I tried, I really tried with this book but I found reading it a chore. I like weird but sometimes things are just a bit too out there for me. Some interesting ideas but I couldn't connect with the characters which is an issue in such a character driven book.

Review not posted anywhere else.

Seaweed Rising is a fungus horror novel. OK, its not actually a fungus, in this book the place of lowly sentient, seductive and all-encompassing fungus is actually played by seaweed. But the shape of the plot is similar to the relatively recent genre (if we aren't counting THE FUNGUS from the 80's which we should because it is awesome). But you don't diss a vampire novel for being a vampire novel, the question isn't that the creeping dread that an ancient plant species is finding ways to take over the world isn't original, the question is - does it do it well? And yes, Seaweed Rising folds its particular blend of loser romance, loner madness and talking seaweed into a potent narrative. It bounces between its two leads in long narrative sections and plays a loose game with the readers to make you wonder if it is all in their mind. Its even got a mad scientist in it (who initially presents as anything but).

Seaweed Rising plays with the gothic, though its wet, damp and squidgy nature also conjures up body and alien horror. I was surprised at how invested I got in the love triangle (man, woman, seaweed), and some of the backstory which gave a little more life to these characters. There is also, unsurprisingly, a wealth of seaweed knowledge here - making it a prime subject for an "ancient intelligence" plot. Furthermore, its the kind of story that can only work as a book, and dramatisation would have the problem of trying to make seaweed actually threatening. Whereas the book summons up, very early on, that primal dread of a silky tentacle of seaweed, grabbing your foot when you are just under the surface, slimy but not, thick, black and - here at least - it wants its planet back.

This was a gothic, haunting and atmospheric story that I couldn’t put down. It was gripping and engaging the whole way through with a level of suspense and unpredictability that added an extra layer to the storytelling. It was a chilling read that has stayed with me since I read it. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.