Book recs: the evil fungi did it
We all know of The Last of Us, but that franchise isn't the only example of fungal invasions. We've got zombies and apocalypses, we've got gothic horror, we've got fantasy, we've got romance, we've got space - no genre is safe from having their characters become the home of fungal organisms.
For more details on the books, continue under the readmore. Titles marked with * are my personal favorites. And as always, feel free to share your own recs in the notes!
If you want more book recs, check out my masterpost of rec lists!
The Girl with all the Gifts (The Girl with All the Gifts series) by M.R. Carey
Want another fungal zombie apocalypse? Then I come bearing great news! The Girl with All the Gifts is a post apocalyptic novel following a group of characters fleeing across an infested wasteland, trying to stay alive and hoping to find a cure. One of the characters is Melanie, a young girl who carries the contagion inside of her and hungers for flesh, but like many children of the apocalypse has kept her humanity. Is she and children like her the answer to the cure we are looking for? Or are they the start of something entirely new? This book has also been adapted as a movie!
Cold Storage by David Koepp*
Years ago, a quickly growing fungal organism capable of wiping out humanity came dangerously close to spreading. It was contained and kept in cold storage underneath a military repository. Since then, a larger storage facility has been built on top, the dangers on the lower floor being largely forgotten. That is, until it makes a new attempt at escape. Now, two unsuspecting security guards might be all that stands in the way of complete extermination. This book is both funny and genuine in its characters, and genuinely creepy in its portrayal of body horror.
Salvaged by Madeline Roux
Rosalyn Devar is on the run from her famous family, and has run so far she ended up in space. Now she works as a "space janitor", being sent off to clean up the remains of failed research expeditions. But in trying to cope with her problems, she has fucked up on her job multiple times, and is now close to losing her position. Her last chance is the Brigantine: a research vessel gone silent, all crew presumed dead. But when she arrives to salvage it, Rosalyn discovers the crew isn't as dead as presumed. But are they still human - and will Rosalyn be able to keep her own humanity?
The Annual Migration of Clouds by Premee Mohamed
Novella. Reid is a young woman living in a small community after a climate collapse. Resources are scarce, but Reid's biggest problem is Cad, a mind-altering fungal parasite that lives inside her body. When she is offered a rare chance at attending a far-away university in a secluded dome community, Reid must decide whether to leave or stay to help support her community.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia*
Noemí Taboada is a glamorous and well-off young woman, but when she receives a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin, Noemí must leave her glamorous life and travel to find out what is wrong. As she arrives at High Place, a mansion on the Mexican countryside, Noemí is met with mysteries and her cousin's new English family. As she tries to find out the truth behind High Place and its inhabitants, Noemí's only ally is the youngest son of the family. But will she be able to find out what so scared her cousin before it's too late for all of them?
Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon
A young pregnant woman flees a cult that left her body strange and changing in terrifying ways. Hiding from both a world wanting to oppress her and the cult seeking to force her back, she does her best to raise her children while trying to find out the truth of the cult and being pursued by a hunter in a dangerous game of cat and mouse. Bleak and scary, Sorrowland is a book that will creep under your skin with horrors both fantastical and very, very real.
What Moves the Dead (Sworn Soldier duology) by T. Kingfisher
Novella. Alex Easton, retired soldier, travels to visit their childhood friends, siblings Madeline and Roderick Usher, after finding out that Madeline is dying. In the siblings' rural, ancestral home, Madeline walks in her sleep and looks to be fading away, while around it wildlife seems to be possessed by a strange force. With the help of a mycologist and an American doctor, Alex attempts to save Madeline and reveal the truth of her illness.
Wanderers (Wanderers duology) by Chuck Wendig
A strange illness has struck the United States: with no warning, random people with seemingly no connection simply get up and start walking. They do not eat, do not sleep, do not communicate, and they do not stop - and if you try to force them, they literally explode from the inside. Teenaged Shana isn't one of these sleepwalkers, but her little sister is. Unwilling to leave her sister on her own, Shana accompanies the growing flock of walkers, protecting them as one of many "shepherds". And this protection proves necessary, as the sleepwalkers is only the first step toward what might very well be the extinction of the human race. An 800 page epic, Wanderers is a slowburn apocalypse story with a multitude pov characters and plot threads, from fungal pandemics and all-knowing AI to the all too real portrayal of radicalization and bigotry.
The Dawnhounds (The Endsong series) by Sascha Stronach
The Dawnhounds is a book where you just kind of have to let the story and the world wash over you. It skirts the line of scifi and fantasy, with a futuristic world of environmentally friendly mushroom houses and deadly fungi bio weapons next to literally god-given superpowers and near-immortality. It’s really cool and unlike anything else I’ve ever read, but also a bit confusing. Bonus: it’s also sapphic!
Agents of Dreamland (Tinfoil Dossier trilogy) by Caitlín R. Kiernan
Novella. A government agent known only as the Signalman; a cult preying on the young and vulnerable, promising to usher in a new age; a woman who exists outside of time, searching for a way to save humanity. Agents of Dreamland is short, but includes many spooky elements, among them an alien and possibly world-ending fungi. The narrative is non-linear and a bit strange, but also fascinating.
The Genius Plague by David Walton
Soon after landing his dream job at the NSA, things get weird for Neil Johns. His brother Paul, a mycologist, returns from a trip to the Amazon, carrying a nearly lethal fungal infection and a strangely sharpened mind. At work, Neil starts picking up mysterious messages originating out of South America, where cases similar to that of Paul starts occurring. And strangest of all: all the infected seem to be working towards the same goal. Recommended with the caveat that, while the fungal stuff is really cool, The Genius Plague is also happy to idolize American intelligent agencies and demonize environmentalism and anti-imperialism.
Little Mushroom: Judgement Day (Little Mushroom duology) by Shisi
An Zhe isn’t human. He’s a mushroom who absorbed the DNA of a dying man, allowing him to take on human guise and leave the wilderness. Entering one of the last human bases, a place struggling to keep out the mutated and dangerous creatures of the wilds, An Zhe must keep his identity secret as he searches for something which was taken from him. While not my cup of tea (frankly, I need more female characters), Little Mushroom is an undeniably unique m/m romance novel.
Bonus AKA these don't technically involve any fungi but have similar vibes of parasites and nature corrupting the human
Parasite (Parasitology trilogy) by Mira Grant*
In the near future, a great leap in medical science has improved human health by leaps and bounds: a genetically engineered tape worm. Within a few years, almost every human has their own personal parasite implanted. But now, something is happening to the parasites - they want more, whether their hosts want to share or not.
Annihilation (Southern Reach trilogy) by Jeff Vandermeer
For decades, Area X has been completely cut off from humanity. The only ones to enter are small organized expeditions, many of which never return, or return... wrong. We follow the latest expedition, its participants known only as the anthropologist, the psychologist, the surveyor, and our narrator, the biologist. As they enter into Area X to try to find out its secrets, only one thing is for sure: they will never be the same again.
Wilder Girls by Rory Power
Young adult. Over a year ago, the Raxter School for Girls was hit by the Tox, a strange disease that killed off many and left the survivors' bodies slowly changing in terrifying ways. The island the school is on has been in quarantine since then, and the girls dare not leave the school grounds lest they become victims of wild animals changed by the Tox. But as they wait for the promised cure, one of the girls goes missing, and her friends are willing to do anything to find her. Unsettling, spooky, and sapphic, this is a unique read featuring body horror and messy, dangerous girls.
(Second) Bonus AKA I haven't read these yet but they seem really cool
City of Saints and Madmen (Ambergris trilogy) by Jeff Vandermeer
Ambergris, a city created by a mushroom-like people, is now the home of humans, but the original inhabitants are still there, residing beneath the city.
Creatures of Want and Ruin (Diabolist's Library series) by Molly Tanzer
It’s the prohibition era, and while Ellie does fishing during the day, at night she bootlegs moonshine in Long Island. But unbeknownst to Ellie, some of the booze she smuggles has a strange source: distilled from mushrooms by a cult, it causes those who drink it to see terrible things, such as the the destruction of Long Island.
Bloom by Wil McCarthy
The inner solar system has been overtaken by fast-reproducing, fast-mutating technogenic life. Humanity has fled to the outer solar system, hiding beneath the ice of Jupiter's moon, but even here they aren't safe from possible incursion of mycospores, which lead to deadly blooms. Now a group of astronauts venture back to an infected Earth.
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★ FELIZ 1K!
#QUOTE: Sim! Depois de passar por perrengues de perder minha primeira conta aqui, finalmente bati minha meta final! Estou extremamente feliz e agradecido, a quem sempre esteve aqui, sempre me incentivou, sempre me acompanhou e me ajudou a chegar onde estou agora. Vocês fazem tudo aqui acontecer. Obrigado de verdade!
★ COMEMORANDO:
A maioria sabe que o mês oficial do orgulho LGBTQIAPN+ é em junho, mas isso não nos impede de se orgulhar o ano inteiro e reforçar esse orgulho para todos verem. Porque nós somos o que somos e não temos vergonha disso.
Pensando nisso, em comemoração a esse evento importante para mim que é os mil seguidores, vim com o desafio “PALETA DO ORGULHO”, pensado para todos os capistas de todos os estilos, de modo que todos se sintam extremamente confortáveis em participar.
É algo simples, mas feito com muito amor para dar visibilidade ao movimento do Orgulho LGBTQIAPN+ e, claro, incentivar e criatividade dos capistas incríveis que postam todo dia aqui no Tumblr. Podemos unir duas coisas e transformar isso em algo gigante, significativo e bonito.
★ REGRAS:
“Paleta do Orgulho” é um desafio simples de entender e participar, tendo como protagonista as cores das bandeiras da comunidade. Cada dia uma bandeira que vocês poderão usar como paleta para a sua capa. Vale lembrar que:
Não precisa seguir a sequência de dias como está no post, o tempo entre uma capa e outra você quem decide;
Estilo e personagens você quem decide também, faça suas próprias regras seguindo a única regra de usar uma paleta para cada capa;
Pode fazer mais de uma capa por paleta!
Caso queira variar, você também pode usar uma música/filme/livro ou qualquer coisa que represente a bandeira tanto quanto a paleta para se inspirar;
A comunidade LGBTQIAPN+ é ENORME, e certamente não poderia incluir todas as bandeiras aqui, por isso, sinta-se a vontade para seguir com o desafio mesmo depois das paletas acabarem, fazendo de outras bandeiras também;
Você pode incrementar as paletas com outras cores ou tons diferentes, mas tente não fugir das cores originais;
Use a hashtag “#PdOCset” para que eu e outras pessoas possam achar o trabalho de vocês;
E, claro, se quiserem me mencionar nos posts, fiquem a vontade!
★PALETAS:
– ꒰ ˙ # dia um:
*sabemos que ambas as bandeiras lésbicas são válidas, por isso sinta-se a vontade para usar qualquer uma das duas paletas, juntas ou separadas:
– ꒰ ˙ # dia dois:
– ꒰ ˙ # dia três:
– ꒰ ˙ # dia quatro:
*a bandeira transexual serve de guarda-chuva para bandeiras como demiboy, demigirl, bigênero e entre outras, que em sua maioria seguem a mesma paleta;
– ꒰ ˙ # dia cinco:
– ꒰ ˙ # dia seis:
– ꒰ ˙ # dia sete:
– ꒰ ˙ # dia oito:
– ꒰ ˙ # dia nove:
*bandeira arromantica e agênero seguem a mesma paleta, então, caso queira, pode representar as duas em uma capa só.
– ꒰ ˙ # dia dez:
– ꒰ ˙ # dia onze:
– ꒰ ˙ # dia doze:
– ꒰ ˙ # dia treze:
– ꒰ ˙ # dia quatorze:
– ꒰ ˙ # dia quinze:
Com esse desafio, quero que, principalmente, pessoas da comunidade LGBTQIAPN+ tenha liberdade para se expressarem e mostrarem quem são através da arte, e para que quem mostra apoio também possa representar isso com carinho e respeito. Todos vocês são livres para serem o que quiserem e o que são, e também para expressarem cada bandeira como seu coração mandar. Já estou mais que pronto para as capas lindas que verei. Vejo vocês logo!
*todo e qualquer comentário lgbtfóbico deve ser denunciado a equipe do Tumblr, comentários de ódio não serão tolerados.
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DIVIETO DI CERVO
Attenzione, questo post parlerà di responsabilità genitoriale ma in un modo leggero e, soprattutto, coinvolgente anche chi genitore non è.
Non che ci fosse bisogno di specificarlo ma io sono tendenzialmente una persona scherzosa che trova motivo per sorridere di tutto ciò che ha attorno.
Esiste, però, un vulnus profondo che il genitore non si rende conto di infliggere alla propria prole, la quale si porterà dentro cicatrici profonde per il resto della propria vita... e per vulnus intendo le cazzate raccontate ai propri figli spacciandole per vere.
Il fatto è che il genitore cazzone (me compreso) sottovaluta la capacità di dirimere la veridicità dei propri racconti da parte dei figli, i quali, giocoforza, ripongono un'incrollabile fiducia epistemica nei pilastri che li hanno messi al mondo.
Per esempio, quando da giovane mi allenavo con la katana o a lanciare coltelli e shuriken, alla domanda delle mie figlie sul perché fossi così bravo, io rispondevo sempre - Perché da bambino i nonni mi hanno mandato al Tempio del Dragone Dorato per l'addestramento da monaco Shaolin.
Idem quando insegnavo loro a sbucciare l'arancia con il Qiúrén Jiǔ Rèn (囚人九刃) cioè la Sacra Tecnica delle Nove Lame del Recluso.
Tutto bene, finché alla mensa della materna figlia piccola non ha comiciato a urlare che voleva un coltello per insegnare questa tecnica ai suoi amici e quando le maestre l'hanno sgridata, figlia grande (la mensa era unica per materna ed elementari) si è alzata e ha detto che era una cosa che il loro papà aveva imparato in un monastero di monaci guerrieri shaolin.
Non capisco perché una volta cresciute non siano venute a pugnalarmi nel sonno.
Comunque io sono sicuro che ognun* di voi abbia una balla traumatica conficcata nel proprio cuore da raccontare qua su tumblr e per quanto possa valere, io ho passato i mesi antecedenti all'esame di teoria per la patente a ripetere ogni giorno alle mie figlie -
Vi prego! Quel cartello non vuole dire che è vietato fare il verso del cervo! Dimenticate quello che vi ho detto, VI PREGO!
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