The Poison Diaries

by The Duchess Of Northumberland, Colin Stimpson (Illustrator)

The Barnes & Noble Review
Aesop's Fables meets Roger Corman's Little Shop of Horrors in The Poison Diaries, a decidedly dark parable about an evil apothecary and his ill-treated apprentice that features brilliantly macabre illustrations by acclaimed Disney artist and designer Colin Stimpson.



Weed is an orphan who is taken in by a sadistic apothecary, known only as the master, and proves to be a promising apprentice with a natural ability for the craft. Eventually, Weed's master takes him to a secret walled garden containing some of the most dangerous poisonous plants in the world. In later solitary visits to the garden, however, Weed realizes that the vegetation can communicate with him, and as he learns more about each individual plant, he also discovers precisely how the utilization of each plant's poison can gruesomely put an end to someone's life. The tremendous danger surrounding Weed's education in poisons is tragically underscored when his girlfriend, Marigold, after listening to Weed's far-from-expert instructions, experiments with belladonna and dies. Overwhelmed with grief, Weed blames his master for the death and, finally taking the advice of all the plants in the secret garden, prepares to enact vengeance



Including incredibly detailed illustrations (� la National Audubon Society field guides) of a variety of poisonous plants -- belladonna, ricin, mandrake, hemlock, ergot, et al. -- iThe Poison Diaries/i is equal parts nightmarish fable, instructive botanical guide, and not-so-subtle cautionary tale. Fans of illustrated works like Brom's iThe Plucker/i will absolutely cherish this twisted and toxic tale. iPaul Goat Allen/i

Genres: Fiction, Horror, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Art, Childrens, Plants

80 pages, Hardcover

First published September 16, 2006

About the author

Jane Percy, the current and 12th Duchess of Northumberland has long researched poison gardens. She is responsible for creating the Poison Garden at Alnwick Gardens which is a complex of formal gardens adjacent to the 14th-century old Alnwick Castle in England.

It opened in 2004 to worldwide acclaim. The Poison Garden is the culmination of her life's goal to teach children and adults alike the curative and lethal properties of poisonous plants.

Alnwick Castle has been used as a setting in many films and TV series. Amongst others: Harry Potter (I,II, VI) & Robin Hood (2010).

Reviews

[Astri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ingredients:
--1 part abused orphan
--1 part malodorous, abusive old man
--1 dash of beautiful young girl
--1 heaping spoonful of talking poisonous plants
Mix thoroughly.
Top off with page after page of captivating illustrations.
Yield: 1 wonderful tale of love, child abuse and murder...the perfect choice for the morbid child within us all.
Warning: Do not eat this book.

[jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

in the book it says:

"all of the characters and storylines in this work are fictitious."

not so far from the truth afterall ...
graham young, (1947-1990), an english serial killer. he is notable for his obsession with the use of poison, and for having been imprisoned for murder in his teens, only to kill again after his release. he was fascinated from a young age by poisons and their effects. in 1961 at 14 he started to test poisons on his family, enough to make them violently ill.

"none of the information enclosed is for practical use and is in no way intended as a guide."

oh, but it is.

"plant poisons can be dangerous when used incorrectly and should only be handled by a qualified professional. the moral of the poison diaries is that plants can kill."

i bet.

[Jenn Myers · Rating 3 out of 5]

While very similar to Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book, the Poison Diaries is quite a bit darker. We follow a young apothecary's apprentice who finds out that he has the special ability to talk to poisonous plants. The plants slowly become his friends as just about everyone around him begins to die off.

The book is filled with several interesting, if a bit morbid, short stories on the various ways plants can kill people, and is lavishly illustrated throughout. The pseudo-botanical drawings of the anthropomorphic flowers alone are a great reason to buy this book.

Both a fun and an interesting book, it probably isn't for the younger crowd that it may appear to be for. (Or maybe it is for the younger crowd: all the kids I know love the gory stories!)

[Littlebearries · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Poison Diaries
by The Duchess of Northumberland
Illustrations by Colin Stimpson

Story Title: 4/5
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 4/5
Ending: 3/5


Synopsis:
Weed is an orphan, taken in by the local Apothocary and taught the ways of medicine. One day, a world of poison plants is revealed to him... but... what's this? The plants can talk... and boy-oh-boy do they have things to say.

Character Likability:
Weed: Weed is... a bit... er, touched in the head. He's not quite right, and as the book progresses, you see as much. He's an interesting, dark character.
The Plants: Wicked, evil and with one track minds... and yet, not wicked and evil because all they are truly doing is utilizing their own defense mechanisms. Truly they are hellbent against humans though... and truly revel in the demise of them.
The Apothocary: Awful man. He's meant to be, though, so he's a good character.
Marigold: An Innocent, and pretty vague... she shows up in passing and is what roots Weed to a life of non-evil.

Quality of Writing:
Very interesting story... at times, I felt the story was a little jumpy... the main character waffling between good and bad without any really good reason... but overall it was cohesive and fast flowing.

Ending:
A very dark, disturbing ending. I enjoy dark and disturbing, so I liked it, but I'm not sure this ending, or this book would be something everyone can handle. If you are disturbed by gore, horrible deaths, and them being both described and illustrated... I would recommend you pass on this book all together.

Plot:
Essentially, this is the story of a young boy slowly going mad. It's dark, disturbing, filled with awful deaths, horrible murders and the worst side of humanity. *I* found it fascinating... I especially found it fascinating that I found this book in the Children's section. It has detailed diagrams of VERY poisonous plants... diagrams that proceed to point out which parts are the poisonous ones, and how to use them to kill people. It also has vivid descriptions of how the poisons act on the body, and in what horrible ways they will make you die. Interestingly, it also tells you how they are used medicinally.
In this story, Weed (the boy) talks to the plants, and the book itself is broken down into short stories based on which plant he's talking to. Each plant is hilarious, and has it's own distinct personality... and tells Weed some terrible story of how it helped kill someone. Often it is accompanied by very graphic illustrations (I bought the book because I opened up to this page randomly:

(go here to see pic: http://littlesqueed.blogspot.com/2010... )

and wondering just what kind of kids book this was!!) Turns out, its a book I'm not sure I'd ever give to an actual child... and a book that might possibly be rather dangerous in the hands of most adults. I personally think this book is dark, twisted, and fantastic... but it most certainly isn't for those with weak stomachs or low tolerance for *really* horrible things happening.


Believability of World:
It seems to be set in 'olden days' ... and I'm not sure how hard it is today to track some of these poisons.

Illustrations:
This book is beautiful. Hands down one of the prettiest books I've seen in a while, despite its content. The illustrator is a Disney artist who has worked on things like The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Emperor's New Groove and Tinkerbell. The illustrations are top-notch and seriously beautiful, even when they're absolutely disturbing.

Overall Grade: A (SERIOUSLY, if you don't like graphic violence, don't read this book. It depicts, as you can see, vomiting and horrible death, and describes them vividly in the text)

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘The Poison Diaries’ is a book for children- and adults. The story is short- an abusive apothecary takes on a young boy named Weed as an assistant and puts him in charge of the poison garden- but it works as a fairy tale, has a moral, and is an emotional story. It’s the illustrations that are so marvelous, along with information on the poisonous plants that’s included. As Weed tends the poison garden, the plants take turns speaking to him, telling him their tales and their medicinal and toxic uses- and their hatred of the apothecary. It’s a dark tale, and the illustrations are dark, too- even the brightest pages have a pale gray wash on them.

Some reviewers have said that they didn’t think this would be a good book for children, but I know I would have loved this book when I was in elementary school, and I know a lot of others who would feel that way. It’s in the same vein as many of the tales in the various books of fairy tales; they get pretty bloody and grim and kids love them.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it is illustrated and a shortish story, if you were to give this to your child to read they'd probably cry within the first few pages and then keep you up for the next few nights screaming about nightmares. And then try to poison you with the knowledge they gained from this frightful, wonderful book.

[MKF · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Poison Diaries is my favorite series and I am still grieving over the fact it appears that the story is over. This book is an introduction to the beginning of young Weed and his introduction to poisonious plants. The story is broken up with information of different plants along with their stories. The illustrations are wonderfully done and fits the book perfectly.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up at the bookstore on campus, while waiting to return some texts. I had to have it. The illustrations are beautiful; I only noticed the story as an afterthought. It's a lovely gothic tale, and a gorgeous book. I could spend hours looking at each page.

[Bébhinn Ní Riain · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is both an informational and cautionary tale about poisonous plants. It begins with the sorry tale of Weed, a boy forced to work for an abusive master who is introduced to a whole garden of poisonous plants. Each plant has its own personality, the seductive belladonna for example, and each try to convince Weed to kill his master in his own way, all the while educating Weed on their properties. Richly illustrated and a quick, informative and tragic read. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in herbalism. 5 out of 5 and I will read this again.

[Jonathan Jasinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is twisted! Feels like somethin a mid 20s goth chick would adore, were I to stereotype a bit. Just a really cool young adult comic/graphic novel feel, with these gorgeous illustrations and unique takes on various deadly plant characterizations. Unique book, for a unique taste, but I kinda enjoyed it. Quick read.

-1 star because I wanted more info on where the plants came from. More actual history would be cool in general, make it an appendix or whatever.

[STish · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book I have had my eye on for years. I finally purchased it and I am glad that I did. It gives you a bit of information about some of the poisonous plants mentioned in the book, along with beautiful illustrations and a gothic story to go with it. Very enjoyable if you are into dark & gory tales. This is more of a juvenile fiction(or YA).

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting Gothic story with beautiful illustrations but very sad.

[Dzaiimah Hakim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the unique characters, the mystery behind the story and how some unimaginable things can happen. The moral of story is really amazing and changed my views on how to look at people around me.

[T R Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Poison Diaries is an interesting book writing as an in-universe diary of a shady apothecary’s apprentice as he discovers the world of poisonous plants. The story parts of the good, and while the information on the poisonous plants is interesting, I do not know enough about botany to be able to tell how accurate it is. As the book is meant to be a diary, it is written in a handwritten style of font that tends to crawl across the page, sometimes going sideways or upside-down. While I did find this style a bit difficult to read at first, but I soon got used to it.

My favourite part of the book was the art. Each of the focused plants has a scientific style illustration that is followed by a fantastical, anthropomorphised piece of art. There are also illustrations of some of the sense mentioned in the story itself. All of these pieces of art are brilliant, but it is the anthropomorphic flower that I liked the best as they were very creative and I think I liked the Castor illustration the best.

[Sarah Beaudoin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Poison Diaries is purportedly the diary of a boy named Weed, the servant of a cruel apothecary. Mistreated with and without reason, Weed spends his free time in his master's garden, caring for his array of poisonous plants. As he does so, the plants begin speaking to him, sharing the ways in which they have killed various people with their powers.

In addition to the tales of murder, each plant's story is accompanied by information regarding its name, its uses, and descriptions of its physical nature, as well as labeled, descriptive graphics. Aspects of the book read more as a botanical guide than a fictional diary.

I would love to see this storyline expanded and turned into a movie. It is a dark, Gothic story, and I think it would translate into a creepy kid's movie very easily.

[Kristy McRae]

Had to cheat a bit...what I actually read was a novel by Maryrose Wood, called "The Poison Diaries"--based on a concept by The Duchess of Northumberland. It won't be out til 7/2010, so it wasn't listed yet. That said, it was a great story. Parts are in diary format, and there are 2 different narrators/diarists. A nice mix of history and mysticism/fantasy. Also, I'm now curious to read this original by the Duchess! Very fascinating subject matter!

[Maddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was amazing!!! it goes into the love between a father and daughter, and the love between 2 young teens. this book you can never tell whats goin to happen next, it is totally un put downable finished it within a day, now onto the second one! this book is rely good and i reccomend it to mostly girls my age[14] who love a hot guy and a bit of romance!
plz get this book asap it beats the vampire and werewolf stuff and is unique and is something we can all relate to:)

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read from a new author. The ending is pretty depressing but I enjoyed following Jessamine, daughter of an evil man, on her journey of self-discovery. And I'm a huge gardening nerd. It was nice to see the history of poison plants tied into a plot.

[Poison Diaries · Rating 5 out of 5]

This illustration book was release before The Poison Diaries and it is beautiful! The images of the characters and the plants are amazing! A real treat for all who want to delve deeper into The Poison Diaries.

[Mary Kroh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most beautifully illustrated book I've seen in awhile.

[Ririn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uhm.. this book is super awesome, me thinks... the illustrations, the story, the knowledge! You can kill people with it, srsly... NOT FOR KIDS!

[GP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very, very creepy with lovely artwork. Whoever approved it as a children's book needs their head examined, but it's perfect as a shivery fable for adults and kids over 14.

[rr]

An intriguing book, and very interesting to look at. But ultimately there's not much story, so the book feels like it's more about presentation than anything else.

[Kirsty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book to flick through

[Katje van Loon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightfully morbid and quite instructive on the dangers of certain plants at the same time. Highly recommended for any witch's shelf.

[Meghann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the illustrations. The stories the plants told were very interesting

[Kimberly Kieffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark, lovely, and mischievous story telling, coupled with gorgeous illustrations and textures.

[Anneleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Er zat potentieel in, maar naar het einde toe vond ik het verhaal steeds minder worden. Het einde wordt ook nogal afgerammeld... Opeens is het gedaan en dat is het dan.

Uitgelezen juli 2012

[Fionita · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Poison diaries uses quite hard language, and I need to look up in my dictionaries once in a while,
but the story is great and I love the way Will is to Jessamine

[Sarah Avery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got this for my 10 year daughter but I enjoyed it so much more!