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Mushroom Blues
SPFBO X Finalist. Readers' Favorite Book Award Finalist.
ENTER THE FUNGALVERSE. 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 dark, 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?
441 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 19, 2024
About the author
Adrian M. Gibson
1 book56 followersAdrian M. Gibson is a Canadian SFF author, podcaster and illustrator (as well as occasional tattoo artist). He is the creator of the SFF Addicts podcast, which he co-hosts with fellow author M. J. Kuhn. The two host in-depth interviews with an array of science fiction and fantasy authors, as well as writing masterclasses. He lives in Quito, Ecuador with his family.
His debut novel is Mushroom Blues, releasing on March 19, 2024.
For the latest updates, follow Adrian on Instagram, Twitter, and Threads @adrianmgibson. You can also stream/watch new episodes of SFF Addicts every Tuesday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and more.
His debut novel is Mushroom Blues, releasing on March 19, 2024.
For the latest updates, follow Adrian on Instagram, Twitter, and Threads @adrianmgibson. You can also stream/watch new episodes of SFF Addicts every Tuesday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and more.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
March 22, 2024
This review was originally published on Grimdark Magazine
4.5 stars (rounded up)
Adrian M. Gibson completely breaks the mold of conventional storytelling in Mushroom Blues, a wonderfully weird, darkly disturbing and freakishly fungal sci-fantasy noir debut that is more dangerously addictive than any drug imaginable.
In many ways, the start of this novel reminded me of the start to Krystle Matar’s Legacy of the Brightwash, except make it a lot more fungal. Both stories open with a curmudgeonly, angry, and deeply flawed officer of the law making the horrifying discovery of a young child’s mutilated body, which then sucks them into a chaotic murder investigation that ends up challenging them not only physically, but especially on a mental, moral, emotional, and spiritual level.
From the very first page, Hofmann’s intimate first person narration completely sucked me in, and I quickly started rooting for her while also being horrified by her racist and prejudiced beliefs and worldviews. I am almost ashamed to admit that I initially found myself getting slightly infected by her revulsion of all things fungal, which just goes to show how incredibly strong and effective Gibson’s character work is.
Though her biased view of the mushroom people and their culture is exactly what made her such a complex and compelling protagonist, and I loved experiencing the fantastically fungal city of Neo Kinoko through her outsider’s perspective. As her worldviews started to be challenged by her first-hand experiences, I soon found myself utterly fascinated with the hidden beauty of the fungal people’s way of life.
Gibson simply establishes this vibrant and immersive world with masterful talent, breathing so much life into the city and its people, while also dropping in just enough spores (pun indeed intended) to make the wider world feel tangible and unfold in the most organic way possible. Moreover, I really enjoyed the Japanese influences in the creation of Neo Kinoko, as those more familiar aspects actually helped ground me amidst all the bewildering fungal world building going on in Mushroom Blues.
There’s so much richness and authenticity to the culture of the fungal people, from the language, to the food, to the religion, and to all the uniquely quirky customs and beliefs. And don’t get me started on their interesting sense of community and way of communication through the fungal network, which just has to be one of the most imaginative takes on a soft magic system I have ever come across.
Though, what I appreciated most about the establishment of this group of people, is the fact that they are not presented as a monolith. Through Hofmann’s interactions with all kinds of different fungal people, the staggering nuance and complexity of their community really starts to shine through. I was personally especially surprised by the beautifully complex dynamic that developed between Hofmann and her reluctantly assigned partner, the fungal cop Koji (who needs to be protected at all costs, thank you very much).
It is just truly beyond me how Gibson managed to tell a story that is so utterly alien, yet tragically and beautifully human at the same time. On top of the broader themes of colonisation, corruption, sexism, and oppression, Mushroom Blues also tackles much more intimately vulnerable topics of grief, regret, trauma, motherhood, forgiveness, redemption, and healing. Yet at no point does the tone of the story ever become preachy, as these themes are all masterfully woven into Hofmann’s tumultuous character arc that we get to experience from the front-row seat.
Now, there’s no denying that Mushroom Blues is a confronting and uncomfortable reading experience at times, but at the same time it also has an addictively high entertainment factor. By using all the best tropes and the tight plotting of the crime detective genre, Gibson is able to maintain an intoxicating air of mystery while this story throttles along at full speed. An entertaining buddy cop dynamic, believably depraved baddies who you can love to hate, thrilling car chases, confounding murder boards, dangerous gunfights, tense interrogations, and, of course, some psychedelic madness; Mushroom Blues has got it all.
There were maybe a few moments where some revelations or shifts in attitude felt a tiny bit rushed, especially when characters reminded themselves of the fact that all these crazy events had taken place over a mere couple of days. That said, the way that all the seemingly separate elements and threads of the story ultimately interweave is nothing short of masterful, resulting in an anxiety-inducing climax sequence that hits all the right emotional beats and just hurts so damn good.
Safe to say, I have been infected with the mushroom madness, and I am now hungering for more in the best way possible. This story blew all my expectations completely out of the water, and how Gibson thought it was acceptable to write a debut of this insanely high quality will forever be the true mystery to me.
If you like the sound of a dark, fast-paced, and highly imaginative fungalpunk noir story that will take you on a brutally wild emotional rollercoaster, then don’t hesitate to enter the Fungalverse and pick up Mushroom Blues now!
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
4.5 stars (rounded up)
Adrian M. Gibson completely breaks the mold of conventional storytelling in Mushroom Blues, a wonderfully weird, darkly disturbing and freakishly fungal sci-fantasy noir debut that is more dangerously addictive than any drug imaginable.
In many ways, the start of this novel reminded me of the start to Krystle Matar’s Legacy of the Brightwash, except make it a lot more fungal. Both stories open with a curmudgeonly, angry, and deeply flawed officer of the law making the horrifying discovery of a young child’s mutilated body, which then sucks them into a chaotic murder investigation that ends up challenging them not only physically, but especially on a mental, moral, emotional, and spiritual level.
From the very first page, Hofmann’s intimate first person narration completely sucked me in, and I quickly started rooting for her while also being horrified by her racist and prejudiced beliefs and worldviews. I am almost ashamed to admit that I initially found myself getting slightly infected by her revulsion of all things fungal, which just goes to show how incredibly strong and effective Gibson’s character work is.
Though her biased view of the mushroom people and their culture is exactly what made her such a complex and compelling protagonist, and I loved experiencing the fantastically fungal city of Neo Kinoko through her outsider’s perspective. As her worldviews started to be challenged by her first-hand experiences, I soon found myself utterly fascinated with the hidden beauty of the fungal people’s way of life.
Gibson simply establishes this vibrant and immersive world with masterful talent, breathing so much life into the city and its people, while also dropping in just enough spores (pun indeed intended) to make the wider world feel tangible and unfold in the most organic way possible. Moreover, I really enjoyed the Japanese influences in the creation of Neo Kinoko, as those more familiar aspects actually helped ground me amidst all the bewildering fungal world building going on in Mushroom Blues.
There’s so much richness and authenticity to the culture of the fungal people, from the language, to the food, to the religion, and to all the uniquely quirky customs and beliefs. And don’t get me started on their interesting sense of community and way of communication through the fungal network, which just has to be one of the most imaginative takes on a soft magic system I have ever come across.
Though, what I appreciated most about the establishment of this group of people, is the fact that they are not presented as a monolith. Through Hofmann’s interactions with all kinds of different fungal people, the staggering nuance and complexity of their community really starts to shine through. I was personally especially surprised by the beautifully complex dynamic that developed between Hofmann and her reluctantly assigned partner, the fungal cop Koji (who needs to be protected at all costs, thank you very much).
It is just truly beyond me how Gibson managed to tell a story that is so utterly alien, yet tragically and beautifully human at the same time. On top of the broader themes of colonisation, corruption, sexism, and oppression, Mushroom Blues also tackles much more intimately vulnerable topics of grief, regret, trauma, motherhood, forgiveness, redemption, and healing. Yet at no point does the tone of the story ever become preachy, as these themes are all masterfully woven into Hofmann’s tumultuous character arc that we get to experience from the front-row seat.
Now, there’s no denying that Mushroom Blues is a confronting and uncomfortable reading experience at times, but at the same time it also has an addictively high entertainment factor. By using all the best tropes and the tight plotting of the crime detective genre, Gibson is able to maintain an intoxicating air of mystery while this story throttles along at full speed. An entertaining buddy cop dynamic, believably depraved baddies who you can love to hate, thrilling car chases, confounding murder boards, dangerous gunfights, tense interrogations, and, of course, some psychedelic madness; Mushroom Blues has got it all.
There were maybe a few moments where some revelations or shifts in attitude felt a tiny bit rushed, especially when characters reminded themselves of the fact that all these crazy events had taken place over a mere couple of days. That said, the way that all the seemingly separate elements and threads of the story ultimately interweave is nothing short of masterful, resulting in an anxiety-inducing climax sequence that hits all the right emotional beats and just hurts so damn good.
Safe to say, I have been infected with the mushroom madness, and I am now hungering for more in the best way possible. This story blew all my expectations completely out of the water, and how Gibson thought it was acceptable to write a debut of this insanely high quality will forever be the true mystery to me.
If you like the sound of a dark, fast-paced, and highly imaginative fungalpunk noir story that will take you on a brutally wild emotional rollercoaster, then don’t hesitate to enter the Fungalverse and pick up Mushroom Blues now!
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
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September 2, 2024I haven't read this yet but it's the first finalist in the 10th annual SPFBO contest!
10 finalists will be chosen from the 300 books entered this year.
Check out the finalist scoreboard here:
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Join my 3-emails-a-year mailing list #prizes
.
10 finalists will be chosen from the 300 books entered this year.
Check out the finalist scoreboard here:
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
Join my Patreon
Join my 3-emails-a-year mailing list #prizes
.
March 19, 2024
Dark sci-fi, noir crime fiction, and a bit of body horror all come together to form the basis of Gibson's stunning debut novel, MUSHROOM BLUES. Rich, loamy worldbuilding sets the stage for a cast of complex (and flaw-riddled) characters as they struggle to untangle a mystery more tightly woven than a dense mycelium network.
But MUSHROOM BLUES is more than a full-throttle, mushroom-and-blood-drenched adventure. At its heart, Gibson's story is one of acceptance: of hard truths, of others, and, perhaps most critically, of oneself. Fans of ALTERED CARBON, the weird (and wonderful) works of Vandermeer, and occasional micro dosing will find plenty to love in these pages.
