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A Scent of New-Mown Hay
"The story has a nightmarish excitement and maintains a brilliant pace . . . the best of its kind this season." - Detroit News
"[S]pine-chilling . . . a far-reaching plot linking the horror camps of the Nazis, the frozen wastes of Russia and the work of British Secret Intelligence. . . . [T]his is 'must' reading for horror fans." - Calgary Herald
"I began to and then read and read and read." - John Creasey, Books of the Month
"Good, insomniac science-fiction." - Listener
With a plot featuring Cold War intrigue, Nazi mad scientists, and a pandemic that threatens to destroy humanity by mutating people into fungoid monsters, it is not hard to see why A Scent of New-Mown Hay (1958) became a bestseller on both sides of the Atlantic and an instant science-fiction classic. After a British ship's crew and a remote Russian village are wiped out in mysterious and horrible fashion, General Charles Kirk of British Foreign Intelligence sets out to investigate. As the plague spreads to England, Kirk's frantic search leads him from the desolate tundra of Russia to the ruins of a Nazi camp, the site of unthinkable wartime atrocities. But who is responsible? Is it a Soviet experiment gone horribly wrong, the work of a depraved madman, or something else entirely? And can it be stopped?
In this, his first and still best-known novel, the prolific John Blackburn (1923-1993) introduced the formula he was to employ so successfully in his career, seamlessly blending mystery, horror, and science fiction to create a thrilling bestseller that readers found impossible to put down. This edition, the first in more than thirty years, includes a new introduction by Prof. Darren Harris-Fain and a reproduction of the scarce original jacket art by Peter Curl.
"[S]pine-chilling . . . a far-reaching plot linking the horror camps of the Nazis, the frozen wastes of Russia and the work of British Secret Intelligence. . . . [T]his is 'must' reading for horror fans." - Calgary Herald
"I began to and then read and read and read." - John Creasey, Books of the Month
"Good, insomniac science-fiction." - Listener
With a plot featuring Cold War intrigue, Nazi mad scientists, and a pandemic that threatens to destroy humanity by mutating people into fungoid monsters, it is not hard to see why A Scent of New-Mown Hay (1958) became a bestseller on both sides of the Atlantic and an instant science-fiction classic. After a British ship's crew and a remote Russian village are wiped out in mysterious and horrible fashion, General Charles Kirk of British Foreign Intelligence sets out to investigate. As the plague spreads to England, Kirk's frantic search leads him from the desolate tundra of Russia to the ruins of a Nazi camp, the site of unthinkable wartime atrocities. But who is responsible? Is it a Soviet experiment gone horribly wrong, the work of a depraved madman, or something else entirely? And can it be stopped?
In this, his first and still best-known novel, the prolific John Blackburn (1923-1993) introduced the formula he was to employ so successfully in his career, seamlessly blending mystery, horror, and science fiction to create a thrilling bestseller that readers found impossible to put down. This edition, the first in more than thirty years, includes a new introduction by Prof. Darren Harris-Fain and a reproduction of the scarce original jacket art by Peter Curl.
193 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1958
11 people are currently reading
333 people want to read
About the author
John Blackburn
35 books35 followersJohn Blackburn was born in 1923 in the village of Corbridge, England, the second son of a clergyman. Blackburn attended Haileybury College near London beginning in 1937, but his education was interrupted by the onset of World War II; the shadow of the war, and that of Nazi Germany, would later play a role in many of his works. He served as a radio officer during the war in the Mercantile Marine from 1942 to 1945, and resumed his education afterwards at Durham University, earning his bachelor’s degree in 1949. Blackburn taught for several years after that, first in London and then in Berlin, and married Joan Mary Clift in 1950. Returning to London in 1952, he took over the management of Red Lion Books.
It was there that Blackburn began writing, and the immediate success in 1958 of his first novel, A Scent of New-Mown Hay, led him to take up a career as a writer full time. He and his wife also maintained an antiquarian bookstore, a secondary career that would inform some of Blackburn’s work, including the bibliomystery Blue Octavo (1963). A Scent of New-Mown Hay typified the approach that would come to characterize Blackburn’s twenty-eight novels, which defied easy categorization in their unique and compelling mixture of the genres of science fiction, horror, mystery, and thriller. Many of Blackburn’s best novels came in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with a string of successes that included the classics A Ring of Roses (1965), Children of the Night (1966), Nothing but the Night (1968; adapted for a 1973 film starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing), Devil Daddy (1972) and Our Lady of Pain (1974). Somewhat unusually for a popular horror writer, Blackburn’s novels were not only successful with the reading public but also won widespread critical acclaim: the Times Literary Supplement declared him ‘today’s master of horror’ and compared him with the Grimm Brothers, while the Penguin Encyclopedia of Horror and the Supernatural regarded him as ‘certainly the best British novelist in his field’ and the St James Guide to Crime & Mystery Writers called him ‘one of England’s best practicing novelists in the tradition of the thriller novel’.
By the time Blackburn published his final novel in 1985, much of his work was already out of print, an inexplicable neglect that continued until Valancourt began republishing his novels in 2013. John Blackburn died in 1993.
It was there that Blackburn began writing, and the immediate success in 1958 of his first novel, A Scent of New-Mown Hay, led him to take up a career as a writer full time. He and his wife also maintained an antiquarian bookstore, a secondary career that would inform some of Blackburn’s work, including the bibliomystery Blue Octavo (1963). A Scent of New-Mown Hay typified the approach that would come to characterize Blackburn’s twenty-eight novels, which defied easy categorization in their unique and compelling mixture of the genres of science fiction, horror, mystery, and thriller. Many of Blackburn’s best novels came in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with a string of successes that included the classics A Ring of Roses (1965), Children of the Night (1966), Nothing but the Night (1968; adapted for a 1973 film starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing), Devil Daddy (1972) and Our Lady of Pain (1974). Somewhat unusually for a popular horror writer, Blackburn’s novels were not only successful with the reading public but also won widespread critical acclaim: the Times Literary Supplement declared him ‘today’s master of horror’ and compared him with the Grimm Brothers, while the Penguin Encyclopedia of Horror and the Supernatural regarded him as ‘certainly the best British novelist in his field’ and the St James Guide to Crime & Mystery Writers called him ‘one of England’s best practicing novelists in the tradition of the thriller novel’.
By the time Blackburn published his final novel in 1985, much of his work was already out of print, an inexplicable neglect that continued until Valancourt began republishing his novels in 2013. John Blackburn died in 1993.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
August 20, 2025
A peculiar, intoxicating blend of science fiction, horror, and Cold War paranoia, a novel that feels as though it were written with a quill dipped in absinthe.
