Flowers of Evil
By Robert Charles
1982, Bantam
Paperback, 200 pages
I love nature when it strikes back.
Of course, animals killing humans is the best but let’s hear it for the flora
that gets into the action as well! A lesser-known entry in the plant-panic pantheon
is Flowers of Evil and it’s a worthwhile read.
Some odd little flowers are
discovered near a nuclear fallout zone in Russia and one of the research team
grabs a couple of the pretty blooms. She gives one to her seafaring brother
before she realizes that they are nourished by blood and very capable of
getting it. The plant’s seeds are eventually sent adrift, only to plant
themselves on a remote island where a troubled family is stationed for the
season. So, we get a bloodthirsty plant epidemic in two places simultaneously.
Robert Charles (aka Robert Charles
Smith and Robert Leader) primarily writes thrillers, but he does a great job
with this eco-horror entry. It’s not overly graphic but the story development
and the characters keep the pages turning and the plants are formidable foes,
growing larger with every drop of blood. One thing that really struck a chord
with me, an amateur naturalist, was that the remote island was a resting spot
for migratory birds, and the plants were decimating the populations as they
landed, making the island a tangled, evil mess.
Not as grisly as many horror pulps
from the same period, but this is a compelling and well written book that can
still be grabbed on the cheap.
This review originally appeared in Midnight Magazine #9, March, 2022.
Midnight MagazineBooks of Horror Facebook Page