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The Woodwitch
Andrew Pinkney is a young English solicitor’s clerk with boyish good looks and a gentle manner. But he also has a dark side. When his girlfriend Jennifer laughs at his impotence, he lashes out in a violent rage, knocking her unconscious. At the suggestion of his employer, Andrew heads to an isolated cottage in the dark Welsh countryside to take a break and get a grip on himself. In the woods, he discovers the grotesque stinkhorn mushroom, whose phallic shape seems to rise in obscene mockery of his own shortcomings. But the stinkhorn gives him an idea, a way to win Jennifer back. As the seeds of obsession take root in Andrew’s mind, he embarks on a nightmarish quest, with unexpected and horrifying results.
Stephen Gregory earned worldwide acclaim with his first novel, The Cormorant (1986), which won the Somerset Maugham Award and was adapted for a BBC film. In The Woodwitch (1988), his second novel, Gregory once again proves himself a master of disturbing and unsettling horror.
Stephen Gregory earned worldwide acclaim with his first novel, The Cormorant (1986), which won the Somerset Maugham Award and was adapted for a BBC film. In The Woodwitch (1988), his second novel, Gregory once again proves himself a master of disturbing and unsettling horror.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
About the author
Stephen Gregory
29 books89 followersStephen Gregory (b. 1952) was born in Derby, England, and earned a degree in law from the University of London. He worked as a teacher for ten years in various places, including Wales, Algeria, and Sudan, before moving to the mountains of Snowdonia in Wales to write his first novel, The Cormorant (1986), which won Britain’s prestigious Somerset Maugham Award and drew comparisons to Poe. The book was also adapted for film as a BBC production starring Ralph Fiennes. Two more novels, both set in Wales, followed: The Woodwitch (1988) and The Blood of Angels (1994). After the publication of The Blood of Angels, he worked in Hollywood for a year with Oscar-winning director William Friedkin (The Exorcist). More recently, he has published The Perils and Dangers of this Night (2008), and his new novel, The Waking That Kills, will be published in late 2013.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
October 18, 2021
I just finished this literary gem and I don't even know what to think! This nasty little ball of maggots, flies and mushrooms is still bouncing around inside my head.
If you follow CHC, then you may have seen one of these earlier this week. For the rest of you, let me introduce you to the stinkhorn mushroom.
(This is the tamest picture I could find.) Now this may make you chuckle, it certainly made me. But laughter is where it all started; a woman laughed at Andrew Pinkney, and why? Because his manhood could not, would not, resemble this mushroom. Things didn't turn out so well with that woman. They didn't turn out so well for Andrew either.
After the incident, we join Andrew on his employer mandated vacation into the misty, damp, forested hills of Snowdonia. He is ordered to get some rest and get himself together. Instead, in the ever drizzly landscape, he becomes obsessed with the stinkhorn, and the reader is dragged along.
Andrew has no idea what he's doing, he's a young lawyer in the making, not an outdoorsman. His "finds" on his walks with Phoebe his dog are disgusting-I mean, even the dog doesn't like them. What's he doing? What is he thinking? These are the questions that forced me to continue reading.
Even when the descriptions of the scenery got a bit too lengthy. Even when things started to turn my stomach-my sick fascination with Andrew and his mission kept me reading. I'm usually not one to stare at a car wreck, but I stared at Andrew long and hard. (See what I did there?) I couldn't help myself, thanks to Mr. Gregory. I love his use of language and his descriptive prose-somehow some of these things were horrific and beautiful at the same time.
I still have that ball I mentioned bouncing around in my head, but I think I'm going to leave off this review here. This was a novel of psychological horror that was truly twisted. I found the thought processes of Andrew to be so fascinating I could not look away. You should read this book. I bet it will fascinate you.
Highly recommended for fans of quiet, psychological horror dealt out at a leisurely pace.
Find this review and others like it at www.horrorafterdark.com.