Don't miss this one, you guys.🤩
But MUSHROOM BLUES is more than a full-throttle, mushroom-and-blood-drenched adventure. At its heart, Gibson's story is one of acceptance: of hard truths, of others, and, perhaps most critically, of oneself. Fans of ALTERED CARBON, the weird (and wonderful) works of Vandermeer, and occasional micro dosing will find plenty to love in these pages.
Don't miss this one, you guys.🤩
March 30, 2024
Gibson’s debut pits the mushroom-headed denizens of Neo Kinoko against the Coprinian forces. Even though the Spore War ended, it still impacts society - food shortages, poverty, and an influx of war refugees are common. Coprinian oppressors exploit their power and offer nothing to improve the lives of the “Fungals”.
I need more fungi in fiction, and Gibson brings the goods to the table. His world-building is impressive and filled with vivid descriptions of mold, mycelium, and floating spores. While getting a full grasp of the claustrophobic setting may require patience, it’s also exciting. Neo Kimoko is a unique fungal city - I loved the richness of the setting. The story offers insights into the lives of all sides of the conflict, including those living in poverty, their human oppressors, "mushroom" gangsters, and corrupt authorities.
Henrietta and Koji are excellent characters with complex dynamics. Henrietta is a strong female lead who tries to deal with social pressures, past traumas, and investigative duties. She starts as mycophobic and racist, but she’s willing to grow. She has no choice given what the author has in store for her (including a stomach-churning fungal body horror).
Koji, meanwhile, grapples with conflicting loyalties as a cop serving under oppressive authorities and Neo Kimoko’s inhabitant. Loathed by his colleagues, and not trusted by his compatriots, Koji leads a strenuous life.
Mushroom Blues blends genres just how I like it: it incorporates elements of police procedural, murder investigation, body horror, action, and psychological drama. Not to mention surreal fungal weirdness, which is incredibly cool. I appreciate the fresh take on familiar themes.
While the pacing occasionally falters, and the resolution of life-threatening situations through Deus ex machina moments disappoints, these issues didn’t significantly decrease my enjoyment of the story.
Mushroom Blues is a strong debut written with passion and clarity. If you crave some fungal weirdness in your life, you’ll have fun reading it. Recommended.
I need more fungi in fiction, and Gibson brings the goods to the table. His world-building is impressive and filled with vivid descriptions of mold, mycelium, and floating spores. While getting a full grasp of the claustrophobic setting may require patience, it’s also exciting. Neo Kimoko is a unique fungal city - I loved the richness of the setting. The story offers insights into the lives of all sides of the conflict, including those living in poverty, their human oppressors, "mushroom" gangsters, and corrupt authorities.
Henrietta and Koji are excellent characters with complex dynamics. Henrietta is a strong female lead who tries to deal with social pressures, past traumas, and investigative duties. She starts as mycophobic and racist, but she’s willing to grow. She has no choice given what the author has in store for her (including a stomach-churning fungal body horror).
Koji, meanwhile, grapples with conflicting loyalties as a cop serving under oppressive authorities and Neo Kimoko’s inhabitant. Loathed by his colleagues, and not trusted by his compatriots, Koji leads a strenuous life.
Mushroom Blues blends genres just how I like it: it incorporates elements of police procedural, murder investigation, body horror, action, and psychological drama. Not to mention surreal fungal weirdness, which is incredibly cool. I appreciate the fresh take on familiar themes.
While the pacing occasionally falters, and the resolution of life-threatening situations through Deus ex machina moments disappoints, these issues didn’t significantly decrease my enjoyment of the story.
Mushroom Blues is a strong debut written with passion and clarity. If you crave some fungal weirdness in your life, you’ll have fun reading it. Recommended.
March 18, 2024
Take a police procedural, add a heap of cultural dialogue, socioeconomic commentary, and a whole lot of ‘shrooms, and you get Mushroom Blues perfection.
“The children. It was always about the children.”
Mushroom Blues is not an easy read. It is, however, imminently readable. The prose is clean, precise, and beautiful. Its pacing is breakneck and breathless, hurtling us from the bodies of dead children, to institutional oppression, to corruption, crime syndicates, and the deepest of vice—and then back to compassionate humanity and the awakening of a conscientious soul. So many of the themes hit hard. Gibson’s inspirations are clearly historical—post-war Japan and Berlin, off the top of my head—but are also echoes of conflicts we still see now, unfolding before us.
Hofmann’s racism against the fungal people at the beginning of the novel is uncomfortable, confronting, and all too believable. Gibson’s skill carries us on a journey that doesn’t ask us to understand where she’s coming from, but rather begs us to demand better from her. The narrative populates the story with characters we can’t help but root for: Hofmann’s self-proclaimed enemies, at first, but ultimately the human (fungal?) core of trust, loyalty, love, and sacrifice that finally break down the walls that Hofmann has built for herself between her and the people she is tasked with protecting.
That disintegration of ego and prejudice is so brilliantly crafted that I was cheering for her by the end. The tenderness and the passion shines through. Gibson’s appreciation for food, languages, and the dichotomy between the things that separate us and the things that bring us together create a story arc that carried me through the whole gamut of emotions: horror, fear, grief, awe, resentment, empathy, love, relief.
I would be remiss not to mention the world building. Even with all my talk of big themes and heavy stakes and hard-hitting commentary, I think my very favourite thing about Mushroom Blues is the detail with which Gibson paints this world for us. He clearly put a lot of thought into the social and economic impact of a mushroom society. He treads the fine line of giving us enough information to always be able to understand the shift and picture the city of Neo Kinoko, but the world building never gets in its own way with overly long info dumps. The details are meted out with a steady eye on their impact on the pacing in a way that speaks of skill and instinct that constantly impressed me. I could feel that city, could see the snowstorms that drifted down around Hofmann, could smell the food she was so wary of, could feel the grief at the destruction that had been wrought before the story even started.
“It was an abstract expressionist painting that portrayed a story of conflicting cultures with every violent brush-stroke.”
As I said already, Mushroom Blues is not an easy read exactly. But trust me when I say, it is unmissable. You won’t regret it.
“The children. It was always about the children.”
Mushroom Blues is not an easy read. It is, however, imminently readable. The prose is clean, precise, and beautiful. Its pacing is breakneck and breathless, hurtling us from the bodies of dead children, to institutional oppression, to corruption, crime syndicates, and the deepest of vice—and then back to compassionate humanity and the awakening of a conscientious soul. So many of the themes hit hard. Gibson’s inspirations are clearly historical—post-war Japan and Berlin, off the top of my head—but are also echoes of conflicts we still see now, unfolding before us.
Hofmann’s racism against the fungal people at the beginning of the novel is uncomfortable, confronting, and all too believable. Gibson’s skill carries us on a journey that doesn’t ask us to understand where she’s coming from, but rather begs us to demand better from her. The narrative populates the story with characters we can’t help but root for: Hofmann’s self-proclaimed enemies, at first, but ultimately the human (fungal?) core of trust, loyalty, love, and sacrifice that finally break down the walls that Hofmann has built for herself between her and the people she is tasked with protecting.
That disintegration of ego and prejudice is so brilliantly crafted that I was cheering for her by the end. The tenderness and the passion shines through. Gibson’s appreciation for food, languages, and the dichotomy between the things that separate us and the things that bring us together create a story arc that carried me through the whole gamut of emotions: horror, fear, grief, awe, resentment, empathy, love, relief.
I would be remiss not to mention the world building. Even with all my talk of big themes and heavy stakes and hard-hitting commentary, I think my very favourite thing about Mushroom Blues is the detail with which Gibson paints this world for us. He clearly put a lot of thought into the social and economic impact of a mushroom society. He treads the fine line of giving us enough information to always be able to understand the shift and picture the city of Neo Kinoko, but the world building never gets in its own way with overly long info dumps. The details are meted out with a steady eye on their impact on the pacing in a way that speaks of skill and instinct that constantly impressed me. I could feel that city, could see the snowstorms that drifted down around Hofmann, could smell the food she was so wary of, could feel the grief at the destruction that had been wrought before the story even started.
“It was an abstract expressionist painting that portrayed a story of conflicting cultures with every violent brush-stroke.”
As I said already, Mushroom Blues is not an easy read exactly. But trust me when I say, it is unmissable. You won’t regret it.
March 18, 2024
Obviously, I'm a bit biased giving my own book 5 stars, but I just want to say how proud I am of it. Mushroom Blues has been years in the making, and I'm so grateful that there are readers out there who want to immerse themselves in The Fungalverse. This book broke me in a lot of ways, but it also built me back up. I can't wait for all of you to read it, and to offer you many more stories in the years to come.
March 22, 2024
Review originally on
JamReads
Mushroom Blues is the mold breaking debut novel of Adrian M. Gibson, the first book in the noir fungalpunk series The Hoffman Report, a deliciously dark and weird proposal which tells a compelling story while doing a deep social commentary partly based in the post WWII Japan (and you can totally see many of the influences of it in the city of Neo Kinoko, and in the Hōpponese culture in general).
Two years after its defeat in the Spore War, the island nation of Hōppon is under the occupation of the Coprinian forces, with its native fungal inhabitants suffering a difficult situation, shortages and the corruption of the ocuppiers; tension is rising as a consequence. Detective Henrietta Hoffman has been transferred to NKPD as a sort of punishment, and the apparition of the body of half-breed child forces her to pair with mushroom-headed officer Koji Nameko as part of her investigation; one that will take her on a trip into the heart of a city in the brief of war, crime gangs, and the corruption of the own colonizers.
All the story is told using a close first-person narrative voice, from the perspective of Henrietta, perfect to reflect the change she experiences alongside her vision and knowledge about the native population of Hōppon is expanded and increased. Hoffman is a character tortured by her past, who starts with a point of view that is incredibly racist against the fungal population, partly due to her lack of knowledge, and the perspective of war winner, but who progressively changes, opening herself, in a gradual trip (and sometimes quite literal).
Gibson has made a masterful work portraying through fantasy many of the problems created after the WWII and the American occupation of Japan, but not keeping it at the superficial aspects, but exploring often overlooked parts of the society, such as the rise of crime due to shortage and corruption and the own abuse made by the colonizers (general MacArthur is a good example). All paired with mushroom derived elements that add a layer of originality to his narration, creating some psychedelic situations.
A police procedural story that is not afraid to go deep and, as a result, we have an excellent debut novel; Adrian M. Gibson has created something unique that I can't recommend enough. I need the second book as soon as possible, because I want to return to Neo Kinoko.
Mushroom Blues is the mold breaking debut novel of Adrian M. Gibson, the first book in the noir fungalpunk series The Hoffman Report, a deliciously dark and weird proposal which tells a compelling story while doing a deep social commentary partly based in the post WWII Japan (and you can totally see many of the influences of it in the city of Neo Kinoko, and in the Hōpponese culture in general).
