Review: Mushroom Blues by Adrian M. Gibson
Blurb:
ENTER THE FUNGALVERSE. BEAT THE WINTER BLUES. Blade Runner, True Detective and District 9 meld with the weird worlds of Jeff VanderMeer, Philip K. Dick and China Miéville in Adrian M. Gibson’s hallucinatory, fungalpunk noir debut.
Two years after a devastating defeat in the decade-long Spore War, the island nation of Hōppon and its capital city of Neo Kinoko are occupied by invading Coprinian forces. Its fungal citizens are in dire straits, wracked by food shortages, poverty and an influx of war refugees. Even worse, the corrupt occupiers exploit their power, hounding the native population.
As a winter storm looms over the metropolis, NKPD homicide detective Henrietta Hofmann begrudgingly partners up with mushroom-headed patrol officer Koji Nameko to investigate the mysterious murders of fungal and half-breed children. Their investigation drags them deep into the seedy underbelly of a war-torn city, one brimming with colonizers, criminal gangs, racial division and moral decay.
In order to solve the case and unravel the truth, Hofmann must challenge her past and embrace fungal ways. What she and Nameko uncover in the midst of this frigid wasteland will chill them to the core, but will they make it through the storm alive?
Review:
Mushroom Blues was a book that burst onto the scene and immediately jumped into my To Be Read pile. It was buried for a little while, but just like a mushroom, it thrived in the dark and grew to the top. I picked it up expecting a wild ride and I for sure was not disappointed. It is a murder mystery set in a world that is similar, yet very different from our own. The feelings of resentment for the one race of beings within the novel is so real that they ooze off of the page with effortless grace. This is a darker story that is not for the faint of heart with some of the themes and ideas that it approaches. The way that Adrian M. Gibson deals with them is something that should be commended and I tip my hat to him for the way that he brings them up in a way that is very relatable. That being said, I am sure that there are some who will struggle with it.
The strength of the novel is the pacing and the world that this crazy story takes place in. The pacing is great for a mystery, constantly dangling threads and clues in front of the reader which encourage them to keep reading more and more. It allows the reader to experience the thrill of “discovering” the solution for themselves which makes it more fun to read. The land of the mushroom is something that can be terrifying but also most believable. I found it extremely fun with the fungal partner and found myself cheering for him at every turn. The fungal people were the main reason that I found myself turning page after page, discovering more of the beauty of their culture. It is well thought out and interesting to discover with each small slice of the mushroom.
I do have to admit that there was a big thing that I did struggle with and I want to emphasize that this is more of a personal issue than anything wrong with the writing or the novel itself. This is a story that is told in the first person in the form of a report. This does allow for the bias of the character to be first and foremost. There were a lot of things and I respect the author for taking the gamble of writing a character in this way, but unfortunately I found myself not connecting with her very well which tainted some of my reading. Once again, I stress that this is more of a personal issue than anything to do with the novel.
This is a story that has a lot to offer and can be something that will stand out to a lot of people, really bringing a world of hate and resentment to life. I will say that the redemption of the characters and the culmination of discovering the mystery in the novel is worth the payoff. It is very well written and is a gamble that will pay off to many readers. I can see this world being so addicting that the readers will return again and again to experience the thrill of the mystery. I encourage fans of fantasy detectives to give this a chance in order to experience the world of the fungals for themselves. I can promise that readers of this novel will never look at mushrooms the same again! They will live in a world that is much richer and even tastier.
Thank you for taking the time to read my review. As always, happy reading and Stay Great!!