*A free ebook was provided to me by Valancourt Books in exchange for an honest review. This is it. *
If you follow CHC, then you may have seen one of these earlier this week. For the rest of you, let me introduce you to the stinkhorn mushroom.
(This is the tamest picture I could find.) Now this may make you chuckle, it certainly made me. But laughter is where it all started; a woman laughed at Andrew Pinkney, and why? Because his manhood could not, would not, resemble this mushroom. Things didn't turn out so well with that woman. They didn't turn out so well for Andrew either.
After the incident, we join Andrew on his employer mandated vacation into the misty, damp, forested hills of Snowdonia. He is ordered to get some rest and get himself together. Instead, in the ever drizzly landscape, he becomes obsessed with the stinkhorn, and the reader is dragged along.
Andrew has no idea what he's doing, he's a young lawyer in the making, not an outdoorsman. His "finds" on his walks with Phoebe his dog are disgusting-I mean, even the dog doesn't like them. What's he doing? What is he thinking? These are the questions that forced me to continue reading.
Even when the descriptions of the scenery got a bit too lengthy. Even when things started to turn my stomach-my sick fascination with Andrew and his mission kept me reading. I'm usually not one to stare at a car wreck, but I stared at Andrew long and hard. (See what I did there?) I couldn't help myself, thanks to Mr. Gregory. I love his use of language and his descriptive prose-somehow some of these things were horrific and beautiful at the same time.
I still have that ball I mentioned bouncing around in my head, but I think I'm going to leave off this review here. This was a novel of psychological horror that was truly twisted. I found the thought processes of Andrew to be so fascinating I could not look away. You should read this book. I bet it will fascinate you.
Highly recommended for fans of quiet, psychological horror dealt out at a leisurely pace.
Find this review and others like it at www.horrorafterdark.com.
*A free ebook was provided to me by Valancourt Books in exchange for an honest review. This is it. *
Read
April 26, 2024Nope, nope, nope. I tried, Tom 😴. Dnf.
November 26, 2020
Alternatively titled (in my brain):
Phallus Accusations: One Aspiring Fun Guy's Field Guide to the Stinkhorn, and Other Adventures on the Welsh Countryside
Never mind my star rating for a moment, the writing in this book was fantastic. There is an off-ness spotted through the beginning that blooms and creeps and spreads, slowly covering everything with a dark moist foulness. The Woodwitch is sinister and deeply disturbing.
Andrew's girlfriend laughs when he is unable to consummate their relationship and one moment of shameful rage on his part lands her unconscious and needing dental surgery. Because they are coworkers, Andrew's boss suggests a leave for either one of them, and Andrew takes him up on both the offer of time off and the use of his country cottage in Wales. We readers are silent observers of Andrew and his dog Phoebe during this nearly month-long period of 'healing', which for Andrew in his solitude is anything but.
It's a fascinating and horrible study of obsession, guilt, and masculine shame. It is pervasively well done.
...it also had me pondering the addition of a 'but-did-I-actually-like-it?' shelf, for my Goodreads books.
Told with atmospheric setting descriptions and almost no dialogue, The Woodwitch is a slow burn. Modern writing seems more and more tailored for short attention spans and this book requires readers to take a step back from their want of instant action and bullet-point gratification.
Modern sensibilities might also find an added layer of discomfort in this work. Andrew battles through guilt for his actions, most certainly, but there is still an assumed normalcy to his reaction. Andrew's larger struggle is his shame from ridicule, his redemption from impotence.
It is an uneasy read. It is disturbing, horrifying.
Did I actually like it?
Well, yes. Yes I did. It is so very well done.
But I also wish it would get out of my head. Now.
Phallus Accusations: One Aspiring Fun Guy's Field Guide to the Stinkhorn, and Other Adventures on the Welsh Countryside
Never mind my star rating for a moment, the writing in this book was fantastic. There is an off-ness spotted through the beginning that blooms and creeps and spreads, slowly covering everything with a dark moist foulness. The Woodwitch is sinister and deeply disturbing.
Andrew's girlfriend laughs when he is unable to consummate their relationship and one moment of shameful rage on his part lands her unconscious and needing dental surgery. Because they are coworkers, Andrew's boss suggests a leave for either one of them, and Andrew takes him up on both the offer of time off and the use of his country cottage in Wales. We readers are silent observers of Andrew and his dog Phoebe during this nearly month-long period of 'healing', which for Andrew in his solitude is anything but.
It's a fascinating and horrible study of obsession, guilt, and masculine shame. It is pervasively well done.
...it also had me pondering the addition of a 'but-did-I-actually-like-it?' shelf, for my Goodreads books.
Told with atmospheric setting descriptions and almost no dialogue, The Woodwitch is a slow burn. Modern writing seems more and more tailored for short attention spans and this book requires readers to take a step back from their want of instant action and bullet-point gratification.
Modern sensibilities might also find an added layer of discomfort in this work. Andrew battles through guilt for his actions, most certainly, but there is still an assumed normalcy to his reaction. Andrew's larger struggle is his shame from ridicule, his redemption from impotence.
It is an uneasy read. It is disturbing, horrifying.
Did I actually like it?
Well, yes. Yes I did. It is so very well done.
But I also wish it would get out of my head. Now.
May 9, 2015
Andrew Pinkney, angered by his inability to consummate his relationship with his girlfriend, Jennifer, strikes out in a moment of anger. As a result of this, he is "encouraged" to take some time off, in a remote cottage in the Welsh countryside.
Alone with only his dog, Phoebe, the failure of his manhood in that singular moment with Jennifer becomes an obsession with him. He discovers the stinkhorn--a fungi that physically resembles an erect phallus--the irony being that Andrew's own impotence was the cause of his temporary banishment from society. He begins to think of nothing with the exception of the erect stinkhorn, and of impressing Jennifer after their disastrous evening.
As Andrew's obsession with the fungi grows, we are privy to the deterioration of his mental faculties as he proceeds with his single-minded purpose. Gregory's elegant writing style is full of vivid, grotesque descriptions of Andrew's "project" that will stay in your mind long after reading the passages. Combined with the vibrant, atmospheric looks at the Welsh countryside, the result is a beautiful example of both the majestic and decaying elements of nature. The decay can also be taken a step further as we analyze the changes in Andrew, himself.
Another impressive read from an author who has yet to disappoint.
Recommended!
Alone with only his dog, Phoebe, the failure of his manhood in that singular moment with Jennifer becomes an obsession with him. He discovers the stinkhorn--a fungi that physically resembles an erect phallus--the irony being that Andrew's own impotence was the cause of his temporary banishment from society. He begins to think of nothing with the exception of the erect stinkhorn, and of impressing Jennifer after their disastrous evening.
As Andrew's obsession with the fungi grows, we are privy to the deterioration of his mental faculties as he proceeds with his single-minded purpose. Gregory's elegant writing style is full of vivid, grotesque descriptions of Andrew's "project" that will stay in your mind long after reading the passages. Combined with the vibrant, atmospheric looks at the Welsh countryside, the result is a beautiful example of both the majestic and decaying elements of nature. The decay can also be taken a step further as we analyze the changes in Andrew, himself.
Another impressive read from an author who has yet to disappoint.
Recommended!
September 4, 2024
“The stinkhorn was woven into man’s dreams, ever since there were men on these hillsides. It hovered, dim and white and putrid, in their nightmares. It was a symbol of their manhood. Its very transience was essential to the magic, that it came and went so quickly, as a witch of the woods and would flicker faintly and then vanish among the dark shadows.”
