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Man Eater
Not yet published
Expected 26 Jan 27Win a free print copy of this book!
1 day and 08:56:32
50 copies available
U.S. only
From the Stoker-nominated author of Where the Dead Wait and All the White Spaces comes a feminist Gothic horror novel in which a botanist searching for a rare orchid encounters an inhuman presence lurking in the jungle shadows…
1901. Minerva Sandford is an adventure-seeker, a botanist—and a reluctant wife. Part of a family of exotic plant-hunters, she chafes at the lack of autonomy in her chilly marriage and is horrified by her sole “purpose” being to produce a male heir. She leaps on the rare opportunity to accompany her husband Guy and cousin Dickon into the fevered Amazonian jungle, searching for the fabled “Man Eater” orchids. No matter what the cost.
As the search for the orchids—and the sinister tendrils of the rubber industry—drive the group deeper into the remote wilderness, Minerva begins to see things amongst the trees. A ghostly woman in green, impossible artifacts, plants moving in all-too-human ways…
Driven by her unquenchable ambition and guided by a secret map, Minerva draws the expedition into uncharted territory, only to encounter untold dangers from without and within. Under the canopy of eerie vines, her lifelong fight for control over her own body takes on ever-more horrific implications. The jungle is alive, and it seems...hungry.
1901. Minerva Sandford is an adventure-seeker, a botanist—and a reluctant wife. Part of a family of exotic plant-hunters, she chafes at the lack of autonomy in her chilly marriage and is horrified by her sole “purpose” being to produce a male heir. She leaps on the rare opportunity to accompany her husband Guy and cousin Dickon into the fevered Amazonian jungle, searching for the fabled “Man Eater” orchids. No matter what the cost.
As the search for the orchids—and the sinister tendrils of the rubber industry—drive the group deeper into the remote wilderness, Minerva begins to see things amongst the trees. A ghostly woman in green, impossible artifacts, plants moving in all-too-human ways…
Driven by her unquenchable ambition and guided by a secret map, Minerva draws the expedition into uncharted territory, only to encounter untold dangers from without and within. Under the canopy of eerie vines, her lifelong fight for control over her own body takes on ever-more horrific implications. The jungle is alive, and it seems...hungry.
336 pages, Paperback
Expected publication January 26, 2027
About the author
Ally Wilkes
17 books295 followersI write supernatural, cosmic, and weird horror, and I'm particularly fascinated by Polar stories and the exploration Gothic, despite suffering from seasickness and loathing the cold!
My debut novel All the White Spaces, set in the Heroic Age of Antarctic exploration, will be out in January 2022 (UK) / March 2022 (US).
My short fiction has been published in Nightmare Magazine, Three Crows Magazine, and I'm also the Book Reviews Editor for Horrified Magazine, the British horror website. I live in Greenwich, London, with an anatomical human skeleton and far too many books about Polar exploration...
My debut novel All the White Spaces, set in the Heroic Age of Antarctic exploration, will be out in January 2022 (UK) / March 2022 (US).
My short fiction has been published in Nightmare Magazine, Three Crows Magazine, and I'm also the Book Reviews Editor for Horrified Magazine, the British horror website. I live in Greenwich, London, with an anatomical human skeleton and far too many books about Polar exploration...
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
Title/Author: Man Eater by Ally Wilkes
Format Read: Physical ARC from the publisher/author
Pub date: January 26, 2027
Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Page Count: 336
Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/978166820...
Recommended for readers who enjoy:
- Feminist Jungle Gothic Horror
- Historical fiction (1901) Victorian Era
- "Indiana Jones"-esque treasure-hunting adventure
- The Talented Mr. Ripley dynamic (three peope in a toxic relationship triangle) Husband, Guy. Cousin, Dickon. And our antiheroine, Minerva
- The jungle setting is like a character-botanical horror/wildlife/survival/rare orchids
- Oppressive marital "obligations" --motherhood; "settle down" "housewife"
__
Minor complaints:
- It took me several chapters to get properly invested but once I did, I could not be torn away from it.