The story begins with a mysterious outbreak in a remote English village, where the scent of freshly cut hay wafts through the air, bringing with it something far more sinister than pastoral charm. Dr. Geoffrey Peace, a bacteriologist with the emotional range of a stoic and the deductive skills of a bloodhound, is called in to investigate. What he discovers is a chilling conspiracy involving a Soviet bioweapon that turns its victims into grotesque, mindless husks. “The smell of new-mown hay,” Blackburn writes, “is the smell of death, and it clings to everything.”
A secret laboratory hidden beneath a London hospital, a derelict ship adrift in the North Sea, and a renegade aristocratic family with ties to the Kremlin all play their parts in this macabre caper. A character’s transformation into a shambling, fungal monstrosity, is described with such detail that I found myself glancing nervously at the bread mold in my kitchen.
The novel is uneven—some sections gallop with the urgency of a thriller, while others meander like a Sunday stroll through a graveyard. Yet even in its slower moments, Blackburn’s wit and imagination keep the pages turning. “The world is full of monsters,” one character muses, “but the worst are the ones we create ourselves.”
Blackburn, a bookseller turned novelist, had a knack for blending the mundane with the macabre, and A Scent of New-Mown Hay is a prime example of his unique vision. The title itself is a masterstroke of irony, simultaneously evoking the idyllic and the ominous, a duality that permeates the novel. The cover, featuring a barefoot blonde in the snow, is equally enigmatic—a symbol of vulnerability amidst desolation, or perhaps a nod to the chilling beauty of the story’s horrors.
This book feels like stepping into a fever dream, where the line between reality and nightmare blurs in every scene. It is a nice and fun read that doesn't require too much thought but still feels intelligent, interesting, and well written. Come spring, should I mow my lawn???
The story begins with a mysterious outbreak in a remote English village, where the scent of freshly cut hay wafts through the air, bringing with it something far more sinister than pastoral charm. Dr. Geoffrey Peace, a bacteriologist with the emotional range of a stoic and the deductive skills of a bloodhound, is called in to investigate. What he discovers is a chilling conspiracy involving a Soviet bioweapon that turns its victims into grotesque, mindless husks. “The smell of new-mown hay,” Blackburn writes, “is the smell of death, and it clings to everything.”
A secret laboratory hidden beneath a London hospital, a derelict ship adrift in the North Sea, and a renegade aristocratic family with ties to the Kremlin all play their parts in this macabre caper. A character’s transformation into a shambling, fungal monstrosity, is described with such detail that I found myself glancing nervously at the bread mold in my kitchen.
The novel is uneven—some sections gallop with the urgency of a thriller, while others meander like a Sunday stroll through a graveyard. Yet even in its slower moments, Blackburn’s wit and imagination keep the pages turning. “The world is full of monsters,” one character muses, “but the worst are the ones we create ourselves.”
Blackburn, a bookseller turned novelist, had a knack for blending the mundane with the macabre, and A Scent of New-Mown Hay is a prime example of his unique vision. The title itself is a masterstroke of irony, simultaneously evoking the idyllic and the ominous, a duality that permeates the novel. The cover, featuring a barefoot blonde in the snow, is equally enigmatic—a symbol of vulnerability amidst desolation, or perhaps a nod to the chilling beauty of the story’s horrors.
This book feels like stepping into a fever dream, where the line between reality and nightmare blurs in every scene. It is a nice and fun read that doesn't require too much thought but still feels intelligent, interesting, and well written. Come spring, should I mow my lawn???
August 13, 2016
And so another book is ticked off my bucket list (or at least the list of highly sort after and yet impossible to find titles - okay bucket list sounds better)
This book was originally brought to my attention because of the cover - a startling and somewhat disturbing image painted by Tim White (yes you guessed it another one of my paper tiger titles). I then did some research and found out it was written by a rather obscure and mainly out of print British Author who for a while at least was highly regarded and much respected.
But sadly time like always is hardly kind and his books have fallen out of favour and in many cases out of print.
So what about this title -once I was able to track back through the internet and obtain a not too shoddy copy of this title.
So now I get to sit down and read a book, one I have been seeking for well over 25 years and which I knew next to nothing about.
So when I read this book it came as a bit of surprise how easy and intricate this book is and how many similarities there are in film and tv these days and yet it does not take you many pages to realise exactly what era this was written in.
The story is pretty straight forward since the write up on the back cover - there are in fact no real earth shattering surprises (is that because we are now too sensitise to it all or if the story quickly shifts to that of a glorified police hunt)
Either way it is does have elements of a story worthy of Doctor Quatermass and for that alone this book was a great read, a fascinating insight in to the man you never now hear of and a few of one of those cosy catastrophes you often see references to but never get to read any of the details.
This book was originally brought to my attention because of the cover - a startling and somewhat disturbing image painted by Tim White (yes you guessed it another one of my paper tiger titles). I then did some research and found out it was written by a rather obscure and mainly out of print British Author who for a while at least was highly regarded and much respected.
But sadly time like always is hardly kind and his books have fallen out of favour and in many cases out of print.
So what about this title -once I was able to track back through the internet and obtain a not too shoddy copy of this title.
So now I get to sit down and read a book, one I have been seeking for well over 25 years and which I knew next to nothing about.
So when I read this book it came as a bit of surprise how easy and intricate this book is and how many similarities there are in film and tv these days and yet it does not take you many pages to realise exactly what era this was written in.
The story is pretty straight forward since the write up on the back cover - there are in fact no real earth shattering surprises (is that because we are now too sensitise to it all or if the story quickly shifts to that of a glorified police hunt)
Either way it is does have elements of a story worthy of Doctor Quatermass and for that alone this book was a great read, a fascinating insight in to the man you never now hear of and a few of one of those cosy catastrophes you often see references to but never get to read any of the details.
August 18, 2011
The old whimsical phrase "there's fungus among us" might not sound so amusing after a reader finishes John Blackburn's first novel, "A Scent of New-Mown Hay." This short (my New English Library paperback edition from 1976 is only 160 pages long) but densely written book originally appeared in 1958, and is a curious combination of sci-fi, horror and spy thriller; indeed, I first came to hear of it after reading a very laudatory article on the novel in the excellent overview volume "Horror: Another 100 Best Books." And yes, the book certainly does contain its horrific elements, although the less said about them, the better. I'd hate to spoil any surprises for prospective readers.