This is the story of Andrew, an Englishman haunted by his own impotence after a date night romance goes terribly wrong. While staying in a cottage in the woods to get away from his troubles, he feels mocked by a wild mushroom called the stinkhorn— “...the forest’s unashamed caricature of the human phallus…”
Thus begins our protagonist’s strange obsession with erections. Isolated in the deep wilderness of the Welsh countryside along with his trustful dog Phoebe, he gathers mushroom bulbs, collects animal corpses for their maggots (the spores of the stinkhorn mushroom are dispersed by flies), and turns his cabin into a cold, damp habitat in order to grow more stinkhorns, which have become the objects of his worship.
Originally published in the 80’s, this is my first book by author Stephen Gregory whom I personally think is a beautiful writer. The pages were filled with a rich atmosphere, lots of vivid and detailed descriptions of nature in autumnal Wales. Though I read this in spring, I believe this would be the perfect October read as there are lots of references to death, rot, and decay juxtaposed with a damp cottage, the dark woods, fallen leaves, and misty rainfall.
Slow paced with plenty of creeping dread, THE WOODWITCH is perfect for readers who love psychological horror as well as themes of obsession, isolation, and the perils of male fragility.
**TRIGGER WARNINGS: physical assault, animal death, detailed descriptions of animal corpses.
This is the story of Andrew, an Englishman haunted by his own impotence after a date night romance goes terribly wrong. While staying in a cottage in the woods to get away from his troubles, he feels mocked by a wild mushroom called the stinkhorn— “...the forest’s unashamed caricature of the human phallus…”
Thus begins our protagonist’s strange obsession with erections. Isolated in the deep wilderness of the Welsh countryside along with his trustful dog Phoebe, he gathers mushroom bulbs, collects animal corpses for their maggots (the spores of the stinkhorn mushroom are dispersed by flies), and turns his cabin into a cold, damp habitat in order to grow more stinkhorns, which have become the objects of his worship.
Originally published in the 80’s, this is my first book by author Stephen Gregory whom I personally think is a beautiful writer. The pages were filled with a rich atmosphere, lots of vivid and detailed descriptions of nature in autumnal Wales. Though I read this in spring, I believe this would be the perfect October read as there are lots of references to death, rot, and decay juxtaposed with a damp cottage, the dark woods, fallen leaves, and misty rainfall.
Slow paced with plenty of creeping dread, THE WOODWITCH is perfect for readers who love psychological horror as well as themes of obsession, isolation, and the perils of male fragility.
**TRIGGER WARNINGS: physical assault, animal death, detailed descriptions of animal corpses.
April 4, 2019
A forced sabbatical to a Welsh backwater proves productive for a sexually disgraced solicitor who decides to worship the stinkhorn mushroom. This phallic symbol isn’t the only thing putrid-smelling in The Woodwitch, as the protagonist’s increasing derangement leads to cultivating a dead badger for maggots and a ghastly tryst with a needle-toothed teenager who breeds dogs. Gregory’s impressive second novel is a psychological study that reads like occult body horror. Each page is dense with descriptions of nature that ooze dread and distort pastoral calm into phantasmagoric ecstasy. The fear of impotence has never been rendered as tactile an experience.
December 22, 2014
***spoilers***
Always poetic, Stephen Gregory takes us on a journey through the damp and isolated woods of Wales. The main character, Andrew Pinkney, is a normal bloke with a normal job and a normal girlfriend and a normal life in Sussex. At least until his slightly prudish girlfriend finally gives in to his affections and is subsequently surprised by his limp lack of enthusiasm. With an even greater shock, her laughter elicits blind rage from a man who has failed to rise to the challenge and consummate his otherwise comfortable relationship. In this moment of utter humiliation Andrew strikes Jennifer and not only stops her laughter but she ends up passed out on his floor. Although the damage to Jennifer's face is minimal, Andrew's loss of control earns him some time away from work at the suggestion of his employer where Jennifer also works.