Final recommendation: Blurb "The most compelling and beguiling protagonist since Cora Seaborne in The Essex Serpent, Minerva Sandford's quest for a rare orchid and her independence from her husband's expecations coalesce in the heat of the jungle with every threat imaginiable against her. I could not tear myself away from these pages!" Ally Wilkes is such a talented historical viction era storyteller. I was so transported! I felt this Indiana Jones meets The Talented Mr. Ripley (from the woman's POV) meets the seduction and subtleties of a Victorian Era romance thriller--like a little Laura Purcell + C. J. Cooke. If all of this sounds yummy to you, understand that it 100% succeeds in ambitiously checking all those boxes. I loved the setting, the orchid hunting, the nerdy botanical deep dives, the steamy romance vibes, the dynamic between Minerva and her cousin Dickon and the tension between Minerva and her husband, Guy. We fcking hate that GUY! Also I need a poison garden, ASAP
I hope you have as much fun as I did!! This book is peak "feral & hysterical" woman needs to be put in her proper place (but she will not go quietly)
Comps: The Burial Plot by Elizabeth Macneal (such a great comp because there is a bit of a relationship triangle, botanical element, historical thriller with murder, manipulation, betrayal and it's historical), The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry (this because the female MC is whipcrack smart, searching for something, struggling in relationships, historical, feminist) A Haunting in the Arctic (1901-same historical setting, feminist, adventure, murder, secrets & lies) or Hungerstone by Kat Dunn (the marriage dynamic and historical setting is similar but there's no adventure)
Format Read: Physical ARC from the publisher/author
Pub date: January 26, 2027
Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Page Count: 336
Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/978166820...
Recommended for readers who enjoy:
- Feminist Jungle Gothic Horror
- Historical fiction (1901) Victorian Era
- "Indiana Jones"-esque treasure-hunting adventure
- The Talented Mr. Ripley dynamic (three peope in a toxic relationship triangle) Husband, Guy. Cousin, Dickon. And our antiheroine, Minerva
- The jungle setting is like a character-botanical horror/wildlife/survival/rare orchids
- Oppressive marital "obligations" --motherhood; "settle down" "housewife"
__
Minor complaints:
- It took me several chapters to get properly invested but once I did, I could not be torn away from it.
Final recommendation: Blurb "The most compelling and beguiling protagonist since Cora Seaborne in The Essex Serpent, Minerva Sandford's quest for a rare orchid and her independence from her husband's expecations coalesce in the heat of the jungle with every threat imaginiable against her. I could not tear myself away from these pages!" Ally Wilkes is such a talented historical viction era storyteller. I was so transported! I felt this Indiana Jones meets The Talented Mr. Ripley (from the woman's POV) meets the seduction and subtleties of a Victorian Era romance thriller--like a little Laura Purcell + C. J. Cooke. If all of this sounds yummy to you, understand that it 100% succeeds in ambitiously checking all those boxes. I loved the setting, the orchid hunting, the nerdy botanical deep dives, the steamy romance vibes, the dynamic between Minerva and her cousin Dickon and the tension between Minerva and her husband, Guy. We fcking hate that GUY! Also I need a poison garden, ASAP
I hope you have as much fun as I did!! This book is peak "feral & hysterical" woman needs to be put in her proper place (but she will not go quietly)
Comps: The Burial Plot by Elizabeth Macneal (such a great comp because there is a bit of a relationship triangle, botanical element, historical thriller with murder, manipulation, betrayal and it's historical), The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry (this because the female MC is whipcrack smart, searching for something, struggling in relationships, historical, feminist) A Haunting in the Arctic (1901-same historical setting, feminist, adventure, murder, secrets & lies) or Hungerstone by Kat Dunn (the marriage dynamic and historical setting is similar but there's no adventure)
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you NetGalley and Emily Bestler Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
“Man Eater” by Ally Wilkes is atmospheric, strange, unsettling, and ambitious. The premise is fantastic, Minerva is a fascinating heroine, and the Amazon setting is basically a character of its own. If you’re interested in a feminist, botanical horror book, you will definitely love this one.
Set in 1901, Man Eater follows Minerva Sandford, a botanist trapped in a miserable marriage where her husband is far more interested in producing a male heir than treating her like an actual person. So when she gets the opportunity to join her husband Guy and cousin Dickon on an expedition into the Amazon in search of the legendary “Man Eater” orchids, she jumps at the chance. Because obviously nothing could possibly go wrong in a remote jungle while searching for potentially dangerous plants.
I really loved Minerva as a protagonist. She feels like a modern woman trapped in a time when women were expected to stay in their lane, and her frustration with having her entire existence reduced to being a wife and potential mother gives the story a strong feminist edge. She is ambitious, intelligent, curious, and definitely flawed. Her fascination with plants and her desire to prove herself also means she is willing to wander toward things that any sensible person would immediately run away from, which makes her a pretty perfect Gothic heroine.
And the atmosphere was so good and engrossing.