Suffice it to say that the book opens in 1954, with General Kirk, of Britain's Foreign Service Intelligence, being informed that large sections of northern Russia have been reportedly evacuated and quarantined. Kirk, who would go on to figure in several other Blackburn novels, begins an investigation, and it is soon revealed that an ex-Nazi scientist may or may not have released a deadly, mutating organism into the world. The bulk of the novel details the race that Kirk and some dedicated biologists engage in to find the crazed scientist and stop the spread of the plague, with the action transpiring on the White Sea, in seedy Hamburg and in the English countryside. I would not divulge the nature of the deadly problem, but let's just say that those folks who have seen the 1963 Japanese thriller "Matango" will have an inkling of the sort of crisis that Kirk & Co. are dealing with here. The book moves along very rapidly, and contains some memorable set pieces, including a fog-shrouded run-in with the mutants on the Russian tundra; the final appearance of Mrs. Baker, a shoplifting British biddy who's been afflicted with the contagion; and the finale itself, with our heroes facing off against those responsible for the scourge. If I seem to be overly coy when describing this book or its plot points, again, it is solely because I enjoyed the story so much, and would hate to ruin things for any other reader. Blackburn, as it turns out, is a terrific writer, and it is hard for me to believe that this was his first book. The story is very well paced, very suspenseful, and at times almost poetically written. What a terrific film this tale might make, if handled with care by a team that respected Blackburn's vision. For those readers who are seeking a truly memorable page-turner, this book might be just the ticket...
Suffice it to say that the book opens in 1954, with General Kirk, of Britain's Foreign Service Intelligence, being informed that large sections of northern Russia have been reportedly evacuated and quarantined. Kirk, who would go on to figure in several other Blackburn novels, begins an investigation, and it is soon revealed that an ex-Nazi scientist may or may not have released a deadly, mutating organism into the world. The bulk of the novel details the race that Kirk and some dedicated biologists engage in to find the crazed scientist and stop the spread of the plague, with the action transpiring on the White Sea, in seedy Hamburg and in the English countryside. I would not divulge the nature of the deadly problem, but let's just say that those folks who have seen the 1963 Japanese thriller "Matango" will have an inkling of the sort of crisis that Kirk & Co. are dealing with here. The book moves along very rapidly, and contains some memorable set pieces, including a fog-shrouded run-in with the mutants on the Russian tundra; the final appearance of Mrs. Baker, a shoplifting British biddy who's been afflicted with the contagion; and the finale itself, with our heroes facing off against those responsible for the scourge. If I seem to be overly coy when describing this book or its plot points, again, it is solely because I enjoyed the story so much, and would hate to ruin things for any other reader. Blackburn, as it turns out, is a terrific writer, and it is hard for me to believe that this was his first book. The story is very well paced, very suspenseful, and at times almost poetically written. What a terrific film this tale might make, if handled with care by a team that respected Blackburn's vision. For those readers who are seeking a truly memorable page-turner, this book might be just the ticket...
November 4, 2015
This 1958 sci-fi thriller was John Blackburn's debut. It is meticulously-plotted, fast-paced and well-researched, containing a significant about of information about botany and epidemiology. It concerns a mutated Madura fungus, which unlike the natural unmutated form, affects the entire body of the host organism and spreads via the respiratory system. A word about the actual, nonfictional Madura fungus: infection occurs through a break in the skin, causes horrifying deformity of the feet and is often fatal. To get a quick glimpse of what this book is about, google "Madura foot" and then imagine a similar disorder which systemically takes over the entire body and spreads via airborne spores. The book is not all science fiction and horror -- Blackburn writes very poetically (there are several allusions to Shakespeare) and includes several passages of comic relief, the finest being the one where a small boy who has been sent on a shoplifting errand by his ne'er-do-well father, makes an heroic attempt to evade capture.
Want to read
July 10, 2017This hardcover is copy 40 of 200 available, and is signed by Guy N. Smith and Gahan Wilson family-approved facsimile by John F. Blackburn.
Plus the book contains a bonus short story, “The Final Trick”.
Plus the book contains a bonus short story, “The Final Trick”.
April 20, 2022
This is the second novel I have read by John Blackburn in a short space of time, and I must say that where Children of the Night got silly, sloppy, and scattershot, this one stays creepy and avoids feeling too all over the place. I knew nothing about the plot of this book, and just based on the title thought I was in for the 1950s version of Harvest Home, or The Other. And then as I looked at the synopsis before committing to Chapter One - and having read and disliked the broad, Quatermass-like, Children of the Night - I winced and assumed I might be in for another stinker involving too many characters trying to save the world from something getting less and less scary.
There are scads of characters here, and they are not fully fleshed out - but the fifty or so extra pages in this one, as opposed to the super-quick (probably for the best) Children of the Night, seem to make all the difference in the world. The author actually wants to slow down, and create mood, have a character walk a street and worry, wander through a fog knowing something might be out there, or notice the sights and sounds that are normally innocuous but become either eerie or something to be treasured and hoped for tomorrow, in a world where fungoid mutant monsters have been set loose.
Plant life becoming an apocalypse-level threat seems to have been a quiet, spreading trend in 1950s SF/Horror hybrids; I think of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Day of the Triffids, and even Greener Than You Think by Ward Moore (1947). A Scent of New-Mown Hay ignores the leafy, flowery stuff - true plant life - and gets fungal. The real-world Madura fungus, which can invade and corrupt the human body, is used as the launching point in this novel, for a mad scientist scenario complete with airborne spores that can mutate humans into monsters. Now, this book uses the 'Jaws' approach brilliantly - what the fungus mutation can do to a human body is only hinted at in a lot of the book - but the writing is so good at making the reader's imagination run amok with just a few tidbits, that I was grossed out even though this 1950s novel does lack a true "gross-out" moment on the pages. In that way, it is different than a modern approach that doesn't hold back - maybe something like Cold Storage by David Koepp which is all gross-out (and certainly the more humorous approach). I must say, though, much as I enjoyed Cold Storage, it was nice to happen upon a similar premise done more as "classic Horror".
There are scads of characters here, and they are not fully fleshed out - but the fifty or so extra pages in this one, as opposed to the super-quick (probably for the best) Children of the Night, seem to make all the difference in the world. The author actually wants to slow down, and create mood, have a character walk a street and worry, wander through a fog knowing something might be out there, or notice the sights and sounds that are normally innocuous but become either eerie or something to be treasured and hoped for tomorrow, in a world where fungoid mutant monsters have been set loose.