Tail tucked between his legs--so to speak-- Andrew packs his bag and his only current companion, his dog, and heads for his boss' cabin in Wales. The trip is good-naturedly seen as a much needed vacation and a chance for a new start. The cabin is old and dingy but Andrew takes great care in sprucing it up and making it a temporary home for him and Phoebe, his little jet-black collie. During his daily walks through the forest to collect wood, he discovers a growth of foul-smelling Stinkhorn mushrooms who smell of death and stand erect; these little phallus mushrooms reminding him of what he could not achieve on his own. What starts out as a passing fascination soon turns into a driving obsession with a plant that Andrew believes exists merely to taunt him. Andrew soon starts to believe that if he can capture the Stinkhorn and bring them back to Sussex, he can win back his beloved and the life that he wishes to return to.
Wales is unrelentingly damp. The dampness that is rotting the cabin and infiltrating the air also seems to be sinking into his bones-- into his mind and his very soul. When his inadequacy rears its ugly head--the only head being reared--at the hands of a young Welsh girl he takes a liking to, it seems to be enough to push him over the edge and further his obsession with this Stinkhorn, this Woodwitch as it is called.
Stephen Gregory once again brilliantly and beautifully captures the object of his affection. The magic of the Woodwitch will have you questioning your own sanity.
Always poetic, Stephen Gregory takes us on a journey through the damp and isolated woods of Wales. The main character, Andrew Pinkney, is a normal bloke with a normal job and a normal girlfriend and a normal life in Sussex. At least until his slightly prudish girlfriend finally gives in to his affections and is subsequently surprised by his limp lack of enthusiasm. With an even greater shock, her laughter elicits blind rage from a man who has failed to rise to the challenge and consummate his otherwise comfortable relationship. In this moment of utter humiliation Andrew strikes Jennifer and not only stops her laughter but she ends up passed out on his floor. Although the damage to Jennifer's face is minimal, Andrew's loss of control earns him some time away from work at the suggestion of his employer where Jennifer also works.
Tail tucked between his legs--so to speak-- Andrew packs his bag and his only current companion, his dog, and heads for his boss' cabin in Wales. The trip is good-naturedly seen as a much needed vacation and a chance for a new start. The cabin is old and dingy but Andrew takes great care in sprucing it up and making it a temporary home for him and Phoebe, his little jet-black collie. During his daily walks through the forest to collect wood, he discovers a growth of foul-smelling Stinkhorn mushrooms who smell of death and stand erect; these little phallus mushrooms reminding him of what he could not achieve on his own. What starts out as a passing fascination soon turns into a driving obsession with a plant that Andrew believes exists merely to taunt him. Andrew soon starts to believe that if he can capture the Stinkhorn and bring them back to Sussex, he can win back his beloved and the life that he wishes to return to.
Wales is unrelentingly damp. The dampness that is rotting the cabin and infiltrating the air also seems to be sinking into his bones-- into his mind and his very soul. When his inadequacy rears its ugly head--the only head being reared--at the hands of a young Welsh girl he takes a liking to, it seems to be enough to push him over the edge and further his obsession with this Stinkhorn, this Woodwitch as it is called.
Stephen Gregory once again brilliantly and beautifully captures the object of his affection. The magic of the Woodwitch will have you questioning your own sanity.
January 16, 2021
He kept his erections on the fireplace mantle...
No spoilers: 3 stars. Warning to some readers: this is a rather explicit review...
Andrew Pinkney has a problem. He wants to have an intimate relationship with his love interest Jennifer but he can't...
After attempting to sleep with her and failing... she uproariously laughed at him and he punched her in the face...
Because they were both lawyers in the same law firm, the boss said one of them had to take some time off so they could both cool down...
Andrew opted to use the company's cottage in the Welsh mountains... The weather in that locale was just right for growing fungi...
While walking his dog in the woods, Andrew spotted the stinkhorn mushroom growing tall and shaped like a splendid erection; one that he longed to cultivate in more ways than one...
