Not great, but better than the last several I've read. Perhaps that's because it's not really all that original, as it's essentially a re-telling of a beloved gothic horror tale "The Fall of the House of Usher," by Edgar Allan Poe. In this similarly short but capable novella, which is set in the late 19th century, Alex Easton, a retired veteran of the (fictional) Gallacian army, travels to far-flung Ruravia, to the dilapidated home of Roderick Usher, a former comrade-in-arms, in an attempt to assist his dying sister. Alex is a "sworn soldier," and despite being female, it appears that she has seen some serious action, to the degree that she suffers from a type of combat PTSD and frequent bouts of tinnitus from an accidental discharge of a pistol kept under her pillow.
Along the way, Alex and her trusty steed Hob encounter some equally eccentric characters, including an American sort-of doctor, also a veteran, of the Civil War. Based on the author's description of him, he would have been what is colloquially known as a "sawbones," as his primary duty during the war was performing crude, and, hence, often-unsurvivable amputations, so his medical knowledge is limited. Thus, he is befuddled by the strange circumstances in which he finds himself.
Alex also encounters the thoroughly English Miss Potter, the fictional aunt of literary luminary Beatrix Potter, who is obsessed with fungi: Alex repeatedly encounters her traversing the countryside far and wide in search of a new species of fungi, which may grant her entry into the exclusive (read exclusively male) Mycology Society.
I give this short story at least decent marks for creativity: what it boils down to is the tale of a zombie-state-inducing fungus which lives in the nearby lake and has somehow become sentient. Functioning as essentially a giant brain, the fungi lake-monster seemingly gleans information from the terrestrial creatures it infects, which includes both people and animals - most notably, hares, which have ostensibly become infected when drinking from the lake. As such, the fungi-monster imbibes ever more information from its hapless victims, allowing it ever greater reach into the land it infests, which it accomplishes by reanimating even deceased creatures and using them as zombie puppets.
As it's a generally enjoyable, if a somewhat unsettling read, I would at least recommend this one for fans of the horror genre, which is more than I can say for the last several I've read. I would actually rate it at about 3.5 stars, but I just couldn't manage a four. My general distaste for the last several books I've read is probably amply manifest in the brevity of my recent reviews. I didn't want to harp on them too much, and beyond criticizing, there just wasn't very much to them. This novel did continue in a trend I've noticed everywhere, however, which just irks me.
So, yes, I'ma go there, so be forewarned: what I liked least, and why I didn't rate this, and other recent reads higher, is that this is yet another example of a modern fiction novel which just gotta get that token, rainbow character in there. This unnecessary, pandering, but seemingly-increasingly-common literary device just irks me, because, at its core, is just tantamount to lazy writing.
Authors are with ever-greater regularity just shoehorning these types of characters into what would otherwise be traditional, but often well-told tales, to the degree that it's seemingly difficult to find a modern novel without these days. If your book is good, it's at the very least unnecessary, unless that's the entire point of the book, but especially in these quasi-historical novels, it's just so out of place. That's not to say that it didn't happen, but it was indescribably rare - discovery would have resulted in social death, to say the least.
This novel at least presented it in a unique way - the author creates a fictional European nation, Gallacia, with its own language which, as some other languages do, features non-binary and even some neo-pronouns, including one used exclusively for male and female soldiers. Similarly, with an air of realism, as there was some actual historic precedent for it, was the notion that one could at least officially change their gender, by declaring oneself a man, if only for the purpose of joining the army. It is likely, as some other reviewers have noted, that this was simply to swell the ranks, due to a shortage of male enlistees.
So, decent read, even if it commits some of the same sins as several of the last novels I've read. At least this one commits them in a creative way which retains some semblance of realism.
Along the way, Alex and her trusty steed Hob encounter some equally eccentric characters, including an American sort-of doctor, also a veteran, of the Civil War. Based on the author's description of him, he would have been what is colloquially known as a "sawbones," as his primary duty during the war was performing crude, and, hence, often-unsurvivable amputations, so his medical knowledge is limited. Thus, he is befuddled by the strange circumstances in which he finds himself.
Alex also encounters the thoroughly English Miss Potter, the fictional aunt of literary luminary Beatrix Potter, who is obsessed with fungi: Alex repeatedly encounters her traversing the countryside far and wide in search of a new species of fungi, which may grant her entry into the exclusive (read exclusively male) Mycology Society.
I give this short story at least decent marks for creativity: what it boils down to is the tale of a zombie-state-inducing fungus which lives in the nearby lake and has somehow become sentient. Functioning as essentially a giant brain, the fungi lake-monster seemingly gleans information from the terrestrial creatures it infects, which includes both people and animals - most notably, hares, which have ostensibly become infected when drinking from the lake. As such, the fungi-monster imbibes ever more information from its hapless victims, allowing it ever greater reach into the land it infests, which it accomplishes by reanimating even deceased creatures and using them as zombie puppets.
As it's a generally enjoyable, if a somewhat unsettling read, I would at least recommend this one for fans of the horror genre, which is more than I can say for the last several I've read. I would actually rate it at about 3.5 stars, but I just couldn't manage a four. My general distaste for the last several books I've read is probably amply manifest in the brevity of my recent reviews. I didn't want to harp on them too much, and beyond criticizing, there just wasn't very much to them. This novel did continue in a trend I've noticed everywhere, however, which just irks me.
So, yes, I'ma go there, so be forewarned: what I liked least, and why I didn't rate this, and other recent reads higher, is that this is yet another example of a modern fiction novel which just gotta get that token, rainbow character in there. This unnecessary, pandering, but seemingly-increasingly-common literary device just irks me, because, at its core, is just tantamount to lazy writing.
Authors are with ever-greater regularity just shoehorning these types of characters into what would otherwise be traditional, but often well-told tales, to the degree that it's seemingly difficult to find a modern novel without these days. If your book is good, it's at the very least unnecessary, unless that's the entire point of the book, but especially in these quasi-historical novels, it's just so out of place. That's not to say that it didn't happen, but it was indescribably rare - discovery would have resulted in social death, to say the least.
This novel at least presented it in a unique way - the author creates a fictional European nation, Gallacia, with its own language which, as some other languages do, features non-binary and even some neo-pronouns, including one used exclusively for male and female soldiers. Similarly, with an air of realism, as there was some actual historic precedent for it, was the notion that one could at least officially change their gender, by declaring oneself a man, if only for the purpose of joining the army. It is likely, as some other reviewers have noted, that this was simply to swell the ranks, due to a shortage of male enlistees.
So, decent read, even if it commits some of the same sins as several of the last novels I've read. At least this one commits them in a creative way which retains some semblance of realism.
Excellent horror novella. You can read my full review of it in the August 2023 PBS Blog.
A story on gothic horror and mushrooms.... the perfect mix. Loved how Kingfisher surrounded her tale around Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher and weaved her own tale within. It was superbly creepy and kept me entranced until the end.
