3.5 Stars

I am not a huge fan of short stories because I always want more. This was definitely the case with this sci-fi horror story. I mean a fungus that infects people and grows within them before exploding out of their bodies and shattering them to pieces! Who doesn't want to read more about this?

Available from Tor:
https://www.tor.com/2022/01/12/fruiting-bodies-kemi-ashing-giwa/ ( )

Review of eBook

On a far and distant planet, mycologist Inyama sees all but six of the colonists, infected by an alien contagion, turn into alarinkiri, hunting for warm bodies. The fungus, similar to the zombie ant fungus, has infected most of them.

Inyama is the only hope for her species.

The survivors have taken Morayo and Inyama is determined to rescue her. Walking across the broken land, she reaches Hope the next day and, by watching, finds a way into the settlement.

But will she be able to rescue Morayo? And do any of the settlers have a future on this distant planet?

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This Tor short story packs a great deal of horror into its pages. Inyama is sympathetic; her rescue mission honorable. With most of the settlers having succumbed to the alien fungus, there’s not much hope for the settlement.

Apprehension fills the unfolding story; the undercurrent of uneasiness imbues the narrative with unpredictability while plot revelations bring a few surprises to the telling of the tale.

With a touching denouement, the story wraps up nicely, leaving readers wishing for just a bit more.

Recommended. ( )