Im sorry but we couls not finish at all. Will try again soon.

Did not want to review a book we didnt finish. Forgot to send feedbackkpop

3.5 Stars

I really enjoyed this new take on an apocalyptic scenario and would’ve happily read a longer version of this story over just a novella. In fact, I think it would’ve worked better that way. The characters were well developed, the fungoid sickness was super interesting and something new that I haven’t read before in other apocalyptic books. I would’ve liked to have seen a little more of an ending, or possibly a prologue, just to show what happened after the scientist’s discovery, but at the same time I liked the dramatic and emotional ending. Well done, I would happily read more from this author.

Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Fungoid by William Meikle is a nice fungus among us apocalyptic tale.

Centered on a few sets of characters that Meikle brings to life and drives into the fungal threat, I found myself caught up in the need to know what would happen next. What was the fungus and how in the heck would they stop it? Would they be able to figure it out?
My favorite part of the story was Shaun’s adventures as he tried to get to his wife and kids. There were some great suspenseful moments during his journey.

There were also plenty of fantastic descriptive scenes of the fungus attaching itself to those infected, spreading its spores, and some very sing-song-y moments of the “Blue Hills” that I could envision crystal clear.

Horror with science fiction from Meikle (see, The Plasm) works perfect for me. Loved it.

I give Fungoid 4 stars!

I knew when I first saw the cover release for Fungoid that I wanted to read it. The cover and the author did not disappoint. Dystopian/apocalyptic/pandemic stories are a personal favorite of mine; I can't get enough of them. I'm sure that says nothing about my disdain for humanity that I love reading about them getting wiped out.

William Meikle does an excellent job giving us a contagion that not only falls from the sky but that creeps into your soul. When something that we made in a lab is far more dangerous than anything mother nature could throw at us, living may actually be far more terrifying than dying. When it calls for you, will you answer?

Although Tormented is still my all time favorite book by William Meikle, Fungoid came in a pretty close second. Meikle is still one of my favorite DarkFuse authors and always a solid read.

I received this book from NetGalley and DarkFuse in exchange for an honest review.

A brilliant story. Powerful themes, outstanding imagery, and a tale that will knock your head off. Fungoid is a rip roaring read.

It's raining. When the raindrops touch people's skin, they start scratching as they itch. The raindrops are an infection which travels the world quickly. The infection cannot be destroyed regardless of what they try. It is a type of fungus. It is evolving. The first epidemic started in China but they won't say what it is or if they are responsible. Rohit, a mycologist sees what happens to a university student and tries to find out a way to destroy it. Does he succeed? A man goes to his family and wife to help them escape from this terrible fungus.

The author has written a suspenseful story which includes science in this apocalypse novel. There is the horror of trying not to get infected. The characters are fascinating to read. It was a story that I couldn't stop reading due to the mystery of the infection and if the population of earth would survive!

Fungoid by William Meikle is a highly recommended fungal apocalyptic novel set in Canada.
"When the end came, it wasn’t zombies, asteroids, global warming or nuclear winter. It was something that escaped from a lab. Something small, and very hungry.
It starts with deadly rain that delivers death where it falls, but soon the whole planet is under threat as the infection spreads, consuming everything before it."

The action starts quickly in Fungoid. The apocalypse is fungal, but it seemed to be a totally new species that appeared out of nowhere and was likely genetically engineered. This fungus is voracious. The fungus spores are falling in oily rain showers across the world and everywhere they fall, chaos follows as people and the whole environment are immediately infected. The fungus eats everything carbon based and once the spores fall, they take hold, spreading, covering everything, hungry.

Fungoid follows four different characters as they try to survive the fungal attack. Jim is a first response rescuer who is right in the thick of the infestation. Rebecca is a mother to two boys who is trying to survive and keep her kids alive. Shaun, Rebecca's husband, is trying to make it home from his logging job. Dr. Rohit Patel is a mycologist who provides all the science and background information on fungi.

This is a fast paced, very entertaining novel that is a short, quick read. This isn't a character study of how those involved handle the end of the world. It's an action-packed novel with a nice combination of science fiction/horror/suspense that provides an apocalyptic end to the world reminiscent of other biological takeovers (The Day of the Triffids, Invasion of the Body Snatchers.) I liked it quite a bit, in spite of a few minor complaints.

Disclosure: My advanced reading copy was courtesy of DarkFuse.

http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2017/01/fungoid.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1873139662

Feels like a vintage British horror tale (and that's a good thing)

This book brought feelings of nostalgia galloping my way. It reads like the horror novels I read in the 1970s and 1980s, like THE RATS by James Herbert.

In this case it's not giant mutated rats but giant, all-invasive fungal growths that are taking over the world.

The main characters are in Canada, mostly Newfoundland, and the future looks bleak, which author Meikle has a real talent in showing his readers.

There are quite a few characters, none overly developed, but then this isn't about the characters as much as it's about the catastrophe threatening good old Mother Earth.

There's a lot of action and the story moves quickly along. And as far as I can tell, this is a standalone novel, which I appreciate.

So if you're looking for a spooky, plausible (almost) sounding horror tale, give FUNGOID a try.

I received this book from Dark Fuse through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

When DarkFuse releases an apocalyptic novel by William Meikle about a killer fungus, horror fans everywhere can rejoice. Meikle has become one of the horror genre’s darkest talents and “Fungoid” had the look of being another fun and scare good time.

It was immediately apparent that this was no ordinary rain. It was, in fact, not even acid rain. Anyone who got struck by a raindrop was in immediate pain and then turned into a mindless machine of madness and destruction. Wild packs of infected people soon filled the streets and the foundation of civilization was shaken to its roots. It was almost as if nature had turned on itself and the world was committing suicide.

As a research lab assistant begins to analyze the root cause of the madness overtaking the rain, it becomes clear that this is not suicide but murder. He soon discovers that the affliction is fungal in nature and he quickly makes the leap to a recent weapons test in China as the fungus’ origin. This is little comfort, however, as the world goes mad as the fungus attacks everything in its path: plants, animals, and humans. On the other side of Canada, Shaun finds himself separated from his family with little chance of ever seeing them again but this will not stop him from trying. Jim Noble is an emergency worker who is becoming familiar with the fungus and the devastation it causes up close and personal. All three of these men see the world as they know it coming to an end around them. The only question that remains is whether anyone will survive or if the fungus will take over the world.

Meikle has become one of my favorite horror writers over the past couple of years and “Fungoid” is a great example why this is the case. The novel is an action-packed romp through the apocalypse that Meikle kicks off with a bang and then keeps a frantic pace throughout. This pacing can be difficult to keep up and is often employed when the author is trying to gloss over a shallow storyline but that is not the case with this book. Meikle sprinkles in enough substance to the story through the research of Rohit that give it a more believable feel and makes the horror even stronger. It is easier to be scared when the terror is understood and Meikle brings the terror home by adding just enough of an origin for the fungus to make it more insidious than just some random terror.

This novel just works on all levels and is one of the best apocalyptic novels that I have read in a while. Meikle brings a strong vision of what he wants the story to be and handles it with a deft hand so that the novel could just rocket along toward its conclusion without leaving the reader grasping for answers or feeling lost or shortchanged by the story. Even though this is a shorter novel, it is a satisfying read that I finished with the feeling that I got all that I could from the story without anything more needing to be added nor anything missed. This was the perfect novel to end 2016 and start 2017 with a bang. Meikle fans will rejoice at yet another entertaining novel, maybe his best, and fans who have never read his work before need to jump on now.

I would like to thank DarkFuse and NetGalley for this review copy. “Fungoid” is scheduled to be published in January 2017.

Wow, what a ride! <i>Fungoid</i> was a really pleasant surprise. I didn't know William Meikle and I am so happy to have discovered him. It is amazing what the author was able to do with such few pages. And just when you think you have read every possible scenario of the Apocalypse, this sure takes a new enough spin on things.

I absolutely loved the prose. It was simple, straight to the point and incredibly eerie:

<i>(...) they were met with deathly silence punctuated only by the sound of moisture dripping from the dead brown branches of the trees.</i>

The tension was palpable and as the narrative evolved, the impending sense of doom was keen on crushing all hope of beating this horrible thing. The evolution of this menace, what it does to the world around the characters and how they react is so well achieved. Just when you think it cannot get worse... It does. Absolutely dismal. You just don't know if anyone is going to make it.

At first I thought there were too many characters but as the story moved on the main ones came together and the way it was done was really cool. The main strength of the narrative is not exactly the characters so I was happy to find that what I read of them satisfied me, and their development was quite realistic.

There were only a couple of things that bothered me here and there, things that I either wished had been better explained or just felt cheesy/too easy, but overall this was a really fast, creepy read and I will be dreaming of spores for sure.

<i>Disclaimer: I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.</i>