Moonflow byBitter Karella
I would like to thank Orbit Books for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review
Publisher – Orbit – Run For It
Published – Out Now
Price – £9.99 paperback £3.99 ebook
I see something out there, in the woods. It does not have a face.
They call it the King's Breakfast. One bite and you can understand the full scope of the universe; one bite and you can commune with forgotten gods beyond human comprehension. And it only grows deep in the Pamogo forest, where the trees crowd so tight that the forest floor is pitch black day and night, where rumors of strange cults and disappearing hikers abound.
Sarah makes her living growing mushrooms. When a bad harvest leaves her in a desperate fix, the lure of the King's Breakfast has her journeying into those vast uncharted woods. Her only guide is the most annoying man in the world, and he's convinced there's no danger. But as they descend deeper, they realize they're not alone. Something is luring them into the heart of the forest, and they must answer its call.
Horror is often very good at highlighting those on the edge of society. There is a long history of horror being used to explore life for those often classed as the outsiders. It exploration of queer characters has been a long-standing tradition of the community. Refreshingly not always shown as the horrors but often those characters who we cheer on. In Bitter Karella’s horror novel Moonflow there is a lot of life on the edge explored as well as the added mysteries of cults, forests and the supernatural but for me perhaps slightly needed a bit more horror to fully win me over.
Sarah is disappointed when her best and wealthiest client insists her latest mushrooms are no longer flavour of the month in the community and now its all about the shrooms known as King’s Breakfast which offers the best trip possible. Sarah is therefore reluctantly but financially driven to go to the remote Sloane Mill State Historic park and enters the Pamogo Woods with a less than reliable tour guide. The woods are mysterious, known for disappearances and they are unaware also in the woods hide a cult known as The Sisters of the Green Lady who are close to their own mission succeeding.
There is a history of cults and drugs in horror actually a bit earlier than the 60s and points towards the time of Alastair Crowley and more. So in some ways Moonflow delivers the 21st century spin on this approach. We have the rich in crowd after the biggest hit and Sarah more happier being a dealer just to pay the rent and look after her cat. We get though here trans and characters such as Sarh at the fore of the novel and not on the sidelines. We also in the Green Lady cult unusually a focus on powerful danger women with names such as Skillet or Hell Slut very focused on a mission and clearly some strange power is at work. It is sweary, funny and entertaining but for me there is a bit of an issue in that I was very rarely unsettled.
I think this may be down to a few issues. The pace is slow and takes a while for the plot lines to merge. There is also despite the refreshing cast a lack of actual surprises. It doesn’t take a reader too long to guess all will not be well with a mysterious cult in a mysterious forest. We also have characters acting a little too glibly if you’re lost in the woods would you just accept strange messages on your phone? There wasn’t really anything surprising me or really throwing me into the story and for me I felt more it didn’t really delve into how these people are and why, they still felt very broad characters.
If you want a bawdy gloriously strange and psychedelic ride then this may be up your street but the horror side of the story for me makes it unlikely I think it will scare too many on a Halloween evening,
