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Mushroom Thriller #1
The EvoAngel: A scorching thriller about a woman's changing body and the wild mushrooms of the dark forest
Elderly mushroom hunter Edna Morton has a health problem. She’s sprouted feathers. A trip to her health clinic brings her to the attention of an aggressive and ambitious physician, Dr. Theodora Band.
Is there something in the local mushrooms that activates DNA? Why now? Why Edna?
Edna knows which mushrooms could put an end to Dr. Band, but she’d rather look at her family history to see if this has happened before. Could those stories of witches and toadstools be aspects of evolutionary development?
There’s no time to dawdle. Edna’s family is at risk of sprouting feathers too. Then there is a murder at the health clinic followed by the arrival of a National Security analyst who wants to learn about the ability of mushrooms to degrade sarin gas and neurotoxins.
Edna’s challenges are sprouting like mushrooms after rain.
Part adventure, part science class and totally fungi friendly, The EvoAngel delivers a grand gallop through the woods of the Pacific Northwest.
Is there something in the local mushrooms that activates DNA? Why now? Why Edna?
Edna knows which mushrooms could put an end to Dr. Band, but she’d rather look at her family history to see if this has happened before. Could those stories of witches and toadstools be aspects of evolutionary development?
There’s no time to dawdle. Edna’s family is at risk of sprouting feathers too. Then there is a murder at the health clinic followed by the arrival of a National Security analyst who wants to learn about the ability of mushrooms to degrade sarin gas and neurotoxins.
Edna’s challenges are sprouting like mushrooms after rain.
Part adventure, part science class and totally fungi friendly, The EvoAngel delivers a grand gallop through the woods of the Pacific Northwest.
472 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 16, 2016
21 people are currently reading
352 people want to read
About the author
Ellen King Rice
7 books25 followers Ellen King Rice is a former wildlife biologist with passions for epigenetics and fungi.
In her younger years she served as a wildlife conservation officer, a big game manager, an endangered species biologist and as an lobbyist for environmental issues.
After a spinal cord injury halted her field work, Ellen studied dominance and territorial behaviors while parenting toddlers and adolescents.
One year she entered a Hank the Cowdog story contest and won a twenty two volume set of Hank adventures. This trained her brain in the fine art of being a misunderstood genius.
Ellen posts interesting tidbits about fungi every Tuesday at:
https://www.facebook.com/mushroomthri...
The best fun is the fungi!
In her younger years she served as a wildlife conservation officer, a big game manager, an endangered species biologist and as an lobbyist for environmental issues.
After a spinal cord injury halted her field work, Ellen studied dominance and territorial behaviors while parenting toddlers and adolescents.
One year she entered a Hank the Cowdog story contest and won a twenty two volume set of Hank adventures. This trained her brain in the fine art of being a misunderstood genius.
Ellen posts interesting tidbits about fungi every Tuesday at:
https://www.facebook.com/mushroomthri...
The best fun is the fungi!
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 26, 2016
I won this book through Goodreads First- reads.
A fantasy of a woman and her family who was different from others.
Medical and Scientific persons wanted her DNA. They were willing to kill to get what they wanted.
She was like an "old fox" and outsmarted them.
I enjoyed the illustrations and the very black ink in the printing. It was easy on the eyes.
A fantasy of a woman and her family who was different from others.
Medical and Scientific persons wanted her DNA. They were willing to kill to get what they wanted.
She was like an "old fox" and outsmarted them.
I enjoyed the illustrations and the very black ink in the printing. It was easy on the eyes.
August 25, 2019
Title: The EvoAngel
Author: Ellen King Rice
Star Rating: 4 Stars
Number of Readers: 19
Stats
Editing: 9/10
Writing Style: 9/10
Content: 9/10
Cover: 10/10
Of the 19 readers:
18 would read another book by this author.
19 thought the cover was good or excellent.
17 felt it was easy to follow.
