Moonflow

"A bizarre and fiercely original splatterpunk phantasmagoria of queerness. Deranged and gleefully weird as f*ck, this is an impressive debut from a singular literary talent." --Eric LaRocca, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke Annihilation meets Manhunt in three-time Hugo Award nominee Bitter Karella's debut horror novel--a gloriously queer and irreverent psychedelic trip into the heart of an eldritch wood and the horrors of (cis)terhood. I see something out there, in the woods. It does not have a face. They call it the King's Breakfast. One bite and you can understand the full scope of the universe; one bite and you can commune with forgotten gods beyond human comprehension. And it only grows deep in the Pamogo forest, where the trees crowd so tight that the forest floor is pitch black day and night, where rumors of disappearing hikers and strange cults that worship the divine feminine abound. Sarah is a trans woman who makes her living growing mushrooms. When a bad harvest leaves her in a desperate fix, the lure of the King's Breakfast has her journeying into those vast uncharted woods. But as she descends deeper, she realizes she's not alone. Something in the forest is waking up. It's hungry--and it wants her. ★ "As eldritch and grimy as the terrifying forest it's set in. I loved this book!" --Trevor Henderson, author of Scarewaves ★ "Weird, wild, and oh-so-wretched, Moonflow is the trans botanical horror we need in the world right now." --Drew Huff, author of The Divine Flesh ★ "Is it legal to have this much fun reading a book? I'm in awe of Karella's incredible gift for creating biting satire. I had a f*cking blast." --Joe Koch, Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author of The Wingspan of Severed Hands

About the Author :
Bitter Karella is the writer and horror aficionado behind the twice Hugo-nominated microfiction comedy account @Midnight_pals, which asks what if all your favorite horror writers gathered around the campfire to tell scary stories. His work has appeared in Seize the Press, Tenebrous Press's Your Body in Not Your Body, and Ghoulish Books' Bound in Flesh. She also dabbles in cartooning and text game design.

Review :
"There is quite simply nothing like Moonflow. It's deliriously strange and bursting with narrative upending story twists and turns."--Autostraddle "Both profound and profoundly strange, as mind-expanding as the most potent magic mushroom." --The Washington Post "The insane psychedelic trans mushroom cult Mythago Wood we didn't know we desperately needed. Full of striking and disturbing imagery, and is underpinned by a hallucinogenic energy. Everyone writing mushroom-punk better watch out - there's a new chaos gremlin in town, and they're taking the crown." --Fantasy Hive "Startlingly empathetic and deeply strange, Bitter Karella's psychedelic horror novel Moonflow will fill the reader with both wonder and disgust on every page. Moonflow emerges as one of the most exciting horror debuts of the year...a story you won't soon forget." --BookPage "As humorous and heartwarming as it is horrific. Fans of Gretchen Felker-Martin's Manhunt and Alison Rumfit's Brainwyrms will love this rollicking, trippy ride." --Library Journal "Mushroom horror continues to be so very hot right now (hot enough to......grow mushrooms?!) and Karella's debut novel is one of the best of the bunch. At times, it reads like a crime thriller and at other times it reads like a nature guide and at still other times it reads like Lynchian horror--but no matter the mode, it is a delight from start to finish."--Literary Hub "A hilarious psychedelic orgy of a novel that drips with the kind of pulp nastiness that makes the cheap horror paperbacks of the past so memorable, but updates the aesthetic with a refreshing heroine and a powerful exploration of transmisogyny within queer spaces...The result is a strange, sublime truffle that will delight any discerning appetite."--Publishers Weekly "Karella seamlessly blends dark humor, heist elements, and frightening bits of horror. Moonflow is an intensely entertaining novel that fans of mushroom horror will gobble up." --Booklist "Moonflow is absolutely wonderful. As eldritch and grimy as the terrifying forest it's set in, it takes the thorny interpersonal dynamics of a deranged free-love cult and drops them howling into a squirming mycelium hell of forest gods, nightmare visions and bloody murder. I loved this book!" --Trevor Henderson, author of Scarewaves "Luminous, trippy and an immensely satisfying read, Karella's Moonflow establishes her as a bona fide horror fiction maestro of the most accomplished order." --Gemma Amor, Bram Stoker and British Fantasy Award-nominated author of Itch! "Moonflow is so much fun. Expert world-building, genuinely creepy situations, and characters that are easy to root for. Unique, funny, and frighteningly real. This is what horror is all about." --Sam Rebelein, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Edenville "A bizarre and fiercely original splatterpunk phantasmagoria of queerness, Moonflow is like a gay Jodorowsky film from Hell. Deranged and gleefully weird as fuck, this is an impressive debut from a singular literary talent."--Eric LaRocca, author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke "The book that will have everyone asking "Who let this woman cook?" Horrific, horny and hilarious; a cast at turns both freakish and endearing; destined to inspire cult adoration from its core audience of erudite sickos (complimentary)."--Aubrey Wood, author of Bang Bang Bodhisattva "Moonflow is transgressive, menacing fun, nesting the grounded struggles of unique and richly-rendered characters in a world of overwhelming, relentless weirdness. Bitter Karella unfolds fungal revelations in newly-discovered colors, coining a language's worth of fresh and horrifying imagery." --Naben Ruthnum, author of Helpmeet "Karella has crafted the queer shroom trip from hell you didn't know you wanted. Moonflow's dose of terror is potent, and unlike anything you've ever seen." --Emmett Nahil, author of From the Belly "Bitter Karella is a powerhouse of horror. Moonflow is equal parts ridiculous, revolting and charming. It rockets into your psyche with drug-fueled mommy milker cults at 200mph and I loved every second of it." --Lor Gislason, editor of Bound of Flesh and Little Guts "Moonflow is a deranged horny dayglo escapade that is so utterly queer to its core. Beyond the delirious visions, there's a profound exploration of community and belonging. I adored this weirdo book." --Jane Flett, author of Freakslaw "A triumph of queer, horny, hippy horror that'll make you cackle, gasp, and scream! With its cast of iconic characters, imaginative enchanted setting, gripping story, and mind-bending horrific imagery, Bitter Karella's Moonflow is a trip to die for." --Eve Harms, author of Transmuted "Wow--what a trip. Literally! The kind of book that you have to strap into, because it's going to buck you off if you're not prepared. There's genuinely no predicting what the hell awaits you around the next bend. This book is a prime example of why horror will literally always be timely and necessary; it finds beauty in the grotesque with some of the most stomach-turning description and heartfelt self-exploration I've ever read. I can honestly say that this is the first time that I've been genuinely scared by a book. Moonflow is simultaneously a Tarantino car chase sequence and an Ari Aster monster reveal; it's fun, and it's disgusting, and it's just a damn good time. But at the heart of it all, it's a bleeding, beating heart and an earnest heroine just trying to make it work." --Megan Bontrager, author of The Sea Hides Its Dead "Is it legal to have this much fun reading a book? I'm in awe of Bitter Karella's incredible gift for creating biting satire without a shred of cruelty. Moonflow made me laugh out loud while genuinely caring about its wild cast of characters, from its all too relatable failed protagonist, to its mondo trash cinema meets Women Who Run With The Wolves villain. This is the queer splatterpunk salvation/dissolution comedic relief narrative we need in these dark times. I had a f*cking blast."--Joe Koch, author of The Wingspan of Severed Hands and Invaginies "I've never read a book like Moonflow before! It has the energy of a John Waters movie: crass, profane, populated with memorably bizarre and grotesque characters, packed with social commentary and bittersweet pathos--the type of art that is necessary for the current moment."--Briar Ripley Page, author of Corrupted Vessels "Weird, wild, and oh-so-wretched, Moonflow is the trans botanical horror we need in the world right now. Moonflow will sink its tendrils into you and infest you with its spores...and you'll enjoy it."--Drew Huff, author of The Divine Flesh and Free Burn