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Incel
Wayne is living in a world where nothing is just and only the attractive succeed. He's peered beyond the curtain, knows he will never have what it takes to be confident. His friends are not much better, and have a taste for taking revenge on those that wrong them.
When a kooky waitress shows interest, Wayne is sure it's too good to be true. He's all too aware of his unconventional looks and beliefs, but decides to proceed with caution. Meanwhile, his friends introduce him to a world he never thought possible. A place of power. A place of violence. Wayne finds himself struggling to live two lives, all too aware that something has to give. Things will end in bloodshed.
Incel provides a terrifying look into the extreme side of a growing community from the perspective of a fragile mind.
When a kooky waitress shows interest, Wayne is sure it's too good to be true. He's all too aware of his unconventional looks and beliefs, but decides to proceed with caution. Meanwhile, his friends introduce him to a world he never thought possible. A place of power. A place of violence. Wayne finds himself struggling to live two lives, all too aware that something has to give. Things will end in bloodshed.
Incel provides a terrifying look into the extreme side of a growing community from the perspective of a fragile mind.
161 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 14, 2023
37 people are currently reading
896 people want to read
About the author
Matt Duchossoy
4 books89 followersFor those that don't know, Duchossoy is a pen name. I've switched back to writing under my real name, Matthew A. Clarke, as of late 2023. Be sure to follow me over there so you don't miss out on future releases, and stay spooky!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 144 reviews
February 19, 2023
Full review available at The Mort Report:
https://www.uncomfortablydark.com/bla...
What is an incel?
Nope, not someone who is incarcerated. Nor an intelligent celebrity. Or even the inner part of a molecular structure that can only be seen microscopically with Indian ink staining under a x100 lens, like Cryptococcus neoformans, for example.
To be honest with you, I had no idea. I thought it was just a modern insult, like ‘nerd’ was in my day, but it actually represents a lot more. And, before this story, I have never heard the term “foid” or knew anything about “the blackpill ideology”. And this story, though it is fiction, gives you quite the education about the thought processes and world perception of this fringe group. Which should tell you that the author went the extra mile to do the research.
But what the fuck does incel mean?!
Stop yelling, it is time for your inside voice.
Incel is a shortened version of “Involuntary celibate”. Now, I do feel a lot of sympathy for people who can’t get any (I mean, ever) and for those who are socially too awkward to find a bond with others – I have never done well in social situations, though I manage my way through it for the most part, so I can understand the difficulty.
And it does bring up the question:
How much is society to blame for creating their own monsters?
Of course, I am not about to go on a rant here, but I finished this book a few days ago and decided to give it some time before I write the review. It stays with you, which means the author has done his job well, and it certainly ticks most of the boxes.
While the psychology plays a large part in this story and it might feel like a slow burn to some (I think it is short enough not to be too bothersome to most), it gets really dark, really fast toward the end.
This was the first time I have read this author, even though his name has been on my radar for a while, and he impressed me greatly.
I recommend this to horror lovers who likes the psychological aspect, as well as the character aspect, with enough gore at the end to make it worthwhile for most.
And, as a final note to the author, the first person worked brilliantly – you did well not to change it to third.
5 Stars
https://www.uncomfortablydark.com/bla...
What is an incel?
Nope, not someone who is incarcerated. Nor an intelligent celebrity. Or even the inner part of a molecular structure that can only be seen microscopically with Indian ink staining under a x100 lens, like Cryptococcus neoformans, for example.
To be honest with you, I had no idea. I thought it was just a modern insult, like ‘nerd’ was in my day, but it actually represents a lot more. And, before this story, I have never heard the term “foid” or knew anything about “the blackpill ideology”. And this story, though it is fiction, gives you quite the education about the thought processes and world perception of this fringe group. Which should tell you that the author went the extra mile to do the research.
But what the fuck does incel mean?!
Stop yelling, it is time for your inside voice.
Incel is a shortened version of “Involuntary celibate”. Now, I do feel a lot of sympathy for people who can’t get any (I mean, ever) and for those who are socially too awkward to find a bond with others – I have never done well in social situations, though I manage my way through it for the most part, so I can understand the difficulty.
And it does bring up the question:
How much is society to blame for creating their own monsters?
Of course, I am not about to go on a rant here, but I finished this book a few days ago and decided to give it some time before I write the review. It stays with you, which means the author has done his job well, and it certainly ticks most of the boxes.
While the psychology plays a large part in this story and it might feel like a slow burn to some (I think it is short enough not to be too bothersome to most), it gets really dark, really fast toward the end.
This was the first time I have read this author, even though his name has been on my radar for a while, and he impressed me greatly.
I recommend this to horror lovers who likes the psychological aspect, as well as the character aspect, with enough gore at the end to make it worthwhile for most.
And, as a final note to the author, the first person worked brilliantly – you did well not to change it to third.
5 Stars
July 27, 2025
I heard the term Incel a few times, but never put much thought into it. There’s so many fad terms for people these days, I just put most of it out of mind. But I had a very unpleasant set of interactions with someone on Goodreads awhile back, and a colleague informed me that they were most likely an Incel. Now what Matt Duchossoy did here was really interesting. He took us through the entire process of someone that was prone to being recruited into a terroristic group like this. Given that the story took some liberties, but the point and process of it all was still applicable. Wayne, our lead, is just someone who is not able to communicate with others well. And he struggles with his inability to have a girlfriend or truly connect with most people, aside from his unstable and aggressive friends. As we follow his path down the road of destruction, we see his conflicts between wooing Rainbow, an unexpected female interest, versus completing his mission of terror with his friends against ‘unwilling’ females that have somehow wronged them for just not wanting to accept their advances. The author really did a deep dive here and I commend him for it. The effort shone through and what we got was a high caliber story that gave us some insight into the minds of these Incels, in a terrifying and very realistic way. A unique, savage, and well-executed horror story.