Two years after its defeat in the Spore War, the island nation of Hōppon is under the occupation of the Coprinian forces, with its native fungal inhabitants suffering a difficult situation, shortages and the corruption of the ocuppiers; tension is rising as a consequence. Detective Henrietta Hoffman has been transferred to NKPD as a sort of punishment, and the apparition of the body of half-breed child forces her to pair with mushroom-headed officer Koji Nameko as part of her investigation; one that will take her on a trip into the heart of a city in the brief of war, crime gangs, and the corruption of the own colonizers.
All the story is told using a close first-person narrative voice, from the perspective of Henrietta, perfect to reflect the change she experiences alongside her vision and knowledge about the native population of Hōppon is expanded and increased. Hoffman is a character tortured by her past, who starts with a point of view that is incredibly racist against the fungal population, partly due to her lack of knowledge, and the perspective of war winner, but who progressively changes, opening herself, in a gradual trip (and sometimes quite literal).
Gibson has made a masterful work portraying through fantasy many of the problems created after the WWII and the American occupation of Japan, but not keeping it at the superficial aspects, but exploring often overlooked parts of the society, such as the rise of crime due to shortage and corruption and the own abuse made by the colonizers (general MacArthur is a good example). All paired with mushroom derived elements that add a layer of originality to his narration, creating some psychedelic situations.
A police procedural story that is not afraid to go deep and, as a result, we have an excellent debut novel; Adrian M. Gibson has created something unique that I can't recommend enough. I need the second book as soon as possible, because I want to return to Neo Kinoko.
July 4, 2024
La detective Henrietta Hoffman della squadra omicidi, in fuga da un passato traumatico, è da poco giunta a Neo Kinoko, città conquistata dall’uomo nella sanguinosa Guerra delle Spore.
Da poco operativa sul campo, la donna viene incaricata di indagare sulla morte di un ragazzino della popolazione autoctona, affiancata da un altro “fungal”, il novizio Koji Nameko.
Disgustata dalla necessità di condividere il proprio lavoro con un essere ricoperto di funghi, Hoffman dovrà fare i conti con una missione che la porterà a riscoprire sé stessa e un mondo che vorrebbe solo abbandonare.
Gibson opta per una prosa snella e funzionale, perfetta per il genere del romanzo: un thriller con elementi investigativi che fa del ritmo il suo punto di forza, senza tuttavia disdegnare alcuni momenti più riflessivi.
Frasi brevi e incisive e una quasi totale mancanza di infodump rendono il testo scorrevole e mai noioso: dal punto di vista delle scelte lessicali, inoltre, ci sono alcune situazioni interessanti e non così scontate. L’autore dimostra una buona padronanza della lingua riuscendo a optare, di volta in volta, per un uso dei sinonimi che non tutti gli autori inglesi decidono di mettere in campo.
Vero punto di forza del romanzo, la città di Neo Kinoko, chiaramente ispirata al Giappone contemporaneo, è pulsante e vivo sulla pagina come non mai.
Il mondo degli Hopponesi, popolazione di esseri simili agli umani ma con escrescenze fungine, è affascinante, magico, ricco di contaminazioni dagli universi spirituali e religiosi del mondo asiatico. Usi e costumi vengono delineati con chiarezza attraverso dialoghi, momenti di esplorazione, indagini sul territorio che ben si sposano con gli accadimenti della trama.
Con numerosi elementi di originalità, Gibson fa centro e affascina il lettore dalla prima all’ultima pagina.
Mushroom Blues è ottimo fanta-thriller, che fa della crescita dei personaggi e del worldbuilding i suoi punti di forza, con una trama in crescendo e un ritmo sempre sostenuto.
L’originalità di fondo non è mai fine a sé stessa, ma fornisce una struttura solida e caratteristiche che impreziosiscono un intreccio ben bilanciato. Forte di alcuni colpi di scena collocati nei punti giusti, la vicenda saprà catturare tanto gli appassionati del genere quanto chi, attirato da un connubio particolare, vorrà tentare una lettura diversa dal solito e dal sapore autoconclusivo.
Da poco operativa sul campo, la donna viene incaricata di indagare sulla morte di un ragazzino della popolazione autoctona, affiancata da un altro “fungal”, il novizio Koji Nameko.
Disgustata dalla necessità di condividere il proprio lavoro con un essere ricoperto di funghi, Hoffman dovrà fare i conti con una missione che la porterà a riscoprire sé stessa e un mondo che vorrebbe solo abbandonare.
Gibson opta per una prosa snella e funzionale, perfetta per il genere del romanzo: un thriller con elementi investigativi che fa del ritmo il suo punto di forza, senza tuttavia disdegnare alcuni momenti più riflessivi.
Frasi brevi e incisive e una quasi totale mancanza di infodump rendono il testo scorrevole e mai noioso: dal punto di vista delle scelte lessicali, inoltre, ci sono alcune situazioni interessanti e non così scontate. L’autore dimostra una buona padronanza della lingua riuscendo a optare, di volta in volta, per un uso dei sinonimi che non tutti gli autori inglesi decidono di mettere in campo.
Vero punto di forza del romanzo, la città di Neo Kinoko, chiaramente ispirata al Giappone contemporaneo, è pulsante e vivo sulla pagina come non mai.
Il mondo degli Hopponesi, popolazione di esseri simili agli umani ma con escrescenze fungine, è affascinante, magico, ricco di contaminazioni dagli universi spirituali e religiosi del mondo asiatico. Usi e costumi vengono delineati con chiarezza attraverso dialoghi, momenti di esplorazione, indagini sul territorio che ben si sposano con gli accadimenti della trama.
Con numerosi elementi di originalità, Gibson fa centro e affascina il lettore dalla prima all’ultima pagina.
Mushroom Blues è ottimo fanta-thriller, che fa della crescita dei personaggi e del worldbuilding i suoi punti di forza, con una trama in crescendo e un ritmo sempre sostenuto.
L’originalità di fondo non è mai fine a sé stessa, ma fornisce una struttura solida e caratteristiche che impreziosiscono un intreccio ben bilanciato. Forte di alcuni colpi di scena collocati nei punti giusti, la vicenda saprà catturare tanto gli appassionati del genere quanto chi, attirato da un connubio particolare, vorrà tentare una lettura diversa dal solito e dal sapore autoconclusivo.
April 17, 2024
Mushroom Blues is a tightly written trip through the criminal underbelly of a cyberpunk inspired city. Themes of colonialism, trauma and addiction deepen the central narrative whilst the plot races feverishly to its powerfully psychedelic climax.
Whilst our 2 main protagonists receive absorbing character development, the antagonists did suffer a little in comparison, despite attempts to tie them into the emotional backbone of the city Neo Kinoko. A little more time in the latter half of the novel devoted to exploring our villains more closely would’ve elevated Mushroom Blues into one of my first five star reads of the year.
As it stands, devotees of both crime and post apocalyptic SFF should find plenty to dig their teeth into with this socially conscious sci fi captivating me from start to finish.
Full RTC!
Gibson is using the forces of nature (mushrooms) to *become* a force of nature in the SFF world. Bring on spore city!!
Whilst our 2 main protagonists receive absorbing character development, the antagonists did suffer a little in comparison, despite attempts to tie them into the emotional backbone of the city Neo Kinoko. A little more time in the latter half of the novel devoted to exploring our villains more closely would’ve elevated Mushroom Blues into one of my first five star reads of the year.
As it stands, devotees of both crime and post apocalyptic SFF should find plenty to dig their teeth into with this socially conscious sci fi captivating me from start to finish.
Full RTC!
Gibson is using the forces of nature (mushrooms) to *become* a force of nature in the SFF world. Bring on spore city!!
April 19, 2024
I can't say enough good things about this outstanding book. I'm a big fan of noir urban fantasy, so I knew this book was likely going to be right up my alley when I heard it was coming. I'm happy to say that it exceeded my wildest expectations. This is some serious noir, taking on such heavy topics as bigotry, colonialism, resistance, and family dynamics. It's also, in many unexpected ways, inspirational.
When I saw that this was going to be a story about a hardboiled copper and some mushroom people, I was prepared for a sendup of the hardboiled detective genre. Wow, little did I know what I was in for! What I found instead of a lighthearted romp was an emotionally charged sizzling thriller in a setting inspired by American-occupied Japan in the aftermath of World War II. Our troubled main character, Henrietta Hofmann, enters the story every bit as bigoted as her peers toward the utterly alien-seeming fungal citizens of the island nation of Hoppon. When she discovers a horrific crime involving the murder and mutilation of a Hopponese child, she is forced to partner up with the only Hopponese cop on the occupying nation's police force. Hofmann finds herself in deeper and deeper peril with every step she takes as she strives with dogged determination to solve a case that becomes intensely personal to her. The case is much more than it seems, and Hofmann soon finds that solving it may have to take a back seat to surviving it!
This is a story that's going to grab you by where you live and drag you into the muck and mire (right along with the main character at some points). It's going to make you question whether someone with despicable worldviews can truly be a hero, and whether people you are anxious to root for can actually be villains. It's going to make you consider whether bad people can do good, whether good intentions can be a cover for selfish desires, and whether bad intentions can be honorable.
And those mushroom people? Don't be too quick to judge them one way or the other, because they are equal parts strange and familiar, even though they are as human as you or me. One thing they are not is silly.
One final word: Yes, this book is heavy, and it gives the reader a lot to think about, but it is also a true pulp thriller with a terrific mystery, twists and turns galore, and lots of intriguing characters. Mushroom Blues is the first book in a series, and I can't wait for the next one!
When I saw that this was going to be a story about a hardboiled copper and some mushroom people, I was prepared for a sendup of the hardboiled detective genre. Wow, little did I know what I was in for! What I found instead of a lighthearted romp was an emotionally charged sizzling thriller in a setting inspired by American-occupied Japan in the aftermath of World War II. Our troubled main character, Henrietta Hofmann, enters the story every bit as bigoted as her peers toward the utterly alien-seeming fungal citizens of the island nation of Hoppon. When she discovers a horrific crime involving the murder and mutilation of a Hopponese child, she is forced to partner up with the only Hopponese cop on the occupying nation's police force. Hofmann finds herself in deeper and deeper peril with every step she takes as she strives with dogged determination to solve a case that becomes intensely personal to her. The case is much more than it seems, and Hofmann soon finds that solving it may have to take a back seat to surviving it!
This is a story that's going to grab you by where you live and drag you into the muck and mire (right along with the main character at some points). It's going to make you question whether someone with despicable worldviews can truly be a hero, and whether people you are anxious to root for can actually be villains. It's going to make you consider whether bad people can do good, whether good intentions can be a cover for selfish desires, and whether bad intentions can be honorable.
And those mushroom people? Don't be too quick to judge them one way or the other, because they are equal parts strange and familiar, even though they are as human as you or me. One thing they are not is silly.
One final word: Yes, this book is heavy, and it gives the reader a lot to think about, but it is also a true pulp thriller with a terrific mystery, twists and turns galore, and lots of intriguing characters. Mushroom Blues is the first book in a series, and I can't wait for the next one!
March 21, 2024
And Done! Wonderful Detective Noir in a weird fantasy world. Adrian is a fantasy author to put on your radar! Full review to come!
June 3, 2024
A dark, visceral, fungal mystery that leaves the reader in a lighter place.
Gibson is a master of clashing cultures with every ugly and beautiful trait to match it. Detective Hofmann begins as a woman hardened by past mistakes and trauma, but becomes a close friend as we see her journey. Koji wins my heart as a genuinely great person and character, never failing to lighten the darkest chapters.
The Hōpponese people are one of the most beautiful and rich civilizations I have ever met in fiction. Gibson makes these people real through language, culture, customs, and trauma.
Mushroom blues is more than a mystery, it is a tragic masterpiece with a message of hope, forgiveness, and love.
Gibson is a master of clashing cultures with every ugly and beautiful trait to match it. Detective Hofmann begins as a woman hardened by past mistakes and trauma, but becomes a close friend as we see her journey. Koji wins my heart as a genuinely great person and character, never failing to lighten the darkest chapters.
The Hōpponese people are one of the most beautiful and rich civilizations I have ever met in fiction. Gibson makes these people real through language, culture, customs, and trauma.
Mushroom blues is more than a mystery, it is a tragic masterpiece with a message of hope, forgiveness, and love.
April 4, 2024
Mushroom Blues is going straight to my best reads of 2024 list!
Welcome to the city of Neo Kinoko, a dark world full of oppression and prejudice in the aftermath of war. Order is enforced by a brutal military regime backed by a police force that at best barely tolerates the native inhabitants. Nothing new there you may think but this is no ordinary world, the fungal inhabitants (Hopponese) are losing side following the Spore War and trouble is festering below surface of the fragile post war society.
The world building is incredibly immersive and the authors love of Japan and its culture bursts forth throughout the story. I wish I could say more without giving away spoilers but this a world that I relished learning about and cant wait to dive back into.
From the first page to the last, you are sucked into dark world full of oppression and prejudice in the aftermath of war. Alongside the unfolding mystery at the heart of story we also follow the personal journey of Detective Henrietta Hoffman and her fungal partner Koji Nameko. Prejudice and personal trauma mean that these two have more than one obstacle to overcome if they are to succeed.
This was an absolute pleasure to read and I'm already wanting the next instalment.
Welcome to the city of Neo Kinoko, a dark world full of oppression and prejudice in the aftermath of war. Order is enforced by a brutal military regime backed by a police force that at best barely tolerates the native inhabitants. Nothing new there you may think but this is no ordinary world, the fungal inhabitants (Hopponese) are losing side following the Spore War and trouble is festering below surface of the fragile post war society.
The world building is incredibly immersive and the authors love of Japan and its culture bursts forth throughout the story. I wish I could say more without giving away spoilers but this a world that I relished learning about and cant wait to dive back into.
From the first page to the last, you are sucked into dark world full of oppression and prejudice in the aftermath of war. Alongside the unfolding mystery at the heart of story we also follow the personal journey of Detective Henrietta Hoffman and her fungal partner Koji Nameko. Prejudice and personal trauma mean that these two have more than one obstacle to overcome if they are to succeed.
This was an absolute pleasure to read and I'm already wanting the next instalment.
March 29, 2024
A very accomplished debut. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The author has created something truly wonderful with this book. It has a depth of understanding for those affected by personal trauma, war, racism, and occupation.
The world is believable and relatable. The characters are flawed and their relationships are complex and organic.
I had a great time with this story, the concept, the plotting, pacing, and writing are brilliantly executed.
The noir vibe along with the fungal-punk world, gives it a dark and moody edge, and it doesn't fall within a rigid genre on the speculative fiction genre spectrum.
A fresh and thoughtful debut. I can't wait for more.
The author has created something truly wonderful with this book. It has a depth of understanding for those affected by personal trauma, war, racism, and occupation.
The world is believable and relatable. The characters are flawed and their relationships are complex and organic.
I had a great time with this story, the concept, the plotting, pacing, and writing are brilliantly executed.
The noir vibe along with the fungal-punk world, gives it a dark and moody edge, and it doesn't fall within a rigid genre on the speculative fiction genre spectrum.
A fresh and thoughtful debut. I can't wait for more.
March 28, 2024
Mushroom Blues by Adrian M. Gibson - 1st book in The Hofman Report
Adventurous, challenging, dark, emotional,
funny, hopeful, inspiring, mysterious,
reflective, sad, and tense.
Medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5 Stars
This is a world that you've NEVER seen before, but also...IF your eyes have been opened...you've seen this story told in similar ways (which is a great thing, in this case - the odd/weird in conjunction with the familiar/safe).
I love detective noir stories...so when I heard that THIS was a thing, I knew that I was going to be picking it up. What surprised me, was that I would enjoy the weirdness as much as I did.
I was the perfect person for Henrietta Hofman voice to be in his head. I understood her struggles, and flinched away from the weird...as she did at the beginning.
I was then, able to fully invest into the story, which was a HUGE embrace (even thoough, at times felt uncomfortable).
When I said that it felt familiar, two movies came to mind...which will also possibly show my age. Alien Nation with James Caan and Mandy Patinkin, along with Bright, with Will Smith and Joel Edgerton. In both these stories...we have a pairing of individuals that couldn't be further from each other...and through the investigation...they became something else (not to spoil the story...in any way).
Let me say...that I love mushrooms, but in their sanitized form of packaging within a grocery store...then put into the pan or on top of a pizza, but not the ones growing wild in the countryside, or under trees, or even under bridges. I don't really like to think about WHERE they come from...just that I like them. Oh, and as a replacement for a burger. If you haven't had a Mushroom Burger, your life hasn't really started, let alone...been lived.
Henrietta Hofman is such an unlikely protagonist...for a male author, but I was SO in for it. She has age on her...and she's been through the mill, but from the beginning of this story to the end, she's grown. Which I think, was amazingly realized within this book.
The partner that our main protagonist is stuck with...is the ONLY fungal officer in the NKPD...and his name is Nomeko Koji.
He's as diametrically opposite a person to Hofman that there can be. He is our entrance into this fungal world. He is "one of them". He is the outsider. He looks different, acts different, his habits are disgusting to others, and the list goes on, and on. It is glorious.
The stinky, lived in feeling of this world...also brings to mind...the world of Bladerunner (the original with Harrison Ford). When Decker is in the office with M. Emmet Walsh as Captain Bryant...and the dank air feeling of that office conversation. Ugh.
I was fully in...and felt it.
Every scene is visceral. You can smell it, feel it, taste it (I found myself clamping my lips down...as I was reading) for fear of the spores "getting in" and infecting me...the reader. I guess, but the end of this book...I could actually say, "this book infected me" (in a good way).
The story is one that you do not want to put down the book. You NEED to know that the bad guys will be put away, AND the good guys (whoever they are) will be able to do their thing...and bring peace to the war torn city.
Oh, I forgot to mention the worldbuilding. Incredibly well revealed. Not too much, but just enough to understand the latent tension, from the natives and the colonizers. The police to the community (mixed and ghettoed).
Also, the languages of the natives and the colonizers. Halfway through the book, I felt like Henrietta...that I was getting used to the local language a bit (though the natives could see through it, for sure).
...and lastly, I have to say that the last quarter of this book...I was on pins and needles. I needed to know who, what, when, where and how...our duo was going to "find the way" to fix this situation. Ugh. So good.
I am so thankful...that one day I watched an interview done by Adrian Gibson and M.L. Kuhn. I was so impressed by the questions and how they conducted the interview...that I have been a subscriber since then. I don't always watch EVERY one, but the ones that I do...are done in such an incredible way...that they have INCREASED my TBR by leaps and bounds (happy and not happy, at the same time).
When I finally heard that Adrian was an Indie author...working on his first novel...and that Mushroom Blues was about to become a "thing", I knew that it was a story that I wanted to read...and pre-ordered it.
I hope that as many people that can, pick this book up. It is a full sensory experience. One that you will not be the same...after you put the book down.
Adventurous, challenging, dark, emotional,
funny, hopeful, inspiring, mysterious,
reflective, sad, and tense.
Medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5 Stars
This is a world that you've NEVER seen before, but also...IF your eyes have been opened...you've seen this story told in similar ways (which is a great thing, in this case - the odd/weird in conjunction with the familiar/safe).
I love detective noir stories...so when I heard that THIS was a thing, I knew that I was going to be picking it up. What surprised me, was that I would enjoy the weirdness as much as I did.
I was the perfect person for Henrietta Hofman voice to be in his head. I understood her struggles, and flinched away from the weird...as she did at the beginning.
I was then, able to fully invest into the story, which was a HUGE embrace (even thoough, at times felt uncomfortable).
When I said that it felt familiar, two movies came to mind...which will also possibly show my age. Alien Nation with James Caan and Mandy Patinkin, along with Bright, with Will Smith and Joel Edgerton. In both these stories...we have a pairing of individuals that couldn't be further from each other...and through the investigation...they became something else (not to spoil the story...in any way).
Let me say...that I love mushrooms, but in their sanitized form of packaging within a grocery store...then put into the pan or on top of a pizza, but not the ones growing wild in the countryside, or under trees, or even under bridges. I don't really like to think about WHERE they come from...just that I like them. Oh, and as a replacement for a burger. If you haven't had a Mushroom Burger, your life hasn't really started, let alone...been lived.
Henrietta Hofman is such an unlikely protagonist...for a male author, but I was SO in for it. She has age on her...and she's been through the mill, but from the beginning of this story to the end, she's grown. Which I think, was amazingly realized within this book.
The partner that our main protagonist is stuck with...is the ONLY fungal officer in the NKPD...and his name is Nomeko Koji.
He's as diametrically opposite a person to Hofman that there can be. He is our entrance into this fungal world. He is "one of them". He is the outsider. He looks different, acts different, his habits are disgusting to others, and the list goes on, and on. It is glorious.
The stinky, lived in feeling of this world...also brings to mind...the world of Bladerunner (the original with Harrison Ford). When Decker is in the office with M. Emmet Walsh as Captain Bryant...and the dank air feeling of that office conversation. Ugh.
I was fully in...and felt it.
Every scene is visceral. You can smell it, feel it, taste it (I found myself clamping my lips down...as I was reading) for fear of the spores "getting in" and infecting me...the reader. I guess, but the end of this book...I could actually say, "this book infected me" (in a good way).
The story is one that you do not want to put down the book. You NEED to know that the bad guys will be put away, AND the good guys (whoever they are) will be able to do their thing...and bring peace to the war torn city.
Oh, I forgot to mention the worldbuilding. Incredibly well revealed. Not too much, but just enough to understand the latent tension, from the natives and the colonizers. The police to the community (mixed and ghettoed).
Also, the languages of the natives and the colonizers. Halfway through the book, I felt like Henrietta...that I was getting used to the local language a bit (though the natives could see through it, for sure).
...and lastly, I have to say that the last quarter of this book...I was on pins and needles. I needed to know who, what, when, where and how...our duo was going to "find the way" to fix this situation. Ugh. So good.
I am so thankful...that one day I watched an interview done by Adrian Gibson and M.L. Kuhn. I was so impressed by the questions and how they conducted the interview...that I have been a subscriber since then. I don't always watch EVERY one, but the ones that I do...are done in such an incredible way...that they have INCREASED my TBR by leaps and bounds (happy and not happy, at the same time).
When I finally heard that Adrian was an Indie author...working on his first novel...and that Mushroom Blues was about to become a "thing", I knew that it was a story that I wanted to read...and pre-ordered it.
I hope that as many people that can, pick this book up. It is a full sensory experience. One that you will not be the same...after you put the book down.
August 28, 2024
Review to follow, but...wow.
April 25, 2024
A gritty, hard-hitting, intense fungal noir that spores no expense!
(Sorry, had to get the mushroom pun out of the way early.)
Adrian M. Gibson's fungal punk debut is not to be missed. I found myself spending long sessions reading Mushroom Blues because the pacing and action were so good I had to keep reading to see what happened next. The world Gibson has built feels lived in and real, and the culture that endures a harsh life in the bombed-out city of Neo Kinoko felt unique and believable. I really thought Gibson did a great job giving us heavy topics to consider without ever once feeling preachy or overbearing with it. You never needed to be told how to feel. You FELT it.
I really enjoyed Koji Nameko as Hofmann's impromptu tag-along for her case. He oozed history and a gentle air that made his presence in a scene feel like comfort, especially when Henrietta would bring the chaos. Their partnership was endearing and terrific to read throughout the entirety of the novel.
This is an easy 5-star and an easy recommendation for people who enjoy gritty detective stories and alternatives to cyberpunk. I'm very interested to see where Gibson takes his Fungalpunk world next.
(Sorry, had to get the mushroom pun out of the way early.)
Adrian M. Gibson's fungal punk debut is not to be missed. I found myself spending long sessions reading Mushroom Blues because the pacing and action were so good I had to keep reading to see what happened next. The world Gibson has built feels lived in and real, and the culture that endures a harsh life in the bombed-out city of Neo Kinoko felt unique and believable. I really thought Gibson did a great job giving us heavy topics to consider without ever once feeling preachy or overbearing with it. You never needed to be told how to feel. You FELT it.
I really enjoyed Koji Nameko as Hofmann's impromptu tag-along for her case. He oozed history and a gentle air that made his presence in a scene feel like comfort, especially when Henrietta would bring the chaos. Their partnership was endearing and terrific to read throughout the entirety of the novel.
This is an easy 5-star and an easy recommendation for people who enjoy gritty detective stories and alternatives to cyberpunk. I'm very interested to see where Gibson takes his Fungalpunk world next.
September 7, 2024
This is Grimdark if I’ve ever seen it…
This book is so good in so many ways. I LOVED the world building…. The fungalnet, all kinds of things made from mycelium. An ex-alcoholic cop with LOTS of issues…. A race of people with mushroom caps on their heads…. I mean I was hooked from the first page!! Highly recommend! 5/5 stars from me. Congratulations Adrian, you hit the ball out of the park!
This book is so good in so many ways. I LOVED the world building…. The fungalnet, all kinds of things made from mycelium. An ex-alcoholic cop with LOTS of issues…. A race of people with mushroom caps on their heads…. I mean I was hooked from the first page!! Highly recommend! 5/5 stars from me. Congratulations Adrian, you hit the ball out of the park!
September 4, 2024
Occasionally a book comes along that is the perfect storm of originality, great artwork, memorable characters and mind blowing story. This is… almost that book.
What stands Mushroom Blues out is its unique world built in symbiosis with fungi biology. Whilst the history of the land never fully explored outside of its war with humanity - presumably to allow some wiggle room in future books - it’s certainly an original idea and it’s clear the author has spent considerable time researching fungi biology and characteristics and transferring them into a sentient race and their building structures.
The bulk of the story is a police procedural where our human protagonist - Detective Henrietta Hoffman - and her fungal assistant Officer Nameko Koji are tracking down the murderers of native children in the city, whilst exploring the backdrop of a civilisation colonised almost to the brink of destruction by the ravages of imperialism. There are natural comparisons to Alien Nation here, but with a much darker and more disturbing setting. Also seeing the way the chemistry evolved between Hoffman and Koji was one of my favourite things about the story as they approached the investigation so differently - one with compassion and one with redemption and a devotion to the law in mind.
Koji though is the star of the show here, acting as the moral compass to the more complex, jaded and broken spirit of Hoffman and her journey from hating and fearing the mushroom society, to embracing it. In fact Koji and some of his mushroom brethren provide the only nuanced characters that are sadly lacking in the one dimensional humans (outside of Hoffman) who inhabit Neo Kinoko. Part of this issue is compounded by the cliched oriental culture Vs cliched western culture it leans too heavily into, without trying to create more unique and interesting identities.
Descriptions of the world are vivid and tangible and you can often feel and smell this dark, dank world. There’s a real sense of revulsion and claustrophobia from Gibson’s writing that helps identify with Hoffman’s phobias. It did get a little repetitive after a while reading the same descriptions of fungal structures after a while though.
The biggest letdown though is the story itself. A strong start descends into predictability, cliche and few surprises given the originality of the world, with flat antagonists who fail to convince as suitable foils for our leads. Some moments of shocking body horror, abuse and decent character development in Hoffman (albeit including a jarringly rapid u-turn in her long built in racism) are just enough to offset it, but it made reading the last half somewhat of a slog and I genuinely considered not finishing.
It’s a fun debut and one I will be keenly watching for the sequels thanks to the author’s vivid world building skills, but overall it all fell just short of the greatness it promised early on.
What stands Mushroom Blues out is its unique world built in symbiosis with fungi biology. Whilst the history of the land never fully explored outside of its war with humanity - presumably to allow some wiggle room in future books - it’s certainly an original idea and it’s clear the author has spent considerable time researching fungi biology and characteristics and transferring them into a sentient race and their building structures.
The bulk of the story is a police procedural where our human protagonist - Detective Henrietta Hoffman - and her fungal assistant Officer Nameko Koji are tracking down the murderers of native children in the city, whilst exploring the backdrop of a civilisation colonised almost to the brink of destruction by the ravages of imperialism. There are natural comparisons to Alien Nation here, but with a much darker and more disturbing setting. Also seeing the way the chemistry evolved between Hoffman and Koji was one of my favourite things about the story as they approached the investigation so differently - one with compassion and one with redemption and a devotion to the law in mind.
Koji though is the star of the show here, acting as the moral compass to the more complex, jaded and broken spirit of Hoffman and her journey from hating and fearing the mushroom society, to embracing it. In fact Koji and some of his mushroom brethren provide the only nuanced characters that are sadly lacking in the one dimensional humans (outside of Hoffman) who inhabit Neo Kinoko. Part of this issue is compounded by the cliched oriental culture Vs cliched western culture it leans too heavily into, without trying to create more unique and interesting identities.
Descriptions of the world are vivid and tangible and you can often feel and smell this dark, dank world. There’s a real sense of revulsion and claustrophobia from Gibson’s writing that helps identify with Hoffman’s phobias. It did get a little repetitive after a while reading the same descriptions of fungal structures after a while though.
The biggest letdown though is the story itself. A strong start descends into predictability, cliche and few surprises given the originality of the world, with flat antagonists who fail to convince as suitable foils for our leads. Some moments of shocking body horror, abuse and decent character development in Hoffman (albeit including a jarringly rapid u-turn in her long built in racism) are just enough to offset it, but it made reading the last half somewhat of a slog and I genuinely considered not finishing.
It’s a fun debut and one I will be keenly watching for the sequels thanks to the author’s vivid world building skills, but overall it all fell just short of the greatness it promised early on.
March 18, 2024
Mushroom Blues breaks the mould. It’s a totally original spin on a police procedural that feels fresh, exciting, innovative, and the beginning of something special. Let the rise of fungalpunk begin!
I first heard about Mushroom Blues from Adrian M. Gibson himself on the FanFiAddict group chat. He said that he was writing a detective story with sentient mushrooms. That sounded awesome to me.
Here were some things I already knew about Adrian: he was super talented, he’d been working on this idea for ages, and fungi was something he was really passionate about. So I’d been looking forward to reading this story for years. Sufficed to say, my expectations were monumentally high. And guess what? He surpassed them all.
Who knew that a book about sentient mushroom-people would make me cry, laugh, squirm, gasp, and everything in between? The experience of reading this book is rich and versatile and an absolute blast from beginning to end. It surprised me with its depth of emotion, and the sheer ambition of it is so impressive.
The central plot surrounds the murder of a child who is part of the mushroom population in Neo Kinoko. Henrietta Hofmann is a human cop who hates all myco-people, and she’s reluctantly partnered with one of them to solve the crime. The dynamics between Hofmann and Koji (her new mushroom-headed partner) are expertly written. One of the joys of the book is seeing the protagonist’s prejudice peel away one layer at a time, until you’re left with a Lethal Weapon buddy cop vibe between them, which I adored.
To say this book is about mushrooms is a bit like saying Blade Runner is about robots. There is SO MUCH MORE to it than that. If you’re intrigued by what a society of mushroom-people would evolve into, you’ll love the culture that Adrian has created here. If you’re sceptical about whether this sounds like an adult book or not, then trust me, you should definitely read it, because it’s one of the most grown-up detective stories I’ve ever read. Think True Detective meets Twin Peaks, except with mushroom-people, and you’ll be in the right ball-park.
There are moments of body-horror, hallucination, and action. And there are equal moments of quiet, subtlety, and introspection. It’s so balanced. A huge amount of thought has been put into the world and the plot and the characters. The opening of the book contains a map and a glossary of terms — if that doesn’t tell you how much care has been put into crafting this story, then just start reading. By the end of chapter one, you’ll be completely sucked in by the passion imbued into every page.
In terms of the mystery itself, one of the most brilliant aspects of the story is how it itself is structured a bit like a mushroom. The stem is the whodunnit aspect, but once you reach the top, that’s when things really open up, and it’s at this point where all the juiciest parts can be found. The way the underlying plot sprouts as the story progresses is simply mesmerising. The more you read, the bigger it becomes, until you see that the mystery is supporting something grand and beautiful and packed with substance.
The world is lush. The characters are unforgettable. The themes are intriguing and deep. What more could you ask for? And all this from a debut novel — it’s simply stunning. It made me feel like change is possible, and the call for peace and understanding between cultures has never been more rousing.
Come for the detective mystery, stay for the weird fungal body horror and existential speculation. And the feels. Soooooo many feels. If you like your sci-fi sprinkled with a touch of weird, then this is going to be your new favourite dish. Although, spoiler alert — it might put you off eating mushrooms for a while!
In summary, Mushroom Blues will send its spores into your imagination, and its ideas will grow so big, you can almost taste the mycelium wrapping itself around your brain. And it’s delicious. This is such a treat of a debut book, and the start of an entire fungalverse that I cannot wait to explore. More, please!
I first heard about Mushroom Blues from Adrian M. Gibson himself on the FanFiAddict group chat. He said that he was writing a detective story with sentient mushrooms. That sounded awesome to me.
Here were some things I already knew about Adrian: he was super talented, he’d been working on this idea for ages, and fungi was something he was really passionate about. So I’d been looking forward to reading this story for years. Sufficed to say, my expectations were monumentally high. And guess what? He surpassed them all.
Who knew that a book about sentient mushroom-people would make me cry, laugh, squirm, gasp, and everything in between? The experience of reading this book is rich and versatile and an absolute blast from beginning to end. It surprised me with its depth of emotion, and the sheer ambition of it is so impressive.
The central plot surrounds the murder of a child who is part of the mushroom population in Neo Kinoko. Henrietta Hofmann is a human cop who hates all myco-people, and she’s reluctantly partnered with one of them to solve the crime. The dynamics between Hofmann and Koji (her new mushroom-headed partner) are expertly written. One of the joys of the book is seeing the protagonist’s prejudice peel away one layer at a time, until you’re left with a Lethal Weapon buddy cop vibe between them, which I adored.
To say this book is about mushrooms is a bit like saying Blade Runner is about robots. There is SO MUCH MORE to it than that. If you’re intrigued by what a society of mushroom-people would evolve into, you’ll love the culture that Adrian has created here. If you’re sceptical about whether this sounds like an adult book or not, then trust me, you should definitely read it, because it’s one of the most grown-up detective stories I’ve ever read. Think True Detective meets Twin Peaks, except with mushroom-people, and you’ll be in the right ball-park.
There are moments of body-horror, hallucination, and action. And there are equal moments of quiet, subtlety, and introspection. It’s so balanced. A huge amount of thought has been put into the world and the plot and the characters. The opening of the book contains a map and a glossary of terms — if that doesn’t tell you how much care has been put into crafting this story, then just start reading. By the end of chapter one, you’ll be completely sucked in by the passion imbued into every page.
In terms of the mystery itself, one of the most brilliant aspects of the story is how it itself is structured a bit like a mushroom. The stem is the whodunnit aspect, but once you reach the top, that’s when things really open up, and it’s at this point where all the juiciest parts can be found. The way the underlying plot sprouts as the story progresses is simply mesmerising. The more you read, the bigger it becomes, until you see that the mystery is supporting something grand and beautiful and packed with substance.
The world is lush. The characters are unforgettable. The themes are intriguing and deep. What more could you ask for? And all this from a debut novel — it’s simply stunning. It made me feel like change is possible, and the call for peace and understanding between cultures has never been more rousing.
Come for the detective mystery, stay for the weird fungal body horror and existential speculation. And the feels. Soooooo many feels. If you like your sci-fi sprinkled with a touch of weird, then this is going to be your new favourite dish. Although, spoiler alert — it might put you off eating mushrooms for a while!
In summary, Mushroom Blues will send its spores into your imagination, and its ideas will grow so big, you can almost taste the mycelium wrapping itself around your brain. And it’s delicious. This is such a treat of a debut book, and the start of an entire fungalverse that I cannot wait to explore. More, please!
May 28, 2024
I was given a digital review copy of this book by the author. Thank you, Adrian. My review is honest and my opinions are my own.
Mushroom Blues, the debut novel by Adrian Gibson, is a police procedural with a difference. Set in a fungal universe, or fungalverse, as the author refers to it, this book is a masterclass of detailed worldbuilding. Everything in Neo Kinoko, where the book is set, is fungal. The people have mushroom caps atop their heads and smaller mushroom growths protruding from other body parts. They have gills beneath their caps which produce spores of varying colours dependent on their moods. Every item in the world of this story is made from mycelium or other fungal derivatives, from the fabric to the furniture, weapons and everything in-between. The language of decomposition is also heavily present throughout:
“Fear of the unknown and the truths we wished we could prove. Those were the insidious paranoias that dug into us like parasites, festering and rotting the mind—corrupting us from the inside out.”
Into this post-war fungalverse is added an unlikeable middle-aged human protagonist, recovering alcoholic Detective Henrietta Hoffman, who has been exiled to Neo Kinoko by her ex-husband and detests all things mushroom. I don’t care for unlikeable protagonists in my reading as I find it difficult to connect to the character and feel their emotions along with them if I don’t empathize with their personality or situation. Henrietta is partnered with a fungal police officer, Koji Nameko, who she treats with disdain at first. Henrietta’s character develops quite substantially throughout the story and by the end she is barely recognizable and more likeable. No longer a prejudiced bigot, she has made some fungal friends and gained respect. She has to go through some particularly harrowing experiences which some readers will find difficult to stomach, in order to grow as a person. The reader also discovers more about her past which helps to make her a little more palatable.
The tone of this detective novel is extremely dark, with gang warfare, torture of both children and adults, a serial killer and dead, dismembered children, so I would only recommend it to fans of grimdark fantasy who are not faint-hearted. The author does not shy away from the seedier side of life in this post war setting, the occupying human race is depicted as callous and unwilling to make amends for any of the destruction they have caused.
“I was beginning to understand that when a government was willing to occupy and oppress another country, they were just as willing to use those same methods on their own people. Neo Kinoko wasn’t free, not for fungals or humans.”
A tenuous balance has been reached between the two races but it is not sustainable in the current political climate and things come to an explosive head towards the end of the novel. Chaos ensues with multiple lives lost on both sides, but personal triumphs are also gained by both of the main characters, which leads to a satisfying conclusion to this fungaliciously psychedelic, wild ride of a story!
Mushroom Blues, the debut novel by Adrian Gibson, is a police procedural with a difference. Set in a fungal universe, or fungalverse, as the author refers to it, this book is a masterclass of detailed worldbuilding. Everything in Neo Kinoko, where the book is set, is fungal. The people have mushroom caps atop their heads and smaller mushroom growths protruding from other body parts. They have gills beneath their caps which produce spores of varying colours dependent on their moods. Every item in the world of this story is made from mycelium or other fungal derivatives, from the fabric to the furniture, weapons and everything in-between. The language of decomposition is also heavily present throughout:
“Fear of the unknown and the truths we wished we could prove. Those were the insidious paranoias that dug into us like parasites, festering and rotting the mind—corrupting us from the inside out.”
Into this post-war fungalverse is added an unlikeable middle-aged human protagonist, recovering alcoholic Detective Henrietta Hoffman, who has been exiled to Neo Kinoko by her ex-husband and detests all things mushroom. I don’t care for unlikeable protagonists in my reading as I find it difficult to connect to the character and feel their emotions along with them if I don’t empathize with their personality or situation. Henrietta is partnered with a fungal police officer, Koji Nameko, who she treats with disdain at first. Henrietta’s character develops quite substantially throughout the story and by the end she is barely recognizable and more likeable. No longer a prejudiced bigot, she has made some fungal friends and gained respect. She has to go through some particularly harrowing experiences which some readers will find difficult to stomach, in order to grow as a person. The reader also discovers more about her past which helps to make her a little more palatable.
The tone of this detective novel is extremely dark, with gang warfare, torture of both children and adults, a serial killer and dead, dismembered children, so I would only recommend it to fans of grimdark fantasy who are not faint-hearted. The author does not shy away from the seedier side of life in this post war setting, the occupying human race is depicted as callous and unwilling to make amends for any of the destruction they have caused.
“I was beginning to understand that when a government was willing to occupy and oppress another country, they were just as willing to use those same methods on their own people. Neo Kinoko wasn’t free, not for fungals or humans.”
A tenuous balance has been reached between the two races but it is not sustainable in the current political climate and things come to an explosive head towards the end of the novel. Chaos ensues with multiple lives lost on both sides, but personal triumphs are also gained by both of the main characters, which leads to a satisfying conclusion to this fungaliciously psychedelic, wild ride of a story!
August 30, 2024
Wow, what a bloody amazing debut by Adrian M. Gibson. It was such an absolute trip delving into his fungalverse, a world so dark yet so colourful and fungadelic, I was absolutely captivated and mesmerised by the world he has created in this sci-fi detective noir story.
Mushroom Blues is the first book in a new series, The Hofmann Report, and let me tell you, it is one of those books that you know you are going love from start to finish, from the very first page you are grabbed by the scruff of the neck into very dark murder case.
This was such a captivating read and a pleasure to read . The world-building was fantastic. A world literally made of fungal mushrooms, mould, and fruiting bodies. The characters are astonishingly brilliant, a fungal race oppressed by their human invaders. Homicide detective Henrietta Hofmann, our main protagonist, is such a captivating character who is put through the mill. You can't help but feel and experience all her pain anguish with her throughout the book.
Adrian M. Gibson's prose are so good and his writing left me on the edge of my seat multiple times with anticipation, not knowing what would happen next or what was around the corner. The author is not afraid to deal with everyday life hurdles such as racism, hate, religion, oppression, murder and war atrocities and has intertwined them into his story beautifully.
In this story, NKPD Homicide detective Henrietta Hofmann has been exiled from her home country to the island nation of Hōppon and its capital city of Neo Kinoko after her divorce and the death of her daughter.
Detective Hofmann is put on case after a fungal child is found murdered and mutilated. Teamed up against her will with a fungal cop Koji. They both must uncover the killer, which will lead them down a dark rabbit hole of unimaginable darkness and depravity. The oppressed have had enough, and the city of Neo Kinoko is on the verge of a fungal spore explosion.
If you love your books, action-packed, filled with suspense, vividly creepy, or just something new to read, then look no further than Mushroom Blues. You will not regret it. I very highly recommended.
Mushroom Blues is the first book in a new series, The Hofmann Report, and let me tell you, it is one of those books that you know you are going love from start to finish, from the very first page you are grabbed by the scruff of the neck into very dark murder case.
This was such a captivating read and a pleasure to read . The world-building was fantastic. A world literally made of fungal mushrooms, mould, and fruiting bodies. The characters are astonishingly brilliant, a fungal race oppressed by their human invaders. Homicide detective Henrietta Hofmann, our main protagonist, is such a captivating character who is put through the mill. You can't help but feel and experience all her pain anguish with her throughout the book.
Adrian M. Gibson's prose are so good and his writing left me on the edge of my seat multiple times with anticipation, not knowing what would happen next or what was around the corner. The author is not afraid to deal with everyday life hurdles such as racism, hate, religion, oppression, murder and war atrocities and has intertwined them into his story beautifully.
In this story, NKPD Homicide detective Henrietta Hofmann has been exiled from her home country to the island nation of Hōppon and its capital city of Neo Kinoko after her divorce and the death of her daughter.
Detective Hofmann is put on case after a fungal child is found murdered and mutilated. Teamed up against her will with a fungal cop Koji. They both must uncover the killer, which will lead them down a dark rabbit hole of unimaginable darkness and depravity. The oppressed have had enough, and the city of Neo Kinoko is on the verge of a fungal spore explosion.
If you love your books, action-packed, filled with suspense, vividly creepy, or just something new to read, then look no further than Mushroom Blues. You will not regret it. I very highly recommended.
June 1, 2024
Gritty, True Crime, Thrills, and Mushrooms!
To start, everyone should check this book out immediately! This was such a captivating read and a joy to experience.
The world-building was on full display. Adrian Gibson's prose left me on the edge of my seat multiple times not knowing what would happen next.
I heard the elevator pitch of this title and immediately added it to the top of my TBR. The book is a fusion of a gritty detective noir in a fungal world of Mushroom people.
The characters felt real and complex akin to true crime dramas and other notable noir works. I won't forget these characters and the individual journeys they made throughout the book.
For anyone who enjoys True Detective, Cowboy Bebop, and gritty crime stories then I'd recommend anyone and everyone to pick this up.
Bravo to you, Adrian! Definitely can't wait for your next title.
To start, everyone should check this book out immediately! This was such a captivating read and a joy to experience.
The world-building was on full display. Adrian Gibson's prose left me on the edge of my seat multiple times not knowing what would happen next.
I heard the elevator pitch of this title and immediately added it to the top of my TBR. The book is a fusion of a gritty detective noir in a fungal world of Mushroom people.
The characters felt real and complex akin to true crime dramas and other notable noir works. I won't forget these characters and the individual journeys they made throughout the book.
For anyone who enjoys True Detective, Cowboy Bebop, and gritty crime stories then I'd recommend anyone and everyone to pick this up.
Bravo to you, Adrian! Definitely can't wait for your next title.
March 20, 2024
Throughout my reading journey, I’ve read many self published novels, including many by others of “booktube” or “Booktok” fame. Most of the time, reading books by other critics and podcasters in the community leads to disappointment for me. But Mushroom Blues definitely breaks the mold. (😏)
Among self-published novels, Mushroom Blues is probably the second best novel I’ve read. Among sff-police procedural crossovers within the wider market, including trad pub, this is probably the best of the lot. Indeed, even though I have some criticisms, I think Mushroom Blues is slightly better than the recently published “The Tainted Cup,” by Robert Jackson Bennet.
Boons
The star of the show is definitely Adrian’s world-building. Mushroom Blues has a world with history, culture, foreign language, a very interesting fantasy species, and lots of original ideas. The world feels real and most importantly, its people are all well rounded and feel real. Henrietta is a lovely gray character that feels real. She definitely has her character flaws, but she will confront them as her identity undergoes deliquesce, in order to become something new. Those themes are definitely the last thing that I felt that was really special about the book. I don’t often get to read books that have themes which are so grounded in the truth of everyday life. Themes of identity, community and human meaning are some of the ones most worth exploring.
Debuffs
When it comes to reading self-pub, I’ve come to expect a certain level of unpolished line-editing. In the future, this is something Adrian does have some room to improve upon. I’ve definitely read more error-ridden work, but I did find 9 errors here, which will be highlighted in my notes.
The other major criticism I have is that there is one sure case of Deus Ex Machina in the second half of the book. Some other readers might assume there is more than one instance but I would argue against those other instances. Without spoiling too much, It’s a scene where a main character is captured but is basically saved by the Eagles of Manwë at the last second. I think Adrian is a very promising debut author, but I feel he may need to work on better conflict resolution in future novels.
Overall
Mushroom Blues is a very well-rounded debut novel with a soul.
This was a great book. I would totally recommend it to SFF fans who also like police procedural detective novels. I’d also recommend it to anyone who can say, “Mushrooms changed my life.”
Thanks for the wonderful heartfelt book, Adrian! I’ll definitely be there on day one for the next one!
Characters—3.8
Storytelling—3.7
Prose—3.7
Author Execution—4.1
Personal Enjoyment—4.2
Overall: 3.9 ⭐️
Among self-published novels, Mushroom Blues is probably the second best novel I’ve read. Among sff-police procedural crossovers within the wider market, including trad pub, this is probably the best of the lot. Indeed, even though I have some criticisms, I think Mushroom Blues is slightly better than the recently published “The Tainted Cup,” by Robert Jackson Bennet.
Boons
The star of the show is definitely Adrian’s world-building. Mushroom Blues has a world with history, culture, foreign language, a very interesting fantasy species, and lots of original ideas. The world feels real and most importantly, its people are all well rounded and feel real. Henrietta is a lovely gray character that feels real. She definitely has her character flaws, but she will confront them as her identity undergoes deliquesce, in order to become something new. Those themes are definitely the last thing that I felt that was really special about the book. I don’t often get to read books that have themes which are so grounded in the truth of everyday life. Themes of identity, community and human meaning are some of the ones most worth exploring.
Debuffs
When it comes to reading self-pub, I’ve come to expect a certain level of unpolished line-editing. In the future, this is something Adrian does have some room to improve upon. I’ve definitely read more error-ridden work, but I did find 9 errors here, which will be highlighted in my notes.
The other major criticism I have is that there is one sure case of Deus Ex Machina in the second half of the book. Some other readers might assume there is more than one instance but I would argue against those other instances. Without spoiling too much, It’s a scene where a main character is captured but is basically saved by the Eagles of Manwë at the last second. I think Adrian is a very promising debut author, but I feel he may need to work on better conflict resolution in future novels.
Overall
Mushroom Blues is a very well-rounded debut novel with a soul.
This was a great book. I would totally recommend it to SFF fans who also like police procedural detective novels. I’d also recommend it to anyone who can say, “Mushrooms changed my life.”
Thanks for the wonderful heartfelt book, Adrian! I’ll definitely be there on day one for the next one!
Characters—3.8
Storytelling—3.7
Prose—3.7
Author Execution—4.1
Personal Enjoyment—4.2
Overall: 3.9 ⭐️
June 3, 2024
This book is an explosion of creativity. The world-building is miles above anything being published in the trad-publishing space. Adrian M. Gibson was not scared to shy away from difficult themes and handled delicate subject matter exceptionally well. The characters were strong and experienced believable and realistic growth throughout their arcs.
I eagerly wait for whatever this author publishes next!
I believe this book sets a new standard for what self-published Sci-Fi/Fantasy can be.
I eagerly wait for whatever this author publishes next!
I believe this book sets a new standard for what self-published Sci-Fi/Fantasy can be.
July 31, 2024
The author assured me that it wasn’t really a very dark book, and one of his big influences is Sir Terry Pratchett. I’ve been avoiding dark books and of course if you say ‘Pratchett’ I’ll ask ‘how high’ so I jumped at that. Well, the first chapter’s title is ‘Mold & Mutilation’ and despite the promising title, it’s nothing like Jane Austen. Instead, a police detective is examining a mutilated body of a child. This sort of funny. It should also give you an idea of the triggers I didn’t bother listing, since it’s easier to list things that are not trigger warnings.
Detective Hofmann is not a likeable protagonist. To quote an interview I did with the author, and have been about to edit and finish for, um, a while, “Yes, readers need to make the distinction that characters are not complete reflections of the authors. I’m not a racist, especially toward my dear fungal people, but to make the main character unlikeable, discriminatory, and xenophobic was important for the story’s larger themes.” I hope the readers are capable of making this distinction, because Gibson is not afraid at rugby-tackling police racism (as the author calls it, mycophobia, but I’ll stay with a word most people know). With names such as Noriyoshi and Nameko vs Hofmann and MacArthur, it’s not extremely difficult to guess the, let’s say, coding behind Hōppon and Coprinia. Maybe rugby-tackling is a wrong word. Let’s go with realism. Because – sadly – Mushroom Blues does not exaggerate. (Additional content warning: anyone who says things like “nobody’s that racist, this is unrealistic” might also go and read something else.)
Mushroom Blues describes a world that’s been conquered, colonised, and its culture nearly eradicated. “It was barbaric,” Hofmann insists when a particularly non-human thing happens. “This is a deeply rooted function of our biology and culture,” a fungal answers. “What is ironic is a [human] Coprinian criticising anyone or anything for being barbaric, especially in a land your people invaded and conquered.” The colonisers despise the colonised and blame them for having had a world that won’t adapt to its new rulers. “Nowhere in this Godforsaken country was safe from the creeping contamination of fungi,” Hofmann complains. “Colonised and infected by spores and mold and whatever other repellant shit these fungals found to be normal.” She can’t believe that the fungals used to walk, or perhaps take a horse cart, before humans came and ‘civilised’ them. The fungals are empaths. The humans don’t believe the ‘gillies’ can even have emotions, ‘subhuman’ as literal as it gets.
Mushroom Blues is not mild, gentle, and doesn’t tiptoe around. The characters are – there is no way to phrase realism mildly – racist AF. Hofmann has to battle the police sexism herself, which means either taking the police sexism in silence, or being named the problem – from “why can’t she take a joke?” to “why is she introducing unrest among my men?” But then, Hofmann doesn’t want to work with the ‘gillie’ herself, although if you were to ask her, she’d definitely insist she isn’t racist. Same as the men are not sexist.
I had a few problems with Mushroom Blues. Too many gangsters freely give the protagonist information before killing her, Bad Boss-style in James Bond. (This is, obviously, followed by Hofmann not getting killed.) Rarely, the book becomes too self-aware. A rather cliché overworked captain inserts “I doubt it’ll do anything to lessen our hatred for one another” into his tirade before following that with “why not just give them some bags of Goddamned rice?” (Hofmann is disgusted to see ‘mushroom people eating mushrooms’ until during a protest, one of the desperate fungals screams “we are forced to eat mushrooms, because there’s nothing else.”) I have questions about certain medication Hofmann impulsively decides to stop using, which makes me wonder what the medication’s point was. I noticed literally one continuity issue, which everyone who doesn’t have my continuity obsession will never find. That’s it. That’s all my problems. The rest of the book, as much as I promised myself to stay away from grimdark, is – ugh, why does this word have to work so well? – unputdownable.
Mushroom Blues is an incredibly good debut novel. The characters are, well, morally grey, but Hofmann grows and learns – in a way that never feels forced. Easter eggs galore (I love Easter eggs in books). And I would be amiss if I neglected to mention how beautiful this book is. Felix Ortiz’s illustration on the front, coupled with Gibson’s own design abilities, created one of the best covers I have seen this year. There are inside illustrations, too – I recommend a dead tree rather than an e-book. AND, in case there are not enough things that make this release special, there isn’t just a Spotify playlist (song per chapter) but an actual official soundtrack.
Adrian M. Gibson has created something truly special. And it’s a labour of love, too. Both for Japan and mushrooms. How deep is his love? As documented on his social media, Gibson grew fungi on a copy of the book.
Then ate it.
The second book in this series is going to be either completely bjørnkers, or even more unputdownable, or both.
(4.5/5 rounded up to 5/5 for Goodreads)
Detective Hofmann is not a likeable protagonist. To quote an interview I did with the author, and have been about to edit and finish for, um, a while, “Yes, readers need to make the distinction that characters are not complete reflections of the authors. I’m not a racist, especially toward my dear fungal people, but to make the main character unlikeable, discriminatory, and xenophobic was important for the story’s larger themes.” I hope the readers are capable of making this distinction, because Gibson is not afraid at rugby-tackling police racism (as the author calls it, mycophobia, but I’ll stay with a word most people know). With names such as Noriyoshi and Nameko vs Hofmann and MacArthur, it’s not extremely difficult to guess the, let’s say, coding behind Hōppon and Coprinia. Maybe rugby-tackling is a wrong word. Let’s go with realism. Because – sadly – Mushroom Blues does not exaggerate. (Additional content warning: anyone who says things like “nobody’s that racist, this is unrealistic” might also go and read something else.)
Mushroom Blues describes a world that’s been conquered, colonised, and its culture nearly eradicated. “It was barbaric,” Hofmann insists when a particularly non-human thing happens. “This is a deeply rooted function of our biology and culture,” a fungal answers. “What is ironic is a [human] Coprinian criticising anyone or anything for being barbaric, especially in a land your people invaded and conquered.” The colonisers despise the colonised and blame them for having had a world that won’t adapt to its new rulers. “Nowhere in this Godforsaken country was safe from the creeping contamination of fungi,” Hofmann complains. “Colonised and infected by spores and mold and whatever other repellant shit these fungals found to be normal.” She can’t believe that the fungals used to walk, or perhaps take a horse cart, before humans came and ‘civilised’ them. The fungals are empaths. The humans don’t believe the ‘gillies’ can even have emotions, ‘subhuman’ as literal as it gets.
Mushroom Blues is not mild, gentle, and doesn’t tiptoe around. The characters are – there is no way to phrase realism mildly – racist AF. Hofmann has to battle the police sexism herself, which means either taking the police sexism in silence, or being named the problem – from “why can’t she take a joke?” to “why is she introducing unrest among my men?” But then, Hofmann doesn’t want to work with the ‘gillie’ herself, although if you were to ask her, she’d definitely insist she isn’t racist. Same as the men are not sexist.
I had a few problems with Mushroom Blues. Too many gangsters freely give the protagonist information before killing her, Bad Boss-style in James Bond. (This is, obviously, followed by Hofmann not getting killed.) Rarely, the book becomes too self-aware. A rather cliché overworked captain inserts “I doubt it’ll do anything to lessen our hatred for one another” into his tirade before following that with “why not just give them some bags of Goddamned rice?” (Hofmann is disgusted to see ‘mushroom people eating mushrooms’ until during a protest, one of the desperate fungals screams “we are forced to eat mushrooms, because there’s nothing else.”) I have questions about certain medication Hofmann impulsively decides to stop using, which makes me wonder what the medication’s point was. I noticed literally one continuity issue, which everyone who doesn’t have my continuity obsession will never find. That’s it. That’s all my problems. The rest of the book, as much as I promised myself to stay away from grimdark, is – ugh, why does this word have to work so well? – unputdownable.
Mushroom Blues is an incredibly good debut novel. The characters are, well, morally grey, but Hofmann grows and learns – in a way that never feels forced. Easter eggs galore (I love Easter eggs in books). And I would be amiss if I neglected to mention how beautiful this book is. Felix Ortiz’s illustration on the front, coupled with Gibson’s own design abilities, created one of the best covers I have seen this year. There are inside illustrations, too – I recommend a dead tree rather than an e-book. AND, in case there are not enough things that make this release special, there isn’t just a Spotify playlist (song per chapter) but an actual official soundtrack.
Adrian M. Gibson has created something truly special. And it’s a labour of love, too. Both for Japan and mushrooms. How deep is his love? As documented on his social media, Gibson grew fungi on a copy of the book.
Then ate it.
The second book in this series is going to be either completely bjørnkers, or even more unputdownable, or both.
(4.5/5 rounded up to 5/5 for Goodreads)
August 18, 2024
A riveting mystery filled with twists and turns. Gibson uses excellent imagery to paint a very clear picture in the reader's mind. Can't wait for the next instalments!
June 30, 2024
4⭐️
In the beginning, I was having trouble getting into this book due to how much I disliked the main character, Henrietta Hofmann. Thank god her character development was off the charts and she became more likable, otherwise I might’ve dnfed.
Overall, if you like sci fi and mystery, be sure to keep this book on your radar. With a setting unlike any other I’ve ever read, Mushroom Blues will captivate and disgust you. If you do not like mushroom imagery, avoid this book at all costs. If you do like body horror, nature, and an Asian inspired culture, I’d recommend.
While my favorite part of this book was the ‘fungalpunk’ setting, I do think there is a good mystery in here too. The mystery and resolution were a bit rushed for my tastes near the end, however it was still thrilling and for the most part satisfying. I would be eager to read Henrietta and Nameko solve more mysteries in the city of Neo Kinoko.
I feel like there is so much to say about the setting and culture threaded throughout the book, so I will leave you with just this: the book is written very much with themes of colonialism, war, racism, poverty, and other political issues. It handles them well, for the most part, while maintaining its unique setting and dynamic characters. At times difficult to read, Mushroom Blues tackles lots of issues while still being entertaining. This book is definitely worth anyone’s time.
In the beginning, I was having trouble getting into this book due to how much I disliked the main character, Henrietta Hofmann. Thank god her character development was off the charts and she became more likable, otherwise I might’ve dnfed.
Overall, if you like sci fi and mystery, be sure to keep this book on your radar. With a setting unlike any other I’ve ever read, Mushroom Blues will captivate and disgust you. If you do not like mushroom imagery, avoid this book at all costs. If you do like body horror, nature, and an Asian inspired culture, I’d recommend.
While my favorite part of this book was the ‘fungalpunk’ setting, I do think there is a good mystery in here too. The mystery and resolution were a bit rushed for my tastes near the end, however it was still thrilling and for the most part satisfying. I would be eager to read Henrietta and Nameko solve more mysteries in the city of Neo Kinoko.
I feel like there is so much to say about the setting and culture threaded throughout the book, so I will leave you with just this: the book is written very much with themes of colonialism, war, racism, poverty, and other political issues. It handles them well, for the most part, while maintaining its unique setting and dynamic characters. At times difficult to read, Mushroom Blues tackles lots of issues while still being entertaining. This book is definitely worth anyone’s time.
May 16, 2024
This book lies somewhere in the detective novel/thriller/police procedural space (not really a mystery), set in an alternate Earth (maybe?) where humans share the planet with a species of fungal people whose origins aren't fully clear. I'm not completely sure how much of the biology is meant to be science fiction and how much is magic in disguise, but I'm also not sure it matters. We have roughly 1990's Earth technology, up to pagers and cassette players, side by side with fantasy creatures every bit as weird as elves or dragons.
The fungal aspect of this might seem like a gimmick for a page or two but it really goes beyond that. Yes, people wear mycoleather jackets instead of just leather jackets, and sit on mycelium chairs instead of just chairs, but the fungal people have a communitarian biology that is informed by real-life fungal characteristics in ways that go well beyond fancy names and aesthetics. Explaining more would be a spoiler but a lot of thought went into this society.
The characters are good, though I found the main character's inevitable transition from racist colonizer to mycophile a bit ragged (that was a lone sore spot for me in a mostly excellently crafted novel). The major characters had wonderful virtues and vices and the plot was decently complex.
Overall, it's the setting and worldbuilding that distinguish this book most - and as I mentioned, the worldbuilding is inextricably tied into the plot. You couldn't tell this story in a different setting, and that's a sign of an excellent genre novel.
Add a little body horror and an ode to the healing power of psychedelics and you get a detective/ thriller novel that's absolutely worth your time.
The fungal aspect of this might seem like a gimmick for a page or two but it really goes beyond that. Yes, people wear mycoleather jackets instead of just leather jackets, and sit on mycelium chairs instead of just chairs, but the fungal people have a communitarian biology that is informed by real-life fungal characteristics in ways that go well beyond fancy names and aesthetics. Explaining more would be a spoiler but a lot of thought went into this society.
The characters are good, though I found the main character's inevitable transition from racist colonizer to mycophile a bit ragged (that was a lone sore spot for me in a mostly excellently crafted novel). The major characters had wonderful virtues and vices and the plot was decently complex.
Overall, it's the setting and worldbuilding that distinguish this book most - and as I mentioned, the worldbuilding is inextricably tied into the plot. You couldn't tell this story in a different setting, and that's a sign of an excellent genre novel.
Add a little body horror and an ode to the healing power of psychedelics and you get a detective/ thriller novel that's absolutely worth your time.
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