Official
Author Website
Order Mushroom Blues over HERE
OFFICIAL AUTHOR INFO: Adrian M. Gibson is a Canadian author, podcaster and illustrator (as well as
occasional tattoo artist). He was born in Ontario, Canada, but grew up in
British Columbia. He studied English Literature and has worked in music
journalism, restaurants, tattoo studios, clothing stores and a bevy of odd
jobs. In 2021, he created the SFF Addicts podcast, which he co-hosts with
fellow author M. J. Kuhn. The two host in-depth interviews with an array of
science fiction and fantasy authors, as well as writing masterclasses.
Adrian has a not-so-casual obsession with
mushrooms, relishes in the vastness of nature and is a self-proclaimed “child
of the mountains.” He enjoys cooking, music, video games, politics and science,
as well as reading fiction and comic books. He lives in Quito, Ecuador with his
wife and sons.
OFFICIAL BOOK REVIEW: TWO YEARS AFTER a
devastating defeat in the decade-long Spore War, the island nation of HÅppon
and its capital city of Neo Kinoko are occupied by invading Coprinian forces.
Its Fungal citizens are in dire straits, wracked by food shortages, poverty and
an influx of war refugees. Even worse, the corrupt occupiers exploit their
power, hounding the native population.
As a winter storm
looms over the metropolis, NKPD Detective Henrietta Hofmann begrudgingly
partners up with mushroom-headed patrol officer Koji Nameko to investigate the
mysterious murders of Fungal and half-breed children. Their investigation drags
them deep into the seedy underbelly of a war-torn city, one brimming with
colonizers, criminal gangs, racial division and moral decay.
In order to solve the
case and unravel the truth, Hofmann must challenge her past and embrace Fungal
ways. What she and Nameko uncover in the midst of this frigid wasteland will
chill them to the core, but will they make it through the storm alive?
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Mushroom Blues is a tightly written trip through the
criminal underbelly of a pulpy cyberpunk inspired city. Themes of colonialism,
trauma and addiction deepen the central narrative as the plot races feverishly
to its powerfully psychedelic climax.
Whilst our 2 main protagonists receive
absorbing character development, the antagonists did suffer a little in
comparison, despite attempts to tie them into the emotional backbone of the
city known as ‘Neo Kinoko’. A little more time in the latter half of the novel
devoted to exploring our villains more intimately would’ve elevated Mushroom
Blues even further into one of my favourite reads of the year.
As it stands, devotees of both crime and
post apocalyptic SFF should find plenty to dig their teeth into with this
socially conscious sci fi captivating me from start to finish. Gibson is
using the forces of nature (mushrooms) to *become* a force of nature in the SFF
world. Bring on spore city!!
Mushroom Blues is sci-fi for those who don’t typically engage with the genre…
I can have confidence in such a bold
statement because this statement IS me. I know that’s a horrible thing to admit
as a SFF fan, but sci fi has just never quite attracted me to the extent epic
fantasy does.
But you see, Adrian is clearly a
master villain at play, designing Mushroom Blues as part of his
nefarious plot to entice new readers into the Sci-fi arena through the lens of
crime, and leave us all stuffing our faces with that common childhood food
nightmare… mushrooms shudders . Meanwhile reading late into the night,
addicting us to turning pages like this s***t is crack. I mean what was he on
when he wrote this… mushrooms?! I’m onto you Mr Gibson!!
Jokes aside, it’s clear from the start that
Gibson has poured his entire soul into this novel, from the characters
through to the cleverly realised world and cultures Gibson weaves in. Readers certainly aren’t in Kansas anymore,
and Gibson makes this clear from the off when we commence upon the
gruesome discovery of a child's body washed up on the shores beside Neo Kinoko.
This is a gritty character driven crime noir and boy does Gibson know how to
write the hell out of that.
Our primary protagonist is the detective Henrietta
Hoffman. Recovering alcoholic? Grumpy and disillusioned? Troubled past?
Disregard for authority and playing by the rules? Secret heart of gold? Yes, Gibson
hits all the grizzled detective tropes here, but the importance here is that it
never felt like a simple rehash. Gibson knows how to embed his character
with a personality that makes this work; Hoffman isn’t the crotchety old
detective for the sake of it, but because her character demands it, and her
evolution throughout this novel was one of my favourite aspects.
Joining Henrietta is the sole fungal
cop within Neo Kinoko and wider Coprinia, Koji. Unfortunately for him,
he’s been partnered with Henrietta, a vehement mycophobe. As a fungal, Koji
is not that different to the humans, well besides the mushroom cap for a head
and his ability to connect with and sense other fungals.
But Koji is also a character forced
between two worlds. Shunned by his family for working for a government that
violently oppresses him and his people, and having to contend with the everyday
racism thrown at him by his colleagues within the police force, Koji’s
heart for justice and affable nature made him one of my favourite characters in
recent times. Our boy Koji must be protected at all costs, you hear me Gibson!
With Henrietta as our main entry to
this fantastical world, we see the true depravity of an empire run on
prejudice, the same prejudice Henrietta carries herself. Gibson does a
fantastic job of truly immersing readers into the torturous mindset of a
mycophobe living in a world of fungi. When Henrietta squirms at the
fungi that build the foundations of so much of this city, one really feels her
disgust and I definitely found myself shuddering at various points throughout
the narrative as Gibson vividly paints these uncomfortable sequences.
Needless to say, Henrietta is not
best pleased at having to partner with *shock horror* a fungal. To make matters
worse, this is a politically fraught case, with tensions rising between the
subjugated Fungal population of Neo Kinoko; the city seemingly ready to burst
into a blaze of revolutionary violence.
Only a few pages in with a riot about to
break out it is clear this novel is going to progress at a breakneck pace.
However in contrast to my preconceived notions, Gibson (for the most
part) does not progress the plot at the expense of character and worldbuilding.
It felt incredibly natural, to the point that I didn’t really notice the
worldbuilding, as it's so embedded into the progressing narrative. When one
considers that said narrative involves high speed vehicle chases, explosions,
gangster warfare and so much more, often within a few pages of one another, it
truly is remarkable how well the storyline does progress.
But these bombastic explosions of action,
which fit so neatly into this gritty underworld, are not the heart of this
novel. At its core I think the novel is about
change. This is most obvious through Henrietta’s gradual acceptance of
the Hopponese (Fungals), and through that. acceptance of herself and the things
SHE *cannot* change.
Fuelled by bitterness and regret, an exile
for sins of the past, Henrietta is certainly not an instantly likeable
character. For one she’s an unapologetic racist, and being inside her head one
simply cannot escape that uncomfortably heavy mindset.
It’s a fascinating way to explore this post
war Japanese infused cyberpunk environment, both socially and structurally,
through the eyes of a protagonist who despises almost every part of it. To Henrietta
it symbolises everything that led her here and thus she takes it out daily on
the world she inhabits.
But as we are drawn deeper into the darker
parts of this world, Henrietta begins to see the Hopponese not as
abominations to be used and discarded, but as people.
We are shown many different aspects of the
Hopponese community, their families, the way they connect with the world around
them, and all the ways the Neo Kinokan government has failed and abused them.
Through this lens, Mushroom Blues is
devastatingly bold in forcing one to confront the ways our own societies have
entrenched structural poverty and inequality in communities which those of us
in the west have historically taken advantage of.
But Gibson uses this as a starting
point through which to champion humanity’s great capacity for change.
So much of hatred is born of ignorance but
through Henrietta, Gibson gives us that most important emotion of all, hope.
Hope that when confronted with the ugly truths our society perpetuates, people
*can* grow and change.
Similar to PL Stuart’s eminent protagonist
Prince Othrun of the Drowned Kingdom saga, readers are confronted with a
character who is entirely too human in all their many flaws. It is a bare faced
mirror to our own ugly shortcomings, entrenched in our enclaves of political
subjectivity where we convince ourselves the ‘othering’ and rejection of those
who differ from us is somehow an acceptable form of intolerance, never allowing
for the power of change to work in people’s lives.
But
if you stick through the uncomfortableness of a protagonist so unapologetically
prejudiced you will find a character on a journey, a character most would have
given up on a long time ago, reflecting the way Henrietta has given up on
herself. Putting herself at the mercy of her latent alcoholism rather than
confronting her own self hatred and rejection of self forgiveness, by the time
we meet her, Henrietta has given up.
But when forced to confront the ignorance
of her own fears it leads her to recognise the spark of humanity that connects
us all. This is a wonderful message woven into the narrative with defiant grit
and gravitas without taking away from the novel’s entertainment value.
As author Pl Stuart (talking about his own
series) wonderfully puts it “... even ordinary flawed people can change. We’re
all redeemable. Ordinary people can change, evolve, and make a difference, not
just fictional Princes.…”
By the time the critical junctures of
Mushroom Blues have come around, Henrietta has undergone a transition which
felt both natural and earnestly earnt. To take so unlikeable a character and
transform them within such a short page count without undermining their arc is
a feat a debut author such as Adrian should be incredibly proud of.
The other forefront of change comes through
the Hopponese people and their fight for justice and acceptance in a society
structured to subjugate and abuse those deemed lesser.
Taking inspiration from indigenous cultures
from across our diverse world, the Hopponese have a deeply realised culture,
wholly rooted in connection which was an aspect that really inspired me to
consider my actions in our own world. This sense of interconnection flowed
through the heart of this novel and left me exploring the real life
inspirations behind Adrian’s imaginings, something I strongly encourage
everyone to do as it's truly fascinating.
Showcasing the beauty of such a culture
enables the reader to truly empathise with the Hopponese and their campaign for
just change. As the novel progresses there is a palpable sense of the political
tension rumbling beneath the surface, an eruption accelerated by the criminal
proceedings taking place within our main plot.
Thus Gibson weaves his words with the power
of not just personal change but societal change, and the power of our own
voices when we stand together. It is a clarion call to those of us who feel
disenfranchised and voiceless to stand together and fight for our inherent
capacity to change the direction of our societal destiny.
If I’m making this book sound rather heavy
in its themes and political undertones, that's because all of this is central
to the story Gibson is telling here.
If you are vehemently anti woke’ then
perhaps this is not a book that will appeal to you (although one could consider
it full of uncomfortable truths which may be important to expose yourself to)
but Gibson never loses sight of the entertainment value in the midst of some
heavy themes.
It’s
cinematic in visuals and scale, it's easy and breezy a lot of the time,its full
of humour, heart and horror, whilst still encapsulating some profound messaging
sans virtue signalling. Where it slightly falters is in the time
devoted to its antagonists, the motives of whom demanded an exploration that
never quite got enough development. There are certainly many interesting
developments along the way, and the mystery was mostly satisfying as a personal
fan of a good crime novel.
However when events start to unravel and
our antagonists step out of the shadows I was admittedly left with a slight
element of confusion (although perhaps a re-read will help with this as
inevitably I missed clues along the way).
The conclusion does comes neck-breakingly
fast so that it didn’t allow us the time to dig deeper into the motivations and
our villains became more typical caricatures in contrast to the more thoughtful
exploration of the novel’s themes up to that stage.
One of my favourite chapters in fact was
one where time was taken to sit with one of our protagonists as they go through
transformative events in the midst of chaos. There wasn't much plot
progression, but it didn't matter because it deepened our relationship with the
character and i love that Gibson took the time to slow down and share that with
us. With the same care devoted to our antagonists this novel would've been
truly brilliant.
Alas what we are left with is an incredibly
capable and enthralling debut which has left Gibson on the instant purchase
list for life. An complex and layered novel mixing heart pounding action noir
with heart rending social discourse.
Spore City can't come soon enough
6:00 AM | 
Posted by
The Reader |
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