Review of The Witch's Garden

[canon joy]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Witch's Garden" by William Lyon.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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The Witch’s Garden by William Lyon describes the cases and potentialities of symbiont infection in humans. The narrative follows Richard's journey when he chooses to travel to the Amazon rainforest in order to study unusual flora. His dream-like experiences with Carole start when the forest guard advises him to unite with the goddess. This entails having erotic dream sequences with her. His body is being carefully organized and improved in unusual ways by an infectious agent that is entrenched in his neural system, giving rise to Carole. She reminds him, oddly, of Carol, his former high school crush.

Richard describes his relationship with Carole to the psychiatrist, along with his evolving sexual consciousness and physical and mental changes. The novel moves quickly and is composed of pieces that trace the evolution of the human symbiotic experience. It tracks the spread of plants throughout humankind, stopping only to discuss the philosophical and theological ramifications that are relevant. The goal of the symbionts is to assist humans in controlling their primal sexual urges for the sake of all. However, those in authority view the symbionts' objectives as problematic and treat the plants as potential weapons of mass destruction.

The book's excellent editing, which helped me focus on its context, was something I really enjoyed. The monotony of the story is broken up by the author's deft integration of dialogue throughout the book. There are sexual scenes in the novel that are inappropriate for younger readers. Additionally, there are elements of fetishism, and the language is meant for an adult audience.

There was nothing in the book that I disliked. I rate this book five out of five stars. I recommend this book to people who love science fiction stories and biology. This book is suited for an older audience due to its sexual content.

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The Witch's Garden
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