Evil Roots: Killer Tales of the Botanical Gothic (Tales of the Weird)

I really enjoy Gothic horror, and this doesn't disappoint. Plant horror told in a great way! I like that before each story you get some background on the author.

I don't see Botanical Gothic represented very often, and it is my favorite genre. I don't typically go for anthologies, but for spooky plants/fungus, I made the exception. It is a nice atmospheric, spooky book for Autumn. My favorite stories were "The Voice in the Night" (I love fungus horror best), "The Guardian of Mystery Island", and "The Pavilion" .

I really like this book. It is interesting and well-preserved with great stories from the past. Wonderful for students of Gothic literature or fans in general. Highly recommend.

A collection of short stories from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries rooted in the theme of the man-eating plant.Curator Daisy Butcher explains this literary phenomenon as stemming from the Victorian-era boom in exotic plants. Plant explorers returned to the western world with stories of the dangers of the jungle. Carnivorous plants such as Nepenthes (the pitcher plant) and anthropomorphic orchids fueled the imagination. Charles Darwins' work on insectivorous plants demonstrated a plant's agency in using their environment to their advantage. His theories on natural selection provoked fears of devolution.The collection gets off to a flying start with Nathaniel Hawthorne's gorgeously eerie 'Rappaccini's Daughter'. Also included are works by Arthur Conan Doyle, H.G. Wells and M. R. James. In among these specimens are some curios which are of their time, but there are some unexpected delights. 'The Pavilion' by Edith Nesbit, places a woman in the foreground as protagonist rather than passive victim or femme fatale. H.C. McNeile (pen name, Sapper) has a ripping yarn of a murder mystery in 'The Green Death'.Highly enjoyable.

I enjoyed this book of short stories of a macabre botanical slant. Of the fourteen tales i had only read three previously so Daisy Butcher has done a good job of 'unearthing' little known gems. The 'green Gothic' writing includes two ghost stories, one of which is by M.R.James, and one detective story. My personal favorite tale is the well known 'Rappaccini's Daughter' by Nathaniel Hawthorne, but lesser known writers such as Abraham Merritt with 'The Woman In The Wood' are also of note.The book is illustrated and is an entertaining and unusual collection.

Good stories, but, old school. All the better for it.