Plant life becoming an apocalypse-level threat seems to have been a quiet, spreading trend in 1950s SF/Horror hybrids; I think of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Day of the Triffids, and even Greener Than You Think by Ward Moore (1947). A Scent of New-Mown Hay ignores the leafy, flowery stuff - true plant life - and gets fungal. The real-world Madura fungus, which can invade and corrupt the human body, is used as the launching point in this novel, for a mad scientist scenario complete with airborne spores that can mutate humans into monsters. Now, this book uses the 'Jaws' approach brilliantly - what the fungus mutation can do to a human body is only hinted at in a lot of the book - but the writing is so good at making the reader's imagination run amok with just a few tidbits, that I was grossed out even though this 1950s novel does lack a true "gross-out" moment on the pages. In that way, it is different than a modern approach that doesn't hold back - maybe something like Cold Storage by David Koepp which is all gross-out (and certainly the more humorous approach). I must say, though, much as I enjoyed Cold Storage, it was nice to happen upon a similar premise done more as "classic Horror".
September 10, 2020
"Gentlemen, a pestilence has broken out in the northern regions of the Soviet Union. A pestilence so terrible that if we cannot stop it we are finished. And so are you."
The debut novel of John Blackburn - one of Britain's most brilliant and underrated horror-thriller authors - and introducing General Charles Kirk of the secret service with slimy media mogul John Forest; both recurring characters through many of his future novels.
A mysterious and monstrous outbreak in Russia has the Soviets begging the West for help, As the same fungoid infection appears in England; General Kirk aided by Dr. Tony Heath and his wife Marcia must solve this nature of this organism and uncover the hiding place its creator: Nazi child-prodigy and (possibly) incarnate demon Rosa Sternberg...
Thought somewhat derivative, particularly of William Hope Hodgson, (A VOICE IN THE NIGHT) John Wyndham (DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS) and Nigel Kneale (QUATERMASS EXPERIMENT - Blackburn was clearly of that original audience blown away by the virtually lost TV Terror classic), Blackburn still weaves a fine Cold War SF-Horror-Mystery and sets a template for his brilliant future refinement.
The debut novel of John Blackburn - one of Britain's most brilliant and underrated horror-thriller authors - and introducing General Charles Kirk of the secret service with slimy media mogul John Forest; both recurring characters through many of his future novels.
A mysterious and monstrous outbreak in Russia has the Soviets begging the West for help, As the same fungoid infection appears in England; General Kirk aided by Dr. Tony Heath and his wife Marcia must solve this nature of this organism and uncover the hiding place its creator: Nazi child-prodigy and (possibly) incarnate demon Rosa Sternberg...
Thought somewhat derivative, particularly of William Hope Hodgson, (A VOICE IN THE NIGHT) John Wyndham (DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS) and Nigel Kneale (QUATERMASS EXPERIMENT - Blackburn was clearly of that original audience blown away by the virtually lost TV Terror classic), Blackburn still weaves a fine Cold War SF-Horror-Mystery and sets a template for his brilliant future refinement.
February 9, 2018
A rollicking little page-turner with just the right doses of suspense, horror, and over-the-top pulpy implausibility to make it a genre classic. All this and a cracking good title, to boot!
Treading the line between Post-War spy thriller and Science Fiction Disaster, Blackburn throws in everything but the kitchen sink. Pompous Oxford dons, Soviet spies, perishing sergeant-majors, ambulatory mushroom mutants, plague crisis, shipwrecks, evil genius orphan waifs, Nazi war criminals, secret messages, hidden identities, and even Heinrich Himmler getting a very adept down-dressing from an aspiring young female mycologist.
There's nothing too complex at play here, but the premise is so much fun and the execution so well orchestrated (provided the reader is not TOO discriminating about a little of the deus ex machina so common in old pulp tales) that I have to give the book high marks. I suspect most readers will agree, so long as the subject matter is in their wheelhouse.
This particular edition was recently published by the inimitable Centipede Press and features some wild and not-at-all thematically inappropriate cover art by the talented Gahan Wilson. Some gorgeous endpapers, too!
Treading the line between Post-War spy thriller and Science Fiction Disaster, Blackburn throws in everything but the kitchen sink. Pompous Oxford dons, Soviet spies, perishing sergeant-majors, ambulatory mushroom mutants, plague crisis, shipwrecks, evil genius orphan waifs, Nazi war criminals, secret messages, hidden identities, and even Heinrich Himmler getting a very adept down-dressing from an aspiring young female mycologist.
There's nothing too complex at play here, but the premise is so much fun and the execution so well orchestrated (provided the reader is not TOO discriminating about a little of the deus ex machina so common in old pulp tales) that I have to give the book high marks. I suspect most readers will agree, so long as the subject matter is in their wheelhouse.
This particular edition was recently published by the inimitable Centipede Press and features some wild and not-at-all thematically inappropriate cover art by the talented Gahan Wilson. Some gorgeous endpapers, too!
April 6, 2020
A perfect sci-fi thriller for this pandemic season! Kinda therapeutic actually. Recommended by my dad when I asked, "What science fiction book reminds you of this crisis?"
A quickly developing story that will have you turning pages, considering an intersection of history and current events, and yet so far-fetched that you can exit reality and just have fun with Blackburn's imagination. Enjoy!
A quickly developing story that will have you turning pages, considering an intersection of history and current events, and yet so far-fetched that you can exit reality and just have fun with Blackburn's imagination. Enjoy!
August 15, 2008
This novel reminded me so much of the old back and white horror movies my brother and I watched on Saturday night's Monster Theater in the late 50's and early 60's.
November 14, 2013
Read for school.
November 15, 2020
Blackburn's debut publication as a horror writer, and it was slightly longer than his later output. We meet General Kirk and Fleet Street legend John Forest for the first time (it turns out the latter was in Sarajevo at the time of the 1914 shooting and scooped the world then as well). The plot is some unsavoury nonsense about Nazi scientists perfecting a germ warfare weapon and then unleashing it from a post-war hideaway in Britain. The bits where the authorities dither over imposing a national lockdown are oddly topical to read now. The bits where he describes the murky demi-monde of clubs where Germans with dubious histories hang out are strongly laced with the idea that sadistic bootboys are all closet gays, one of the many period details that are more interesting than the perfunctory descriptions of action. There's some light social detail about young academics, and "problem families". Blackburn doesn't really have a sense of humour but sometimes he offers a stereotype lower class person for us to snigger at, but at least that's better than the long blocks of speech where one of the posh men is dumping half a page of info.
