9-3-2026 Latham's Last Words: The Fungus by Harry Adam Knight
- Donna Latham
- 1 minute ago
- 2 min read
Welcome to Latham's Last Words, where I give you my last words on vintage horror books I've enjoyed. Let's look at The Fungus from 1985!
Another random book purchase that was a very good choice! When I bought it I didn't realize it was from 1985. And I was surprised to find out that the author name is a pseudonym for John Brosnan and Leroy Kettle. This book was so weird and unsettling it's amazing that two people had the same weirdness rolling around in their heads.
If ever a book is a warning of "just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should", this would be the book. A scientist is trying to solve world hunger by messing around with fungi and as you can imagine things do not go well. Especially for London.
The slow spread of the fungal apocalypse at the beginning features some very disturbing death scenes. The scenes aren't graphic, but just the idea of how a fungus can kill a person is immensely disturbing. Then later on in the book, how those who are affected, humans and animals, are described walking around as living hosts to fungus is the stuff nightmares are made of. I will never get those images out of my head. Especially the cats.
The three main characters, Sergeant Slocock, Dr Kimberly Fairchild and Barry Wilson, are an unlikely trio that just so happen to be the team sent back to London to get Wilson's wife's notes on what she had done to alter the fungi. Their journey to London was so terrifying as they encountered fungal infected soldiers and animals.
I tried to like Slocock and Fairchild, but they just rubbed me the wrong way. I thought they would be the characters I'd like the most, but turns out Wilson was my favorite character. Also, Dr. Carter was a favorite character. He was able to maintain a positive attitude even though he was transformed by the fungi. And the reasoning for Fairchild volunteering for this mission was kind of meh.
When the team got to London, there ends up being two different "cults". One cult that worships the fungus. And one cult of women who worship Jane Wilson, the person responsible for what happened. I was shocked at the twist when we finally find Jane. And I felt so bad for Barry, when he finds out what happened to his kids.
This book was a great mix of horror, sci-fi and thriller. I would honestly love to see this as a movie. I think it would be a hundred times more disturbing than it already is if it were on the big screen!
If you need more fungal horror in your life, you'll want to read this!
Get it here:
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