The Idiot's Garden

by Kyle E. Miller

A jungle has overgrown the toxic remnants of a far-gone world, leaving the mysteries of the reviving Earth to those transmuted by time. A boy named Seed overcomes a terminal illness after eating a fish infested with forever chemicals. His friend Bike struggles to reconcile the present with the fragmented memories of his seemingly endless past. And Peloria, a double-minded hybrid who speaks a language of her own, searches for the meaning of her singular existence. Together, they navigate the frontier of a post-apocalyptic world and the strange power that threatens to eliminate the last humans. In this work of experimental fiction, the line between poetry and prose is as blurred as that between human and non-human, vine and power line, leaf and data chip. The only way to survive in this new world is not only to overcome one’s past, but to dissolve the boundaries of flesh itself.

183 pages, Paperback

Published October 2, 2025

Reviews

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a delight in world-building. If one had to assign genre this would technically be post-apocalyptic sci-fi, but there is something about the tone that is almost fantasy, or even anagogy. Miller uses precise yet poetic language to evoke a devastated but healing world. Nature has moved on from us. The meanings of words are as mutated as the landscape. I believe this is a book best enjoyed by a reader that can allow themself to give in to the flow of prose and reference, rather than grappling with specifics. By allowing yourself to be carried along by the current, you are permitted flashes of a very strange but beautiful world — a world that may think human beings and human industry are interesting, but ultimately not very important.

[Lexy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible. The construction of sentences is captivating from start to finish, and the characters became so dear to me throughout. While focused on a small main cast, the book’s attention to detail forces readers to see the world through a much wider lens. This work constantly brings to focus the subtle complexities of the natural world we humans are very much part of, whether we believe it or not. I found myself delighted by every turn of the page and plot.

[Ivy Grimes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly strange and beautiful, The Idiot's Garden is filled with inventive prose portraying a new phase of nature long after climate catastrophes have altered all life forever. The small group of characters (Bike, Seed, Peloria, and Nameless) will break your heart. It's best to go into the book without knowing too much, because the surprises are marvelous. Look out for whales.