February 5, 2017
A Scent of New-Mown Hay was written in the 1950s and it shows. There is even a tirade by one of the characters that includes mild swear words but one was obviously too much as it has been replaced by "unprintable". Had I read it as a teenager back at the time, I would probably have found it very exciting and rated it higher. The language and behaviour of the characters is as can be expected for the time period, and there isn't really a great deal of action. However, it is a decent spy thriller with a bit of a sci-fi background and worth a read for curiosity value.
April 25, 2019
One psychopathic female Nazi scientist and a fungoid pandemic turning the women of the planet into a 'Shroom nightmare.
A great page-turner from the mid-20th Century.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars...still great after all these years.
Some dicey language on the racial sensitivity front.
A great page-turner from the mid-20th Century.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars...still great after all these years.
Some dicey language on the racial sensitivity front.
July 24, 2017
I had high hopes going into this book, in part because it's been republished by Valancourt Books. I've read ten of their books so far, and none of them have disappointed. They've republished a bunch of Blackburn's books, and what I've read of them -- that they're a combination thriller, science fiction, and horror romp -- engendered excitement. While A Scent of New-mown Hay wasn't bad, it didn't quite live up to my expectations.
Published in 1958, the book is, as promised, part James Bond thriller (complete with villains who are damned Ruskies), part science fiction, and part horror. In fact, taken together, the three genres make it a Lovecraftian Bond novel, which, honestly, sounds pretty bad ass. The thing is, the story is mostly plot, with the characterization left behind in order to increase the tension and excitement of the plot. This isn't a problem, but much of what I've liked about Valancourt's reprints is that focus on character, and I was expecting the same thing here.
Additionally, Valancourt's focus has been on the slow burn, the buildup of tension over several chapters, leading us to an ending that's not explosive, but at least conclusive. Hay isn't that kind of story, either. It starts fast and keeps the pace going all the way through to the end, and I'll admit, I felt the excitement as we neared the end of the story, thinking How is our hero going to get out of this? It just didn't quite fit what I thought it would be.
It seems ridiculous to base how much I like a book on what I expect it to be, but Valancourt has done such a good job setting up my expectations on all of their works that I didn't expect anything else. I had those same expectations with the other books I read, by Ken Greenhall, Michael McDowell, Bernard Taylor, and Robert Marasco, and wasn't disappointed. Here, the characteristics shift a bit, even though it's not a bad story.
One might expect the story to be a bit dated, and in some ways, it is. The way men talk to women is condescending ("Good girl" is said to them more than once), but one of the central characters is a woman, and a strong one, to boot. Sure, her involvement is based on her husband, but once she's involved, she shows that she's just as capable as any of them men. Then there's the antagonist, also a woman, and more than just a jilted lover or a frigid bitch. In fact, as far as the characters go, she's the most developed and the most interesting.
Valancourt has sixteen other books by Blackburn, and I still plan to read them. Having read this one, I should be able to adjust my expectations on the rest of them to appreciate them more. Plus, A Scent of New-mown Hay was his first novel, so maybe they will improve as I move forward. Fans of weird fiction will like this the best, though it's not as atmospheric as standard weird fiction.
Published in 1958, the book is, as promised, part James Bond thriller (complete with villains who are damned Ruskies), part science fiction, and part horror. In fact, taken together, the three genres make it a Lovecraftian Bond novel, which, honestly, sounds pretty bad ass. The thing is, the story is mostly plot, with the characterization left behind in order to increase the tension and excitement of the plot. This isn't a problem, but much of what I've liked about Valancourt's reprints is that focus on character, and I was expecting the same thing here.
Additionally, Valancourt's focus has been on the slow burn, the buildup of tension over several chapters, leading us to an ending that's not explosive, but at least conclusive. Hay isn't that kind of story, either. It starts fast and keeps the pace going all the way through to the end, and I'll admit, I felt the excitement as we neared the end of the story, thinking How is our hero going to get out of this? It just didn't quite fit what I thought it would be.
It seems ridiculous to base how much I like a book on what I expect it to be, but Valancourt has done such a good job setting up my expectations on all of their works that I didn't expect anything else. I had those same expectations with the other books I read, by Ken Greenhall, Michael McDowell, Bernard Taylor, and Robert Marasco, and wasn't disappointed. Here, the characteristics shift a bit, even though it's not a bad story.
One might expect the story to be a bit dated, and in some ways, it is. The way men talk to women is condescending ("Good girl" is said to them more than once), but one of the central characters is a woman, and a strong one, to boot. Sure, her involvement is based on her husband, but once she's involved, she shows that she's just as capable as any of them men. Then there's the antagonist, also a woman, and more than just a jilted lover or a frigid bitch. In fact, as far as the characters go, she's the most developed and the most interesting.
Valancourt has sixteen other books by Blackburn, and I still plan to read them. Having read this one, I should be able to adjust my expectations on the rest of them to appreciate them more. Plus, A Scent of New-mown Hay was his first novel, so maybe they will improve as I move forward. Fans of weird fiction will like this the best, though it's not as atmospheric as standard weird fiction.
November 13, 2023
Another one of my picks on The Last of Us “fungal pandemic” theme. Published in 1968, it was nowhere near as graphic as Harry Adam Knight's The Fungus. Personally, I found Blackburn’s book a far more compelling and atmospheric read, despite it being a little dated and predictable. Speaking of graphic… I just love the difference between the two books. Whilst The Fungus was almost gratuitously explicit, this one had the most adorable censorship slip, where one of the side characters exclaims, at hearing the shocking news, “God! the devil, the filthy, bloody, unprintable devil.”
Q1. What genre does this book fit into?
A1. Cold war era science fiction / horror / mystery / thriller.
Q2. Who are the key characters in the book?
A2. I believe this was the first book in a series of Blackburn's novels where General Kirk, of the British Foreign Service, had made his appearance. But the main characters are biologist Dr. Walter Hearn, his protégé Tony Heath, and Marcia Heath (Tony's wife).
Q3. What did you like about the book?
A3. It was short, fairly well-paced, and, in parts, quite gripping. Also, despite some gender stereotypes, Tony's wife did not play the meek and ditsy trophy wife, in fact, she contributed quite a lot to the plot.
Q4. What did you dislike about the book?
A4. It's a book of its time, so some language is definitely dated.
Q5. How did the book make you feel?
A5. I enjoyed delving into the genre that built on the foundation of the Invasion of the Body Snatchers and, alongside other material, paved the way to The Last of Us.
