Welcome to Litsy!

I was attracted to the morbid, gorgeous book cover. I consider myself a plant nerd, especially for poisons. I also like the option of terramation (human composting)…so this book was very enjoyable for me. This is a dark, morbid, gory book; there are a few graphic scenes. There were a few things which felt a bit weird and unrealistic to me, but other than that I loved this story. A taxidermist and a botanist combined seems like the perfect⬇️

DNFing this one. It is just too tedious and feels more like a botany textbook than a horror book. Just not for me. #hailthebail

First #bookspinbingo done

1.5/5⭐

I couldn't get into this one.

Gross and delightful, sweet and dreadful! I know those words don‘t seem to go together, but this book manages it. A botanist discovers a fungus that has self-awareness and coaxes his taxidermist partner into helping him bind it to a corpse. The fungus learns to operate the body far too quickly. The over-the-top language kept me from being fully immersed, and I‘m side-eyeing the copy editor, but this was absolutely worth the read.

“The content of the reading material did not matter, although he made a good performance of erudite interest. What mattered was that he *was reading*, with tea.”

Wow. Who would think to use a human corpse and a fungus to create a new life form. I am impressed with the creativity of this book. It flirts with Frankenstein themes but is a unique creation. I felt for all the characters. For a self-made paradise that is also a prison. This was very enjoyable.

Another interpretation of The Modern Prometheus. In Victorian England, a private, isolated, queer couple creates a horticultural Galatea in the name of science. As their creation becomes sentient so does the couple's obsession over their horrific offspring. A beautifully written gothic novel focusing on ethics and arrogant, abusive knowledge.