I completely forgot to review this book - I am so sorry! I am finally getting around to it because I am a big fan of Andrew F. Sullivan and I really enjoyed this take. In the Marigold, Sullivan treats the city of Toronto as a character in and of itself, one that is constantly shifting and interacting with a multitude of other human and nonhuman characters. This book incorporates scathing and prescient commentary about urban "development," gentrification, policing, and corporate corruption. Perhaps best of all, it is very entertaining and chock-full of complex and nuanced characters. My main critique is that there are many characters I would have liked to spend more time with.

Thank you for the ARC and apologies for the severely delayed review.

A grim, dystopian eco-horror novel set in a decaying future Toronto. It’s disturbing, surreal, and packed with social commentary. Heavy, but deeply thought-provoking.

"The Marigold" by Andrew F. Sullivan is a haunting and inventive dive into a near-future Toronto unraveling under environmental decay and unchecked greed. This dystopian horror novel blends body horror, urban decay, and ecofiction with a sharp, atmospheric prose that pulls you into its crumbling world. The story follows a diverse cast—public health inspectors battling a sentient mold called "The Wet," a rideshare driver caught in the gig economy’s grind, and a teen chasing answers underground—whose lives orbit the titular Marigold, a decaying condo tower symbolizing ambition gone rotten. Sullivan’s vivid imagery and social commentary on corporate overreach and climate collapse hit hard, though the sprawling character roster and slow-burn pacing might not hook every reader. It’s a bold, unsettling tale that lingers, perfect for fans of literary horror with a gritty edge.

Great book! It had all the fears of growing up. Make a choice. Turn the page or close the book. Enter the darkness if you wish!

A dystopian future Toronto, this book is chaos. There is so much going on. I enjoyed it.

Thank you for my copy!

I enjoyed this, but I am weirdly partial to stories about fungi.

This is an interesting take on the Dystopian, social commentary story. I think the author chose the only format that could do this story justice, which is through interwoven stories from multiple characters. Through these stories from people who live in the titular building (The Marigold), we learn the landscape, political climate, and how things got to this point. The only downside of this story is that it feels unfinished and you are left underwhelmed by the end of it. It really felt like it was just one installment in the middle of a large series.

Not downloaded in time to review due to being locked out of NetGalley. Best of luck, and I hope to read this in the future. :)

Thank you so much to Net galley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book! I was drawn into this book because of the cover and the description, it did not disappoint. I really ended up enjoying this book and I would like to read more by Andrew

This novel was an interesting blend of sci-fi and horror. I love novels that have a dystopian setting - the weirder the better and this was weird! There is a fungus among-us and it’s giving body horror! I feel like you will have plenty of people who may not like this book because of its eccentricities but then plenty who will for the same reason. Can’t wait to read from this author again!

Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It turned into a bit of a rollercoaster for me, ending with a three-star rating. The story's core is intriguing, but the way it's told from so many angles, and only tying up right at the end, was a bit of a letdown. It felt like the narrative got bogged down in the middle, dragging to the point where I found myself taking breaks, only digesting a couple of chapters at a time. Character development is one of the book's strengths, with the author doing a pretty good job of giving life to the characters. Yet, the ending threw me for a loop. The last chapter tries to pull all the threads together in a whirlwind, leaving me a bit dazed. It has it's moments and the characters will stick with you, It's a mixed bag for me on this one.

"The Marigold" by Andrew F. Sullivan is a literary horror novel set in a near-future Toronto facing environmental chaos and rampant development. The story explores the emergence of an unsettling new lifeform beneath the city's surface, which feeds off the past and threatens the lives of its residents.

In a near-future Toronto, the gap between the haves and the have-nots has grown to phenomenal proportions, largely spurred by a rabid (and ultimately unsustainable) gig economy. Meanwhile, sinkholes are opening throughout the city, releasing a creeping, toxic mold into homes and apartments.

The idea here is great: Take the horrors of modern life, blow them into wild, dystopian proportions, and create meaningful social commentary. Look folks—the monster is our own making! However, the pacing is astronomically slow as the story sprawls from character to character, some of whom are far more interesting than others.

The Marigold by Andrew F Sullivan was a unique novel with a cool looking book cover. thank you for the early copy of it

This was strange and I couldn't seem to put it down! I said recently after watching a movie that 'eat the rich' seems to be a blossoming horror sub-genre right now and I'm all for it. I don't want to say too much about this book as it's best to go in largely blind, but it's very reminiscent of our society and where it could be going- and that is where the horror of the story lies.

The premise of this story was excellent, to view the way civilization crumbles from so many perspectives, with this added element of a fungus disease or maybe entity, it is conceptually haunting. Mushroom-based sci-fi is a genre that is of great interest to me. The variety of perspectives I was also impressed by, covering so many different types of people in this terrifying new world. What I was less impressed by was actually the execution.

I will not be finishing this book for the reason that I was so unable to connect to any storyline, each one was revolting in its own way, and while I appreciate the honest portrayal of human flaws, I did not enjoy reading about them in this case. I really think it comes down to writing style, because I spent half of my time reading this trying to put my finger on why I wanted to stop! Maybe if the focus had been on fewer characters I would have been able to care more, but I got through 50% of this book and still dreaded picking it back up. At that point, I had to call it quits. This was not good!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, ECW Press, for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for this honest review!! Since I have not finished this book I will not rate it on GoodReads, and will also not be sharing my review there, however I will be speaking about my feelings in a video on my YouTube channel (youtube.com/c/rubyreads) Jokes on Me round 1 ep 02.

Really enjoyed!! Kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book and could not put down. Loved the setting of the high rise building and the feeling of the tighter space.

This is definitely a good read for the right person but I just don't think I was the right audience for this one. I am not normally a big sci-fi fan so if you are, you will definitely enjoy this book! It is great for spooky season as it features sci-fi, folk horror & murder mystery elements that is perfect to read this time of year.

Overall, I could tell this was a well written story and there will be many people who love this one, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

It was hard to get into it. It was alright but not really my cup of tea. Wouldn't have to read it again.

That was quite a ride. I didn't expect to like but overall i enjoyed the reading. It kept hooked and intrigued throughout the reading. The suspense and investigation was a bit underwhelming, it could've been more. though. I liked the characters and the writing style was ok.

This book was such an unusual read in the absolute best of ways. As someone who lived in Toronto and who experiences anxiety attacks when it comes into view, it wouldn't have been hard to make the city horrifying for me, but Sullivan manages to do so with deft skill and using a sharpness of prose and symbolism that I wasn't prepared for.

I'd place <i>The Marigold</i> squarely in the Weird or New Weird tradition, but with a style close in some ways to William Gibson's work. Definitely check this one out for a horror novel packed with social commentary and which deeply interrogates issues of wealth and class in a Canadian context, but without ever feeling heavy-handed.