Q6. What memorable new word(s) did you learn from this book, if any?
A6. Martinet - a person who demands complete obedience; a strict disciplinarian. Saprophyte - a plant, fungus, or microorganism that lives on dead or decaying organic matter. Streptothra madura... google at your own risk.
Q7. What star rating did you give this book and why?
A7. Three stars. I enjoyed it but it was undoubtedly dated and predictable, the latter of which, I suppose, was probably unavoidable given the rich diet of similar plot lines and twists we've come to expect from various media.
Q1. What genre does this book fit into?
A1. Cold war era science fiction / horror / mystery / thriller.
Q2. Who are the key characters in the book?
A2. I believe this was the first book in a series of Blackburn's novels where General Kirk, of the British Foreign Service, had made his appearance. But the main characters are biologist Dr. Walter Hearn, his protégé Tony Heath, and Marcia Heath (Tony's wife).
Q3. What did you like about the book?
A3. It was short, fairly well-paced, and, in parts, quite gripping. Also, despite some gender stereotypes, Tony's wife did not play the meek and ditsy trophy wife, in fact, she contributed quite a lot to the plot.
Q4. What did you dislike about the book?
A4. It's a book of its time, so some language is definitely dated.
Q5. How did the book make you feel?
A5. I enjoyed delving into the genre that built on the foundation of the Invasion of the Body Snatchers and, alongside other material, paved the way to The Last of Us.
Q6. What memorable new word(s) did you learn from this book, if any?
A6. Martinet - a person who demands complete obedience; a strict disciplinarian. Saprophyte - a plant, fungus, or microorganism that lives on dead or decaying organic matter. Streptothra madura... google at your own risk.
Q7. What star rating did you give this book and why?
A7. Three stars. I enjoyed it but it was undoubtedly dated and predictable, the latter of which, I suppose, was probably unavoidable given the rich diet of similar plot lines and twists we've come to expect from various media.
January 31, 2019
John Blackburn is a new author for me. I discovered his name at the end of another book I'd finished a few months ago, listing one of his books to tempt me. I couldn't find that particular book, but ordered the first book he'd written, Scent Of New Mown Hay. The write up I'd read on Blackburn grabbed my interest. He sounded like James Herbert and I've enjoyed some of his horror, especially The Secret of Crickley Hall and The Fog. So I started Scent of New Mown Hay with some anticipation.
It didn't disappoint. It had a similar feel to The Fog but without some of the more graphic elements. The story starts in Russia, a few years after WWII, where the Russian government is depopulating large swaths of Siberia. The British government is made aware of this by a cryptic note sent by a British spy who dies early in the book. The Russians then advise the world that the White Sea is now closed off for marine traffic. While the British try to find clues, a British freighter departs Archangel under pressure, is hit by a Russian warship and the crew must abandon ship on the Russian coast. What happens to them?
So we now begin a desperate investigation as the British try to discover what is going on in Russia? Are they trying to control space, turning the northern swaths of forest into a landing field for space craft? Or what? The investigation leads to deadly experiments that took place in a German concentration camp during the War. The threat is to the whole world....
And that's all I'll provide you in this synopsis. It's an interesting, scary story. It's well-paced story, tense and filled with interesting characters. For a first story, I have to say it was pretty scarily good. I'll look for more of Blackburn's books to try as well. (3.5 stars)
It didn't disappoint. It had a similar feel to The Fog but without some of the more graphic elements. The story starts in Russia, a few years after WWII, where the Russian government is depopulating large swaths of Siberia. The British government is made aware of this by a cryptic note sent by a British spy who dies early in the book. The Russians then advise the world that the White Sea is now closed off for marine traffic. While the British try to find clues, a British freighter departs Archangel under pressure, is hit by a Russian warship and the crew must abandon ship on the Russian coast. What happens to them?
So we now begin a desperate investigation as the British try to discover what is going on in Russia? Are they trying to control space, turning the northern swaths of forest into a landing field for space craft? Or what? The investigation leads to deadly experiments that took place in a German concentration camp during the War. The threat is to the whole world....
And that's all I'll provide you in this synopsis. It's an interesting, scary story. It's well-paced story, tense and filled with interesting characters. For a first story, I have to say it was pretty scarily good. I'll look for more of Blackburn's books to try as well. (3.5 stars)
March 28, 2025
This is Blackburn's debut and sets the template for much of his subsequent work - Cold War era thrillers which combine spy fiction with horror, mystery and a bit of science as well. And he does it seamlessly and more effectively than almost anyone else.
This story of a Nazi bio-super weapon unleashed in the years after WWII, veers towards pulp storytelling, but if you are looking for action there is very little of it. In fact Blackburn's skill is not in action, deep character work or rich ambience, but in the spareness of his writing that conjures up a greater level of horror than the need to be explicitly graphic or descriptive. That will jar with modern readers who will likely crave more gore, more violence and more horrific imagery. I, however prefer this way. The horror exists in the reactions and the fear of the characters in what they see and is much more effective. Partly it's because this was written in the 1950's, but the best weird horror is often implied rather than shown.
The main narrative of the book focuses on an investigation as several people under the command of dominating presence of recurring character General Kirk, seek out the missing scientist who unleashed the plague. We move from rural Russia, to post-War Germany slums and back to rural -often gothic - England. Most of the characters aren't too deep and the attitudes towards women are as dated as you expect for the '50s, but the avoidance of too many stereotypes - especially with the Russians - works pretty well (until the end anyway). The spy fiction side of things keeps more to desk work investigation than field work and the latter is only employed as the final means to trigger the final unravelling of the plot which is satisfactory.
There's not a lot of twists most modern readers wont see coming, but it's a fun pulpish read and a great introduction to the works of a sadly neglected British writer who was allowed to go out of print for far too long.
This story of a Nazi bio-super weapon unleashed in the years after WWII, veers towards pulp storytelling, but if you are looking for action there is very little of it. In fact Blackburn's skill is not in action, deep character work or rich ambience, but in the spareness of his writing that conjures up a greater level of horror than the need to be explicitly graphic or descriptive. That will jar with modern readers who will likely crave more gore, more violence and more horrific imagery. I, however prefer this way. The horror exists in the reactions and the fear of the characters in what they see and is much more effective. Partly it's because this was written in the 1950's, but the best weird horror is often implied rather than shown.
