Publishers Weekly
★ 11/22/2021
Percy’s masterful second Comet Cycle genre-bender (after The Ninth Metal) combines a missing-person case, romantic reconciliation, and a riveting sci-fi what-if imagining of a sentient fungi, spawned by debris from a passing comet, that symbiotically absorbs flora and fauna—including human beings. On the day the comet swept Earth with a dramatic meteor shower, “fun dad” Jack, a mycologist, took his eight-year-old daughter, Mia, on a mushroom study trip through a dank forest outside Seattle—where she vanished. This devastating loss breaks up Jack’s marriage to Nora, a type A police detective. Now, five years later, Nora investigates a series of eerie, ritualistic Seattle homicides, while Jack boozily self-destructs his academic career. The pair gradually reconnect by probing into the ominous fungal invasion—a line of inquiry that may lead them to Mia. Meanwhile, a sinister governmental operation attempts to militarize the fungus, developing it into a mind control serum. The juxtaposition of malignant military-industrial machinations and well-delineated human tension works wonderfully, and sci-fi fans will appreciate Percy’s extraterrestrial biological lore. It’s a thoroughly satisfying near-future glimpse of both disaster and salvation. Agent: Katherine Fausset, Curtis Brown. (Jan.)
From the Publisher
*Named a Most Anticipated SFF Fiction Book by New Scientist, Gizmodo, Vol 1 Brooklyn, the A.V. Club, and Tor.com* — *Named a Most Anticipated SFF Fiction Book by New Scientist, Gizmodo, Vol 1 Brooklyn, the A.V. Club, and Tor.com*
“Terrifying, entertaining, and thought-provoking. . . There’s a spattering of gore, a connection to a psychopathic serial killer, and a secret government agenda to introduce alien matter into human genes—in other words, a little something for everyone, science fiction fans and mystery fans alike." — Kirkus Reviews
“Masterful . . . Combines a missing-person case, romantic reconciliation, and a riveting sci-fi what-if . . . A thoroughly satisfying near-future glimpse of both disaster and salvation.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Don’t miss. . . Percy's novel defies categorization — part sci-fi, part mystery, wholly absorbing.” —Star Tribune — Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
"Award-winning author Benjamin Percy delivers both a gripping science fiction thriller and a dazzling examination of a planet—and a marriage—that have broken." — The Nerd Daily
“Mr. Percy has given us a smart twist on the War of the Worlds plot. In H.G. Wells’s story, microbes are the key to defeating the Martian war machines. In The Unfamiliar Garden, a different sort of weapon will be necessary. But the seeds of disaster, you might say, are quite literally already with us, just waiting for one more evolutionary jump. Like viruses.” — Wall Street Journal
*Named a Most Anticipated SFF Fiction Book by New Scientist
*Named a Most Anticipated SFF Fiction Book by New Scientist, Gizmodo, Vol 1 Brooklyn, the A.V. Club, and Tor.com*
Wall Street Journal
Mr. Percy has given us a smart twist on the War of the Worlds plot. In H.G. Wells’s story, microbes are the key to defeating the Martian war machines. In The Unfamiliar Garden, a different sort of weapon will be necessary. But the seeds of disaster, you might say, are quite literally already with us, just waiting for one more evolutionary jump. Like viruses.”
Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
Don’t miss. . . Percy's novel defies categorization — part sci-fi, part mystery, wholly absorbing.” —Star Tribune
The Nerd Daily
"Award-winning author Benjamin Percy delivers both a gripping science fiction thriller and a dazzling examination of a planet—and a marriage—that have broken."
Library Journal - Audio
06/01/2022
Award-winning author and comic book writer Percy's second book in "The Comet Cycle" series (after The Ninth Metal) is a mix of science fiction, thriller, and family drama, with a dash of horror. In the state of Washington after a meteor shower, young Mia, daughter of mycologist Jack and homicide detective Nora, goes missing in the woods during a mushroom-hunting excursion with her dad. Fast-forward five years—a massive drought caused by effects of the meteor shower has just ended, and fungi are springing up all over. Jack discovers a parasitic fungus, Nora is investigating ritualistic murders, and they are brought together as light is shed on the government's role in experiments over the past five years. Narration was provided by two experienced voice actors; Mela Lee's narration was amazing and helped keep the story's scary atmosphere, while Will Colyer's was also robust. VERDICT Although the plot was less than compelling and the characters flawed and unlikable, the story's premise was distinctive and will be of interest to fans of science fiction.—Denise Garofalo
Library Journal
08/01/2021
In the second book in "The Comet Cycle," begun with Jun 2021's The Ninth Metal, Jack loses daughter Mia when Earth sweeps into the debris field of a comet and thousands of meteors rain down. Botany professor Jack, now a recluse, is studying a deadly parasitic fungus in his lab when ex-wife Nora asks for his help. She's investigating ritualistic murders rocking Seattle, and ultimately they will be called upon to save the world. With a 40,000-copy paperback and 3,000-copy hardcover first printing.
