The Gardener : A Splatterpunk Bone Meal Controversy

by K D Davies, Danielle Sundby (Editor)

44 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 7, 2026

Reviews

[Carl Bluesy]

The build in this one was perfect! The starts off almost normal, then becomes, violent, followed by some horrific scenes, then it goes into an outright gorefest!

I listened to this one as an audiobook, and I’m glad I did because Bree Allison was the narrator and she does terrific work! Such a soft, soothing voice reading the most diabolical tails possible!

There’s so much to love in this tiny package!

[Georgia]

✨️Audiobook Review✨️

@kd_davies_author is a new author to me and I was not dissapointed. Classic splatterpunk meets humor and I ate this up. I wanted more. This quick read is perfect for the reader who is new to the genre and wants to dip their toes in. No pun intended. The ending was brilliant and made me audibly gasp and say "well alright then." This is a "what the fvck did I just read" in all of the best ways.

@breebooks2016 narrates this book with complete perfection. Her voice is captivating and she never wavers. Bree introduced me to the splatterpunk genre and I've been hooked ever since. If you have a chance to listen to anything that she narrates definitely don't pass up the opportunity.

Recommended to readers and listeners of horror and splatterpunk who enjoy their reads quick and completely addicting.

Thank you @breebooks2016 for the audio copy of this book. I look forward to reading more by K.D. Davies.

#TheGardener #horror #splatterpunk #extremehorror #audiobook

[ARTISAN]

This was a fun and dark tale of green thumbed torment. Very well written and with an extremely clean edit and tight story. The prose is quite well done especially during the splatter scenes, and the progression from Ruby and Russel's beginning to end was incredibly consistent and clear. This is a very well done story through and through, very encouraging to me as I am now interested in exploring KD Davies work much further. Bravo!

[Gore Williams]

Some have a green thumb and know how to garden, some go the extra mile with a red thumb and then some. No matter if you're pushing daisies, slicing the onions, chopping the potatoes, wandering through the trees of the forest wilderness or watering the roses, you should take some time to rest your bones and sit a spell to read this.

[Shelley Tabberner]

Another hit

Detailed, gross and thrilling. Another great story by a great writter. Her books never disappoint and introduced me to a new genre

[Tanya]

4.5 Stars

The Gardener is bloody, bizarre, darkly funny, and exactly the kind of splatterpunk novella that takes an ordinary subject and asks, “But how completely unhinged can we make this?” Apparently, the answer is VERY. K.D. Davies turns gardening into something considerably more sinister, filling this short read with extreme gore, ridiculous humor, and imagery that I am probably going to think about the next time I see someone spreading fertilizer.

One of my favorite things about this book was how well the comedy worked alongside the horror. The violence is graphic and completely over-the-top, but there is an absurdity running underneath everything that makes the gruesome moments strangely entertaining. Even the garden gnomes get involved, because apparently nothing is sacred in splatterpunk. 😂 It is gross, creative, and wonderfully weird without ever pretending to be something more serious than the gloriously twisted story it wants to tell. Perhaps I need some award-winning “Ruby’s Bone Meal” for my houseplants?!

The Gardener was a ridiculously entertaining little bloodbath. It is creative, funny, grotesque, and memorable, with exactly the kind of “what the hell did I just read?” energy I enjoy in splatterpunk. Definitely check the content warnings and prepare yourself for some seriously graphic imagery, but if extreme horror, dark comedy, outrageous gore, and completely bonkers premises are your thing, this garden is absolutely worth wandering into. I loved the chaotic energy of this book!

Thanks to K D Davies for gifting me an eARC of The Gardener. I am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[J. Tarmac]

What do CCTV Gnomes, Extreme Gore, and Charlie Dimmock's unsupported breasts all have in common? Why, they're all key features of KD Davis's new splatterpunk/ dark comedy tale, The Gardener!


That's right, this American Psycho meets Ground Force shorty has all the elements of a great British horror B-movie. Set in a small rural village and initially following Clarice, a mother on a quest to find the best fertilizer for her garden, this story quickly takes on a darker edge. The fertilizer she discovers at the local garden centre isn't all that it first appears, requiring a rather special ingredient to manufacture... human bones. We then meet Ruby, the disturbed inventor of this miraculous garden potion, and things get wild quick. Injecting Davies's trademark spark of dark comedy and cultural reflections, this story gets messy! A particular line, screamed later in the book, and announcing who the true star of the TV show Ground Force was, had me dying! This is a fun as hell ride with plenty of juicy splatter to keep the reader happy. 

Great stuff!

[Charlene (Char) ❤︎ ❀˖° ❤︎]

What in the world did I read !?!? I think I need to see a psych. KD has done it again this story gives the a new meaning to the word grotesque.This book takes a sinister turn into having the “perfect garden”. If you’re a fan of gnomes, gardens and unspeakable horror. This is the book for you !

Ruby a woman that has found the secret to having others maintain the perfect garden. Her product Ruby’s Bone Meal” is in high demand! It’s selling out but her ingredients and obtaining them are on the menacing side. The ending though I AM STILL NOT OVER IT NOR WILL I EVER BE BECAUSE WHAT!?!?!?

I love whatever is wrong KD because how her mind comes up with these books is beyond me. I can’t and won’t stop reading them. I can’t recommend this book enough.

Thank you for allowing me a copy of this ARC all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

[Jess Beedle]

Received as an arc from the author KD Davies! Thank you so much for adding me to your go to arc team! I loved the whole plot of this book! I love that it was a good quick read which I read on the train!
I must admit I did struggle to get into the beginning but once the gore kicked it was great!! Not my favourite of their books. I will always have my top spot for the slow unpeeling!

But overall a great read and you should defo check this author out!!

[Holly]

Davies' has the most bizarre and unpredictable mind I think I've ever some across in an author, because what do you mean The Gardener has little spy camera gnomes, murder, gardening and a plot twist that will give you whiplash???

You will never be left bored with a K.D. Davies story I can tell you that! The Gardener was a fun and brutal tale that will have your jaw on the floor. The blood and gore is always *chefs kiss*

I'm still not over that last page.

[Claudia Rambles]

How’s your garden? All green and thriving?
Well, if you’re struggling, Ruby has a fertiliser recipe that works miracles… and it’s protected by some very special gnomes.

Now, if you’ve read one of KD’s stories, you already know how crazy, funny and bloody they are, and this book is no exception.
It’s a very quick read that, between fine cuts and bones, tells the story of an unhinged woman who has always had a dream that would be an absolute nightmare for everyone else.

…and by the end, I bet you’ll be picking your jaw up off the floor... before it gets turned into bone meal.

[SJ]

𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄

Every time I pick up K D Davies I know it's going to be good, but this one has to be my favorite. It's a very short, fast-paced read. It's twisted, but I oddly loved it! Without giving anything away, I highly recommend adding this to your TBR.