19 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
10 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
9 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
17 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
18 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
‘Very enjoyable. I now know a lot about mushrooms!’ Male reader, aged 43
‘A good thriller. But it’s the biology element which is stronger. A little too technical in parts. Always difficult to balance what the reader needs and wants to know and keeping up the pace. Like a Grisham novel; there are lots of legal parts but not too many. A very unusual thriller; I think most readers looking for a light thriller with a lot of mushroom-related facts thrown in will enjoy this.’ Male reader, aged 56
‘I would happily pick up the sequel. Well-written, plenty happening, fun fungi element to most of it. Wonderful cover too.’ Female reader, aged 49
‘Read it, loved it. I have read 22 books this month and this was the best.’ Female reader, aged 66
TO SUM UP
‘Compelling characters and plot with a little fungi thrown in! A FINALIST and highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Author: Ellen King Rice
Star Rating: 4 Stars
Number of Readers: 19
Stats
Editing: 9/10
Writing Style: 9/10
Content: 9/10
Cover: 10/10
Of the 19 readers:
18 would read another book by this author.
19 thought the cover was good or excellent.
17 felt it was easy to follow.
19 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
10 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
9 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
17 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
18 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
‘Very enjoyable. I now know a lot about mushrooms!’ Male reader, aged 43
‘A good thriller. But it’s the biology element which is stronger. A little too technical in parts. Always difficult to balance what the reader needs and wants to know and keeping up the pace. Like a Grisham novel; there are lots of legal parts but not too many. A very unusual thriller; I think most readers looking for a light thriller with a lot of mushroom-related facts thrown in will enjoy this.’ Male reader, aged 56
‘I would happily pick up the sequel. Well-written, plenty happening, fun fungi element to most of it. Wonderful cover too.’ Female reader, aged 49
‘Read it, loved it. I have read 22 books this month and this was the best.’ Female reader, aged 66
TO SUM UP
‘Compelling characters and plot with a little fungi thrown in! A FINALIST and highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
November 11, 2019
VERY ENTERTAINING!
This was a fascinating book! Great story, the science was essential. And presented clearly and understandably. Although, the explanations, regardless of which character gave them, all sounded as though they were from the same voice....
The sex scenes were peculiar, gratuitous and incongruous. Sex, including erotic detail, can be an integral, exciting part of a story. But these scenes were the most clinical description of erotic acts that I have ever seen. I know the brother and sister were perverse and creepy. But those details were a distraction and took away from the story.
None-the-less, it was a fun, engrossing book and I shall happily follow this author!
This was a fascinating book! Great story, the science was essential. And presented clearly and understandably. Although, the explanations, regardless of which character gave them, all sounded as though they were from the same voice....
The sex scenes were peculiar, gratuitous and incongruous. Sex, including erotic detail, can be an integral, exciting part of a story. But these scenes were the most clinical description of erotic acts that I have ever seen. I know the brother and sister were perverse and creepy. But those details were a distraction and took away from the story.
None-the-less, it was a fun, engrossing book and I shall happily follow this author!
November 21, 2020
Good story about a family with a couple of strange genetic anomalies. It deals with family, police, sadists, government and education. It has some unexpected sexual action that I was not expecting. I got the book for its interest in mushrooms and I was not disappointed. The amount of scientific jargon could be off-putting for some.
I started this book about 10 months ago, got half-way and stopped reading it because of a trip. I came back, got into a reading slump and didn't pick it back up. In the last 2 weeks, I started it all over again and finished it. It was worth the extra effort. And this time, I was not surprised by the few erotic parts.
I started this book about 10 months ago, got half-way and stopped reading it because of a trip. I came back, got into a reading slump and didn't pick it back up. In the last 2 weeks, I started it all over again and finished it. It was worth the extra effort. And this time, I was not surprised by the few erotic parts.
