Something grows within the walls and within his being.
Her world lies beyond these walls. Beyond him.
A man is slowly poisoned by his own self-doubt within the hallucinatory shell of his decaying apartment. As he struggles to free himself, he descends into the surreal world that has grown around him. Into the gift garden…
Praise and reviews for The Gift Garden:
“A dense, claustrophobic vision, oozing dread, infection, spilled viscera. This is literature without compromise.”
“A truly original sense of imagery, dream, and lush language.”
“An expertly controlled meltdown told in a beautiful style. The Gift Garden left me satisfied as a reader and excited as a writer for the possibilities of innovation in the short novel form.”
“This intense novella is a feverish and poignant exploration of romantic jealousy. … A dark and breathless read.”
Kenny Mooney is writing the stuff I only wish I could. I admire his insight, sincerity, boldness and style no end, and I’m honoured to share this new edition with the world.
I’m excited to share with you the cover of Kenny Mooney’s The Gift Garden (designed by the author):
This is a dark, claustrophobic novella that invites the reader to experience the same surreal atmosphere as its narrator. The border between his apartment and psyche blur, poison saturates, and human contact begins to fade.
The language here – word choice, repetition, rhythm – is stunning. A prose poetry fever dream with a growing sense of dread…
This title was originally published in 2017 by Flat Field Press, but Orchid’s Lantern are lucky enough to have acquired the rights for re-issue and to bring this to ebook for the first time. It will be released on 23rd May 2023.
You can pre-order the paperback from our store (with free P&P within the UK) here.
You can pre-order the Kindle edition from Amazon here.
You can add The Gift Garden to your Goodreads list here.
If you have a book blog/vlog and would like a review copy of this or any of our other titles, please send us an email to make your request.
And you can read an interview with the author here.
Do tell us what you think in the comments! Do you like the cover? Are you intrigued by this title?
We’re pleased to be able to reveal the cover for Stephen Oram’s Extracting Humanity and Other Stories, designed by the fabulous Matthew Revert!
In this remarkably perceptive collection, Stephen Oram blends cutting-edge science and tech with everyday emotions and values to create 20 thought experiments with heart.
Extracting Humanity is a skilful exploration of smart currencies, memorials, medical care, treatment of refugees, social networks, data monitoring, and justice systems. Always without prescription or reprimand, these stories are simply the beginning of the conversation.
From an eerie haptic suit that Tommy must call Father, to a protective, nutritious bubble that allows Feng Mian to survive on a colonised Moon; from tattoos that will earn their wearers a mini-break in a sensory chamber, to Harrie anxiously awaiting AI feedback on her unborn child… These startling, diverse narratives map all-too-real possibilities for our future and the things that might ultimately divide or unite us.
Extracting Humanity will be published by Orchid’s Lantern on 27th July 2023. The paperback is now available for pre-order from our shop, with free UK shipping.
Do let us know what you think in the comments! If you have a book blog/vlog and would like a review copy of this or any of our other titles, please send us an email to make your request.
Today sees the release of our very first anthology. It’s been a lot of work, but we are so proud of the final result. Vast: Stories of Mind, Soul and Consciousness in a Technological Age features exciting and thought-provoking contributions from ten fantastic authors.
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Chimy and Chrisby Stephen Oram
Chris is a scientist. Chimy is a brain, artificially grown in a vat and developing quietly in the dark… ‘I feel the pipe against my surface and see her push it inside me. “Chimy, speak,” she says. I do not know how to speak. What does she mean? How do I speak?’
Little Thief by J.R. Staples-Ager
Thief has undergone surgery at the hands of Genesyx Corporation in order to become ‘ported’ and donate unused brain capacity to the country’s data processing power. What side effects could this possibly have?
Limited Infinity by Thomas Cline
Hess has lived in a reality simulation for many years by law, along with everyone else. But one day, suddenly, there is no one else. They just – vanish. Can he, and the voice in his head, find out what happened?
Dreamtime by Vaughan Stanger
Jerome is in pain. He can’t sleep and is in desperate need of palliative cancer treatment, but now that AI has supplanted every government, he must make a trade to get it. And there’s something he has that the Partners want more than anything else…
The Weight of your Mind by Sergio Palumbo
Brett is a scientist, working on a theory that thoughts produce gravity in minuscule amounts. The problem is, he only knows this at night when he sleeps. During the day he must live a different kind of nightmare…
The Video by Jonathan D. Clark
Everyone watches the video. You watch it. I watch it. We watch it from a distance with disgust, with tension, with the dark thrill of drama. What does the video say about us? What have we become?
The DreamCube Thread by Ellinor Kall
Everyone wants a DreamCube. Feed the ethically cultivated neural tissue, keep it by your bed, and watch it dream! But people are curious. People have questions. Why are the Makers so elusive? Join the discussion!
Luz Beyond the Glass by Ava Kelly
Huge glass spheres sit in gardens. Everyone knows they absorb pollution from the ground, water, and air, to cleanse the filth our ancestors left behind. What most don’t know is what resides in them…
Every Aspect of Every Recollection by Peter Burton
A wonderfully philosophical piece, taking a wander in a mind that has only itself left. Do our memories give us life? Our fantasies? Is it possible we are each more than a single timeline?
Ancestors by Juliane Graef
There is no way back from what humans have done to Earth. But there might just be a way forward… A touching story depicting the persistence of consciousness and three aeons of what happens after.
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You can buy your copy now from any of the following:
I’m thrilled to tell you that the very first anthology from Orchid’s Lantern is due for publication on 28th February 2020! Vast: Stories of Mind, Soul and Consciousness in a Technological Age has been in the works for the last few months, and it’s looking better than we ever expected.
We asked authors to think about the relationship that current and imagined tech has with the human psyche. Does it change us, or do we change it? How might such a relationship develop in the future, and what could the unexpected consequences be?
The resulting submissions were fascinating, and we have pulled together the very best we could find to make this exciting, thought-provoking volume.
Some stories border on the fantastical in their scope, while others paint a picture of a world we recognise. We have pieces that explore the relationship between social media, marketing and consciousness. We have extrapolations of quantum physics and what we know about the dreaming mind. we have dramatic life extensions, 3D printed medical care, DNA splicing and artificial biology aiding environmental recovery. And, at the heart of all this, we have a careful appreciation that science remains humble in the face of our inner mysteries.
The contributors and their stories are:
Stephen Oram – Chimy and Chris
J.R. Staples-Ager – Little Thief
Thomas Cline – Limited Infinity
Vaughan Stanger – Dreamtime
Sergio ‘ente per ente’ Palumbo – The Weight of Your Mind
Jonathan D. Clark – The Video
Ellinor Kall – The DreamCube Thread
Ava Kelly – Luz Beyond the Glass
Peter Burton – Every Aspect of Every Recollection
Juliane Graef – Ancestors
Vast is available to pre-order right now from most bookstores, both online and on the high street. The Kindle edition can be found here, with versions for other e-readers being rolled out over the next few days. You can also get the paperback edition right here on Orchid’s Lantern.
Just a quick post to let you know that Amazon have released Fragments of Perception and Other Stories early! You can buy it on their UK, US and individual European sites right now. The ebook will be available on 4th November as planned.
I also received my stock today, so signed copies are ready to send out in the morning.
Thank you to all my lovely WordPress friends for your support on this project, I mean it when I say I wouldn’t have done it without you.
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