He took the fungi back to the cottage and began to do some extensive research on the proper conditions for growing the phallus shaped plant and before long...
...Andrew had several stinkhorn plants which he kept on the fireplace mantle... the better to observe their short-lived erections...
Soon this little pastime became Andrew's obsession... to his detriment...
I chose to read this book because I enjoyed this author's THE CORMORANT. This was no CORMORANT, this was a totally different kind of story.
The novel had its good points but, for me, the negative outweighed the good. It was very depressing and it chased its own tail in some ways; getting nowhere.
I liked the last 10% but the vast majority was a little boring and lacked the excellent descriptive prose used in THE CORMORANT. A middlin' read.
No spoilers: 3 stars. Warning to some readers: this is a rather explicit review...
Andrew Pinkney has a problem. He wants to have an intimate relationship with his love interest Jennifer but he can't...
After attempting to sleep with her and failing... she uproariously laughed at him and he punched her in the face...
Because they were both lawyers in the same law firm, the boss said one of them had to take some time off so they could both cool down...
Andrew opted to use the company's cottage in the Welsh mountains... The weather in that locale was just right for growing fungi...
While walking his dog in the woods, Andrew spotted the stinkhorn mushroom growing tall and shaped like a splendid erection; one that he longed to cultivate in more ways than one...
He took the fungi back to the cottage and began to do some extensive research on the proper conditions for growing the phallus shaped plant and before long...
...Andrew had several stinkhorn plants which he kept on the fireplace mantle... the better to observe their short-lived erections...
Soon this little pastime became Andrew's obsession... to his detriment...
I chose to read this book because I enjoyed this author's THE CORMORANT. This was no CORMORANT, this was a totally different kind of story.
The novel had its good points but, for me, the negative outweighed the good. It was very depressing and it chased its own tail in some ways; getting nowhere.
I liked the last 10% but the vast majority was a little boring and lacked the excellent descriptive prose used in THE CORMORANT. A middlin' read.
October 24, 2019
The flaccid villain
collecting maggot fodder
lewd fungus envy.
collecting maggot fodder
lewd fungus envy.
January 21, 2024
All I kept thinking was, 'is this guy going to take revenge on his ex by fucking her with a phallic spore'.
That kept running through my head while reading The Woodwitch. I couldn't understand the obsession this guy had with these spores that grew, and finding out that he just... wants to grow them to show her because she has an interest in nature and spores / plants? ... But he's a fucked up dude who is an abusive guy, and was sent to the cabin to begin with because he slapped her one after making fun of his sexual prowess in bed. DO YOU SEE WHY THAT WAS THE THOUGHT RUNNING IN MY HEAD.
After finishing it, honestly, I still don't get it and I know I'm gonna avoid this author in the future. Horror, yeah, I guess.
That kept running through my head while reading The Woodwitch. I couldn't understand the obsession this guy had with these spores that grew, and finding out that he just... wants to grow them to show her because she has an interest in nature and spores / plants? ... But he's a fucked up dude who is an abusive guy, and was sent to the cabin to begin with because he slapped her one after making fun of his sexual prowess in bed. DO YOU SEE WHY THAT WAS THE THOUGHT RUNNING IN MY HEAD.
After finishing it, honestly, I still don't get it and I know I'm gonna avoid this author in the future. Horror, yeah, I guess.
June 25, 2020
This is Stephen Gregory's second novel. I read his first years ago, "The Cormorant," which is equal parts gloomy and creepy and this one is both of those and perhaps even more disturbing.
I've read a number of novels with this general plotline -- someone isolates themselves from the world in a rural cottage, maybe with a past they're trying to escape, there's a strong sense of place and nature...then...creepy stuff ensues. Of course, this is one of the most unoriginal set-ups in the horror genre, but if you're in the mood for it it's one of the best.
But be warned, this can be an incredibly slow novel and plot is pretty thin. It feels like someone went to paint without enough paint on their brush. I'm not sure how many times I was reminded how damp, drizzly and moldy the Welsh countryside is. This is very focused on mood and internal brooding, especially in the first half. And yet I really liked this; the ending actually disturbed me and although I read a lot of dark literature it left me a lingering disquiet.
So, this might not be for you. The central character of this story is not sympathetic, but then he seems to be losing his grip on reality as the story progresses as well. His motivations and weird obsessions make little sense, at least I thought so. There's also a lot of descriptions of dead things decaying and pulpy maggots squirming.
But I liked this because it doesn't take the conventional supernatural route, at least not explicitly. This isn't a typical horror novel, it's horrific because of the protagonists' disturbing obsessions and acts and the oppressive atmosphere more than anything overt and in-your-face.
I've read a number of novels with this general plotline -- someone isolates themselves from the world in a rural cottage, maybe with a past they're trying to escape, there's a strong sense of place and nature...then...creepy stuff ensues. Of course, this is one of the most unoriginal set-ups in the horror genre, but if you're in the mood for it it's one of the best.
But be warned, this can be an incredibly slow novel and plot is pretty thin. It feels like someone went to paint without enough paint on their brush. I'm not sure how many times I was reminded how damp, drizzly and moldy the Welsh countryside is. This is very focused on mood and internal brooding, especially in the first half. And yet I really liked this; the ending actually disturbed me and although I read a lot of dark literature it left me a lingering disquiet.
So, this might not be for you. The central character of this story is not sympathetic, but then he seems to be losing his grip on reality as the story progresses as well. His motivations and weird obsessions make little sense, at least I thought so. There's also a lot of descriptions of dead things decaying and pulpy maggots squirming.
But I liked this because it doesn't take the conventional supernatural route, at least not explicitly. This isn't a typical horror novel, it's horrific because of the protagonists' disturbing obsessions and acts and the oppressive atmosphere more than anything overt and in-your-face.
August 5, 2014
I feel like I am missing something here because this book has great reviews. The writing was smooth and descriptive, although repetitive at some points. But I feel like it was all about penises... The whole book centers around the main character's shame about not being able to 'get it up' and do the do. After reading the book I feel as haunted by the phallic mushrooms as the main character.
December 27, 2014
Review of The Woodwitch by Stephen Gregory ***spoilers***
Always poetic, Stephen Gregory takes us on a journey through the damp and isolated woods of Wales. The main character, Andrew Pinkney, is a normal bloke with a normal job and a normal girlfriend and a normal life in Sussex. At least until his slightly prudish girlfriend finally gives in to his affections and is subsequently surprised by his limp lack of enthusiasm. With an even greater shock, her laughter elicits blind rage from a man who has failed to rise to the challenge and consummate his otherwise comfortable relationship. In this moment of utter humiliation Andrew strikes Jennifer and not only stops her laughter but she ends up passed out on his floor. Although the damage to Jennifer's face is minimal, Andrew's loss of control earns him some time away from work at the suggestion of his employer where Jennifer also works.
Tail tucked between his legs--so to speak-- Andrew packs his bag and his only current companion, his dog, and heads for his boss' cabin in Wales. The trip is good-naturedly seen as a much needed vacation and a chance for a new start. The cabin is old and dingy but Andrew takes great care in sprucing it up and making it a temporary home for him and Phoebe, his little jet-black collie. During his daily walks through the forest to collect wood, he discovers a growth of foul-smelling Stinkhorn mushrooms who smell of death and stand erect; these little phallus mushrooms reminding him of what he could not achieve on his own. What starts out as a passing fascination soon turns into a driving obsession with a plant that Andrew believes exists merely to taunt him. Andrew soon starts to believe that if he can capture the Stinkhorn and bring them back to Sussex, he can win back his beloved and the life that he wishes to return to.