September 5, 2017
Edna is known as the mushroom lady. She mostly keeps to herself, except when the community comes to her for help. That was years ago, but Edna is still affected by a ‘cure’ she used on local cows. Can mushrooms change your DNA? Edna’s feathers may be evidence, but her daughter and granddaughter are also special. It only takes one glance for an aggressive physician to want to investigate this phenomenon and she will stop at nothing to get her answers.
I liked the POV’s chosen: Theodora, Grace, Edna, etc. I loved how the main story was interwoven throughout their individual stories and the paths they took intertwining with each other’s ambitions and desires. Dr. Band’s POV was especially intriguing as she’s unlike anyone you ever want to meet. I noticed a few chapters did not maintain POV consistency (head hopping), but this did not detract from my understanding of what was going on and though I noticed, I was not bothered by it.
Just like Ready Player One is stuffed to the gills with 80’s pop culture references, EvoAngel is chocked full of science – particularly biology and fungi knowledge. At times it became overwhelming and is not necessary for the understanding of the plot and so I skimmed a bit, but if you’re looking to further your knowledge, then you’ll absolutely be thrilled to read this book.
The quotes at the chapter beginnings were interesting and applicable and I read every word (I’m prone to skipping this kind of thing). I loved every quote that Rice chose.
I thought that the kids – Dylan especially – didn’t talk or act like kids. I understand he’s supposed to be a prodigy of sorts, but at 12 years old he shouldn’t be able to fend off a menacing adult.
I liked the POV’s chosen: Theodora, Grace, Edna, etc. I loved how the main story was interwoven throughout their individual stories and the paths they took intertwining with each other’s ambitions and desires. Dr. Band’s POV was especially intriguing as she’s unlike anyone you ever want to meet. I noticed a few chapters did not maintain POV consistency (head hopping), but this did not detract from my understanding of what was going on and though I noticed, I was not bothered by it.
Just like Ready Player One is stuffed to the gills with 80’s pop culture references, EvoAngel is chocked full of science – particularly biology and fungi knowledge. At times it became overwhelming and is not necessary for the understanding of the plot and so I skimmed a bit, but if you’re looking to further your knowledge, then you’ll absolutely be thrilled to read this book.
The quotes at the chapter beginnings were interesting and applicable and I read every word (I’m prone to skipping this kind of thing). I loved every quote that Rice chose.
I thought that the kids – Dylan especially – didn’t talk or act like kids. I understand he’s supposed to be a prodigy of sorts, but at 12 years old he shouldn’t be able to fend off a menacing adult.
June 6, 2021
Great book, really enjoyed it.
I really enjoyed the tie in to mushrooms, so much remains to learn about them. Lots of intrigue and action.
I really enjoyed the tie in to mushrooms, so much remains to learn about them. Lots of intrigue and action.
May 23, 2016
I was told by a friend that I might like to read THE EVO ANGEL by ELLEN KING RICE. When I saw the subject, I said “Oh, no! This does not look like my type of book.” Boy was I wrong! Normally, when I see a self-published story, I worry about punctuation, spelling, grammar and writing skills. In all of these categories, this book excels. Ms Rice was a wildlife biologist before she turned to writing. Readers will rejoice over her career change.
The story revolves around three generations of women who live near Olympia, WA. Their lives are altered by biological changes in their bodies. The grandmother is an expert on mushrooms and has an unusual side effect from the mushrooms. The daughter develops super running speed. The granddaughter has her mother's speed and more. Unwanted publicity attracts the attention of three different branches of the National Security Agency. The trio also are the recipients of unwanted attention by a psycho doctor and her really evil step brother. The evil duo are up against two good policemen, a talented female graduate assistant, her professor who is the husband of the middle generation of the three generations of women, his boss at the university and a variety of friends and family.
Unless you are a biologist, you will learn a lot about genes, DNA and RNA and mushrooms. These are areas in which I have very little knowledge and thought I would never want to know more. Another reason why I was proven wrong. And yet the story moved along at break neck speed. The ending leaves room for a possible follow up novel while closing this chapter of the adventures of the family.
GO! BUY! READ!
The story revolves around three generations of women who live near Olympia, WA. Their lives are altered by biological changes in their bodies. The grandmother is an expert on mushrooms and has an unusual side effect from the mushrooms. The daughter develops super running speed. The granddaughter has her mother's speed and more. Unwanted publicity attracts the attention of three different branches of the National Security Agency. The trio also are the recipients of unwanted attention by a psycho doctor and her really evil step brother. The evil duo are up against two good policemen, a talented female graduate assistant, her professor who is the husband of the middle generation of the three generations of women, his boss at the university and a variety of friends and family.
Unless you are a biologist, you will learn a lot about genes, DNA and RNA and mushrooms. These are areas in which I have very little knowledge and thought I would never want to know more. Another reason why I was proven wrong. And yet the story moved along at break neck speed. The ending leaves room for a possible follow up novel while closing this chapter of the adventures of the family.
GO! BUY! READ!
May 10, 2016
I received a free copy of this book to read and review via Goodreads Giveaways.
I wasn't really sure what to expect when I started reading this book but I'm so glad I got the chance to because I really enjoyed it. I found it a little slow at the beginning but once I got to know the characters and got into it the pace really picked up.
To be honest a lot of the sciencey stuff went straight over my head and I feel like you need some knowledge prior to reading if you really want to understand it all, but that didn't take away from the overall experience of reading it and I definitely learned a thing or two about mushrooms!
I loved the magical realism aspect of the book with the feather growth and the super-fast running. I think the thing that drew me in the most were the characters. Edna is such a loveable Grandma and Piper is just the cutest kid. I like how there was a large age range between all the main characters. I feel like there's someone in there that every reader could relate too.
Overall, a very good book and I'd definitely read more from Ellen in the future :)
I wasn't really sure what to expect when I started reading this book but I'm so glad I got the chance to because I really enjoyed it. I found it a little slow at the beginning but once I got to know the characters and got into it the pace really picked up.
To be honest a lot of the sciencey stuff went straight over my head and I feel like you need some knowledge prior to reading if you really want to understand it all, but that didn't take away from the overall experience of reading it and I definitely learned a thing or two about mushrooms!
I loved the magical realism aspect of the book with the feather growth and the super-fast running. I think the thing that drew me in the most were the characters. Edna is such a loveable Grandma and Piper is just the cutest kid. I like how there was a large age range between all the main characters. I feel like there's someone in there that every reader could relate too.
Overall, a very good book and I'd definitely read more from Ellen in the future :)
July 2, 2016
I received this book through goodreads giveaway and thank the author for sponsoring the giveaway. The book starts off a bit technical regarding mushrooms, however, once that foundation is constructed, the book starts to take off. I could relate to most of the characters although I think the villain and the mother are a bit overplayed and underplayed respectively. It was a very enjoyable read and kept my interest.
October 26, 2016
An interesting mix of believable characters (with some somewhat unbelievable physical attributes), science factoids (a bit too many at times) and a fast-moving plot. I found it hard to put down. I also enjoyed the fact that the action took place in Olympia, WA - I recognized a lot of the locations, which is always fun.
April 25, 2016
Goodreads win.
This was a wonderful book. It is one of those types of books that just dragged me in from the beginning of the book and held on. The writing was wonderful and the author did a great job of telling the story. It is worth the read and a book I would highly recommend.
This was a wonderful book. It is one of those types of books that just dragged me in from the beginning of the book and held on. The writing was wonderful and the author did a great job of telling the story. It is worth the read and a book I would highly recommend.
October 27, 2016
I found this book to be very fascinating. I wasn't sure at 1st, but it quickly gets into it and holds you from there. I enjoyed it so much and was pleasantly surprised. I would read anything by Ellen after reading this book.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews