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Bloom: Or, the unwritten memoir of Tennyson Middlebrook
Tennyson Middlebrook never considered himself a storyteller. The fairy tales he invented for his childhood friend Allison were only meant as a distraction from their troubled lives. For Tennyson, the stories were a whim, meant only to offer comfort in a bleak time of mass extinction and despair. The characters in his stories never even had names...
But Lil’it is real, if not quite human. She is feh, a non-person, existing in a fractured world of hoarded knowledge where the simple act of writing is a crime punishable by death. At best she is property; at worst she is an exotic commodity, something to be sold off to rich, superstitious lords and bankers who would use her organs as aphrodisiacs. She lives in a cage, kept as a pet, her saliva a pathogen used to concoct potions. But when she is sold to the prince of a kingdom as a plaything, she discovers her world is much bigger, more dangerous, and far more terrifying than she had ever imagined from inside the safety of her prison.
The world has been afflicted by bloom, a parasitic fungus striking down the very people who might be able to stop it. For a disease that feeds on information, the minds and memories of humanity are the perfect food.
As bloom scatters the remains of his species, Tennyson becomes separated from Allison. When he learns that she may still be alive, he must decide how far he is willing to go to see the end of the world with the only woman he ever loved... even if she has no memory of him.
But Lil’it is real, if not quite human. She is feh, a non-person, existing in a fractured world of hoarded knowledge where the simple act of writing is a crime punishable by death. At best she is property; at worst she is an exotic commodity, something to be sold off to rich, superstitious lords and bankers who would use her organs as aphrodisiacs. She lives in a cage, kept as a pet, her saliva a pathogen used to concoct potions. But when she is sold to the prince of a kingdom as a plaything, she discovers her world is much bigger, more dangerous, and far more terrifying than she had ever imagined from inside the safety of her prison.
The world has been afflicted by bloom, a parasitic fungus striking down the very people who might be able to stop it. For a disease that feeds on information, the minds and memories of humanity are the perfect food.
As bloom scatters the remains of his species, Tennyson becomes separated from Allison. When he learns that she may still be alive, he must decide how far he is willing to go to see the end of the world with the only woman he ever loved... even if she has no memory of him.
330 pages, Paperback
First published July 8, 2013
2 people are currently reading
492 people want to read
About the author
Martin Kee
9 books27 followersMartin Kee is the author of A LATENT DARK and BLOOM: OR, THE UNWRITTEN MEMOIR OF TENNYSON MIDDLEBROOK as well as a number of short stories and video games. His books exist along the fuzzy borderlands of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, and have been described as strange, imaginative, and visceral, defying categorization in any specific genre. When he grows up, he'd like to be a starship pilot, but until then he'll just write novels instead.
He currently lives in Idaho with his wife and a menagerie of small furry animals.
He currently lives in Idaho with his wife and a menagerie of small furry animals.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
November 29, 2014
As I started reading this book, I started to get that feeling that comes when you know you've discovered something special. The story swaps back and forth between two completely separate plots that slowly come together into a satisfying conclusion. The story is compelling, the settings are easy to picture, and the characters invoke emotion... sometimes sympathy, sometimes disgust.
I tried to put the book down to sleep, and ended up picking it back up because I couldn't get my mind off the story. I love discovering new authors, and Martin Kee is someone to keep an eye out for.
I tried to put the book down to sleep, and ended up picking it back up because I couldn't get my mind off the story. I love discovering new authors, and Martin Kee is someone to keep an eye out for.
December 4, 2013
My brother recommended Bloom to me claiming it was amazing, even going as far to say that he would put it up there as one of his all time favourite books ever and if you knew my brother you would know that is a huge statement. I can tell you that this book did not disappoint in the slightest, wow, just wow. It was amazing. After reading it I would also say that this is one of my all time favourite books ever. I recommended it to my best friend and she thanked me for recommending it, gave it five stars and said I was amazing. Everyone should read this book.
After reading this book, I will be getting my grubby little hands on anything else I can find by Martin Kee, that is for sure.
After reading this book, I will be getting my grubby little hands on anything else I can find by Martin Kee, that is for sure.
August 20, 2013
Bloom
By Martin Kee.
Bloom, or Scribblers disease is introduced as a horror fungus, a sprouting phenomena that is bound to keep you awake at night; however, it evolves into something far more complex and calculating--a measure of a wonderfully productive imagination. Bloom is the future, it is all knowledge, science and life. The story opens with two young characters; the male character's function is to protect and love the female, the female must protect and love the world. This is an adult fairy tale, a gem, a marvel. It is Alice in Wonderland, The Hulk, The Lord of the Rings and The Matrix all rolled into one. Rarely if ever have I enjoyed or become so completely enmeshed in a book.
The reader is transported into a dystopia world on the brink of extinction. Allison Rosling and the charmingly named, Tennyson Middlebrook, are childhood friends whose devotion to each other is the stuff of legend. They populate the pages of the novel's past, present and future. Allison cannot bear anything to feel pain, she is special and Tennyson must struggle to keep abreast. The story unfolds intelligently on more than one level at all times. We are pulled along by the parallel tale of Lil'it the fairy. But, this fairy is of a type you've never even begun to imagine; she is beautiful, tiny and brilliant, however, she is also poison itself. Her adventures are a delight to read, they are also spectacularly woven into the Allison-Tennyson backstory that traverses a myriad of millennia--you will find yourself flinging pages aside in your need to discover the outcome of their strange symbiosis. The book is exciting, unique and beautifully written. To imagine how this wonderfully original fantasy escaped major publishing interest is only a sad sign of the times.
Below find my half way through review:-
I have not been able to put this book down, I've been up all night reading. Tennyson and Allison are beautifully drawn characters, to say nothing of Lil'it; all of whom drag the reader unwittingly into a world filled with tension and fear--the Bloom or Scribbler's disease is upon the earth, it multiplies in seconds, will it consume civilization? I can't wait to find out. ABTW it is also filled wonderfully crafted writing
By Martin Kee.
Bloom, or Scribblers disease is introduced as a horror fungus, a sprouting phenomena that is bound to keep you awake at night; however, it evolves into something far more complex and calculating--a measure of a wonderfully productive imagination. Bloom is the future, it is all knowledge, science and life. The story opens with two young characters; the male character's function is to protect and love the female, the female must protect and love the world. This is an adult fairy tale, a gem, a marvel. It is Alice in Wonderland, The Hulk, The Lord of the Rings and The Matrix all rolled into one. Rarely if ever have I enjoyed or become so completely enmeshed in a book.
The reader is transported into a dystopia world on the brink of extinction. Allison Rosling and the charmingly named, Tennyson Middlebrook, are childhood friends whose devotion to each other is the stuff of legend. They populate the pages of the novel's past, present and future. Allison cannot bear anything to feel pain, she is special and Tennyson must struggle to keep abreast. The story unfolds intelligently on more than one level at all times. We are pulled along by the parallel tale of Lil'it the fairy. But, this fairy is of a type you've never even begun to imagine; she is beautiful, tiny and brilliant, however, she is also poison itself. Her adventures are a delight to read, they are also spectacularly woven into the Allison-Tennyson backstory that traverses a myriad of millennia--you will find yourself flinging pages aside in your need to discover the outcome of their strange symbiosis. The book is exciting, unique and beautifully written. To imagine how this wonderfully original fantasy escaped major publishing interest is only a sad sign of the times.
Below find my half way through review:-
I have not been able to put this book down, I've been up all night reading. Tennyson and Allison are beautifully drawn characters, to say nothing of Lil'it; all of whom drag the reader unwittingly into a world filled with tension and fear--the Bloom or Scribbler's disease is upon the earth, it multiplies in seconds, will it consume civilization? I can't wait to find out. ABTW it is also filled wonderfully crafted writing
December 29, 2016
I got this book as a freebie sometime back and finally got around to reading it. While I found the storyline creative I did find the dialogue to be somewhat choppy. It just didn't flow well for me personally.
September 10, 2013
I enjoyed this book a lot. What's keeping me from giving it four stars is the overall lack of depth and the amount of infodumps near the end.
April 13, 2018
I really, really enjoyed this book. The two POVs kept me interested throughout the story and the ending brings it all together and ties it up beautifully. It was a very different apocalyptic story, though the bloom aspect reminded me a bit of The Girl With All the Gifts. Well worth picking up, glad I stumbled across this in my TBR list on my kindle.
June 15, 2017
I enjoyed the fungus and the 2 parallel-ish narratives but really did not like the 25 year old guy fucking a 15 year old girl.
June 21, 2023
These books are definitely awsome
October 15, 2024
This book is really excellent
November 3, 2013
Bloom by Martin Kee is an unusual book. It is a book about two parallel universes that eventually become one.
"Tennyson Middlebrook never considered himself a storyteller. The fairy tales he invented for his childhood friend Allison were only meant as a distraction from their troubled lives. For Tennyson, the stories were a whim, meant only to offer comfort in a bleak time of mass extinction and despair. The characters in his stories never even had names... But Lil'it is real, if not quite human. She is feh, a non-person, existing in a fractured world of hoarded knowledge where the simple act of writing is a crime punishable by death. At best she is property; at worst she is an exotic commodity, something to be sold off to rich, superstitious lords and bankers who would use her organs as aphrodisiacs. She lives in a cage, kept as a pet, her saliva a pathogen used to concoct potions. But when she is sold to the prince of a kingdom as a plaything, she discovers her world is much bigger, more dangerous, and far more terrifying than she had ever imagined from inside the safety of her prison. Tennyson's world has been afflicted by bloom, a parasitic fungus striking down the very people who might be able to stop it. For a disease that feeds on information, the minds and memories of humanity are the perfect food. As bloom scatters the remains of his species, Tennyson becomes separated from Allison. When he learns that she may still be alive, he must decide how far he is willing to go to see the end of the world with the only woman he ever loved... even if she has no memory of him." http://www.extaordinaryreads.com.
The two stories as standalone stories are incredible. The author is very descriptive and has an incredible imagination in terms of creatures that were added into the book.
Martin Kee switches between characters in the story each chapter. He does a good job of indicating who the main characters are in each chapter. Without this information, the book would have been difficult to follow.
However, I felt the book lost itself when the two stories were trying to be merged together into one. There was so much going on in each story that I think each one could have been a book by itself. I feel like the author had two good ideas for books and could not figure out which one to follow.
I was a little disheartened by the ending of the story. I felt the book just ended without following through on all of the thoughts. I may just be hung up on the fact that I did not like how the two stories came together. It was more like fantasy meets sci-fi, which is hard to do.
I felt this book had much more potential that what was actually achieved of it. I am happy I read it but it will not be a book I recommend to my friend or that I read again.
"Tennyson Middlebrook never considered himself a storyteller. The fairy tales he invented for his childhood friend Allison were only meant as a distraction from their troubled lives. For Tennyson, the stories were a whim, meant only to offer comfort in a bleak time of mass extinction and despair. The characters in his stories never even had names... But Lil'it is real, if not quite human. She is feh, a non-person, existing in a fractured world of hoarded knowledge where the simple act of writing is a crime punishable by death. At best she is property; at worst she is an exotic commodity, something to be sold off to rich, superstitious lords and bankers who would use her organs as aphrodisiacs. She lives in a cage, kept as a pet, her saliva a pathogen used to concoct potions. But when she is sold to the prince of a kingdom as a plaything, she discovers her world is much bigger, more dangerous, and far more terrifying than she had ever imagined from inside the safety of her prison. Tennyson's world has been afflicted by bloom, a parasitic fungus striking down the very people who might be able to stop it. For a disease that feeds on information, the minds and memories of humanity are the perfect food. As bloom scatters the remains of his species, Tennyson becomes separated from Allison. When he learns that she may still be alive, he must decide how far he is willing to go to see the end of the world with the only woman he ever loved... even if she has no memory of him." http://www.extaordinaryreads.com.
The two stories as standalone stories are incredible. The author is very descriptive and has an incredible imagination in terms of creatures that were added into the book.
Martin Kee switches between characters in the story each chapter. He does a good job of indicating who the main characters are in each chapter. Without this information, the book would have been difficult to follow.
However, I felt the book lost itself when the two stories were trying to be merged together into one. There was so much going on in each story that I think each one could have been a book by itself. I feel like the author had two good ideas for books and could not figure out which one to follow.
I was a little disheartened by the ending of the story. I felt the book just ended without following through on all of the thoughts. I may just be hung up on the fact that I did not like how the two stories came together. It was more like fantasy meets sci-fi, which is hard to do.
I felt this book had much more potential that what was actually achieved of it. I am happy I read it but it will not be a book I recommend to my friend or that I read again.
July 14, 2014
Bloom is a lovely telling of two seemingly different stories. There’s Tennyson and Lil’it—one a boy/young man whose story takes place in our world; the other a faerie, whose story is set in a different world altogether. It was fun and interesting reading about these two very different characters and worlds, wondering all the while how they were related.
That, I think, is the strongest quality of Bloom—the stories within the story, separate yet part of the whole. Wondering how the two worlds could be related to one another created a deeply engaging narrative, as did the characters that I found to be interesting and genuine. The story is, at times, endearing, which was a pleasant contrast to the sometimes more gruesome parts.
I’ve had a really hard time trying to figure out what to rate this book. It’s worthy of five stars for its uniqueness as well as wonderfully touching moments that I found wholly unexpected for this kind of book. But there are issues. There were a fair amount of typos that kind of let the story down in their own incessant way. The pacing also kind of flagged in the middle and then the end came too soon, in my opinion. But maybe I only think that because it’s a really great story, and I just didn’t want it to end. I suppose 4.5 stars would be the rating I’d give it, and for the sites that don’t do half-stars, that means rounding up to five.
Bloom is a story that is one part sci-fi, one part fantasy, and seasoned with a good dash of horror. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys these genres, or to anyone who is looking for an interesting and unique read. It’s definitely one of the best books I’ve read in a while and I’m glad to have found it.
Review reposted from: http://saracsnider.com/book-review-bl...
That, I think, is the strongest quality of Bloom—the stories within the story, separate yet part of the whole. Wondering how the two worlds could be related to one another created a deeply engaging narrative, as did the characters that I found to be interesting and genuine. The story is, at times, endearing, which was a pleasant contrast to the sometimes more gruesome parts.
I’ve had a really hard time trying to figure out what to rate this book. It’s worthy of five stars for its uniqueness as well as wonderfully touching moments that I found wholly unexpected for this kind of book. But there are issues. There were a fair amount of typos that kind of let the story down in their own incessant way. The pacing also kind of flagged in the middle and then the end came too soon, in my opinion. But maybe I only think that because it’s a really great story, and I just didn’t want it to end. I suppose 4.5 stars would be the rating I’d give it, and for the sites that don’t do half-stars, that means rounding up to five.
Bloom is a story that is one part sci-fi, one part fantasy, and seasoned with a good dash of horror. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys these genres, or to anyone who is looking for an interesting and unique read. It’s definitely one of the best books I’ve read in a while and I’m glad to have found it.
Review reposted from: http://saracsnider.com/book-review-bl...
December 2, 2014
When a prehistoric fungus that feeds on information is released back into the global waterways, the existence of humanity is threatened, and then changed forever.
Structured as a double-narrative that weaves itself together in the final chapters, Bloom: Or, the unwritten memoir of Tennyson Middlebrook is part sci-fi, part fantasy, and part apocalypse with a little bit of love story thrown in for good measure. Martin Kee’s novel alternates between the first person narrative of Tennyson Middlebrook, who recounts life before and during the sprout of bloom, and Lil’it, a creature who is a product of the post-bloom, new-middle-ages era.
Tennyson is introduced alongside his best friend Allison when they come across an old man killed by bloom, though no one knows what it is at the time. Ten years later, the earth is ravaged by the fungus and Tennyson must use the knowledge of his homeless scientist friend, Doc, to journey away from his refugee camp in search for Allison, who is buried within the heart of the bloom-infested city.
...read the rest of this review at UndergroundBookReviews(dot)com
Structured as a double-narrative that weaves itself together in the final chapters, Bloom: Or, the unwritten memoir of Tennyson Middlebrook is part sci-fi, part fantasy, and part apocalypse with a little bit of love story thrown in for good measure. Martin Kee’s novel alternates between the first person narrative of Tennyson Middlebrook, who recounts life before and during the sprout of bloom, and Lil’it, a creature who is a product of the post-bloom, new-middle-ages era.
Tennyson is introduced alongside his best friend Allison when they come across an old man killed by bloom, though no one knows what it is at the time. Ten years later, the earth is ravaged by the fungus and Tennyson must use the knowledge of his homeless scientist friend, Doc, to journey away from his refugee camp in search for Allison, who is buried within the heart of the bloom-infested city.
...read the rest of this review at UndergroundBookReviews(dot)com
August 28, 2013
This book has become my favorite. It deserves 10 stars.
The story starts with the innocent childhood friendship between Allison and Tennyson. Those lazy summer days when you had fun exploring and playing outside. There friendship is one that endures over time. At the same time the book has a story within the story that you get glimses every other chapter about a fairy named lil'it. The stories seem completely separate until they start to intertwine near the end of the book.