The main narrative of the book focuses on an investigation as several people under the command of dominating presence of recurring character General Kirk, seek out the missing scientist who unleashed the plague. We move from rural Russia, to post-War Germany slums and back to rural -often gothic - England. Most of the characters aren't too deep and the attitudes towards women are as dated as you expect for the '50s, but the avoidance of too many stereotypes - especially with the Russians - works pretty well (until the end anyway). The spy fiction side of things keeps more to desk work investigation than field work and the latter is only employed as the final means to trigger the final unravelling of the plot which is satisfactory.
There's not a lot of twists most modern readers wont see coming, but it's a fun pulpish read and a great introduction to the works of a sadly neglected British writer who was allowed to go out of print for far too long.
August 27, 2018
[Note: The dates of reading are wrong, but turns out I missed logging a couple of the Blackburn novels I've read this year, and so wanted to go back and correct this]
It's been a couple of months, now, since I've read this so my memory isn't sharp on details. I'll mostly just gloss over. Blackburn's first novel, a prototype of many that would follow. A couple of seemingly unrelated incidents boil over into the central mystery - why is the Soviet Union up to something seemingly nefarious - which then leads to the Blackburn-esque solution (which explaining would be a spoiler, so I'll keep it vague). There is Nazi science and an academic hero and Ministry actions and committee meetings and, generally, a solution to the whole shebang that relies largely on the guts of a central handful of characters who wade in feet first. Like later ones, the characters are pulp archetypes with just enough personality to not be tropes-with-dialogue, and there is humor mixed with social commentary mixed with science that fails to make any sense but seems reasonable enough in context.
A certain...gendered-aspect of the central weirdness is later revisited in other novels as is much of the general feeling of the mechanism of it.
Wordier than other Blackburn novels, not quite as pared down, it is both the perfect summation of what is to come and also lacks some of the fun of it. Definitely a good place to start, though I'd say there are better, maybe (go whole hog and hit up Bury Him Darkly). If you've heard of a Blackburn novel, this is probably the one you've seen. I read it third, and some of my lack of overall energy for it (in which I merely enjoyed it, but didn't quite chortle with glee at it) might simply be looking at it after seeing some of the crazy that followed. At any rate, it's not like a disliked it.
It's been a couple of months, now, since I've read this so my memory isn't sharp on details. I'll mostly just gloss over. Blackburn's first novel, a prototype of many that would follow. A couple of seemingly unrelated incidents boil over into the central mystery - why is the Soviet Union up to something seemingly nefarious - which then leads to the Blackburn-esque solution (which explaining would be a spoiler, so I'll keep it vague). There is Nazi science and an academic hero and Ministry actions and committee meetings and, generally, a solution to the whole shebang that relies largely on the guts of a central handful of characters who wade in feet first. Like later ones, the characters are pulp archetypes with just enough personality to not be tropes-with-dialogue, and there is humor mixed with social commentary mixed with science that fails to make any sense but seems reasonable enough in context.
A certain...gendered-aspect of the central weirdness is later revisited in other novels as is much of the general feeling of the mechanism of it.
Wordier than other Blackburn novels, not quite as pared down, it is both the perfect summation of what is to come and also lacks some of the fun of it. Definitely a good place to start, though I'd say there are better, maybe (go whole hog and hit up Bury Him Darkly). If you've heard of a Blackburn novel, this is probably the one you've seen. I read it third, and some of my lack of overall energy for it (in which I merely enjoyed it, but didn't quite chortle with glee at it) might simply be looking at it after seeing some of the crazy that followed. At any rate, it's not like a disliked it.
November 10, 2018
I'm over my regret about not purchasing the several fine press editions of several John Blackburn books, printed by Centipede Press. I just finished A Scent of New-Mown Hay. While I'll say it's a capable novel, I'll also say that there's nothing terribly special about it.
It's an apocalyptic story about a potentially devastating plague caused by mutant fungi. The fungi, it turns out, were developed in a lab by an escaped Nazi living undercover in a sleepy British village during the late 1940's. The novel concerns the discovery of the plague by some biologists and government agents, and their attempts to reverse it.
The book almost reads like a lesser Vonnegut novel. As in Vonnegut, the characters are somewhat cartoonish. Unlike Vonnegut, however, things never really get completely out of control and there's almost no overt humor.
In sum, this would make a good vacation read, but it doesn't make the "A" list when it comes to the horror genre or any other genre that it might fit into.
Below I give my reasons for deciding to purchase and read the book.
(***This is sort of a pre-review. I'm a bit more than half-way through the book. After a somewhat awkward start, it starts moving along nicely about 75 pages in.
My interest in the book was inspired by Jared Walters' decision to produce "fine press" editions of several John Blackburn novels, including this one. I was not familiar with the author, so I did not snap up the Centipede Press editions when they came out. The Centipede Press edition of Scent of New-Mown Hay is already out of print, so I purchased the first British edition, which as you can see has a fetching dust jacket.
Although A Scent of New-Mown Hay did not make the cut in Horror: 100 Best Books (Stephen Jones/Kim Newman, 1988), it is included in the index on a supplemental list of books worthy of pursuit. ***)
It's an apocalyptic story about a potentially devastating plague caused by mutant fungi. The fungi, it turns out, were developed in a lab by an escaped Nazi living undercover in a sleepy British village during the late 1940's. The novel concerns the discovery of the plague by some biologists and government agents, and their attempts to reverse it.
The book almost reads like a lesser Vonnegut novel. As in Vonnegut, the characters are somewhat cartoonish. Unlike Vonnegut, however, things never really get completely out of control and there's almost no overt humor.
In sum, this would make a good vacation read, but it doesn't make the "A" list when it comes to the horror genre or any other genre that it might fit into.
Below I give my reasons for deciding to purchase and read the book.
(***This is sort of a pre-review. I'm a bit more than half-way through the book. After a somewhat awkward start, it starts moving along nicely about 75 pages in.
My interest in the book was inspired by Jared Walters' decision to produce "fine press" editions of several John Blackburn novels, including this one. I was not familiar with the author, so I did not snap up the Centipede Press editions when they came out. The Centipede Press edition of Scent of New-Mown Hay is already out of print, so I purchased the first British edition, which as you can see has a fetching dust jacket.
Although A Scent of New-Mown Hay did not make the cut in Horror: 100 Best Books (Stephen Jones/Kim Newman, 1988), it is included in the index on a supplemental list of books worthy of pursuit. ***)
March 11, 2021
Some Cold War paranoia and unfinished business from WWll. Something awful is happening in northern Russia and risks spreading westward unless an antidote can be found. Tony Heath, a research biologist, is summoned from his work at a northern university to help plan the response to the Russian’s plea for help. His wife, Marcia, helps with the detective work and although the horror crops up on Spurn Head it is contained by a local shutdown much opposed by the locals who are kept in ignorance by the government for fear of riots.