January 30, 2023
Wow wow wow!!! This was a brilliant read from beginning to end, which I wasn’t expecting...that ‘full on’, ‘all action’ ending 😳
The story is about three older teenagers, Wayne, and twins Drake and Lorna. All three are virgins and have always been unlucky in love, with no attention from anyone at all. They are INCEL’s...
The story gradually gets more sinister the deeper you go, and I know Matt did a lot of research before writing this book.
This is the second book from Matt Duchossoy, and I was extremely lucky to receive this as an ARC.
This is a fantastic, and somewhat shocking book, that some people can be driven to extreme lengths, as these three.
Highly recommend this to fans of Splatterpunk...you will not be disappointed.
5 (easy) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The story is about three older teenagers, Wayne, and twins Drake and Lorna. All three are virgins and have always been unlucky in love, with no attention from anyone at all. They are INCEL’s...
The story gradually gets more sinister the deeper you go, and I know Matt did a lot of research before writing this book.
This is the second book from Matt Duchossoy, and I was extremely lucky to receive this as an ARC.
This is a fantastic, and somewhat shocking book, that some people can be driven to extreme lengths, as these three.
Highly recommend this to fans of Splatterpunk...you will not be disappointed.
5 (easy) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Read
January 22, 2023Incel is my latest horror (Feb 2023) and tackles a subject that I haven't seen covered in the fiction world. It's dark and violent. I wrote it in first person, but almost changed to third because I was finding it hard with some of the scenes I was writing. In the end, I stuck to first. It's without a doubt the darkest thing I've written to date.
None of the views or expressions reflect my own.
None of the views or expressions reflect my own.
April 12, 2025
Wayne and his friends are incels.. and like true incels, hate women (foids) and believe they only exist to be on their knees serving men. He's unattractive, has no confidence, and spends his whole life sitting in forums for like-minded incels degrading and hating on the one thing he'll never have. Until his friends introduce him to a much more violent side of the forums, and things are about to get bloody. Revenge on the people who make him feel worthless will be ever so sweet.
𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
I've said before in a previous review that I'm fascinated by incels and this book really gets you into the mind of one. I can tell so much work went into researching their mentality and belief system and how frightening they can actually be.
I loved the story, Wayne is very much trying to fight with his own beliefs, especially when a girl finally shows interest in him, he doesn't know if she's genuine or just using him and will break his heart - however when he gives into his beliefs, it's carnage.
The writing style was great, the perfect amount of visceral gore and insanity and I genuinely couldn't put it down. It's sinister and confusing and so interesting to me!
Such a well thought out and brilliant story, I really enjoyed it. Highly recommend!
𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
I've said before in a previous review that I'm fascinated by incels and this book really gets you into the mind of one. I can tell so much work went into researching their mentality and belief system and how frightening they can actually be.
I loved the story, Wayne is very much trying to fight with his own beliefs, especially when a girl finally shows interest in him, he doesn't know if she's genuine or just using him and will break his heart - however when he gives into his beliefs, it's carnage.
The writing style was great, the perfect amount of visceral gore and insanity and I genuinely couldn't put it down. It's sinister and confusing and so interesting to me!
Such a well thought out and brilliant story, I really enjoyed it. Highly recommend!
January 29, 2023
This is by far my favourite Matt book as soon as I saw the cover I wanted it I'm so glad I got to read it.
Matt put a lot of hard work into this and it really paid off. From the start Wayne had me hooked I both liked and hated him. Put this on your TBR I guarantee you'll be turning the pages as fast as me.
Matt put a lot of hard work into this and it really paid off. From the start Wayne had me hooked I both liked and hated him. Put this on your TBR I guarantee you'll be turning the pages as fast as me.
February 14, 2023
Well, that was a shocking, chilling, and completely sobering trip!! And done extremely well too! Controversial? Maybe! Scarily real? For sure! Brutal? Absolutely!
Matt has done his research and made this a wholly believable and utterly terrifying story, centering on an Incel by the name of Wayne! And its completely terrifying in its reality!
Wayne is well aware that he is nothing special, women dont like him, hes a loser, a nobody, an Incel….
His loathing of the opposite sex is voracious! He feels hopeless and lonely, until a confrontation at a skate park leaves him wondering just exactly who he is!
A subsequent visit to the local water park with a couple of friends, sees things spiral out of control, and it's all caught on camera! This is the start of something so much bigger and so much more sinister and relentlessly disturbing. Wayne and his friends set up a podcast to assist and encourage other like minded people and this makes him feel empowered, alive and justified in his motives!
Wayne is easily swayed and when the online Incel community is the only one that will accept you, you carry on, do as youre told, and don't rock the boat! And the consequences in this case are extremely dire! These guys do not take rejection very well…
When Wayne meets Rainbow he thinks things might actually turn out different, but as they get closer to each other, she gets closer to discovering his secret, and when he starts acting weirder than normal, she distances herself from him…..and he doesn't like that at all!
The narrative is done in the form of a written confession from the main character, that starts off slightly disturbing and increases in its intensity and barbarity throughout!
Part One is a brutal build up to the absolutely insane and savage Part Two, all of which culminates in a blood soaked dance of utter carnage! And of Wayne finally feeling like he has a purpose, a real reason to be alive!
I found the last chapter the most chilling, the way he thinks and feels after everything that has happened and his pure determination to continue on….
Overall a funny, clever, smooth, easy flowing, addictive and fully immersive read! One that will have you recalling certain parts for a while to come….
Matt has done his research and made this a wholly believable and utterly terrifying story, centering on an Incel by the name of Wayne! And its completely terrifying in its reality!
Wayne is well aware that he is nothing special, women dont like him, hes a loser, a nobody, an Incel….
His loathing of the opposite sex is voracious! He feels hopeless and lonely, until a confrontation at a skate park leaves him wondering just exactly who he is!