The Amazon feels oppressive, claustrophobic, and almost alive despite being this enormous landscape. Wilkes does an incredible job making you feel the heat, the humidity, the tangled vegetation, and that constant sense that something is just beyond the edge of what you can see. Plants move in ways they shouldn't. Strange things are discovered. Minerva sees a mysterious woman in green. You had to wonder if Minerva was just seeing or if there really was something supernatural going on.
That uncertainty worked really well for me. A lot of the book has this fever-dream quality where you aren't always sure what's real, what's being imagined, or exactly where the story is going. The jungle starts to feel like it is closing in around everyone, and the expedition becomes increasingly threatening from both the environment and the people involved.
I also really liked the themes running underneath all the creepy jungle stuff. Minerva is fighting for control over her own life and body, while the expedition exposes another kind of exploitation through the rubber industry and the outsiders who view the Amazon as something to be conquered and used. There is definitely some subtlety sacrificed for the sake of making those points very clear, though. The feminist and anti-exploitation themes can occasionally feel more like the book is making an argument at you than letting the story speak for itself.
My biggest issue was the storytelling itself. I was completely hooked by the writing and premise at the beginning, but somewhere around the later part of the book, things started getting confusing. There are shifts between past and present, important characters disappear from the narrative, and the plot keeps changing direction. At several points I felt like I had finally figured out where the story was going, only for it to veer off somewhere else entirely.
And honestly, the final stretch became pretty convoluted for me. The atmosphere and imagery remained fantastic, but I wasn't always sure what I was supposed to be understanding or where certain plot threads were going.
Still, there are some genuinely memorable and wonderfully creepy moments here, and Ally Wilkes' writing is undeniably vivid. Even when I wasn't completely sure what was happening, I could see the jungle and feel the tension. The book has a very immersive, old-school expedition-horror feel mixed with Gothic horror and feminist themes, and it definitely feels different from a lot of modern horror.
“Man Eater” by Ally Wilkes is atmospheric, strange, unsettling, and ambitious. The premise is fantastic, Minerva is a fascinating heroine, and the Amazon setting is basically a character of its own. If you’re interested in a feminist, botanical horror book, you will definitely love this one.
Set in 1901, Man Eater follows Minerva Sandford, a botanist trapped in a miserable marriage where her husband is far more interested in producing a male heir than treating her like an actual person. So when she gets the opportunity to join her husband Guy and cousin Dickon on an expedition into the Amazon in search of the legendary “Man Eater” orchids, she jumps at the chance. Because obviously nothing could possibly go wrong in a remote jungle while searching for potentially dangerous plants.
I really loved Minerva as a protagonist. She feels like a modern woman trapped in a time when women were expected to stay in their lane, and her frustration with having her entire existence reduced to being a wife and potential mother gives the story a strong feminist edge. She is ambitious, intelligent, curious, and definitely flawed. Her fascination with plants and her desire to prove herself also means she is willing to wander toward things that any sensible person would immediately run away from, which makes her a pretty perfect Gothic heroine.
And the atmosphere was so good and engrossing.
The Amazon feels oppressive, claustrophobic, and almost alive despite being this enormous landscape. Wilkes does an incredible job making you feel the heat, the humidity, the tangled vegetation, and that constant sense that something is just beyond the edge of what you can see. Plants move in ways they shouldn't. Strange things are discovered. Minerva sees a mysterious woman in green. You had to wonder if Minerva was just seeing or if there really was something supernatural going on.
That uncertainty worked really well for me. A lot of the book has this fever-dream quality where you aren't always sure what's real, what's being imagined, or exactly where the story is going. The jungle starts to feel like it is closing in around everyone, and the expedition becomes increasingly threatening from both the environment and the people involved.
I also really liked the themes running underneath all the creepy jungle stuff. Minerva is fighting for control over her own life and body, while the expedition exposes another kind of exploitation through the rubber industry and the outsiders who view the Amazon as something to be conquered and used. There is definitely some subtlety sacrificed for the sake of making those points very clear, though. The feminist and anti-exploitation themes can occasionally feel more like the book is making an argument at you than letting the story speak for itself.
My biggest issue was the storytelling itself. I was completely hooked by the writing and premise at the beginning, but somewhere around the later part of the book, things started getting confusing. There are shifts between past and present, important characters disappear from the narrative, and the plot keeps changing direction. At several points I felt like I had finally figured out where the story was going, only for it to veer off somewhere else entirely.
And honestly, the final stretch became pretty convoluted for me. The atmosphere and imagery remained fantastic, but I wasn't always sure what I was supposed to be understanding or where certain plot threads were going.
