails, is already there making a racket. This parasaurolophus spellcaster is a bad boy through and through, and with his incredible powers of metamagic, Snabe reveals that this layer of reality is much more than it seems. Could Harriet and Snabe really be characters in a parody romance novel?
Soon enough, these two are discovering they have more similarities than both trans, both strong, and both hoping to create a new spell that will change the world. But with the addition of two devious sentient motorcycles to the mix, Dellatrix and Braco, things start to get complicated.
Now trans wizard Harriet Porber is caught up in a tale of magic and mystery where nothing is as it seems, except for one universal love is real.
This is a 52,000 word bad boy romance novel for adults. It contains some explicit scenes.
Hoping for some peace and quiet to clear her head, Harriet Porber arrives to find that her new neighbor, an angsty bard named Snabe from the band Seven Inch Nails, is already there making a racket. This parasaurolophus spellcaster is a bad boy through and through, and with his incredible powers of metamagic, Snabe reveals that this layer of reality is much more than it seems. Could Harriet and Snabe really be characters in a parody romance novel?
Soon enough, these two are discovering they have more similarities than both trans, both strong, and both hoping to create a new spell that will change the world. But with the addition of two devious sentient motorcycles to the mix, Dellatrix and Braco, things start to get complicated.
Now trans wizard Harriet Porber is caught up in a tale of magic and mystery where nothing is as it seems, except for one universal love is real.
This is a 52,000 word bad boy romance novel for adults. It contains some explicit scenes.
158 pages, Paperback
First published June 12, 2020
267 people are currently reading
2815 people want to read
About the author
Chuck Tingle
511 books4,907 followersChuck Tingle is a mysterious force of energy behind sunglasses and a pink mask. He is also an anonymous author of romance, horror, and fantasy. Chuck was born in Home of Truth, Utah, and now splits time between Billings, Montana and Los Angeles, California. Chuck writes to prove love is real, because love is the most important tool we have when resisting the endless cosmic void. Not everything people say about Chuck is true, but the important parts are.
Management and general inquiry: infotingleverse@gmail.com
Literary agent: DongWon at dongwonsong.com
Management and general inquiry: infotingleverse@gmail.com
Literary agent: DongWon at dongwonsong.com
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July 13, 2020CHUCK TINGLE SAID FUCK TERFS!!!!
read this at lunch today because i needed a pick me up. as all good tinglers are, it was delightfully dumb and absolutely bonkers and i will NEVER be over snabe rezmor, lead singer of seven inch nails, a giant trans dinosaur with an even giant-er cock. see also BRACO, SENTIENT MOTORBIKE.
read this at lunch today because i needed a pick me up. as all good tinglers are, it was delightfully dumb and absolutely bonkers and i will NEVER be over snabe rezmor, lead singer of seven inch nails, a giant trans dinosaur with an even giant-er cock. see also BRACO, SENTIENT MOTORBIKE.
November 9, 2020
This was my first book by this author, and I expected it to be silly, but it was remarkably good. I filmed my reaction after each chapter so look for a reading vlog next week on my YouTube Channel.
The aforementioned vlog is now live and can be viewed right here.
The aforementioned vlog is now live and can be viewed right here.
October 13, 2020
"We fully grasp that sometimes our bodies and our souls are perfectly matched and sometimes they're matched in a way that's uncomfortable, but these differences speak nothing to the purity and strength of the soul itself."
This book is pretty damn good for a quickly written JKR parody. Loved all the meta bits and I've actually read sex scenes that were way, way worse.
This book is pretty damn good for a quickly written JKR parody. Loved all the meta bits and I've actually read sex scenes that were way, way worse.
June 17, 2020
Despite all of the typos and weirdness and complete dissolution of the 4th wall, this was actually quite hilarious and also very gender affirming.
January 11, 2021
My biggest regret? The time I spent reading this book is something I’ll never be able to reclaim.
Harriet is a trans wizard with writer’s block. Having written a hit spell three years past, she finds herself unable to recreate the magic she once made. At the urging of her agent, Harriet decides to spend some time on an isolated island off the coast of England to get her creative juices flowing.
Once there, she runs into her noisy neighbor - Snabe from the hit band Seven Inch Nails, who also happens to be a parasaurolophus - and his harem of two bitchy yet sentient motorcycles who want nothing more than to drape their chrome bits around him. A semblance of a showdown ensues between Harriet and one of the motorcycles who is also an obsessed groupie of Snabe’s. Then there’s some other stuff that happens, some weird sex, blah, blah, the end.
Honestly, I’m not sure what to even say about this book. Clearly I’m in the minority with my negative review, but if this is parody, then it was a tedious, unsuccessful one. It struck me more as a weird amalgamation of fan fiction, mixing the world of Harry Potter with some random chunks of Nine Inch Nails mythos. WHY? I kept getting flashes of grapefruit juice and toothpaste. Or popcorn and gum. This particular mash of pop culture just doesn’t work.
Author Chuck Tingle is supposedly known to be an expert in writing erotica. Really? I have no issue with the trans parts of this story, but when the hero is a … dinosaur … I just kinda lost interest. I mean, I’m not sexually aroused by green, scaly, prehistoric beasts, no matter how suave they look in a suit nor how well they tongue. And sexual, sentient motorcycles? Chrome and mufflers don’t do much for me either, blonde or brunette. *shrug*
The other odd bit is that Snabe likes to speak of himself as if he knows he’s a trite trope in a romance novel. He points out that he is the bad boy trying to redeem himself but reminds Harriet they are really just existing in a fiction the author has created. I get that Tingle is making fun of romance tropes, but these mentions were just stuck in the prose in seemingly hit or miss spots. It felt … yeah, never mind.
The story line itself is incredibly basic and can be summed up in a few words. It is also boring, remarkably so.
There is such a thing as trying too hard.
Harriet is a trans wizard with writer’s block. Having written a hit spell three years past, she finds herself unable to recreate the magic she once made. At the urging of her agent, Harriet decides to spend some time on an isolated island off the coast of England to get her creative juices flowing.
Once there, she runs into her noisy neighbor - Snabe from the hit band Seven Inch Nails, who also happens to be a parasaurolophus - and his harem of two bitchy yet sentient motorcycles who want nothing more than to drape their chrome bits around him. A semblance of a showdown ensues between Harriet and one of the motorcycles who is also an obsessed groupie of Snabe’s. Then there’s some other stuff that happens, some weird sex, blah, blah, the end.
Honestly, I’m not sure what to even say about this book. Clearly I’m in the minority with my negative review, but if this is parody, then it was a tedious, unsuccessful one. It struck me more as a weird amalgamation of fan fiction, mixing the world of Harry Potter with some random chunks of Nine Inch Nails mythos. WHY? I kept getting flashes of grapefruit juice and toothpaste. Or popcorn and gum. This particular mash of pop culture just doesn’t work.
Author Chuck Tingle is supposedly known to be an expert in writing erotica. Really? I have no issue with the trans parts of this story, but when the hero is a … dinosaur … I just kinda lost interest. I mean, I’m not sexually aroused by green, scaly, prehistoric beasts, no matter how suave they look in a suit nor how well they tongue. And sexual, sentient motorcycles? Chrome and mufflers don’t do much for me either, blonde or brunette. *shrug*
The other odd bit is that Snabe likes to speak of himself as if he knows he’s a trite trope in a romance novel. He points out that he is the bad boy trying to redeem himself but reminds Harriet they are really just existing in a fiction the author has created. I get that Tingle is making fun of romance tropes, but these mentions were just stuck in the prose in seemingly hit or miss spots. It felt … yeah, never mind.
The story line itself is incredibly basic and can be summed up in a few words. It is also boring, remarkably so.
There is such a thing as trying too hard.
June 16, 2022
Despite all the typos and the fact I think this coulda been even better if it had been a bit more polished I still really enjoyed this. It's hilarious, I enjoyed the characters and the story and especially the calling out of she who shall not be named and the whole romance parody thing. There's also the complete smashing of the 4th wall.
Now, which of Chuck's 5,000 other books do I read next?
Now, which of Chuck's 5,000 other books do I read next?
August 28, 2020
This book marks my entry into the Tingleverse, and by god, what an entry. I've long heard about the Tinglers: those smutty explorations of sentient motorcycles, dinosaurs, mythical species, and not-so-subtle political commentary, and figured, well, what a time to join in!
The only writing I've read by Chuck Tingle before this book were his hilarious, awkwardly-syntaxed yet surprisingly wholesome tweets, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. Turns out--it's pretty good, everyone. Chuck Tingle churns out an impressive number of these books (most of which are short stories, but still), and considering that, this was reasonably well-written. This is a book that *knows* what it is: a silly, meta parody of romance novels with a constant theme of love and acceptance.
That's why I give this book four stars. It's an utterly bonkers take on erotica, but it's done with a respect for trans people, a self-awareness of the toxic attitudes toward romance heroes, and a very obvious, brutal take-down of a certain TERF Harry Potter author who shall remain unnamed.
This came out around the middle of June 2020. If he wrote it after the author posted a cruel anti-trans tweet in December 2019, six months is a pretty great timeline for 50k words. If he wrote it after the author posted another cruel anti-trans tweet in June 2020, holy fucking SHIT Chuck, that is amazing.
The worst part about finishing this book is deciding which of his other eight thousand stories I'll be reading next.
The only writing I've read by Chuck Tingle before this book were his hilarious, awkwardly-syntaxed yet surprisingly wholesome tweets, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. Turns out--it's pretty good, everyone. Chuck Tingle churns out an impressive number of these books (most of which are short stories, but still), and considering that, this was reasonably well-written. This is a book that *knows* what it is: a silly, meta parody of romance novels with a constant theme of love and acceptance.
That's why I give this book four stars. It's an utterly bonkers take on erotica, but it's done with a respect for trans people, a self-awareness of the toxic attitudes toward romance heroes, and a very obvious, brutal take-down of a certain TERF Harry Potter author who shall remain unnamed.
This came out around the middle of June 2020. If he wrote it after the author posted a cruel anti-trans tweet in December 2019, six months is a pretty great timeline for 50k words. If he wrote it after the author posted another cruel anti-trans tweet in June 2020, holy fucking SHIT Chuck, that is amazing.
The worst part about finishing this book is deciding which of his other eight thousand stories I'll be reading next.
July 9, 2020
Normally I don't rate erotica, but this is also a parody so I'll give it one anyway. Hilarious, affirming and a sexy dinosaur. Superior to what it parodies.
October 18, 2020
A literary masterpiece. Will go down alongside the greats. Truly an inspiration 👏👏👏
December 1, 2020
Genuinely cute, I read this entirely unironically and I enjoyed it entirely unironically.
January 21, 2026
Ein bisschen lang, aber nicht schlecht.
"“I’m gay,” Bumbleborn says.
“Uh... what?” I stammer, a little confused. “That’s cool.”
“I just wanted to say that clearly in this story instead of claiming years later it was there in the subtext the whole time,” the woolly mammoth continues.”
July 5, 2021
The magic system is just genuinely cool. That is why I read it. The magic system.
January 16, 2025
I think the weirdest part of this book is the fact that at its core it’s actually written pretty well
Also it brings me great joy to imagine how much JK Rowling would hate it
Also it brings me great joy to imagine how much JK Rowling would hate it
February 1, 2023
Look.
Either you ✨get✨ Chuck Tingle and enjoy his work or you don't—and you love him despite the typos and just accept they're going to be there. You know you're in for a meta, queer, neurodivergent good time, proving Love is Real.
This was weird and fun, and I adored all of the shade at Rowling.
Either you ✨get✨ Chuck Tingle and enjoy his work or you don't—and you love him despite the typos and just accept they're going to be there. You know you're in for a meta, queer, neurodivergent good time, proving Love is Real.
This was weird and fun, and I adored all of the shade at Rowling.
July 21, 2022
Look, is this book the most well-written or gripping of reads? No.
Was it even properly proof-read? Also no.
Did it make me laugh out loud and get teary-eyed multiple times? Fuck yes!
This was my first Chuck Tingle book (tysm Lucija, you are an absolute rock star - almost as big and sexy as Snabe Rezmor of Seven Inch Nails. This has got to be the most iconic bday present ever!! <3), but visiting his GR page and scrolling through the titles has been a source of amusement and comfort for years now, so I have nothing but warm feelings for this man. Even more so after reading this book which (while definitely not the most accomplished of novels) is filled with amusing inside jokes and metareferences for HP fans (Bumbleborn's disclaimer about actually being textually gay had me howling) and so much positive messaging and love for the readers, be they trans or cis. I mean, the book is literally dedicated to the readers, and Tingle thanks us "for speaking up and letting your voice and your truth ring out against the powers of the Void". There are multiple bits in the novel (clearly meant for the readers, with special care directed at trans readers) that made me super emotional. Here's an example:
"The arena momentarily disappears and for a brief second all of us understand how beautiful, unique and important we really are. We realize our place as characters on a journey who are better at being ourselves than anyone else, and the cosmic power that comes with that. We fully grasp that sometimes our bodies and our souls are perfectly matched, and sometimes they're matched in a way that's uncomfortable, but these differences speak nothing to the purity and strength of the soul itself."
I mean...yes. That's how you do it. That's how you prove love is real.
Nothing but respect for Mr Tingle and his dinosaur erotica.
Was it even properly proof-read? Also no.
Did it make me laugh out loud and get teary-eyed multiple times? Fuck yes!
This was my first Chuck Tingle book (tysm Lucija, you are an absolute rock star - almost as big and sexy as Snabe Rezmor of Seven Inch Nails. This has got to be the most iconic bday present ever!! <3), but visiting his GR page and scrolling through the titles has been a source of amusement and comfort for years now, so I have nothing but warm feelings for this man. Even more so after reading this book which (while definitely not the most accomplished of novels) is filled with amusing inside jokes and metareferences for HP fans (Bumbleborn's disclaimer about actually being textually gay had me howling) and so much positive messaging and love for the readers, be they trans or cis. I mean, the book is literally dedicated to the readers, and Tingle thanks us "for speaking up and letting your voice and your truth ring out against the powers of the Void". There are multiple bits in the novel (clearly meant for the readers, with special care directed at trans readers) that made me super emotional. Here's an example:
"The arena momentarily disappears and for a brief second all of us understand how beautiful, unique and important we really are. We realize our place as characters on a journey who are better at being ourselves than anyone else, and the cosmic power that comes with that. We fully grasp that sometimes our bodies and our souls are perfectly matched, and sometimes they're matched in a way that's uncomfortable, but these differences speak nothing to the purity and strength of the soul itself."
I mean...yes. That's how you do it. That's how you prove love is real.
Nothing but respect for Mr Tingle and his dinosaur erotica.
February 16, 2021
I first heard about Chuck Tingle years ago when some of his eye-popping titles were going around as jokes online. Recently, I’ve been following him on Twitter, where he is a blessing to the timeline. On Valentine’s Day he posted that all proceeds from V-Day sales would go to The Trevor Project and the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. Time to buy my first Tingler! And boy, does this book deliver. It’s ludicrous and funny and actually very sweet.
The title is not a joke - this is a book about trans wizard Harriet Porber falling for a bad-boy dinosaur - whose name made me fall out laughing. He’s a meta-bard that breaks the 4th wall and I enjoy that sort of thing... I also love Harriet not being meta and being a bit WTF. Hot dino, no prob, but meta??!!1? LOL
There’s also living, sentient motorcycles (that drive sport cars...just go with it) and delightful wooly mammoth that is very up-front about being gay (he doesn’t want it to be subtext). If you just accept it, it’s a really fun ride. And that’s basically the whole point of Chuck Tingle.
It’s also a joyful middle finger to a certain TERF author...
Prior to following Tingle’s twitter I would have been too much a book snob to actually read a book like this. Giggle at the title, yes, but not read the whole thing. But I’m glad I did. I am 100% going to read one (or hell, all) of his Choose Your Own Timeline adventures.
Heartily recommend delving into the Tingleverse!
The title is not a joke - this is a book about trans wizard Harriet Porber falling for a bad-boy dinosaur - whose name made me fall out laughing. He’s a meta-bard that breaks the 4th wall and I enjoy that sort of thing... I also love Harriet not being meta and being a bit WTF. Hot dino, no prob, but meta??!!1? LOL
There’s also living, sentient motorcycles (that drive sport cars...just go with it) and delightful wooly mammoth that is very up-front about being gay (he doesn’t want it to be subtext). If you just accept it, it’s a really fun ride. And that’s basically the whole point of Chuck Tingle.
It’s also a joyful middle finger to a certain TERF author...
Prior to following Tingle’s twitter I would have been too much a book snob to actually read a book like this. Giggle at the title, yes, but not read the whole thing. But I’m glad I did. I am 100% going to read one (or hell, all) of his Choose Your Own Timeline adventures.
Heartily recommend delving into the Tingleverse!
August 27, 2021
This story came out just after J. K. Rowling doubled down on her anti-trans crusade. Obviously there is no way someone could craft a Harry Potter parody in reaction to this so quickly. I wanted to read an outrageous parody of Harry Potter that mocks the hell out of JKR, sticking trans characters everywhere and mocking the tropes and shortcomings of her work. That’s what the title and cover of this book implies, but this isn’t that. This book is clearly designed to be purchased based on its title, hijacking a headline, and never actually read to find out what the story is. Good marketing technique if you don’t expect anything in return besides a clever title calling back to a current event.
Harriet (who is trans, and this is totally not a detail inserted an hour before publication but it is an critical detail which is utilized throughout the book) is awriter wizard who has writer’s block spell-crafting block and her agent... no, that’s correct—her agent representing her publisher happens to own a cabin on a remote island, so Harriet agrees to go there to clear her mind and get the creative juices flowing again to write her next hit novel craft her next viral-on-social-media spell. So she takes her rental car onto a ferry and goes to the island. There she meets a pair of sentient motorcycles who get around by driving in a car (and they have “hair” and “features” and even “foreheads”) and a dinosaur musician songspell craft-ist who is an asshole but she is nonetheless attracted to him and agrees to go on a date and all of this drama lights a fire inside of Harriet to create a new novel spell which her publisher loves...
This has nothing to do with the world of Harry Potter, and it has nothing to do with jabbing JKR for being anti-trans. It’s a generic romance story with some details swapped out to allude to whatever headline is trending. I wouldn’t mind this in a self-proclaimed parody of a romance novel, but beyond the title and the headline it’s reacting to, it’s just not clever. There’s no commentary regarding the headline it’s lampooning. It’s an effective attention-getter on social media and with the Amazon algorithm, but there’s nothing meaningful or even interesting beyond the title.
The story knows this. The back of the book declares it’s a parody. I get that, but I didn’t think it’s a good parody. The fourth-wall breaking moments are welcome breaths of fresh air from this generic romance story, pointing out the obvious about how this kind of badboy would be a shitty boyfriend and it’s dumb how so many stories feature guys like this and rely entirely on the woman getting used to a guy’s shortcomings, or finding a way to justify his crappy behavior as in fact a good thing, or believing she can change him or bring out the best in him (no, girl, just stay away from shitty men!) but they’re not enough to subvert the elements it’s “parodying.” Pointing out your bad plot devices and cliched elements isn’t the same as mocking them. You can’t point out how dumb something is, and then use it. You are obligated to subvert it, or at least have fun with it. This book doesn’t. It merely acknowledges something is stupid and overused, and then proceeds as if pointing it out is enough to count as a parody. It’s not clever, and it doesn’t make the book easier to read.
If you want to take advantage of a current event to sell a book, consider doing more than find/replacing a few details on a prewritten paint-by-numbers romance plot and create some biting satire that mocks the world of Harry Potter to stick it to JKR by putting lots of trans characters in her world and making fun of her being out of touch. That’s what I was hoping to read. That’s the title! That’s why readers bought your work! That it turns out to be some generic romance plot that doesn’t take place in a wizarding school or have anything to do with magic or the trans community but instead has some minor details swapped out to resemble whatever headline is trending—is a letdown. I feel misled. Kudos to Mr. Tingle for figuring out how to get social media buzz and sell books based on title alone, but there’s nothing underneath that, not in this book (and I’m guessing not in any other Chuck Tingle book, if Harriet Porber is an accurate sample) so please don’t gripe about being snubbed by the Hugo awards. You might be getting sales, but being good at riding the waves on social media is not the same as writing something worth a Hugo.
(Remember, Harriet is trans, and so is her badboy lover, the titular Parasaurolophus. Her lover is also a dinosaur with toned muscles and green scales. These are very important elements of the plot and should never be forgotten. They are totally not details inserted last minute to hijack a headline and get buzz going.)
Harriet (who is trans, and this is totally not a detail inserted an hour before publication but it is an critical detail which is utilized throughout the book) is a
This has nothing to do with the world of Harry Potter, and it has nothing to do with jabbing JKR for being anti-trans. It’s a generic romance story with some details swapped out to allude to whatever headline is trending. I wouldn’t mind this in a self-proclaimed parody of a romance novel, but beyond the title and the headline it’s reacting to, it’s just not clever. There’s no commentary regarding the headline it’s lampooning. It’s an effective attention-getter on social media and with the Amazon algorithm, but there’s nothing meaningful or even interesting beyond the title.
The story knows this. The back of the book declares it’s a parody. I get that, but I didn’t think it’s a good parody. The fourth-wall breaking moments are welcome breaths of fresh air from this generic romance story, pointing out the obvious about how this kind of badboy would be a shitty boyfriend and it’s dumb how so many stories feature guys like this and rely entirely on the woman getting used to a guy’s shortcomings, or finding a way to justify his crappy behavior as in fact a good thing, or believing she can change him or bring out the best in him (no, girl, just stay away from shitty men!) but they’re not enough to subvert the elements it’s “parodying.” Pointing out your bad plot devices and cliched elements isn’t the same as mocking them. You can’t point out how dumb something is, and then use it. You are obligated to subvert it, or at least have fun with it. This book doesn’t. It merely acknowledges something is stupid and overused, and then proceeds as if pointing it out is enough to count as a parody. It’s not clever, and it doesn’t make the book easier to read.
If you want to take advantage of a current event to sell a book, consider doing more than find/replacing a few details on a prewritten paint-by-numbers romance plot and create some biting satire that mocks the world of Harry Potter to stick it to JKR by putting lots of trans characters in her world and making fun of her being out of touch. That’s what I was hoping to read. That’s the title! That’s why readers bought your work! That it turns out to be some generic romance plot that doesn’t take place in a wizarding school or have anything to do with magic or the trans community but instead has some minor details swapped out to resemble whatever headline is trending—is a letdown. I feel misled. Kudos to Mr. Tingle for figuring out how to get social media buzz and sell books based on title alone, but there’s nothing underneath that, not in this book (and I’m guessing not in any other Chuck Tingle book, if Harriet Porber is an accurate sample) so please don’t gripe about being snubbed by the Hugo awards. You might be getting sales, but being good at riding the waves on social media is not the same as writing something worth a Hugo.
(Remember, Harriet is trans, and so is her badboy lover, the titular Parasaurolophus. Her lover is also a dinosaur with toned muscles and green scales. These are very important elements of the plot and should never be forgotten. They are totally not details inserted last minute to hijack a headline and get buzz going.)
January 10, 2025
This book was super weird but all the digs at JK Rowling made it worth it. What a book for a my first book of 2025…
June 10, 2023
If you can't handle me at my Harriet Porber, you don't deserve me at my sexy bad-boy Parasaurolophus.
This was cute and funny.
Fuck terfs, happy pride!
This was cute and funny.
Fuck terfs, happy pride!
March 29, 2021
OMG... y'all. I'm only on page 18. This book is amazing. So far it's about the quest of transgender wizard Harriet Porber to create a new hit spell. As she heads to a quiet island vacation home for a fresh start on her spellwork, she meets two living motorcycles (???) named Braco and Dellatrix (who also happen to be motorcycle jerks). The motorcycles also wind up in the vacation home right next to hers. When Harriet goes "full Brooklyn" over to confront them about some loud drumming noise, the door is instead opened by a "tall, breathtakingly handsome dinosaur, shirtless and chiseled in all of his muscular glory." DINOSAUR!!! This is SNABE REZMOR, the bard from Seven Inch Nails. I'M DYING (and also listening to NIN while I'm reading so... bonus). And THEN.... on top of all that... the book has also become SELF-AWARE.
"I'm sorry," he suddenly blurts, noticing my appalled expression. "I'm just written this way."
"What?" I question, confused.
"It's a trope in romance," the dinosaur continues to explain. "The more of an asshole I am in this part of the book, the better the payoff will be when you change me later on."
Then...The book continues to be self-aware and states its TRUE intent:
"...Likewise, if a fictional character is sweet and awesome, their author could still be really awful and bigoted."
I love that this author wrote this story specifically to say a huge "FUCK YOU" to JK Rowling for being a TERF. But I am really dying that he included Trent Reznor in this all (because he looks like Snape I guess?). Amazing. I can't wait to do a full review when I finish.
****
OK. I finished. This book was so bad it was good. I spent the majority of my time reading just going, "Wait... what?" For one, everyone is always drinking chocolate milk in the book and I can't figure out if chocolate milk is supposed to be alcohol (because a few people need, like, chocolate milk rehab) or coffee? Harriet always seems to be making herself a big mug of chocolate milk every morning. Also, there is talk of the sentient motorcycle characters using their hands... but... they're motorcycles? SO CONFUSED! I could go on and on. Eventually you just settle into the nonsense and roll with it.
I don't read romance novels — I don't think I've ever even read a single one. But I imagine this book is poking a great deal of fun at them in general with the overall romance plot. However, I did catch all the Harry Potter pokes and prods.:
"I'll get the money carried over to your account by giant owls as soon as possible," Minerma assures me.
"Wait, really?" I stammer.
"No, I'm kidding. We use wire transfer," Minerma offers.
"I'm gay," Bumbleborn says.
"Uh... what?" I stammer, a little confused. "That's cool."
"I just wanted to say that clearly in this story instead of claiming years later it was there in the subtext the whole time, " the wooly mammoth continues.
It's just... nonsensical chaos all tied into a neat little book. If you want a good surreal laugh, I'd highly recommend this book.
"I'm sorry," he suddenly blurts, noticing my appalled expression. "I'm just written this way."
"What?" I question, confused.
"It's a trope in romance," the dinosaur continues to explain. "The more of an asshole I am in this part of the book, the better the payoff will be when you change me later on."
Then...The book continues to be self-aware and states its TRUE intent:
"...Likewise, if a fictional character is sweet and awesome, their author could still be really awful and bigoted."
I love that this author wrote this story specifically to say a huge "FUCK YOU" to JK Rowling for being a TERF. But I am really dying that he included Trent Reznor in this all (because he looks like Snape I guess?). Amazing. I can't wait to do a full review when I finish.
****
OK. I finished. This book was so bad it was good. I spent the majority of my time reading just going, "Wait... what?" For one, everyone is always drinking chocolate milk in the book and I can't figure out if chocolate milk is supposed to be alcohol (because a few people need, like, chocolate milk rehab) or coffee? Harriet always seems to be making herself a big mug of chocolate milk every morning. Also, there is talk of the sentient motorcycle characters using their hands... but... they're motorcycles? SO CONFUSED! I could go on and on. Eventually you just settle into the nonsense and roll with it.
I don't read romance novels — I don't think I've ever even read a single one. But I imagine this book is poking a great deal of fun at them in general with the overall romance plot. However, I did catch all the Harry Potter pokes and prods.:
"I'll get the money carried over to your account by giant owls as soon as possible," Minerma assures me.
"Wait, really?" I stammer.
"No, I'm kidding. We use wire transfer," Minerma offers.
"I'm gay," Bumbleborn says.
"Uh... what?" I stammer, a little confused. "That's cool."
"I just wanted to say that clearly in this story instead of claiming years later it was there in the subtext the whole time, " the wooly mammoth continues.
It's just... nonsensical chaos all tied into a neat little book. If you want a good surreal laugh, I'd highly recommend this book.
December 31, 2020
Well... that was... a thing.
I appreciate the thought behind it. But I really didn’t enjoy reading it at all. The only connection to Harry Potter was the names. I was expecting more from something that presented itself as a parody.
No shade towards anyone who enjoyed it. I support any opportunity to stick it to TERFS, and so I don’t regret buying it solely for that reason. Just very much not my thing.
I appreciate the thought behind it. But I really didn’t enjoy reading it at all. The only connection to Harry Potter was the names. I was expecting more from something that presented itself as a parody.
No shade towards anyone who enjoyed it. I support any opportunity to stick it to TERFS, and so I don’t regret buying it solely for that reason. Just very much not my thing.
September 5, 2024
I was in two minds about acknowledging I'd read this on Goodreads, but honestly? I really enjoyed it. The writing is pretty good, the characters and plot are nuts; it's unpretentiously trashy, but trash can be great! There were a couple of one liners which made me crease up (mainly in reference to Snabe, and Bumbledore) - overall, I'd be surprisingly happy to read more from the Tingleverse. Also? Fuck J.K. Rowling and fuck terfs ⚧️🦖 💙💗🤍💗💙🧙♀️⚧️
March 26, 2021
This book is amazing. Chuck Tingle is a freaking hero. This was just so sweet. Thank you again for proving love is real. A trans wizard falls in love with the bad boy dinosaur, they break up, drama with bad people, and they fall in love.
July 3, 2020
A Parody With Heart
This is a parody, but it had a lot of heart. Heck, it's also smut, but it's strangely wholesome too. The ending was sweet, and Mr. Tingle almost made me cry!
This is a parody, but it had a lot of heart. Heck, it's also smut, but it's strangely wholesome too. The ending was sweet, and Mr. Tingle almost made me cry!
January 31, 2026
I received this book as a joke for Secret Librarian, and purely out of curiosity (and a sense of duty), I decided to actually read it. That choice was… an experience.
From the start, the book is riddled with spelling and grammar mistakes, which makes it difficult to stay immersed. While some readers might interpret this as part of the charm, it mostly comes across as distracting rather than intentional.
One of the more notable aspects is the self-aware tone. The characters frequently break the fourth wall, directly referencing the author and acknowledging the absurdity of their own existence. This meta approach could have been clever, but it’s pushed so far that it undermines the story.
It’s unfortunate, because buried under the surreal choices is a plot that could have worked. However, the constant weirdness overwhelms any narrative especially when two of the characters are literally motorcycles with heads.
Overall, this book feels less like a parody with purpose and more like an exercise in escalating absurdity. While I admire the commitment to strangeness, ultimately it left me more baffled than entertained. Still, it certainly succeeded as a memorable Secret Librarian pick!
Read
February 25, 2025Not exactly my jam (turns out that when it comes to Chuck Tingle his horrors are more for me), but still there were some fun and cool elements!! I also really like what the author said about this story: that it wasn't written out of spite and hate for transphobes, but out of love for trans people.
PS Bumbleborn is amazing 10/10 no notes. I also find the idea of sentient motorcycles Dellatrix and Braco incredibly funny.
PS Bumbleborn is amazing 10/10 no notes. I also find the idea of sentient motorcycles Dellatrix and Braco incredibly funny.
November 7, 2023
Monster porn isn’t my thing but I was feeling left out of the phenomenon that is Chuck Tingle and I’m always down for things that would upset She Who Must Not Be Named. This was freaking hilarious and I’m glad I finally got around to reading it.
July 11, 2020
Well buckeroos, Dr Chuck has done it again -- this time producing a full length masterpiece! Titillating, tingling, and truly bonkers.
There's so much going on in this novel, from the tongue in cheek dinosaur sex Chuck's famous for, vague Harry Potter parody, fourth-wall discourse on romantic tropes and the nature of the Tingleverse, all wrapped up in a celebration of trans rights that proves love is real and sticks up two fingers to JK Trolling and FARTs (feminist appropriating reactionary transphobes) everywhere. In classic Chuck style, these elements are all thrown together in a charmingly random fashion, and somehow, it works.
I have to acknowledge in this review that there was some controversy around this book. Some trans friends felt that it was demeaning of Chuck to profit off of the trans community. Other trans friends supported him, for raising awareness and donating some of this book's profits to LGBT charities. I had started the book already when I saw this debate. I'm cis so it's not my place to comment either way, but like Chuck I will listen and learn.
Harriet is a hard-arsed heroine who takes no shit, and I enjoyed reading about her creative process as a master wizard chasing her next big hit. The romantic hero Snabe (WHY Snape oh WHY did Chuck pick him) is painted as a traditional "bad boy" throughout the book, but his dickhead behaviour seems confined to the occasional chugging of chocolate milk and hanging out with an obsessive motorcycle. From about 30% of the way in, Snabe's generally just a solid dude, and the romance establishes a familiar and comfortable formula.
By the way, speaking off chocolate milk....if it is a metaphor for alcohol, what's with Harriet having a cup of it every morning for breakfast? Lol.
I jumped with excitement that Snabe is a parasaurolophus, which is my favourite species of dino! Sadly, his species doesn't have a bearing on the story, other than frequent mentions of his sexy, scaly dino hide. I can't help but think an opportunity was lost that Snabe doesn't use his parasaurolophus horn-trumpet within his bardic spellwork, to add some extra bass magic to his songs. I mean, come on!
Aside from smart New Yorker Harriet and dino rocker Snabe we also have my personal favourite, Bumbleborn the woolly mammoth bodyguard. Bumbleborn calmly announces that he's gay the moment he's introduced.
“I’m gay,” Bumbleborn says.
“Uh… what?” I stammer, a little confused. “That’s cool.”
“I just wanted to say that clearly in this story instead of claiming years later it was there in the subtext the whole time,” the woolly mammoth continues.
Ah, Chuck....we love you.
Dellatrix is the only character in the book who makes no sense (okay, you know what I mean). This is because she just falls into the jealous ex/ mean girl stereotype of the kind I thought Chuck would try to avoid. She's basically a plot device to create drama, and I would have enjoyed seeing some less 2D motorcycle shenanigans. For example, what if Braco (like her namesake Draco) had a redemption character arc about growing and changing from their past bigotry and hatred (hint, hint), instead of just being a gormless and "harmless" sidekick to Dellatrix?
It's totally bizarre and hilarious that this book is set on a fictional island off the west coast of England that bears no resemblance to actual England. For one thing, on the island they use dollars, and they have a sheriff (who is also a unicorn). Conifer forests are also not a natural part of the UK landscape. Something else I found funny is that it's repeatedly mentioned that Snabe is from Bristol, like Bristol is some far off edgy hub of culture, and not a mediumish city about a five hour drive away at most. Yes, I'm biased because I'm in the North, but let's face it, Snabe should really have been a Mancunian.
To my surprise, the romance in this novel is actually the b-plot to a metaphysical musing on the nature of creative expression and self fulfillment. I actually really, really enjoyed that. There are some funny asides, like when Snabe comments on the fact that he's got to be a twat because we're only 30% of the way into the book. There are some clever touches, like Snabe's spellsong which causes actual glowing words to appear in the air and interact with the characters - the same words that the reader is seeing on the page. My favourite moment was when Harriet's new spell brings her the awareness that she's a character in the Tingleverse.
"Not only do I see myself as a character on a page, I see the actual words themselves. I gaze out through the limits of this world and see the reader themselves, their mouths instinctively curling up into a smile when they realize they’re being referenced."
Yes Chuck, I did smile! I fell for it, you smooth bastard!
Overall I wholly enjoyed this heart warming and fun read. It's stunning to me that Chuck managed to rattle it off in a week with minimal typos and inconsistencies. I swear down, this master of self aware internet hilarity deserves his two Hugo nominations, and FARTs can get slammed in the butt by the physical manifestation of love until they change their nasty ways. Peace out!
There's so much going on in this novel, from the tongue in cheek dinosaur sex Chuck's famous for, vague Harry Potter parody, fourth-wall discourse on romantic tropes and the nature of the Tingleverse, all wrapped up in a celebration of trans rights that proves love is real and sticks up two fingers to JK Trolling and FARTs (feminist appropriating reactionary transphobes) everywhere. In classic Chuck style, these elements are all thrown together in a charmingly random fashion, and somehow, it works.
I have to acknowledge in this review that there was some controversy around this book. Some trans friends felt that it was demeaning of Chuck to profit off of the trans community. Other trans friends supported him, for raising awareness and donating some of this book's profits to LGBT charities. I had started the book already when I saw this debate. I'm cis so it's not my place to comment either way, but like Chuck I will listen and learn.
Harriet is a hard-arsed heroine who takes no shit, and I enjoyed reading about her creative process as a master wizard chasing her next big hit. The romantic hero Snabe (WHY Snape oh WHY did Chuck pick him) is painted as a traditional "bad boy" throughout the book, but his dickhead behaviour seems confined to the occasional chugging of chocolate milk and hanging out with an obsessive motorcycle. From about 30% of the way in, Snabe's generally just a solid dude, and the romance establishes a familiar and comfortable formula.
By the way, speaking off chocolate milk....if it is a metaphor for alcohol, what's with Harriet having a cup of it every morning for breakfast? Lol.
I jumped with excitement that Snabe is a parasaurolophus, which is my favourite species of dino! Sadly, his species doesn't have a bearing on the story, other than frequent mentions of his sexy, scaly dino hide. I can't help but think an opportunity was lost that Snabe doesn't use his parasaurolophus horn-trumpet within his bardic spellwork, to add some extra bass magic to his songs. I mean, come on!
Aside from smart New Yorker Harriet and dino rocker Snabe we also have my personal favourite, Bumbleborn the woolly mammoth bodyguard. Bumbleborn calmly announces that he's gay the moment he's introduced.
“I’m gay,” Bumbleborn says.
“Uh… what?” I stammer, a little confused. “That’s cool.”
“I just wanted to say that clearly in this story instead of claiming years later it was there in the subtext the whole time,” the woolly mammoth continues.
Ah, Chuck....we love you.
Dellatrix is the only character in the book who makes no sense (okay, you know what I mean). This is because she just falls into the jealous ex/ mean girl stereotype of the kind I thought Chuck would try to avoid. She's basically a plot device to create drama, and I would have enjoyed seeing some less 2D motorcycle shenanigans. For example, what if Braco (like her namesake Draco) had a redemption character arc about growing and changing from their past bigotry and hatred (hint, hint), instead of just being a gormless and "harmless" sidekick to Dellatrix?
It's totally bizarre and hilarious that this book is set on a fictional island off the west coast of England that bears no resemblance to actual England. For one thing, on the island they use dollars, and they have a sheriff (who is also a unicorn). Conifer forests are also not a natural part of the UK landscape. Something else I found funny is that it's repeatedly mentioned that Snabe is from Bristol, like Bristol is some far off edgy hub of culture, and not a mediumish city about a five hour drive away at most. Yes, I'm biased because I'm in the North, but let's face it, Snabe should really have been a Mancunian.
To my surprise, the romance in this novel is actually the b-plot to a metaphysical musing on the nature of creative expression and self fulfillment. I actually really, really enjoyed that. There are some funny asides, like when Snabe comments on the fact that he's got to be a twat because we're only 30% of the way into the book. There are some clever touches, like Snabe's spellsong which causes actual glowing words to appear in the air and interact with the characters - the same words that the reader is seeing on the page. My favourite moment was when Harriet's new spell brings her the awareness that she's a character in the Tingleverse.
"Not only do I see myself as a character on a page, I see the actual words themselves. I gaze out through the limits of this world and see the reader themselves, their mouths instinctively curling up into a smile when they realize they’re being referenced."
Yes Chuck, I did smile! I fell for it, you smooth bastard!
Overall I wholly enjoyed this heart warming and fun read. It's stunning to me that Chuck managed to rattle it off in a week with minimal typos and inconsistencies. I swear down, this master of self aware internet hilarity deserves his two Hugo nominations, and FARTs can get slammed in the butt by the physical manifestation of love until they change their nasty ways. Peace out!
January 26, 2025
Do I like romance? No. Do I like smut? No. Do I like metafiction? Yes!
Also, fuck terfs.
Also, fuck terfs.
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