A subsequent visit to the local water park with a couple of friends, sees things spiral out of control, and it's all caught on camera! This is the start of something so much bigger and so much more sinister and relentlessly disturbing. Wayne and his friends set up a podcast to assist and encourage other like minded people and this makes him feel empowered, alive and justified in his motives!
Wayne is easily swayed and when the online Incel community is the only one that will accept you, you carry on, do as youre told, and don't rock the boat! And the consequences in this case are extremely dire! These guys do not take rejection very well…
When Wayne meets Rainbow he thinks things might actually turn out different, but as they get closer to each other, she gets closer to discovering his secret, and when he starts acting weirder than normal, she distances herself from him…..and he doesn't like that at all!
The narrative is done in the form of a written confession from the main character, that starts off slightly disturbing and increases in its intensity and barbarity throughout!
Part One is a brutal build up to the absolutely insane and savage Part Two, all of which culminates in a blood soaked dance of utter carnage! And of Wayne finally feeling like he has a purpose, a real reason to be alive!
I found the last chapter the most chilling, the way he thinks and feels after everything that has happened and his pure determination to continue on….
Overall a funny, clever, smooth, easy flowing, addictive and fully immersive read! One that will have you recalling certain parts for a while to come….
February 15, 2023
A very good read and could see a lot of research went into this book.
January 27, 2023
Engaging from start to finish, Incel tells the story of Wayne a character you just know could have gone an entirely different way. You can tell that the author has done his research before putting the proverbial pen to the page, having watched the incel and other incel adjacent movements develop over the past several years I really feel like he captured the toxicity and appeal of it for the people that get ensnared into it really well.
I enjoyed how we kept going back and forth between moments where we could really feel for Wayne and moment where he was abject. This aspect in particular made the whole thing feel so real because people who end up messing you up for life are way too often more like that than the monsters we like to imagine.
While at heart this book is a cautionary tale about how easy it is to justify the things we do but that misery commit until we lose all sight of our humanity it's also part horror fest and there is a bit gore in there which is placed just so to make it as effective as it can be, I winced a couple of times.
Had this book been written by someone else I would have hesitated to pick it up based on the premise but having read, and loved, Duchossoy's first novella, Burden, I didn't hesitate too long when the opportunity to request an ARC of this book came up and I'm glad I didn't because it was seriously good.
I enjoyed how we kept going back and forth between moments where we could really feel for Wayne and moment where he was abject. This aspect in particular made the whole thing feel so real because people who end up messing you up for life are way too often more like that than the monsters we like to imagine.
While at heart this book is a cautionary tale about how easy it is to justify the things we do but that misery commit until we lose all sight of our humanity it's also part horror fest and there is a bit gore in there which is placed just so to make it as effective as it can be, I winced a couple of times.
Had this book been written by someone else I would have hesitated to pick it up based on the premise but having read, and loved, Duchossoy's first novella, Burden, I didn't hesitate too long when the opportunity to request an ARC of this book came up and I'm glad I didn't because it was seriously good.
January 16, 2024
Loved this one! What’s the saying? There’s someone out there for everyone? Not if you choose the wrong path, instead of bettering themselves and trying to form relationships and bonds “Incels” have formed an online community full of “Involuntary Celibate” people. Now to me this book is the perfect horror as it’s real life what could and in some cases does happen. This book up to now is my favourite book of Matt’s 🖤
January 28, 2023
Wow Matt you did it again! Completely took my mind and infected it with yet another memorable story! While reading this I very much felt pulled into the mind of Wayne and could feel it pain and his miniscule shred of happiness. Reading his thoughts become so vivid and painful. And that ending...whew gonna have to cleanse the mind palette. Thank you so much for the arc and recommend this to any horror fan out there. Whether this seems like your cup of tea or not just read it!! Permanent slot in the brain files!
August 7, 2023
I knew Incel by Matt Duchossoy had some similar themes to my new book, so I had to check it out and I’m glad I did. I quickly fell into a dark corner of the internet for loners who can’t get laid and blame everyone except themselves for their failures.
When the main character finds fame in an online community for outcasts where they feed off each other’s hate, he pushes his morals to the limit. When doubts arise about the severity of his actions, his so-called friends are there to urge him on in their crusade against those who scorned them.
Horror doesn’t need monsters, ghosts and demons (although they are nice sometimes). Horror is ingrained in human nature and for many, all they need to do is look in the mirror. The scariest part about this book is there are thousands of people just like the main character and all it would take is one rejection to set them off on a similar path.
When the main character finds fame in an online community for outcasts where they feed off each other’s hate, he pushes his morals to the limit. When doubts arise about the severity of his actions, his so-called friends are there to urge him on in their crusade against those who scorned them.
Horror doesn’t need monsters, ghosts and demons (although they are nice sometimes). Horror is ingrained in human nature and for many, all they need to do is look in the mirror. The scariest part about this book is there are thousands of people just like the main character and all it would take is one rejection to set them off on a similar path.
November 21, 2024
3.5*
What a wild ride! This book (and likely every book by this author) is not for the faint hearted at all, as it contains, obviously, misogyny, but also torture, r***, body horror, gore, murder and mass murder.
After reading Burden, I knew this would be a little fucked up, but this was definitely more fucked up.
I don't even know why I was drawn to this one. I'm aware of incels/nice guys online (if you're not, I recommend doing a bit of googling to understand their warped mentality, though Matt does a good job of getting some of that across) so I guess seeing a book that's written around that quite niche topic caught my attention.
The writing was pretty decent, aside from the odd spelling mistake or missing word. It's one of those stories that you take at face value and don't read too much into, especially as I felt like Wayne was acting in a way that contrasted his thoughts.
Whilst I know that's kind of the heart of the story, (his confliction between moving away from his friends and confronting his long held beliefs, or giving into them and taking revenge on everyone) and I understood how Wayne kind of accepted the waterslide incident and let it slide (lol); as things progressed and he seemed to more actively tell his friends no, he seemed to go along with things much more easily than I expected him to, even when he realised (or didn't; he seemed very naive and oblivious through most of the story) that they were going to commit murder and things were simply escalating to unnecessarily extreme levels.
Also the boob scene made me want to vom and I have a strong and stomach, and have seen my fair share of gore in my time, but man, that was so fucked up. 😦 Yet that should've been the time that Wayne well and truly left (though I know the story would've ended if he did, but maybe there could've been a twist that forced him to come back. Or maybe this is just my hope/need to see that there's some good in people, idk). The main characters are certainly not likeable and ultimately truly evil and I think that's hard to accept sometimes. Readers seem to often want to like or connect with characters, not disconnect from, and strongly dislike them.
Overall, it was an okay book, but I think I'll take a break from Matt's books for a little while. 😂
What a wild ride! This book (and likely every book by this author) is not for the faint hearted at all, as it contains, obviously, misogyny, but also torture, r***, body horror, gore, murder and mass murder.
After reading Burden, I knew this would be a little fucked up, but this was definitely more fucked up.
I don't even know why I was drawn to this one. I'm aware of incels/nice guys online (if you're not, I recommend doing a bit of googling to understand their warped mentality, though Matt does a good job of getting some of that across) so I guess seeing a book that's written around that quite niche topic caught my attention.
The writing was pretty decent, aside from the odd spelling mistake or missing word. It's one of those stories that you take at face value and don't read too much into, especially as I felt like Wayne was acting in a way that contrasted his thoughts.
Whilst I know that's kind of the heart of the story, (his confliction between moving away from his friends and confronting his long held beliefs, or giving into them and taking revenge on everyone) and I understood how Wayne kind of accepted the waterslide incident and let it slide (lol); as things progressed and he seemed to more actively tell his friends no, he seemed to go along with things much more easily than I expected him to, even when he realised (or didn't; he seemed very naive and oblivious through most of the story) that they were going to commit murder and things were simply escalating to unnecessarily extreme levels.
Also the boob scene made me want to vom and I have a strong and stomach, and have seen my fair share of gore in my time, but man, that was so fucked up. 😦 Yet that should've been the time that Wayne well and truly left (though I know the story would've ended if he did, but maybe there could've been a twist that forced him to come back. Or maybe this is just my hope/need to see that there's some good in people, idk). The main characters are certainly not likeable and ultimately truly evil and I think that's hard to accept sometimes. Readers seem to often want to like or connect with characters, not disconnect from, and strongly dislike them.
Overall, it was an okay book, but I think I'll take a break from Matt's books for a little while. 😂
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 28, 2023
The amount of RESEARCH that has gone into this. I am astonished by how well Duchossoy has been able to observe, and get into the head of an incel. It's very obvious from the start how much effort was put in the characters alone.
I kinda expected it, but TW for SA! And don't read some scenes on an empty stomach. I nearly puked lmaoooo.
I was quite conflicted throughout the story. You have the obvious feelings towards the incels/femcels, but Duchossoy was able to awaken some sense of feeling sorry for Wayne. Would he be a better guy if someone showed him more love?
It follows him and his friends down a deeply fucked up path.
Duchossoys most fucked up book yet!
I kinda expected it, but TW for SA! And don't read some scenes on an empty stomach. I nearly puked lmaoooo.
I was quite conflicted throughout the story. You have the obvious feelings towards the incels/femcels, but Duchossoy was able to awaken some sense of feeling sorry for Wayne. Would he be a better guy if someone showed him more love?
It follows him and his friends down a deeply fucked up path.
Duchossoys most fucked up book yet!
September 11, 2025
A dark and brutal work of transgressive horror. I know very little about the “incel” sub-sect of modern society that this novella examines, but context clues were enough that I could follow the plot without missing a beat. All in all, this book is a chilling look into the mind of a psychopath similar to “Tampa” or “American Psycho”, but with an added focus on the strangeness of the internet age.
December 13, 2023
I hate that I know what every single term is in this book. I really do. I’ve had a morbid fascination with the incel community, mostly linked to my interest in true crime. I feel down the rabbit hole a long time ago, and ever since I’ve been hooked with a morbid curiosity. Not that I devote much time to it, but when i get recommended a video on YouTube talking about it, or I learn about a new crime involving the community, I can’t help but gloat. So, because of that, I was excited to read this book. And boy, did this book deliver. This book went above and beyond my expectations.
This book is incredibly well researched, as the note at the end addressed. I respect the suffering the author went though to get the terminology, ideas, and beliefs right. Really, props to you.
I was so attached to Wayne and Rainbow’s relationship. So so so attached. I’m not even one for romance, but the whole time I was thinking how adorable it was, and how I wanted them to have a happy ending. But of course, that little voice in my head kept scratching at me, telling me not to get your hopes up. Do they have a happy ending? I won’t spoil it, it’s worth it to read it.
This book is a horrifying reality, my favorite type of horror. I think I’ve said this before, but we all hear about vampires and cannibal families and crazed gut yanking serial killers and haunted houses, and for the most part, those things aren’t real, and if they are, they are a rarity. For the most part, those things don’t scare me. Sure, they’re fun and can provide a good thrill, but they’re not scary, at least, to me. This is true horror. Something that can, could, will, or is happening in the real world.
Short, sweet, and to the point, I loved this book. Zero flaws, a perfect and terrifying novel.
This book is incredibly well researched, as the note at the end addressed. I respect the suffering the author went though to get the terminology, ideas, and beliefs right. Really, props to you.
I was so attached to Wayne and Rainbow’s relationship. So so so attached. I’m not even one for romance, but the whole time I was thinking how adorable it was, and how I wanted them to have a happy ending. But of course, that little voice in my head kept scratching at me, telling me not to get your hopes up. Do they have a happy ending? I won’t spoil it, it’s worth it to read it.
This book is a horrifying reality, my favorite type of horror. I think I’ve said this before, but we all hear about vampires and cannibal families and crazed gut yanking serial killers and haunted houses, and for the most part, those things aren’t real, and if they are, they are a rarity. For the most part, those things don’t scare me. Sure, they’re fun and can provide a good thrill, but they’re not scary, at least, to me. This is true horror. Something that can, could, will, or is happening in the real world.
Short, sweet, and to the point, I loved this book. Zero flaws, a perfect and terrifying novel.
March 30, 2023
It's really not often I read something that makes my skin crawl. I've read some of the most gruesome stuff, authors that use the most descriptive terms to gross the reader out and make them squirm.
The thing about this book is that its scarily realistic, which I find can be even more frightening than a monster story or a paranormal horror. Realism always creeps me put so much more than anything, the idea that people like the characters in the book exist and walk around with the same thoughts and ideas as main character Wayne and his friends.
The characters are purposely cringe, I think especially now when incels and their ideas on how things work are really being highlighted, the way wayne and his friends discuss subjects and especially women, left me with this horrid heavy stomach feeling that I get when reading or hearing the kinds of views.
These characters which made me want to peel my own skin off with their opinions,left me with a deeply uncomfortable feeling throughout. The actions and views in the book from the main characters, are unapologetic, chilling and just....scary. You can see by how in depth the writing is, that a lot of research has gone into the writing, and it makes for a read that makes you wonder how many people in the real world feel the same.
This is a hard to read, gruesome book. And I don't say this to put you off. It is brilliantly written, full of the gross stuff you expect in an extreme tale. I really do think it's the realism that makes it so scary to read. A reminder that most of evil is human, and they could be next door, or across the road....TERRIFYING.
The thing about this book is that its scarily realistic, which I find can be even more frightening than a monster story or a paranormal horror. Realism always creeps me put so much more than anything, the idea that people like the characters in the book exist and walk around with the same thoughts and ideas as main character Wayne and his friends.
The characters are purposely cringe, I think especially now when incels and their ideas on how things work are really being highlighted, the way wayne and his friends discuss subjects and especially women, left me with this horrid heavy stomach feeling that I get when reading or hearing the kinds of views.
These characters which made me want to peel my own skin off with their opinions,left me with a deeply uncomfortable feeling throughout. The actions and views in the book from the main characters, are unapologetic, chilling and just....scary. You can see by how in depth the writing is, that a lot of research has gone into the writing, and it makes for a read that makes you wonder how many people in the real world feel the same.
This is a hard to read, gruesome book. And I don't say this to put you off. It is brilliantly written, full of the gross stuff you expect in an extreme tale. I really do think it's the realism that makes it so scary to read. A reminder that most of evil is human, and they could be next door, or across the road....TERRIFYING.
April 9, 2023
Incel -a member of an online community of young men who consider themselves unable to attract women sexually.
This is about 3 teenage friends Lorna , Drake and Wayne. They consider themselves “incel’s” and they are just tired of rejection. They decide to form an online podcast to meet other incels. After all together they “ARE STRONGER “. This was a very fast paced read . I struggled with wanting to pity the protagonist all while hating him . This story is packed with violence , grief , mental instability and even sadness. I highly recommend to my fellow dark readers .
This is about 3 teenage friends Lorna , Drake and Wayne. They consider themselves “incel’s” and they are just tired of rejection. They decide to form an online podcast to meet other incels. After all together they “ARE STRONGER “. This was a very fast paced read . I struggled with wanting to pity the protagonist all while hating him . This story is packed with violence , grief , mental instability and even sadness. I highly recommend to my fellow dark readers .
June 21, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. This story follows 3 disturbed individuals who think a good time is at others expense. As things progress and the games become darker and the 3 individuals become more and more disturbed things take a violent turn when the 3 decide on a mass shooting.
Great character development, the story flows flawlessly, and this definitely won't be my last book by this author.
Great character development, the story flows flawlessly, and this definitely won't be my last book by this author.
April 6, 2023
Thinking that someday he would become attractive, a phoenix rising from the fire, he was the ugliest kid, and he started to accept this. Living at home, no job, never touched a women. His name is Wayne. He is an incel. A fucking loser who couldn't get laid even if he spent a life times worth of savings. Wayne had a you tube channel with two twins who were equally or worse than him. While filming they get bashed by a bunch of emo skater girls. A skateboard imprint of a forehead and one losing an eye. To get revenge on girls, this group hates women, put razor blades in a waterslide, sliced fresh, the girl survived a lifetime of suffering before ending her life. They upload this video to a members only site, and Wayne discovers other extreme content of torture, murder, and becomes fascinated. The group take things further and abduct a girl, cut her, one rapes her. They have now gone to the point of no return. Disillusioned with thinking they had been wronged by women, by society, will go down in a hail of bullets and blood.
October 14, 2023
This book is summoning thoughts back to watching little rascals in my childhood- more specifically, the “he-man woman hater’s club”, but on steroids. And acid. At the same time. Oy. I can’t believe there was a portion of this book in which I was empathizing with a self-proclaimed incel, but here we are. If you put incels and and those with autism spectrum disorder in a Venn diagram, I think the crossover would be social ineptitude. So maybe that’s an explanation.
The ironic thing about incels is that, while they feel entitled to women, especially those who are with less that exceptional seeming dudes, while they themselves are less than exceptional dudes… sort of a…Schrödinger’s gun cabinet type dilemma, if you will?
Anyway. This was really well-written, super dark subject matter. Usually guns as a murder weapon don’t really do it for me… however, the build up about mid way through really set the tone, and the descriptors used really drove it home. 4/5 stars!
The ironic thing about incels is that, while they feel entitled to women, especially those who are with less that exceptional seeming dudes, while they themselves are less than exceptional dudes… sort of a…Schrödinger’s gun cabinet type dilemma, if you will?
Anyway. This was really well-written, super dark subject matter. Usually guns as a murder weapon don’t really do it for me… however, the build up about mid way through really set the tone, and the descriptors used really drove it home. 4/5 stars!
January 29, 2025
"I convinced myself that one day things would somehow fall into place and I'd awaken a new person, a phoenix rising from the ashes of a loser."
Wayne Cabel is an involuntary celibate— an incel, and author Matt Duchossoy brings us right into his skewed and sickening world. I'm absolutely floored at just how well Incel was written. Anybody would be hesitant to pick up a book with such a "dirty" word gracing its cover. It’s a single word that covers an entire group of people— people who engage in awful and disturbing things. But here, we're taken deep into the psyche of those who are alone, desperate, and spiteful that intimacy hasn’t found them, and that women do not find them appealing. Duchossoy's depiction is accurate— reminding me of the true crime cases surrounding Elliot Rodger, Alex Minassian, Armando Hernandez, and Jake Davison (amongst others). All of these self-identified incels carrying out gut-wrenching crimes in the name of retribution.
While Wayne is torn between the world of being an incel and (kind of??) starting a relationship with a girl— his twin best friends, Drake and Lorna are out to attack women. Set on their rage of the incel-proclaimed "foids" (a derogatory term for women), they begin vlogging their negative experiences to the incel community and the like, eventually going viral and earning money from their ill-willed deeds. From there, the vlogging and broadcasting begin to spiral out of control. The three set out to create even larger ventures. From disturbing "pranks", to creating their own snuff films, and ultimately partaking in this novella's shocking and sickening end, the three friends find themselves in a dark, dark state of mind.
While reading Incel, you will be disturbed. You’ll be disgusted. And you will find yourself appalled at the story. It’s appalling to know that a collective group of men (and a few women) with herd mentality set out to do such wicked things to others over sex. The entitlement of Wayne, Drake, and Lorna makes you angry. And the fact that the three don't think they're doing much wrong is what's worse.
The idea that these individuals walk amongst us in real life is truly the real horror here.
I think this novella deserves a read— it's insightful and terrifying. I always love a well-written splatterpunk/extreme horror, and while this was my first time reading a Matt Duchossoy book, it absolutely will not be my last. Go ahead and dive into the world of what it means to be an incel, and the repercussions that it ultimately causes the rest of us.
Wayne Cabel is an involuntary celibate— an incel, and author Matt Duchossoy brings us right into his skewed and sickening world. I'm absolutely floored at just how well Incel was written. Anybody would be hesitant to pick up a book with such a "dirty" word gracing its cover. It’s a single word that covers an entire group of people— people who engage in awful and disturbing things. But here, we're taken deep into the psyche of those who are alone, desperate, and spiteful that intimacy hasn’t found them, and that women do not find them appealing. Duchossoy's depiction is accurate— reminding me of the true crime cases surrounding Elliot Rodger, Alex Minassian, Armando Hernandez, and Jake Davison (amongst others). All of these self-identified incels carrying out gut-wrenching crimes in the name of retribution.
While Wayne is torn between the world of being an incel and (kind of??) starting a relationship with a girl— his twin best friends, Drake and Lorna are out to attack women. Set on their rage of the incel-proclaimed "foids" (a derogatory term for women), they begin vlogging their negative experiences to the incel community and the like, eventually going viral and earning money from their ill-willed deeds. From there, the vlogging and broadcasting begin to spiral out of control. The three set out to create even larger ventures. From disturbing "pranks", to creating their own snuff films, and ultimately partaking in this novella's shocking and sickening end, the three friends find themselves in a dark, dark state of mind.
While reading Incel, you will be disturbed. You’ll be disgusted. And you will find yourself appalled at the story. It’s appalling to know that a collective group of men (and a few women) with herd mentality set out to do such wicked things to others over sex. The entitlement of Wayne, Drake, and Lorna makes you angry. And the fact that the three don't think they're doing much wrong is what's worse.
The idea that these individuals walk amongst us in real life is truly the real horror here.
I think this novella deserves a read— it's insightful and terrifying. I always love a well-written splatterpunk/extreme horror, and while this was my first time reading a Matt Duchossoy book, it absolutely will not be my last. Go ahead and dive into the world of what it means to be an incel, and the repercussions that it ultimately causes the rest of us.
April 15, 2023
This book was a proper surprise.
I was lucky enough to get an ARC of it, and honestly, the research that clearly went into it makes me both impressed and frankly fearful for the writers mind after delving into the hateful world of incels.
The thing for me is that this can and does happen. And the insight into how people get to mass murder based on their mindset is disturbing. The 'femcel' was an added 'extra' , knowing that they exist... jeez. The way you could see them egging each other on to the inevitable outcome was horrifying. You see bits of it online, but unless you actually go into the incel world we only see the end result as we've seen both in America and England.
I think this is definitely one of my top 5 of the year, and cannot wait to read more from this writer.
I was lucky enough to get an ARC of it, and honestly, the research that clearly went into it makes me both impressed and frankly fearful for the writers mind after delving into the hateful world of incels.
The thing for me is that this can and does happen. And the insight into how people get to mass murder based on their mindset is disturbing. The 'femcel' was an added 'extra' , knowing that they exist... jeez. The way you could see them egging each other on to the inevitable outcome was horrifying. You see bits of it online, but unless you actually go into the incel world we only see the end result as we've seen both in America and England.
I think this is definitely one of my top 5 of the year, and cannot wait to read more from this writer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 30, 2023
Essentially this is a love story of sorts. It’s an awkward-boy-meets-girl-out-of-his-league… but with a twist. This is far from a rom-com. This is not the airbrushed polish that Hollywood would be dribbling over each other to get their corporate hands on as it’s dark. And sick. And that’s why we love it!
You may not be familiar with the term ‘incel’, and there is certainly no shame in it. In fact, as a man of the world I was surprised that up until recently this whole movement had fallen under my radar. There was a documentary on the BBC recently which was a real eye-opener, and that shows that this isn’t something born from Mr Duchossoy’s mind, but in fact a quite scary reality. For the uninitiated of you, an incet is a (predominantly) male virgin who struggles to have a relationship with a woman, and so assumes the blame to be at her feet and therefore has an unhealthy hatred for all woman with whom he assumes them to be the ultimate enemy of his life, deliberately only being attracted to ‘Chads’ - attractive and confidant men. They join together and form a scary community which can lead to them attacking random.
In this book, we have a wonderful telling of what it’s like to be an incet. We understand that they feel like they have not chosen the path but been forced to live that way. Here, the protagonist Wayne is a perfect example of that. A guy bullied by society, but who wants more than anything to have a relationship with a woman. A real woman. And he finds her in the shape of a hippie waitress called Rainbow.
As extreme horror goes, this has some touching and poignant moments. It’s not just gruesomeness for the sake of it, and indeed had Barbara Cartland been born a hundred years later, then she too may’ve donned a gimp mask and ventured into these waters – probably not, but you get my point.
The tale pulls Wayne from his need to impress Rainbow on the one hand, to the commitment he has with his two incel friends who are determined to make the world pay. The pace soon quickens and the scenes get darker and more explicit, but this is so much more than torture porn. It’s not about the sickness of scenes but actually the psychology of the mindset of those involved.
This was a truly fascinating book from a wonderful author, and well worth checking out.
You may not be familiar with the term ‘incel’, and there is certainly no shame in it. In fact, as a man of the world I was surprised that up until recently this whole movement had fallen under my radar. There was a documentary on the BBC recently which was a real eye-opener, and that shows that this isn’t something born from Mr Duchossoy’s mind, but in fact a quite scary reality. For the uninitiated of you, an incet is a (predominantly) male virgin who struggles to have a relationship with a woman, and so assumes the blame to be at her feet and therefore has an unhealthy hatred for all woman with whom he assumes them to be the ultimate enemy of his life, deliberately only being attracted to ‘Chads’ - attractive and confidant men. They join together and form a scary community which can lead to them attacking random.
In this book, we have a wonderful telling of what it’s like to be an incet. We understand that they feel like they have not chosen the path but been forced to live that way. Here, the protagonist Wayne is a perfect example of that. A guy bullied by society, but who wants more than anything to have a relationship with a woman. A real woman. And he finds her in the shape of a hippie waitress called Rainbow.
As extreme horror goes, this has some touching and poignant moments. It’s not just gruesomeness for the sake of it, and indeed had Barbara Cartland been born a hundred years later, then she too may’ve donned a gimp mask and ventured into these waters – probably not, but you get my point.
The tale pulls Wayne from his need to impress Rainbow on the one hand, to the commitment he has with his two incel friends who are determined to make the world pay. The pace soon quickens and the scenes get darker and more explicit, but this is so much more than torture porn. It’s not about the sickness of scenes but actually the psychology of the mindset of those involved.
This was a truly fascinating book from a wonderful author, and well worth checking out.
March 31, 2023
Wow. Just finished Incel by Matt Duchossoy seconds ago, and I am in some kind of state of fear and shock that there are real people out there with this mindset. It reminded me a lot of The Groomer by Jon Athan in that you are forced to see the worst side of humanity up close and personal. Which, if you ask me, is the perfect subject matter for a horror novel. You can tell while reading it that there was an uncomfortable amount of research that must've been done for this book, which is confirmed in the chilling authors note. If I didn't already have the ick for those who call themselves incels, l certainly do now.
This is a first-person narrative told by a meeker member of the Incel community. He may not be the worst of his friends, but he's decidedly unlikable throughout the whole story. There are brief moments of hope for him, but those are fleeting.
For those who don't know, an incel is an "involuntary celibate" person, usually men, but there are some women in this online community. They basically think they are denied "a basic human right" of affection and sex by the opposite sex due to their status in life. They have an alarmingly large community online from what I understand, which basically acts as a sounding board for them to make themselves feel less alone and feel as though they are correct in all of their backwards beliefs. A lot of them seem to be depressed and lack any self-confidence, but some of them are of an extremely dangerous mindset of revenge and violence to the women that have "wronged them."
You guessed it. This book centers around what could happen when some extremely volatile members of the incel community group with someone in the community who just goes along with it. Though let's not give him any excuses, he's just as fucked up. I'll let you find out why! This story was a fast read. I started it yesterday and finished this morning. I love a good horror story about the dark, twisted side of humanity and this serves that up in spades. Dish in!
This is a first-person narrative told by a meeker member of the Incel community. He may not be the worst of his friends, but he's decidedly unlikable throughout the whole story. There are brief moments of hope for him, but those are fleeting.
For those who don't know, an incel is an "involuntary celibate" person, usually men, but there are some women in this online community. They basically think they are denied "a basic human right" of affection and sex by the opposite sex due to their status in life. They have an alarmingly large community online from what I understand, which basically acts as a sounding board for them to make themselves feel less alone and feel as though they are correct in all of their backwards beliefs. A lot of them seem to be depressed and lack any self-confidence, but some of them are of an extremely dangerous mindset of revenge and violence to the women that have "wronged them."
You guessed it. This book centers around what could happen when some extremely volatile members of the incel community group with someone in the community who just goes along with it. Though let's not give him any excuses, he's just as fucked up. I'll let you find out why! This story was a fast read. I started it yesterday and finished this morning. I love a good horror story about the dark, twisted side of humanity and this serves that up in spades. Dish in!
March 12, 2023
I don’t think I actually UNDERSTOOD the depth of how scary an incel can be before I read this book. We should all be clear on one thing: NO MATTER HOW NICE YOU ARE TO A WOMAN, OR TO ANYONE FOR THAT MATTER, THEY DO NOT OWE YOU SEX (OR ANYTHING ELSE.) In essence, it’s common sense, but self proclaimed “incels” cannot seem to grasp this concept. I learned a bunch of terms I was unfamiliar with. “Foid,” “Chads & Stacey’s,” “Blackpilled.” The fact that this corner of the internet, (or corner of the world,) even exists is horrific enough. Props to Matt for having the girth and persistence to really dig this deeply into it. As he states in his afterword, writing this book was obviously not a simple feat.
In a non pretentious and natural writing style, Wayne details to us his descent into madness alongside his two buddies, Lorna and Drake. If you think you’ve ever gone mad from lack of sex, no you haven’t, look at this guy. He is a self proclaimed “incel,” and he fell into a trap of commiseration with fellow “incels” who are absolutely positive all women are just sex crazed automatons who think about nothing but penis. Only, not their penises. It’s so genuinely tragic that there are people out there so seriously think this way. But humanity never ceases to surprise me.
Although Wayne, his friends, and his newfound girlfriend Rainbow are fictional characters- they are brilliantly written. I really appreciated that Rainbow was not just your average, basic character. She was interesting, quirky, kind and fun. At some point it’s easy for the reader to begin to feel a little sorry for Wayne; I don’t want to spoil anything, but you should know for most that is not going to last. Wayne has SOME sort of empathy at the start of our story, SOME traits signaling a hope for redemption. It’s, mostly, a downward spiral from there.
This book felt extremely real. The dialogue was on point, and the unwaveringly cruel events disturbing and sadly not unheard of. The gore becomes graphic at times, but it’s not anything a regular reader of horror will be too shocked to sift through. I’m gonna have to go ahead and give “Incel” a high recommendation. If you think you can handle a walk inside one of those people’s brains, prepare to come out of it pissed off as I was.
In a non pretentious and natural writing style, Wayne details to us his descent into madness alongside his two buddies, Lorna and Drake. If you think you’ve ever gone mad from lack of sex, no you haven’t, look at this guy. He is a self proclaimed “incel,” and he fell into a trap of commiseration with fellow “incels” who are absolutely positive all women are just sex crazed automatons who think about nothing but penis. Only, not their penises. It’s so genuinely tragic that there are people out there so seriously think this way. But humanity never ceases to surprise me.
Although Wayne, his friends, and his newfound girlfriend Rainbow are fictional characters- they are brilliantly written. I really appreciated that Rainbow was not just your average, basic character. She was interesting, quirky, kind and fun. At some point it’s easy for the reader to begin to feel a little sorry for Wayne; I don’t want to spoil anything, but you should know for most that is not going to last. Wayne has SOME sort of empathy at the start of our story, SOME traits signaling a hope for redemption. It’s, mostly, a downward spiral from there.
This book felt extremely real. The dialogue was on point, and the unwaveringly cruel events disturbing and sadly not unheard of. The gore becomes graphic at times, but it’s not anything a regular reader of horror will be too shocked to sift through. I’m gonna have to go ahead and give “Incel” a high recommendation. If you think you can handle a walk inside one of those people’s brains, prepare to come out of it pissed off as I was.
April 22, 2025
this was a hard read but i also couldn’t put it down. the dread you feel from page one, being in the mindset of a person who believes all women - or “foids” - deserve death is brutal. as the violence escalated i was SO hoping that wayne would snap out of it and come to his senses and i was so disappointed when he didn’t. the ending was absolutely chilling. i kind of hope we get a second book but also i don’t know if i could handle being in his brain again. what’s a brutal and horrifying reading experience.
March 21, 2023
Incels are all around us but this book made me realize what a potentially horrifying reality lurks in our social-media and youtube-based society nowadays. Nearly everyone knows an incel (typically male, typically misogynist -- but not always.) The consequences of the people around them become deadly for the women in this book. Perhaps the most chilling part of this first-person fictional narrative is that the character only refers to females as foids which is such a strangely chilling act of dehumanization as you read through. The ending was worth the (extremely) slow buildup to the violent actions. Perhaps the scariest part is that I could absolutely see this happening, especially in America where we give weapons out to literally anybody. Slow book but a really solid payoff and great writing. I also appreciated the note from the author at the end which really juxtaposed some humanity after the conclusion. I'll definitely be reading more work by this author.
February 4, 2024
This book was insane and just full on fucked up and just spirals down a dark hole until it goes into insanity it felt like this is probably some shit that could really happen. I really couldn't put this one down it was well written and I loved hating the characters in this one. I highly recommend this one
May 16, 2023
A really tough read, especially the last 30% or so. The subject matter and the visually descriptive writing style was overwhelming, but obviously I mean this as a positive and compliment to the author.
There are quite a few spelling and grammatical errors on the kindle version, but it didn’t take me out of it too much. In the afterword the author mentions that he toyed with the idea of writing the story in the third person instead of first and I think he may have changed a few sentences around to play with the idea and they were never corrected during editing.
Genuinely, these errors were not a big deal.
Very brutal imagery so you have to have a strong stomach, especially one scene.. I’ll leave it to you to find out which one.
I left the book feeling so angry. I wanted to scream. I, like the authors also notes, find this subject so upsetting and the community of incels to be reprehensible in their misdirected and misaligned rage and self pity.
A great short read and hopefully an eye opener for those who need it. We are all responsible for our own lives and we are not entitled to control anyone else’s.
There are quite a few spelling and grammatical errors on the kindle version, but it didn’t take me out of it too much. In the afterword the author mentions that he toyed with the idea of writing the story in the third person instead of first and I think he may have changed a few sentences around to play with the idea and they were never corrected during editing.
Genuinely, these errors were not a big deal.
Very brutal imagery so you have to have a strong stomach, especially one scene.. I’ll leave it to you to find out which one.
I left the book feeling so angry. I wanted to scream. I, like the authors also notes, find this subject so upsetting and the community of incels to be reprehensible in their misdirected and misaligned rage and self pity.
A great short read and hopefully an eye opener for those who need it. We are all responsible for our own lives and we are not entitled to control anyone else’s.
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