The bloom is the plague of the twentieth century that takes over the world and we see how the bloom affects Allison and Tennyson. The fungus is actually a knowledge storage base.
I usually don't enjoy science fiction types of books but this one is so intriguing and really held my interest. I staid up several hours past my normal sleep time to finish it. I couldn't put it down as the action in the stories kept me wanting more.
This is one to definitely suggest and recommend. This is the book that had it been a paperback would have been passed around between my friends.
The story starts with the innocent childhood friendship between Allison and Tennyson. Those lazy summer days when you had fun exploring and playing outside. There friendship is one that endures over time. At the same time the book has a story within the story that you get glimses every other chapter about a fairy named lil'it. The stories seem completely separate until they start to intertwine near the end of the book.
The bloom is the plague of the twentieth century that takes over the world and we see how the bloom affects Allison and Tennyson. The fungus is actually a knowledge storage base.
I usually don't enjoy science fiction types of books but this one is so intriguing and really held my interest. I staid up several hours past my normal sleep time to finish it. I couldn't put it down as the action in the stories kept me wanting more.
This is one to definitely suggest and recommend. This is the book that had it been a paperback would have been passed around between my friends.
August 31, 2013
Quite an unique take on the post-apocolyptic-esque genre with a fantasy twist. I loved how the progression of the dual stories of Tennyson and Lil'it kept the reader wondering how are they connected. The reveal of how came gradually and added to the story's intrigue. For those two aspects alone, Bloom gets 5 stars. The things I really disliked about Bloom was the scenes of underaged drinking, , and the excessive use of foul language. The abundance of f-bombs were entirely unnecessary and could have been done without.
Though not the most well written story, Bloom is a original new twist on several genres.
Note: I won a free copy from Library Things for a review.
Though not the most well written story, Bloom is a original new twist on several genres.
Note: I won a free copy from Library Things for a review.
December 18, 2014
Some interesting ideas, especially like the switching back and forth between the two stories, and the fungus/disease as DNA storage, and how mixing two types of storage (DNA that defines how to make a person and DNA that's storing a story that that person made up) leads to the made up story "happening".
Wasn't too keen on the rape and underage sex. I know it's tagged as horror, but with all the fantasy and sci-fi, it was easy to forget- until the monster raping.
Wasn't too keen on the rape and underage sex. I know it's tagged as horror, but with all the fantasy and sci-fi, it was easy to forget- until the monster raping.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 24, 2013
A truly original fantasy, post apocalypse, adventure story. The friendship of Allison and Tennyson is epic. The poisonous fairy is unlike anything I expected. The book is everything I didn’t know I wanted to read. Gorgeous world and perfect characters. It could not have been written any better. Loved it, loved it, loved it.
December 9, 2013
One of the best books I've read in a while, and it was a free kindle book, so doubly surprising! Two intertwined tales, one told in an apocalyptic future and the other is a twisted fairy tale. Believable and compelling characters along with an intriguing plot made this book a quick and enjoyable(for the most part, since parts are "grimm" indeed!) read.
June 1, 2016
Uneven but worth it.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even though the plot got a little clunky toward the end, and there were a couple unnecessary revelations that I thought could have been left mysterious. Still, it was a great ride, and had a few excellent things to say about the necessity of fiction. 3.5 stars, rounded up for a satisfying ending and because it's an independent title.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even though the plot got a little clunky toward the end, and there were a couple unnecessary revelations that I thought could have been left mysterious. Still, it was a great ride, and had a few excellent things to say about the necessity of fiction. 3.5 stars, rounded up for a satisfying ending and because it's an independent title.
July 21, 2013
I found this book to be one of the most intriguing I have read in years. It is weird, violent, scary, touching and creative. It is all I ask for in a book and kept me riveted throughout. READ IT!!
August 27, 2014
Okay book that for the first part of it you think that there are two separate stories happening. Eventually by around 80% of the book the two stories start to merge and it makes sense why there are two seemingly separate things happening in the book.
January 26, 2014
What a fun book! Growing up and currently living in Visalia doesn't hurt. So original and engaging; recommending to fellow Visalians.
October 23, 2015
This now sits up among my all time favorite books. It is woven beautifully, and was an absolute treat for my love of horror and fantasy.
August 14, 2014
not what I was expecting. tried to push through it, but am giving up for now.
December 18, 2014
Would have given this one 5 stars but for several editing mistakes . In spite of that this was a very goodread . Great original story that is well written (-editing) .
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews