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The Fungus
When a brilliant scientist seeking to solve the problem of world hunger tries to create giant mushrooms through genetic manipulation, what could possibly go wrong?
The mutated spores escape the lab and spread across all of England. Toadstools grow to twenty feet tall, and a case of athlete's foot can mean a grisly and horrible death.
But those who die quickly are the lucky ones. Those who survive infection by the fungus will be transformed into something unthinkably monstrous ...
With a perfect mix of nightmarish horror and black humor, Harry Adam Knight's cult classic The Fungus (1985) will grow on you. This edition features a foreword by the author.
The mutated spores escape the lab and spread across all of England. Toadstools grow to twenty feet tall, and a case of athlete's foot can mean a grisly and horrible death.
But those who die quickly are the lucky ones. Those who survive infection by the fungus will be transformed into something unthinkably monstrous ...
With a perfect mix of nightmarish horror and black humor, Harry Adam Knight's cult classic The Fungus (1985) will grow on you. This edition features a foreword by the author.
190 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1985
64 people are currently reading
2378 people want to read
About the author
Harry Adam Knight
9 books45 followersPseudonym of
John Brosnan
John Raymond Brosnan was an Australian writer of both fiction and non-fiction works based around the fantasy and science fiction genres. He was born in Perth, Western Australia, and died in South Harrow, London, from acute pancreatitis. He sometimes published under the pseudonyms Harry Adam Knight, Simon Ian Childer (both sometimes used together with Leroy Kettle), James Blackstone (used together with John Baxter), and John Raymond. Three not very successful movies were based on his novels–Beyond Bedlam (aka Nightscare), Proteus (based on Slimer), and Carnosaur. In addition to science fiction, he also wrote a number of books about cinema and was a regular columnist with the popular UK magazine Starburst.
John Raymond Brosnan was an Australian writer of both fiction and non-fiction works based around the fantasy and science fiction genres. He was born in Perth, Western Australia, and died in South Harrow, London, from acute pancreatitis. He sometimes published under the pseudonyms Harry Adam Knight, Simon Ian Childer (both sometimes used together with Leroy Kettle), James Blackstone (used together with John Baxter), and John Raymond. Three not very successful movies were based on his novels–Beyond Bedlam (aka Nightscare), Proteus (based on Slimer), and Carnosaur. In addition to science fiction, he also wrote a number of books about cinema and was a regular columnist with the popular UK magazine Starburst.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 214 reviews
October 11, 2018
Mushrooms: I'll probably never eat one again! THE FUNGUS is a fast paced, funny and disgusting 80's horror story that contains everything you'd ever want from a fungi-based creature feature.
I recently read another book by this author, (two authors, really, using the pseudonym of Harry Adam Knight. Get it? HAK?), called SLIMER. I liked that one slightly more than this because there was no real science, just a fun, slimy, creature. In this narrative, we do have an attempt to be science-y, but not overly so, which I appreciated.
We follow several characters from the beginning, including the scientist who accidentally created this rapidly mutating fungi. Before we know what hit us, all of London is infected and not just people either. There are several types of fungi attacking concrete and other building materials eventually resulting in the literal crumbling of the city. Will any of the plucky characters survive? What about the doctor who created this mess? Will London itself make it through? You'll have to read THE FUNGUS to find out!
These two authors, John Brosnan and Leroy Kettle were actually very talented, (I say were, but one is still alive-Leroy Kettle,) and they knew how to write a creature feature without getting too bogged down in the fake science. Just enough to make it plausible to non-biologists is fine. Of course, using the old trope of science making a mistake and thereby destroying humanity is always rich with possibilities, maybe even more so these days than back in the 80's when this was written.
Being that this book was written back then, there are some sexist views, (a few racist ones too), and a few other things that don't fit in with today's culture and attitudes. There are also a few extraneous sex scenes thrown in there, because hey-in the 80's that's how the horror genre rolled. None of which bothered me much because this tale is just. that. much. fun.
Valancourt Books is dedicated to bringing back these out of print books, some of which have become nearly impossible to find.(If you are lucky enough to find one, you'd better be prepared to pay through the nose.) Over the years I've watched as they've become more and more popular and with their forthcoming PAPERBACKS FROM HELL series, I think they'll have reached the pinnacle as far as retro horror publishers are concerned. (They publish other lines as well, if you're interested, check out their website.)
THE FUNGUS isn't trying to masquerade as scientific or serious, it's just trying to provide imaginative, fast paced, creature feature fun. It has succeeded!
Highly recommended!
*Valancourt Books provided me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*
I recently read another book by this author, (two authors, really, using the pseudonym of Harry Adam Knight. Get it? HAK?), called SLIMER. I liked that one slightly more than this because there was no real science, just a fun, slimy, creature. In this narrative, we do have an attempt to be science-y, but not overly so, which I appreciated.
We follow several characters from the beginning, including the scientist who accidentally created this rapidly mutating fungi. Before we know what hit us, all of London is infected and not just people either. There are several types of fungi attacking concrete and other building materials eventually resulting in the literal crumbling of the city. Will any of the plucky characters survive? What about the doctor who created this mess? Will London itself make it through? You'll have to read THE FUNGUS to find out!
These two authors, John Brosnan and Leroy Kettle were actually very talented, (I say were, but one is still alive-Leroy Kettle,) and they knew how to write a creature feature without getting too bogged down in the fake science. Just enough to make it plausible to non-biologists is fine. Of course, using the old trope of science making a mistake and thereby destroying humanity is always rich with possibilities, maybe even more so these days than back in the 80's when this was written.
Being that this book was written back then, there are some sexist views, (a few racist ones too), and a few other things that don't fit in with today's culture and attitudes. There are also a few extraneous sex scenes thrown in there, because hey-in the 80's that's how the horror genre rolled. None of which bothered me much because this tale is just. that. much. fun.
Valancourt Books is dedicated to bringing back these out of print books, some of which have become nearly impossible to find.(If you are lucky enough to find one, you'd better be prepared to pay through the nose.) Over the years I've watched as they've become more and more popular and with their forthcoming PAPERBACKS FROM HELL series, I think they'll have reached the pinnacle as far as retro horror publishers are concerned. (They publish other lines as well, if you're interested, check out their website.)
THE FUNGUS isn't trying to masquerade as scientific or serious, it's just trying to provide imaginative, fast paced, creature feature fun. It has succeeded!
Highly recommended!
*Valancourt Books provided me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*
July 8, 2022
There's some brutal scenes in this, don't read if you're squeamish; it's just ultra-violent at times.
It reminded me of a lot of other stuff too - like I think this author was influenced by The Day of the Triffids, it just reminded me of that novel.
It's dated, a little sexist but still a very fun short novel.
Would make a really cool grindhouse style movie.
It reminded me of a lot of other stuff too - like I think this author was influenced by The Day of the Triffids, it just reminded me of that novel.
It's dated, a little sexist but still a very fun short novel.
Would make a really cool grindhouse style movie.
October 30, 2025
Imagine if your athlete's foot or yeast infection had an evolutionary boost and took over half your body. This is the frightening (and, frankly, downright yucky) premise of Harry Adam Knight's 1985 fungal-horror novel "The Fungus", which reads like a James Herbert novel with a more sci-fi edge.
Body horror creeps me out, and this is crazy-weird body horror involving mushrooms and fungus. Knight's descriptions are pretty vivid and real, more of a clinical mycological look at what would happen if a bio-engineered fungus were accidentally unleashed upon a big city; in this case, London. Spoiler alert: it's yucky.
If you're wondering where the producers of the HBO TV show (and the video game it was based on) "The Last of Us" got their idea for a global fungal takeover, look no further than this book. I'm fairly sure it was a major inspiration.
Body horror creeps me out, and this is crazy-weird body horror involving mushrooms and fungus. Knight's descriptions are pretty vivid and real, more of a clinical mycological look at what would happen if a bio-engineered fungus were accidentally unleashed upon a big city; in this case, London. Spoiler alert: it's yucky.
If you're wondering where the producers of the HBO TV show (and the video game it was based on) "The Last of Us" got their idea for a global fungal takeover, look no further than this book. I'm fairly sure it was a major inspiration.
September 8, 2023
“He got quickly out of bed and took two steps towards the phone before his left leg, riddled with the athlete’s foot fungus, snapped at the shin with a sound like a piece of celery being broken.”
Not quite as great as Slimer, but still definitely a fun, B movie-type story brought to you by the fine folks at Desenex. Can’t wait to read HAK’s Carnosaur next, which will be reissued via Valancourt in September of this year!
https://toomuchhorrorfiction.blogspot...
October 6, 2018
The Fungus by Harry Adam Knight (a pen-name for collaborators John Brosnan and Roy Kettle) is a page-turner right from the get-go, wasting absolutely no time at all thrusting readers into the horror of a grandiose and apocalyptic plague. Knight hardly lets up on the rapid-fire pace, packing in plenty of mayhem, violence, and gore as the UK collapses quickly and totally.
As with Slimer, another Knight collaboration recently reissued by Valancourt alongside The Fungus, this is a story of science gone awry, however it's far more epic in scope. Knight showcases the peril of unintended consequences as a scientific answer to the problem of world hunger sees genetically modified fungus infecting broad swathes of England, turning the island nation into a no man's land forcefully quarantined by Europe.
I've got a heck of a soft spot for fungal horror and The Fungus hit on all the right notes for me. I loved that Knight drew on multiple species of fungus, and it's clear the authors did their homework in figuring out the various horrifying ways these modified strains would impact humanity. All those pesky homo sapiens suffer from things like dry rot, are eaten alive or violently explode, or develop symbiotic or parasitic relationships with the various types of fungus. Brosnan and Kettle threw in so much variety in these apocalyptic strains that it was absolutely impossible for me not to appreciate their studiousness and creativity, as well as the utterly twisted imagination required to pull it all off.
When it was originally published in the late 1980s, The Fungus proved to be the most successful of Brosnan and Kettle's Harry Adam Knight works, and I suspect this reissue may repeat that bit of history. I'm also hopeful that Valancourt will be able to secure to reprint rights to other Knight titles, like Bedlam and Carnosaur, as well as Brosnan's Simon Ian Childer pseudonym. Now that I've gotten a taste for Brosnan's and Kettle's works, I want and need more, and quickly too!
As with Slimer, another Knight collaboration recently reissued by Valancourt alongside The Fungus, this is a story of science gone awry, however it's far more epic in scope. Knight showcases the peril of unintended consequences as a scientific answer to the problem of world hunger sees genetically modified fungus infecting broad swathes of England, turning the island nation into a no man's land forcefully quarantined by Europe.
I've got a heck of a soft spot for fungal horror and The Fungus hit on all the right notes for me. I loved that Knight drew on multiple species of fungus, and it's clear the authors did their homework in figuring out the various horrifying ways these modified strains would impact humanity. All those pesky homo sapiens suffer from things like dry rot, are eaten alive or violently explode, or develop symbiotic or parasitic relationships with the various types of fungus. Brosnan and Kettle threw in so much variety in these apocalyptic strains that it was absolutely impossible for me not to appreciate their studiousness and creativity, as well as the utterly twisted imagination required to pull it all off.
When it was originally published in the late 1980s, The Fungus proved to be the most successful of Brosnan and Kettle's Harry Adam Knight works, and I suspect this reissue may repeat that bit of history. I'm also hopeful that Valancourt will be able to secure to reprint rights to other Knight titles, like Bedlam and Carnosaur, as well as Brosnan's Simon Ian Childer pseudonym. Now that I've gotten a taste for Brosnan's and Kettle's works, I want and need more, and quickly too!
August 20, 2021
Trashy 80s horror pulp by Knight that still manages to be a lot of fun. The novel starts off in London, introducing various people basically as cannon fodder for the deadly fungus! It seems a scientist has been working on genetically modifying mushrooms-- the goal being to create large mutated mushrooms that have lots of protein, and hence, provide a cure for global hunger. The only problem is that the special enzyme utilized 'got out' and it impacts all types of fungus, not just the desired specimen! Loved the 'romantic' double-edged science theme...
The scientist's husband (albeit they are now separated) now lives in Ireland and is rudely one day brought into the British army. The husband also worked with fungus before he gave it up to focus on his writing career. Nonetheless, he, plus a trigger happy NCO in the army and a female doctor are basically co-opted to undertake a mission to London to find out the notes of the scientist that unleashed the fungus; hopefully, if the notes are found, they can brew up some sort of counter agent and save the day. If they fail, however, plan B is to nuke Britain to save the rest of the world...
This would make a great B movie to say the least. Not only is England now populated with all kinds of huge mutant fungi, but some people somehow form a symbiotic relationship with the mutated fungus-- the visuals are amazing and would be great on the big screen! The author (really two I believe, writing under a pseudonym) must have done a little homework as the scientists in the story describe quite an array of fungi in detail and how they have mutated.
Really, total camp, including lots of sex, and in one case, a mutated fungus-men gang rape, and expect lots of sexism to boot. Still, a lot of dark humor along the way gives this fungi apocalypse some decent entertainment value. If you are in to cheesy 80s horror, you might want to give this a go. 2.5 fungal stars, rounding up.
The scientist's husband (albeit they are now separated) now lives in Ireland and is rudely one day brought into the British army. The husband also worked with fungus before he gave it up to focus on his writing career. Nonetheless, he, plus a trigger happy NCO in the army and a female doctor are basically co-opted to undertake a mission to London to find out the notes of the scientist that unleashed the fungus; hopefully, if the notes are found, they can brew up some sort of counter agent and save the day. If they fail, however, plan B is to nuke Britain to save the rest of the world...
This would make a great B movie to say the least. Not only is England now populated with all kinds of huge mutant fungi, but some people somehow form a symbiotic relationship with the mutated fungus-- the visuals are amazing and would be great on the big screen! The author (really two I believe, writing under a pseudonym) must have done a little homework as the scientists in the story describe quite an array of fungi in detail and how they have mutated.
Really, total camp, including lots of sex, and in one case, a mutated fungus-men gang rape, and expect lots of sexism to boot. Still, a lot of dark humor along the way gives this fungi apocalypse some decent entertainment value. If you are in to cheesy 80s horror, you might want to give this a go. 2.5 fungal stars, rounding up.
June 22, 2009
This was one of the books I read illicitly by sneaking into the adult section of the library when I was eleven years old. It haunted me into my adult life, until I found a copy of my own, and discovered that it was, in fact, awesome. If you like horrible mutant fungus devouring England, this is the book for you.
February 23, 2019
ugh. UGH. Have you ever been so frustrated with a book that you can't even make a coherent thought out of it? That's how I feel after reading this thing. And it's extra frustrating because the premise of the book is so good and it's a fun read, except for this, just, glaring disgusting aspect of the novel that I can't get over.
I'll give Harry Adam Knight (or, Josh Brosnan) this; he's really good at writing about mutated, out-of-control-strains of fungus. He's really good at painting this new, alien world that our characters will have to navigate if they want to survive. But he is absolutely abysmal at when it comes to writing decent female characters. Like, I can normally work my way through a novel that I feel like has far too much sex when it's premise doesn't really warrant it, or when writers treat their women characters like garbage, but at certain points in this book I just wanted to rip off my fingernails and shove them into my eyeballs. Needless to say I had to stop and start again later.
I just don't have the heart to get into it all right now but I'll give you what is, in my opinion, the most prominent example of how Harry can't write women; early on in the book we are introduced to a female scientist, and our only female protagonist, Kimberly Fairchild, who accompanies the other two male protagonists into the fungus ridden heart of London. She is an expert on tropical diseases, obviously someone you'd want to have on your team on a mission like infiltrating new-fungus England. She has been working in Mycology for her entire life; she was on a team that created one of the first preventative measures to combat the virus. The lady knows her way around a mushroom, but none of that matters, because she is unfortunately, a woman.
Throughout the course of the novel, Harry Adam Knight Josh Brosnan just....does not stop going into ridiculous detail about how shapely she is, how feminine, how her breasts booble and titter this way and that and how good her nipples look in a white shirt and as a dedicated fan of sci-fi and horror ol Harry Adam Knight Josh Brosnan is not the first author to describe his female characters in ridiculous, unnecessary detail and if he left it at that and just let Miss Kimberly do what the heck she was brought on to do I wouldn't of wrote this long review and given this book a solid four to three stars cause I am in fact a fan of fungus and outbreaks but NO
While reading a book about mutant fungus Harry Adam Knight thought it was necessary to facilitate a sex scene between two of the three characters while they are all sharing tight quarters together and then he thought it would be a good idea for Kimberly (HIM) to tell us all how much she likes to be dominated and controlled by strong men and how she likes rough sex thus justifying her awful treatment through the rest of the book
AND one point one of the male characters forces her onto his p*nis while they are driving into enemy territory (remember how she said she liked being dominated by men so that makes it NOT WEIRD), AND a couple pages later, she is sexually assaulted and gets punched in the face in great detail by two infected strangers only to be saved by another man who did so with the intention of assaulting her....oh right there's also some big mutant fungus scattered in there nbd
and I'm really only talking about her character the other important female woman in the book started the outbreak herself and the other one cheated with one of the main characters so all in all this book was just a loss for women
TLDR: I did not realize how rampant the sexism was in this book, to the point where I was unable to enjoy the rest of the novel because it is just everywhere do yourself a favor and read something else
I'll give Harry Adam Knight (or, Josh Brosnan) this; he's really good at writing about mutated, out-of-control-strains of fungus. He's really good at painting this new, alien world that our characters will have to navigate if they want to survive. But he is absolutely abysmal at when it comes to writing decent female characters. Like, I can normally work my way through a novel that I feel like has far too much sex when it's premise doesn't really warrant it, or when writers treat their women characters like garbage, but at certain points in this book I just wanted to rip off my fingernails and shove them into my eyeballs. Needless to say I had to stop and start again later.
I just don't have the heart to get into it all right now but I'll give you what is, in my opinion, the most prominent example of how Harry can't write women; early on in the book we are introduced to a female scientist, and our only female protagonist, Kimberly Fairchild, who accompanies the other two male protagonists into the fungus ridden heart of London. She is an expert on tropical diseases, obviously someone you'd want to have on your team on a mission like infiltrating new-fungus England. She has been working in Mycology for her entire life; she was on a team that created one of the first preventative measures to combat the virus. The lady knows her way around a mushroom, but none of that matters, because she is unfortunately, a woman.
Throughout the course of the novel, Harry Adam Knight Josh Brosnan just....does not stop going into ridiculous detail about how shapely she is, how feminine, how her breasts booble and titter this way and that and how good her nipples look in a white shirt and as a dedicated fan of sci-fi and horror ol Harry Adam Knight Josh Brosnan is not the first author to describe his female characters in ridiculous, unnecessary detail and if he left it at that and just let Miss Kimberly do what the heck she was brought on to do I wouldn't of wrote this long review and given this book a solid four to three stars cause I am in fact a fan of fungus and outbreaks but NO
While reading a book about mutant fungus Harry Adam Knight thought it was necessary to facilitate a sex scene between two of the three characters while they are all sharing tight quarters together and then he thought it would be a good idea for Kimberly (HIM) to tell us all how much she likes to be dominated and controlled by strong men and how she likes rough sex thus justifying her awful treatment through the rest of the book
AND one point one of the male characters forces her onto his p*nis while they are driving into enemy territory (remember how she said she liked being dominated by men so that makes it NOT WEIRD), AND a couple pages later, she is sexually assaulted and gets punched in the face in great detail by two infected strangers only to be saved by another man who did so with the intention of assaulting her....oh right there's also some big mutant fungus scattered in there nbd
and I'm really only talking about her character the other important female woman in the book started the outbreak herself and the other one cheated with one of the main characters so all in all this book was just a loss for women
TLDR: I did not realize how rampant the sexism was in this book, to the point where I was unable to enjoy the rest of the novel because it is just everywhere do yourself a favor and read something else
January 5, 2025
I don’t write reviews.
And I don’t sing praises unless decidedly deserved. Let the kudos fly! Bravo, Mr. Knight! You’ve done the thing with success that so many have attempted and failed. You’ve created a story: horror-filled, action-packed, nicely paced, well-edited and not overly long. And I will remember it always as the Mushroom Revolution.
And I don’t sing praises unless decidedly deserved. Let the kudos fly! Bravo, Mr. Knight! You’ve done the thing with success that so many have attempted and failed. You’ve created a story: horror-filled, action-packed, nicely paced, well-edited and not overly long. And I will remember it always as the Mushroom Revolution.
April 14, 2023
After reading this book, I feel like I have a degree in mycology. This was the second book I read by Knight and It was almost as good as Slimer. Almost. London is turned into a fuzzy fungus. Everything is effected. An ex-husband is sent in to find his wife who started the soft squishy nightmare.
This book would have been a great late night b-movie. It was a great read. A little heavy on the fungi talk. The end was well done. I'll be looking for more of Mr. Knights books.
This book would have been a great late night b-movie. It was a great read. A little heavy on the fungi talk. The end was well done. I'll be looking for more of Mr. Knights books.
May 20, 2011
I know this book is considered a work of "Pulp Horror", but it is damn scary. Something about it really creeped me out, and that has never actually happened to me before. Great descriptions.
October 8, 2021
This is a fun romp of a story where rampaging, genetically modified fungi are hell bent on taking over the world. It makes a nice change for the usual villains.
August 23, 2023
TW: Language, racism, sexism, divorce, domestic abuse, violence, gory scenes, sexual harassment, drinking, rape, suicide, death of parent, death of child, depression
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:Strange, mushroom-like growths are appearing on peoples' bodies and doctors, puzzled by the strange virus that plants inhuman desires in the minds of victims, look for a cause and uncover a horrifying reality.
Release Date: February 1st, 1985
Genre: Horror
Pages: 218
Rating: ⭐
What I Liked:
1. The writing style was good
2. The actual plot was creepy
3. Moments where the fungus grossed me out.
What I Didn't Like:
1. Very military heavy conversations
2. Unnecessary sexual talk
3. Again so overly sexual
Overall Thoughts:
Starts to feel a little redundant having to go through all the different people that are getting infected.
This book is from the 80s so some of the language used about minorities, gay people, and women is very gross.
I found it odd how little Williams seemed to car about his kids once he told he'd have to return to London to find his wife.
This book is littered with people just thinking about what the other person looks like naked. It's as though they've never seen another person. They can't even carry a conversation without a second thought about what they look like outside their clothing. The overly sexualized talk drove me insane.
I'll never understand the idea that sending only a few people to save humanity is the best course of action. Wouldnt sending more people actually mean there is more of a chance of someone getting to where they need to be?
There's a rape scene that Slocock forces Britney down on him. Wtf has this book turned into???
What did they do with the Vaseline. Why did they originally bring it?
Omg everything is sexual;
"It looked like an erect penis of a sleeping giant."
Sigh....
Wilson says they smeared fungus in his hair but I thought the other fungus sucked all the hair off him so how does he have hair on his head?
Cool so it ends with him running into the woman he cheated on his wife with (calling her fat), punching his wife to death (head falls off), him killing his daughter, burning his son to death (he's a fungus with eyes), finding his wives papers while building burns, moving equipment to new location with Kim & Carter, sleeping with Kim (of course! Can't not be the only one not too - even though 3 days ago she was raped), her killing herself, and Carter dying after that. Don't worry Wilson is alive and thriving.
Do these characters feel no emotions? Wilson finds out he killed his children but feels nothing. Kim is raped and sexualized over and over and doesn't care.
Final Thoughts:
God, this book started out pretty good and I was enjoying the creepy end of days story the author have us, but then all the over the top weird sexual stuff started happening and I grew to hate this book. It no longer felt like a story about this fungus of various degrees taking over London but now Wilson trying to have sex with Kimberly. The fact that the author choose to say that Kimberly just threw herself at one of the men because she loved his abusive ways made me not even want to finish this book at all. It was gross. I felt like I was reading a book by a boy going through puberty who just wanted to draw boobs everywhere. There is a pretty obvious tone of misogyny in this story.
I will not be reading anymore books from this author. While I loved his writing style I've looked at reviews for his other books and they all follow the same pattern of rape, sexism, and abuse toward women that has ZERO need for it in the story.
I seriously had to struggle to make it through this book because I hated how the women were written and how Kim was just treated like she was there for men's own pleasure. Gross.
Recommend For:
• No one
IG | Blog
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:Strange, mushroom-like growths are appearing on peoples' bodies and doctors, puzzled by the strange virus that plants inhuman desires in the minds of victims, look for a cause and uncover a horrifying reality.
Release Date: February 1st, 1985
Genre: Horror
Pages: 218
Rating: ⭐
What I Liked:
1. The writing style was good
2. The actual plot was creepy
3. Moments where the fungus grossed me out.
What I Didn't Like:
1. Very military heavy conversations
2. Unnecessary sexual talk
3. Again so overly sexual
Overall Thoughts:
Starts to feel a little redundant having to go through all the different people that are getting infected.
This book is from the 80s so some of the language used about minorities, gay people, and women is very gross.
I found it odd how little Williams seemed to car about his kids once he told he'd have to return to London to find his wife.
This book is littered with people just thinking about what the other person looks like naked. It's as though they've never seen another person. They can't even carry a conversation without a second thought about what they look like outside their clothing. The overly sexualized talk drove me insane.
I'll never understand the idea that sending only a few people to save humanity is the best course of action. Wouldnt sending more people actually mean there is more of a chance of someone getting to where they need to be?
There's a rape scene that Slocock forces Britney down on him. Wtf has this book turned into???
What did they do with the Vaseline. Why did they originally bring it?
Omg everything is sexual;
"It looked like an erect penis of a sleeping giant."
Sigh....
Wilson says they smeared fungus in his hair but I thought the other fungus sucked all the hair off him so how does he have hair on his head?
Cool so it ends with him running into the woman he cheated on his wife with (calling her fat), punching his wife to death (head falls off), him killing his daughter, burning his son to death (he's a fungus with eyes), finding his wives papers while building burns, moving equipment to new location with Kim & Carter, sleeping with Kim (of course! Can't not be the only one not too - even though 3 days ago she was raped), her killing herself, and Carter dying after that. Don't worry Wilson is alive and thriving.
Do these characters feel no emotions? Wilson finds out he killed his children but feels nothing. Kim is raped and sexualized over and over and doesn't care.
Final Thoughts:
God, this book started out pretty good and I was enjoying the creepy end of days story the author have us, but then all the over the top weird sexual stuff started happening and I grew to hate this book. It no longer felt like a story about this fungus of various degrees taking over London but now Wilson trying to have sex with Kimberly. The fact that the author choose to say that Kimberly just threw herself at one of the men because she loved his abusive ways made me not even want to finish this book at all. It was gross. I felt like I was reading a book by a boy going through puberty who just wanted to draw boobs everywhere. There is a pretty obvious tone of misogyny in this story.
I will not be reading anymore books from this author. While I loved his writing style I've looked at reviews for his other books and they all follow the same pattern of rape, sexism, and abuse toward women that has ZERO need for it in the story.
I seriously had to struggle to make it through this book because I hated how the women were written and how Kim was just treated like she was there for men's own pleasure. Gross.
Recommend For:
• No one
IG | Blog
December 6, 2022
While reading this, I felt like the fungus was actually eating my brain, making me not only itchy beneath the skin, but completely making me void of critical thought. With horned-up priapic mushroom men looking for skin, scientific banter so inane, and plenty of random sex and fuckery, THE FUNGUS is one of the squishiest novels to come out of the 1980s horror boom. Standing in the canon of UK apocalyptic works, I find this 'cozy catastrophe' not quite cozy, but a bombastic and awful and highly readable work of pedal-to-the metal body horror. It fits somewhere amongst 'The Gas' by Charles Platt, 'Scent of New Mown Hay' by John Blackburn, and most of the James Herbert novels (particularly 'The Fog' and 'The Dark.') Not meant to be taken serious. It's bubble gum and pus in a shit sandwich. Enjoy it for what it is.
February 20, 2016
This was terrific! Old-style pulp horror with hardly a whiff of dramatic tension or character development; just a spongy, foul-smelling, fungous England crawling with killer mushrooms.
November 26, 2023
So a book about a fungal infection that gets into humans and transform them into spore producing fungal human hybrids. This sounds very familiar and at first glance could be written off as a The Girl with All the Gifts or "The Last of us" ripoff book, but wait, there is a twist. This book was written in 1985. The last of us was released in 2014 and The Girl with All the Gifts was released in 2013. That would make this book no a pathetic copy of a flavour of the month horror trope, but is instead a trail blazer.
In addition to all that, this is a good adventure book. maybe a tad dated, but quite enjoyable non the less.
In addition to all that, this is a good adventure book. maybe a tad dated, but quite enjoyable non the less.
September 13, 2020
Two stars for working in some scientifically accurate fungal characteristics in interesting ways.
Otherwise it's typical 1970s horror--not much suspense but plenty of gratuitous sex scenes that read as if written by a virgin with an overactive imagination.
Otherwise it's typical 1970s horror--not much suspense but plenty of gratuitous sex scenes that read as if written by a virgin with an overactive imagination.
August 16, 2024
Strane escrescenze simili a funghi compaiono sui corpi delle persone e i medici, perplessi per lo strano virus che semina desideri disumani nelle menti delle vittime, cercandone la causa scoprono una realtà orribile.
Di questo autore voglio leggere TUTTO! 🎇 The Fungus è stata una lettura incredibile! Già dopo nemmeno dieci pagine si è al centro dell'azione ed è impossibile staccarsi dal libro! Il libro è un mix perfetto di umorismo sfacciato, suspense avvincente e una trama incalzante che ti tiene sul filo del rasoio. I personaggi non conoscono mezzi termini e non esitano troppo a usare il pugno di ferro. È stata una lettura velocissima, ad alta tensione e mozzafiato! Il finale mi è piaciuto, davvero coerente sia ai personaggi che alla situazione.
Mi è piaciuto molto lo stile di scrittura dell'autore: spiritoso, coinvolgente e mi ha tenuto incollata dall'inizio alla fine. Il libro ha la giusta dose di suspense e di umorismo, che lo rendono un'ottima lettura per tutti coloro che amano un buon splatter sci-fi.
Attenzione il libro contiene molta violenza (fisica, carnale, psicologica) e scene (violente) di sesso. Poiché questo libro è stato scritto negli anni 80, ci sono alcune opinioni sessiste e anche alcune razziste purtroppo e altre cose che non si adattano alla cultura e agli società di oggi.
Nel complesso, consiglio vivamente "The Fungus" a chiunque sia alla ricerca di una lettura divertente e dal ritmo incalzante.
Di questo autore voglio leggere TUTTO! 🎇 The Fungus è stata una lettura incredibile! Già dopo nemmeno dieci pagine si è al centro dell'azione ed è impossibile staccarsi dal libro! Il libro è un mix perfetto di umorismo sfacciato, suspense avvincente e una trama incalzante che ti tiene sul filo del rasoio. I personaggi non conoscono mezzi termini e non esitano troppo a usare il pugno di ferro. È stata una lettura velocissima, ad alta tensione e mozzafiato! Il finale mi è piaciuto, davvero coerente sia ai personaggi che alla situazione.
Mi è piaciuto molto lo stile di scrittura dell'autore: spiritoso, coinvolgente e mi ha tenuto incollata dall'inizio alla fine. Il libro ha la giusta dose di suspense e di umorismo, che lo rendono un'ottima lettura per tutti coloro che amano un buon splatter sci-fi.
Attenzione il libro contiene molta violenza (fisica, carnale, psicologica) e scene (violente) di sesso. Poiché questo libro è stato scritto negli anni 80, ci sono alcune opinioni sessiste e anche alcune razziste purtroppo e altre cose che non si adattano alla cultura e agli società di oggi.
Nel complesso, consiglio vivamente "The Fungus" a chiunque sia alla ricerca di una lettura divertente e dal ritmo incalzante.
September 12, 2009
Fungus runs amok, takes over planet.. what more could you ask for? From Athlete's foot to mushrooms to slime molds, the poor humans are doomed to be consumed. Stupid but fun.
October 8, 2018
If you take away one thing from this review, it is this: Valancourt is doing some dark god's good work. I mean, that's not going to show up anywhere else in the review but here, but it is so important to remember. Good on you, Valancourt.
As for the book itself, it is an ok combination of apocalyptic science/medical horror with good and squelchy body horror. Last things first, the body horror is...*smacks lips* perfect. I mean, sure, there have been upteen stories and books about folks getting fungus'd or fungus-adjacent'd. This is an old favorite, right? William Hope Hodgson's "A Voice in the Night", Arthur Machen's "The Novel of the White Powder", Stephen King's "Gray Matter". Body horror seems to welcome the squelching surrender to mushrooms and slimes and oozes pretty handily. And fungus? Just imagine the fungus under your fingernails slowly eating away your fingers, or mushrooms exploding out of your lungs because you breathed in some spores, or athlete's foot chewing you away to the bone. Goo! That's a hell of a thought, eh? This book will tap into phobias you don't realize you have. Sure, the science ranges from kind-of-trying to ah-fuck-it...but, hey, Poindexter...you want folks worshiping strange gods under giant toadstools or you want to talk "logical" and "reasonable"? Just breathe it in. Let the madness take you.
The other side of its horror spectrum is less well constructed. As far as apocalyptic scenarios (especially ones with a medical or mad scientist bent), it does a passable job, but every time the story relies on the sense of doom or despair, the impact just wasn't there for me. Crowds going mad. Military men going rogue. People losing their cool. Refugees getting mowed down by panicked governments. It's all very well and good and is the kind of stuff that should at least generally impact the reader, but somehow it didn't. The apocalyptic landscape because a fuzzy sort of limbo with damned souls drifting across a shoreless sea. If enemies attack, they blow them away with superior weaponry. If a mechanical failure happens, they take time to fix it. They get stuck, they get out a flamethrower. In every case, obstacles just so rarely feel like there are stakes attached. There is a stated sense of time running out, but delays don't seem to matter. The exact nature of how to fight back doesn't seem to matter. The information they are seeking? There's no real mystery. They just show up...someone tells them where it is (mild spoilers, I guess). There is a quest but no hero's journey. The closest we have to character development is (1) the strong, female lead screws around, breaks down, breaks down some more, and then cries a lot before breaking down some more and (2) the pissy male lead becomes randomly bad-ass for a bit...and then just sort of stays that way, overall. The inclusion of sexual violence is maddening exactly because it is only there to be there. Because that's what apocalyptic novels do, right? Have a rape. Have a bunch of crying citizens mowed down by soldiers. Have strange cults show up over night. Have vehicles overturn and strand their passengers. The...genital horror...of the rape scene is at least disgustingly fitting to the theme of the novel. So there's that, I guess.
The third element, moments of social commentary, help to bring up the otherwise dreary aspects of this so-so apocalypse. The three person socialist commune is pretty high up on the list. The author trying to be bad-ass by trying to remember scenes of bad-assery he wrote is at least worth a sad snort (and the accompanying critique about who would write trashy novels for adults is worthy a chuckle). A soldier with sexual dysfunction named Slocock (Christ almighty) is perhaps too good, or too terrible, to live.
To sum up: a joyous book that could have been more joyous if they had tried just a bit harder to go anywhere besides some of the standard tropes involving extinction level events or just cut out any of the desperate race stuff and just focused on the sheer grossness of people sprouting exploding puffballs.
As for the book itself, it is an ok combination of apocalyptic science/medical horror with good and squelchy body horror. Last things first, the body horror is...*smacks lips* perfect. I mean, sure, there have been upteen stories and books about folks getting fungus'd or fungus-adjacent'd. This is an old favorite, right? William Hope Hodgson's "A Voice in the Night", Arthur Machen's "The Novel of the White Powder", Stephen King's "Gray Matter". Body horror seems to welcome the squelching surrender to mushrooms and slimes and oozes pretty handily. And fungus? Just imagine the fungus under your fingernails slowly eating away your fingers, or mushrooms exploding out of your lungs because you breathed in some spores, or athlete's foot chewing you away to the bone. Goo! That's a hell of a thought, eh? This book will tap into phobias you don't realize you have. Sure, the science ranges from kind-of-trying to ah-fuck-it...but, hey, Poindexter...you want folks worshiping strange gods under giant toadstools or you want to talk "logical" and "reasonable"? Just breathe it in. Let the madness take you.
The other side of its horror spectrum is less well constructed. As far as apocalyptic scenarios (especially ones with a medical or mad scientist bent), it does a passable job, but every time the story relies on the sense of doom or despair, the impact just wasn't there for me. Crowds going mad. Military men going rogue. People losing their cool. Refugees getting mowed down by panicked governments. It's all very well and good and is the kind of stuff that should at least generally impact the reader, but somehow it didn't. The apocalyptic landscape because a fuzzy sort of limbo with damned souls drifting across a shoreless sea. If enemies attack, they blow them away with superior weaponry. If a mechanical failure happens, they take time to fix it. They get stuck, they get out a flamethrower. In every case, obstacles just so rarely feel like there are stakes attached. There is a stated sense of time running out, but delays don't seem to matter. The exact nature of how to fight back doesn't seem to matter. The information they are seeking? There's no real mystery. They just show up...someone tells them where it is (mild spoilers, I guess). There is a quest but no hero's journey. The closest we have to character development is (1) the strong, female lead screws around, breaks down, breaks down some more, and then cries a lot before breaking down some more and (2) the pissy male lead becomes randomly bad-ass for a bit...and then just sort of stays that way, overall. The inclusion of sexual violence is maddening exactly because it is only there to be there. Because that's what apocalyptic novels do, right? Have a rape. Have a bunch of crying citizens mowed down by soldiers. Have strange cults show up over night. Have vehicles overturn and strand their passengers. The...genital horror...of the rape scene is at least disgustingly fitting to the theme of the novel. So there's that, I guess.
The third element, moments of social commentary, help to bring up the otherwise dreary aspects of this so-so apocalypse. The three person socialist commune is pretty high up on the list. The author trying to be bad-ass by trying to remember scenes of bad-assery he wrote is at least worth a sad snort (and the accompanying critique about who would write trashy novels for adults is worthy a chuckle). A soldier with sexual dysfunction named Slocock (Christ almighty) is perhaps too good, or too terrible, to live.
To sum up: a joyous book that could have been more joyous if they had tried just a bit harder to go anywhere besides some of the standard tropes involving extinction level events or just cut out any of the desperate race stuff and just focused on the sheer grossness of people sprouting exploding puffballs.
December 27, 2019
3.8 Shrooms
The Fungus aka Death Spore
Psychedelic psilocybin run amok! Liquefying bodies copulating fruiting body's. Fuzzy woozy slime molds marching as to war. Fermenting yeast belly blast. Calling all fungi.
Fungus acne, fecal fruiting toadstool detonation. Imodium's useless, Clearasil does nothing! The Fungus" aka "Death Spore" supplies the terror. Dig the "Tales from the Crypt" style characterizations. Fungi wanna have fun. Will France nuke the UK and it's humongous fungus to smithereens?
Another fungus horror novel? Check out "The Bridge" by Skipp and Spector.
The Fungus aka Death Spore
Psychedelic psilocybin run amok! Liquefying bodies copulating fruiting body's. Fuzzy woozy slime molds marching as to war. Fermenting yeast belly blast. Calling all fungi.
Fungus acne, fecal fruiting toadstool detonation. Imodium's useless, Clearasil does nothing! The Fungus" aka "Death Spore" supplies the terror. Dig the "Tales from the Crypt" style characterizations. Fungi wanna have fun. Will France nuke the UK and it's humongous fungus to smithereens?
Another fungus horror novel? Check out "The Bridge" by Skipp and Spector.
May 20, 2020
At first this book lowkey was confusing but maybe I just have a small brain. But as it went on it got easier to understand and more captivating. I thought that the ending was amazing. I recommend this book to people who are not really into science fiction but like horror because it’s both!
May 11, 2025
Anyone who thought that this fungus was scary clearly hasn't seen the fungus fouling my big toenail yet.
For horror fans who like their characters extra trashy. Great on audio and cheap on Audible.
For horror fans who like their characters extra trashy. Great on audio and cheap on Audible.
March 11, 2019
Absolutely fantastic sci-fi horror schlock. Impressed with the mycology and creative images. B movie glory abounds.
October 11, 2023
It is an incredibly cool concept, with a well-written portrayal of the fungus, but plagued by misogyny.
I couldn’t get past it - it ruined a good thing.
I couldn’t get past it - it ruined a good thing.
January 14, 2025
well this was kinda ass
the one star is only for the fungi
the one star is only for the fungi
October 11, 2024
Gory, gruesome, great 80s sci-fi horror story of mutated fungi inflicting a terrible plague on the UK, Fungus is a real fun read all the way through. There’s an attempt to scientifically explain how the fungal plague begins and it kind of makes sense but what we’re really here for is the gruesome way the fungi overrun London and either kill their victims or parasitise them into semi-sentient fungal creatures. Being an 80s paperback horror novel, there’s plenty of sex and violence too and there’s even an attempt to build characters that aren’t just paper thin.
Fungus makes a good candidate for Valancourt’s Paperbacks from Hell and showcases some of the genre’s best tropes. It’s an imaginative, fast-paced fun read that really works with the creature horror sub-genre. Better take a second look at any mushrooms in your fridge after reading this book!
Fungus makes a good candidate for Valancourt’s Paperbacks from Hell and showcases some of the genre’s best tropes. It’s an imaginative, fast-paced fun read that really works with the creature horror sub-genre. Better take a second look at any mushrooms in your fridge after reading this book!
December 4, 2025
DNFd at 65%
It started off really strong with gruesome fungus deaths. And it was slightly misogynistic but nothing I haven't read before but the farther into the book I got the worst it was getting. And I finally couldn't deal with it anymore. I can handle alot in books but I do have a line.
It started off really strong with gruesome fungus deaths. And it was slightly misogynistic but nothing I haven't read before but the farther into the book I got the worst it was getting. And I finally couldn't deal with it anymore. I can handle alot in books but I do have a line.
December 30, 2018
My last read of 2018. And out it goes with a bang! Had a fun time with The Fungus. Lots of ewwww & ick throughout. Was lucky enough to grab the one & only copy that was available at the local library.
One thing for sure... this is one that can grow on ya ;)
One thing for sure... this is one that can grow on ya ;)
November 3, 2024
That was one of the weirdest stories I’ve ever read. Loved every min of it! 4.5⭐️
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