The search for the mad Nazi perpetrator causes a good deal of determined, tyre-squealing driving up and down the country.
This tale has a late 1950s atmosphere of post war austerity (it would need to be filmed in black and white)and a pervading low key sadness that, as usual, the only thing that can prevent the annihilation of the human race is the ingenuity and determination of British security services and scientists.
Well we’ve done it before and we’ll do it again.
The search for the mad Nazi perpetrator causes a good deal of determined, tyre-squealing driving up and down the country.
This tale has a late 1950s atmosphere of post war austerity (it would need to be filmed in black and white)and a pervading low key sadness that, as usual, the only thing that can prevent the annihilation of the human race is the ingenuity and determination of British security services and scientists.
Well we’ve done it before and we’ll do it again.
November 26, 2022
That was interesting.
The author's voice is very present, in a way that isn't common these days, and very coy; he'll say "so-and-so gave instructions" or "so-and-so took notes", and not tell you what the instructions were or what the notes said, which tends to annoy me. But I will excuse a lot, because it really was a very fast and engaging pulp read.
I would have like a little more detail on the monsters, and there were a couple of very jarring turns of phrase, but against that I enjoyed following Marcia and Kirk, and the other characters were always doing something so were interesting to read.
And the turns of phrase in the book; oh my goodness some of them are gorgeous. I feel like Blackburn is quietly delighting in what his sentences can do just to bring home elements of the story, and that delight is warranted.
I figured out what was probably happening about halfway through the book, but I don't mind; it was a fun trip to get there.
The author's voice is very present, in a way that isn't common these days, and very coy; he'll say "so-and-so gave instructions" or "so-and-so took notes", and not tell you what the instructions were or what the notes said, which tends to annoy me. But I will excuse a lot, because it really was a very fast and engaging pulp read.
I would have like a little more detail on the monsters, and there were a couple of very jarring turns of phrase, but against that I enjoyed following Marcia and Kirk, and the other characters were always doing something so were interesting to read.
And the turns of phrase in the book; oh my goodness some of them are gorgeous. I feel like Blackburn is quietly delighting in what his sentences can do just to bring home elements of the story, and that delight is warranted.
I figured out what was probably happening about halfway through the book, but I don't mind; it was a fun trip to get there.
June 22, 2023
More thriller than SF, but it does have folk mutating into giant fungi (or is it giant fungi mutating into folk?), so that's very definitely SF. And, besides, fungi are In right now.
Written in the Fifties, parts of A Scent of New-Mown Hay haven't dated too well (some phrasing that will raise a contemporary eyebrow, stereotypical local colour characters, stereotypical British toff characters, predictable sexism). But there are some admittedly effective turns of horror and palpable menace as things develop, and some eerie description that the likes of Ramsey Campbell would be pleased with. Personally, I would have preferred something more apocalyptic (John Wyndham would not have been worried back in the day), but what is here keeps the tension relatively high and the pages turning with pace. Hammer could have made a good film of this (there are fairly strong Quatermass vibes).
Good retro fun.
Written in the Fifties, parts of A Scent of New-Mown Hay haven't dated too well (some phrasing that will raise a contemporary eyebrow, stereotypical local colour characters, stereotypical British toff characters, predictable sexism). But there are some admittedly effective turns of horror and palpable menace as things develop, and some eerie description that the likes of Ramsey Campbell would be pleased with. Personally, I would have preferred something more apocalyptic (John Wyndham would not have been worried back in the day), but what is here keeps the tension relatively high and the pages turning with pace. Hammer could have made a good film of this (there are fairly strong Quatermass vibes).
Good retro fun.
April 10, 2024
My selection for the Reddit r/Fantasy 2024 Bingo 'Judge A Book By Its Cover' square (hard mode). If I've going to read a book based solely of what's on the cover (the definition of hard mode for this square), then I'm going to pick a thin one. Written by an English writer, it was originally published in 1958. I read the mass market paperback version published by the New English Library in 1976. The cover art is eye-catching, but I think the cover art from the 1968 New English Library version is even better. It's not aged well. The plot features Cold War intrigue, mad Nazi scientists, and a pandemic that threatens to destroy humanity by mutating people into fungoid monsters It's horror, a mystery and a spy thriller. The problem for me was the mystery was so predictable. About half way through I know whodunnit. I then just had to wait for everybody else to catch up.
(Other 2024 Bingo squares that this would fit: Survival).
(Other 2024 Bingo squares that this would fit: Survival).
May 17, 2025
Blackburn's first novel is a surprisingly good thriller with strong dashes of horror rationalized with science fiction. The idea of an bioengineered plague was probably not new in 1958, but this may be the first appearance in a mainstream novel. The plot involves British Intelligence, Soviet diplomats, government research scientists, and scheming former Nazis. Overall, the concoction succeeds because the novel is short, and the pace is brisk. In his way, Blackburn is a seminal horror writer whose works predict the works of Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and F. Paul Wilson. I have also read Blackburn's Nothing But the Night that was made into an entertaining horror film in England (starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, no less). I'm surprised that A Scent of New-Mown Hay was never adapted to the screen.
March 24, 2024
A fast paced book that is part action thriller with body horror. Kinda dated with the language for our time, but it is easy to see how this became a best seller back in the day. Someone once mentioned that this would have been a good part of the Quatermaas series (the inspiration of which is easy to see with the character of Kirk) and that is spot on.
July 24, 2023
Is this where The Last of Us comes from?
Interesting scientific horror novel where the women aren't there to just stand around and coo at how smart the men are.
Interesting scientific horror novel where the women aren't there to just stand around and coo at how smart the men are.
March 31, 2024
This book is dated and difficult to engage with. It's twists and reveals feel stale and dry, though there were moments which were genuinely enjoyable. Furthermore, for a first novel Blackburn did well and though its premise is familiar to most people now, it was likely cutting edge at the time.
April 6, 2024
THis book is really good! Written in the fifties and the first book by this writer I want to read more from him. While it went in a direction I was surprised at it was still good but not as apocalyptic as I wanted. But it has fungoid humanoid creatures!
October 22, 2025
Loved the villain and her diabolical plan, but man the first half was sloooooow. Like, the book is tiny and I still considered DNF’ing it. I also took pleasure in just how ultra 1950’s British the writing and characters were, though.
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