The Marigold

I read it, didn't like it. Expected more scares, but it was a book about the dissolve of a fake city in the future. Scary parts weren't scary but cheesy. No answers given.

The promise of progress has been tantalizing dreamers for centuries, often to their ruin, and it’s the tug-and-pull of progress, greed, and ruin which Sullivan manages to explore and subvert in this gorgeous work of eco-horror.From the very opening of The Marigold, there’s an awareness of nature being encroached upon by humanity’s search for what comes next, to the extent that that ‘next’ enslaves their every waking hour. But here, with a breathless feeling of both dread and triumph—well, triumph for those of us who often root for Nature finding a way—the reader sees Nature fighting back with a vengeance for its own progress. And there’s something utterly wonderful about this, both in the horror which Sullivan delivers alongside this movement and also when it comes to the attention he gives to the naturalness of it all. Alongside the more artificial progress made by humanity’s greed, where everything is quickly shown to be a tower of cards, the give-and-take of Nature’s very different understanding of life and death is impossible to deny...and beautifully delivered with every word of rot, horror, and ruin.As with some of Sullivan’s short stories, entrapment is an aching theme throughout the work, but by showing it in such different terms, he manages to give a nod to the “real world” we know and fear while elevating the horror at the heart of this novel. On one hand, it’s entrapment through progress, through greed, and through foresight. And, on the other hand, it’s the very physical entrapment of a strained, unnatural cityscape imploding with the force of all it’s held off.But while all this sounds really bleak, no small part of the beauty in this novel comes from the pure joy with which Sullivan delivers the horror and the ruin. Terrifying as the book may be, it is also fun, oddly pure, and masterful in its every scene. The small grotesqueries and the constant tributes to the natural world—and the weird, sweet, elegance of even the gooiest parts of nature—are given such careful attention that fungi all but bleed off the page for the reader, just as is the case for characters. Admittedly, I fell in love with even the most dangerous organisms in this book, and they’re no small part of what makes this book’s contribution to eco-horror so undeniable.I’ll be rereading and recommending this book for a long time to come. Whether you come to it through the lens of eco-fiction or horror, you’ll find something here to fall into, and be horrified and mesmerized by.

The Marigold by Andrew F Sullivan, 360 pgs, Pub date: Apr 18thOverall ⭐⭐⭐⭐Atmosphere ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Library or Buy-worthy: I'm buying a finished copy.The Marigold by Andrew F Sullivan is a weird dark blend of political philosophy, eco-horror and rotting dystopia with a dash of cosmic occultism for good taste. I'll say right up front, if you're reading this hoping for 'The Last of Us' then this isn't that book. You have to go into The Marigold reading it on it's own merit.Through a variety of intertwined short stories the picture of a diseased future Toronto emerges. The snap shots of different lives, and how they are affected by the Wet (a strange disease) and the Marigold family was an interesting way of creating perspective. Going into this I expected to prefer a more typical style of novel, following one character throughout but I was wrong. This style fits the world building and the slow unfolding of the cohesive plotline perfectly. The city itself becomes a character. I loved the atmosphere this author was able to create. I could almost smell the damp stink and rot. An amazing amount of character development was achieved as well within these short chapters. Every character was intriguing and fully fleshed. I liked the LGBTQ character representation. Parts of this book had a uncanny Eyes Wide Shut/ Lost Highways /Fight Club vibe that I quite enjoyed. The Diva Tarot deck Irving reads was perhaps my favorite part. The level of humor was the perfect counterbalance for all the darkness.In general I love weird books, eco-horror and spore horror so I'm biased but I liked this book so much. It won't be everyone's cup of tea but I'm simply impressed by the originality. Good writing, dark gritty world building, raccoon symbology and a touch of black gelatinous mold growing on every surface has me following this author for future books. This book is definitely getting filed with my favorite well thought-out, top shelf weird collection. Outstanding work @afsulli.

This was a very original story about the price of progress. It was very well told with many unique perspectives. This was in five star territory for me until the last 25% where it went where I didn’t want it to go. Even the ending was very well executed , it just didn’t resonate for me the way I wanted it to

Is it a horror novel? A social commentary? A new, or revamped older, mythology? An eco-novel (if there is such a thing)? Who knows but The Marigold is definitely a different type of genre mashup! The real question is whether you will enjoy reading it.The novel is set in a near future Toronto which sounds very close to present day New York City. The rich run the town without regard for the poor struggling to live within it. Lately, high rise buildings are collapsing. Is it incompetent builders, cheap owners using subpar products, or something else much more complex?I liked the combination of horror with climate change. The mythology was intriguing. But I just couldn’t get past the constant social commentary. I get it. The rich are out for themselves. All Americans understand that after four years of the last president (or the robber barons of a century or so ago). Perhaps innately friendly Canadians haven’t realized it yet. Still, it was pervasive and felt overdone. It definitely adversely impacted my enjoyment of the novel. For that reason alone, The Marigold gets 3 stars from me. However, if that type of preaching to the choir doesn’t bother you and you enjoy innovative horror plots, you should pick up this book.Thanks to ECW Press and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

Bleak, harrowing, frightening and tragic but in all I found it to be a cathartic read. A refreshingly terrifying story that you must read!

This is probably my favourite book I've read all year.I could feel the grime and decay seeping through the prose as Andrew F. Sullivan weaves a story of dystopian fungal horror. This was exactly the kind of New Weird that I've been looking for.None of the central characters could be considered hero's, but each persons story was interesting. I also enjoyed the chapters dedicated to a random occupant of The Marigold. Each one helped to show just how quickly the building, and Toronto itself, is falling apart.I'm really glad that I've discovered Andrew F. Sullivan, I'll definitely be reading more of his work.

Weird and smart. I loved it.