Still, there are some genuinely memorable and wonderfully creepy moments here, and Ally Wilkes' writing is undeniably vivid. Even when I wasn't completely sure what was happening, I could see the jungle and feel the tension. The book has a very immersive, old-school expedition-horror feel mixed with Gothic horror and feminist themes, and it definitely feels different from a lot of modern horror.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Ally Wilkes' Man Eater is a historical jungle thriller in the tradition of Louis Bayard's Roosevelt's Beast and Michelle Paver's Rainforest. The novel makes a variety of philosophical points about societal expectations of women in Victorian society, but they're so unsubtle that it starts to feel preachy. When we arrive at the closing section to find an epigraph from The Yellow Wallpaper, none of us is surprised.
That being said, there are some examples of undeniably vivid imagery in this rainforest fever dream, resulting in at least two very memorable, if somewhat unoriginal scenes. The story resembles Jeremy Robinson's pulpy Alter as much as Paver's or Bayard's Amazonian nightmares. There's a bit of Rosemary's Baby here (and for deep-divers, Primal), a bit of Werner Herzog's Burden of Dreams. But mostly, what strikes the reader is the uneven topography of this rutted narrative. Like hiking through vine-choked jungle trails, this story has enough contradictions to make the reader turn back on themselves and become lost in the verdure. The author explains in the Acknowledgments that she edited out over a hundred thousand words that included parallel timelines and other characters that might have smoothed out this flood-ravaged literary plain.
For edifying jungle thrills, stick to the classics. This book takes notes from some of the best--there are even aspects of the novel that resemble Theroux's masterpiece, Mosquito Coast, unfortunately, also some that resemble Scott Smith's aptly named The Ruins--but it's more of an homage to great work than an example of its own.
With consumptive gratitude to the author, Edelweiss and Atria books for the ARC.
That being said, there are some examples of undeniably vivid imagery in this rainforest fever dream, resulting in at least two very memorable, if somewhat unoriginal scenes. The story resembles Jeremy Robinson's pulpy Alter as much as Paver's or Bayard's Amazonian nightmares. There's a bit of Rosemary's Baby here (and for deep-divers, Primal), a bit of Werner Herzog's Burden of Dreams. But mostly, what strikes the reader is the uneven topography of this rutted narrative. Like hiking through vine-choked jungle trails, this story has enough contradictions to make the reader turn back on themselves and become lost in the verdure. The author explains in the Acknowledgments that she edited out over a hundred thousand words that included parallel timelines and other characters that might have smoothed out this flood-ravaged literary plain.
For edifying jungle thrills, stick to the classics. This book takes notes from some of the best--there are even aspects of the novel that resemble Theroux's masterpiece, Mosquito Coast, unfortunately, also some that resemble Scott Smith's aptly named The Ruins--but it's more of an homage to great work than an example of its own.
With consumptive gratitude to the author, Edelweiss and Atria books for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Man Eater has vivid, descriptive writing that creates a strong atmosphere and builds a sense of anticipation. While the opening initially intrigued me, the story didn’t fully hold my attention beyond the first couple of chapters. Each time I felt as though I had a grasp on the narrative, it shifted in a new direction, leaving me confused about where it was leading rather than curious about what would happen next.
There is certainly potential here, particularly for readers who enjoy atmospheric, unconventional stories that take time to reveal their direction. Unfortunately, I never felt grounded enough in the narrative to become fully invested.
Ultimately, I don’t think I was the right audience for this book.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
There is certainly potential here, particularly for readers who enjoy atmospheric, unconventional stories that take time to reveal their direction. Unfortunately, I never felt grounded enough in the narrative to become fully invested.
Ultimately, I don’t think I was the right audience for this book.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you Netgalley for this advanced read! This book was weird in the best kinds of ways. The writing style was unique, which was really enjoyable in many places, and took a bit of time for my mind to catch up in other spots. The vibe created in the jungle scenes was immersive, you really felt the struggle and hardship, and pure wildness of the jungle. Then Sandford family is diabolical, in the most interesting of ways, and their adventure to find the rare Man Eater Orchid rips them apart, in so many ways. The time jumping was a bit hard to follow in parts, but worth working through to get to the conclusion of this beauty,
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Dnf
I expected something completely different from what this book actually is. Unfortunately, this book is not for me. I appreciate the opportunity to read this book early.
Thank you to NetGalley, Ally Wilkes, and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
I expected something completely different from what this book actually is. Unfortunately, this book is not for me. I appreciate the opportunity to read this book early.
Thank you to NetGalley, Ally Wilkes, and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews