Synopsis
Two years after a devastating defeat in the decades-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 colonisers, criminal gangs, racial division, and moral decay.
In order to solve the case and unravel the truth, Hofmann must challenge her past and embrace fungal ways. What she and Nameko uncover in the midst of this frigid wasteland will chill them to the core, but will they make it through the storm alive?
Review
Mushroom Blues 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!
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