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A Fungus Among Us, Or Military Experiments Gone Wrong

Author: Michael McBride

There’s a fungus among us – and it’s part of a highly sensitive military experiment. What more do you need to hear? Mycology is, in and of itself, a terrifying study into a multifaceted organism that can survive, reproduce, and fruit under extreme circumstances. An entire book, located in an underground cavern, filled with deadly spores, focusing on scientists and military bad-guys unraveling a deadly mystery sounds like the perfect read for a horror-hound and a fungus lover. Unfortunately, despite the glowing GoodRead’s reviews and my eager anticipation, Spores left me bored and disappointed.

The story starts strong, at a bustling airport which suddenly undergoes a tragic earthquake. Trains and plains plummet into a deep injection well, once used by the US Army to dispose of chemical weapons. They thought the long-abandoned well was stable. Apparently, it wasn’t, and the chemicals are still active. There is something else going on too – the bodies they’re pulling out of the wreckage are covered in fruiting fungi, and the survivors are reporting having seen some creepy things.

Enter the army and Colonel Randall, who knows way more than he is telling. Along for the ride are a cohort of scientists, including Dr. Dayna, and a bunch of rando military guys. Don’t bother with the names, because you’ll never be able to remember them all, no one’s personality or character stands out, and they’re all just there to die in the cavern. With the clock ticking and aftershocks threatening to extend the sinkhole into the overcrowded main city/suburbs, the scientists are trying to figure out what happened and stabilize it.

But . . . there’s more than just those bad chemicals down there. There is a secret experiment still very much alive and lots of spores.

It sounds so good. But it really isn’t. After the first few chapters, which are so promising, everything slows way down, and most of the book is a bunch of people in space-like suits walking in a dark cavern surrounded by chemicals and poking at stuff. Very little happens very slowly, and only a few flashbacks from Colonel Randall, who actually knows what is going on, keep us up to date.

By the time the spores really start getting active (and we get killer rabbits) we’ve lost interest. The cavern of chemicals that should be so claustrophobic is just dull. Nothing to see here (literary), and there is only so much walking in the dark, thinking you see something, that can go down before audiences start to wonder if they should use the time to re-stack the dishwasher instead.

Image by Daniel from Pixabay

When we do get some fungal action, it’s far-fetched, even by sci-fi horror standards. Yes, this is based on a real fungus (Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, which is colloquially called the zombie-ant fungus) that takes control of the host and moves it. That is primitive, however, and what this fungus is doing would require a sentience that is not earned in this book. It just doesn’t really make sense. Not saying that it couldn’t. It’s actually a pretty clever idea that has horrifying connotations. But it’s not earned here, and the fungus’ actual intention is never clear. What does it want? Survival? World domination? More comfortable airline seats? As it is, this super crafty, sentient fungus seems content hiding in the dark for decades and then taking the first contact opportunity to chase some dumb scientists.

Towards the conclusion, the action finally picks up. But that didn’t solve my lack of interest either, because it was all so samey. People running in the dark. Nameless people succumbing to relatively similar (albeit horrible) deaths. No originality, just cut and paste carnage. The fugus is so underutilized.

We guess the end before it comes (thanks to Randall’s original solution), and my feeling on watching my Kindle pop-up with the “you’re finished” notice was extreme relief. Despite the action-packed concluding chapters with Danya fighting for her life and the world’s survival, I was just rushing to finish.

Spores had promise plot wise, but the execution was altogether lacking. Not recommended.

– Frances Carden

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Frances Carden
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