.
Spread: Tales of Deadly Flora
Edited by Rachel Clarke
.
Synopsis
Green thumbs beware. Plants are beautiful, peaceful, abundant, and life-sustaining. But what if something sinister took root in the soil, awakening to unleash slashing thorns, squeezing vines, or haunting greenery that lured you in? Perhaps blooms on distant planets could claim your heart, hitch a ride to Earth on a meteor, or simply poison you with their essence. Imagine a world where scientists produced our own demise in a lab, set spores free to infect, even bred ferns to be our friends only to witness the privilege perverted. When faced with botanical terror, will humanity fight to survive, or will they curl and wither like leaves in the fall? Read ten speculative tales ripe with dangerous flora to find out.
Includes stories by: Alyssa Beatty, Katie Ess, Jen Mierisch, Josephine Queen, Lisa Fox, Katie Jordan, Melissa Mendelson, Andrea Goyan, Alex Grehy, and R.A. Clarke.
Foreword by: Holly Rae Garcia.
~~~~~
MY REVIEW
The first thing I want to say about this anthology is brilliant. Positively astounding. The prose is excellent. The stories read like an artist painting on canvas. I was astounded by how compelling these tales were. Even though the subject might be dark, it felt like a light was shining when I read some of the passages.
I live in Alabama and we have this vine called Kudzu. It was brought in to help with erosion on the bluffs. They must not have done their research because the invasive species took over. It simply can’t be killed. Just keeps coming back. I often thought it would be great for a horror story. Something along the lines of The Ruins. That movie was terrifyingly brutal. That said, I wanted to mention that while some of these tales are dark, they aren’t necessarily gory. It’s more of a let your imagination take you there, wherever that is.
Being a collection, I usually have a favorite. Though I don’t usually single it out in my review. I was hard pressed to choose just one this time. All of them blew me away. The forward by Holly Rae Garcia was equally captivating. As were the illustrations spreading between the stories.
I love anthologies. Especially in a genre I read voraciously, such as horror. They’re such a fun way to discover new authors, and I found several. Each of these author’s are true storytellers and I’d love to sit around a campfire and let them spin me a tale. Feel those icy fingers creeping up and down my spine.
5 STARS
~~~~~
Edited by Rachel Clarke
.
Purchase Link: Amazon
Social Media Links: Website / Instagram / Twitter / Facebook
~~~~~
Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!
For a list of my reviews go HERE.
For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE
To see all of my giveaways go HERE.