Statistical probability horror was not on my bingo card for the year, but Chuck Tingle makes it work. It’s funny, shocking, and downright original from start to finish, mixing in moments of sincerity with moments of utter nonsense that make you wonder ‘how did he think of that?’ I admittedly haven’t read any of Tingle’s works in the past but this has me convinced to pick up his other horror novels and give them a go. 

The Best Bits

A Few of My Favorite Things

The Big Event

The novel starts like any other, with a few basic events and some tense interactions. It all trucks forward as expected until the world explodes and the pages become pure insanity. Improbability is the theme of the day and Tingle is clearly having a field day, throwing every random thing at the wall to create pure chaos. It’s horrifying to imagine and leaves you on edge for the rest of the book. Is the world about to burst into chaos again? Will a trip on a plane result in a horrifying death for our main character? You never know, and that suspense keeps you rocketing through to the end. 

The Constant Need to Know What’s Going On

Horror novels typically keep you on edge, making you think you know what’s about to happen until the opposite slams into you. Lucky Day has a unique approach of making you reel through a dozen options as you read each page. Is it an attack from a rival nation? Aliens? A government conspiracy? Is it actually random or targeted? Are tigers going to burst through a wall at any time and eat your face? Tingle keeps you guessing the entire time and it makes for a pretty thrilling read. It’s been a while since I delved into a story that had this much uncertainty, in a good way. 

So Much Thinking

I loved how philosophical the novel was, diving deep into statistics and probability on a global scale. All of these stats are out there for you to learn and, with a husband who loves statistics, I frequently do learn some of them. Seeing them in action is something completely different, and makes it all the more fascinating. We spend so much of our time watching or reading things and saying ‘that would never happen’ and this book is literally built on that premise. It’s pretty brilliant when you think about it.