Wales is unrelentingly damp. The dampness that is rotting the cabin and infiltrating the air also seems to be sinking into his bones-- into his mind and his very soul. When his inadequacy rears its ugly head--the only head being reared--at the hands of a young Welsh girl he takes a liking to, it seems to be enough to push him over the edge and further his obsession with this Stinkhorn, this Woodwitch as it is called.
Stephen Gregory once again brilliantly and beautifully captures the object of his affection. The magic of the Woodwitch will have you questioning your own sanity.
© Andi Rawson from Andreya's Asylum
Always poetic, Stephen Gregory takes us on a journey through the damp and isolated woods of Wales. The main character, Andrew Pinkney, is a normal bloke with a normal job and a normal girlfriend and a normal life in Sussex. At least until his slightly prudish girlfriend finally gives in to his affections and is subsequently surprised by his limp lack of enthusiasm. With an even greater shock, her laughter elicits blind rage from a man who has failed to rise to the challenge and consummate his otherwise comfortable relationship. In this moment of utter humiliation Andrew strikes Jennifer and not only stops her laughter but she ends up passed out on his floor. Although the damage to Jennifer's face is minimal, Andrew's loss of control earns him some time away from work at the suggestion of his employer where Jennifer also works.
Tail tucked between his legs--so to speak-- Andrew packs his bag and his only current companion, his dog, and heads for his boss' cabin in Wales. The trip is good-naturedly seen as a much needed vacation and a chance for a new start. The cabin is old and dingy but Andrew takes great care in sprucing it up and making it a temporary home for him and Phoebe, his little jet-black collie. During his daily walks through the forest to collect wood, he discovers a growth of foul-smelling Stinkhorn mushrooms who smell of death and stand erect; these little phallus mushrooms reminding him of what he could not achieve on his own. What starts out as a passing fascination soon turns into a driving obsession with a plant that Andrew believes exists merely to taunt him. Andrew soon starts to believe that if he can capture the Stinkhorn and bring them back to Sussex, he can win back his beloved and the life that he wishes to return to.
Wales is unrelentingly damp. The dampness that is rotting the cabin and infiltrating the air also seems to be sinking into his bones-- into his mind and his very soul. When his inadequacy rears its ugly head--the only head being reared--at the hands of a young Welsh girl he takes a liking to, it seems to be enough to push him over the edge and further his obsession with this Stinkhorn, this Woodwitch as it is called.
Stephen Gregory once again brilliantly and beautifully captures the object of his affection. The magic of the Woodwitch will have you questioning your own sanity.
© Andi Rawson from Andreya's Asylum
March 21, 2021
Andrew is taking some time off work due to an incident with a coworker he was involved romantically with. She laughed at his inability to get it up in the bedroom and he reacted violently. Andrew's boss lets him use his holiday cottage in Wales to get away for a while so Andrew heads off there with his dog, Phoebe, for company. Their days are spent in the surrounding woodland and one day he finds a stinkhorn mushroom and its phallic nature both embarrasses and fascinates him. During the course of Andrew's stay he meets some of the locals, finds some dead animals in the woods, and becomes thoroughly obsessed with the stinkhorn and a unique project that he devotes himself to.
This was a dark and disturbing read about a descent into obsession. Gregory's writing is absolutely wonderful and brings beauty to the grim details. The atmosphere, the feel of the damp cottage with its mouldy walls, the putrid smell of the stinkhorn, the visceral descriptions of death and decay, all make this a very sensory and immersive read. The slow burn builds to a brutal climax that I am unlikely to forget any time soon.
CW: animal maltreatment, animal death, hunting, a potentially underage character in sexual situations.
This was a dark and disturbing read about a descent into obsession. Gregory's writing is absolutely wonderful and brings beauty to the grim details. The atmosphere, the feel of the damp cottage with its mouldy walls, the putrid smell of the stinkhorn, the visceral descriptions of death and decay, all make this a very sensory and immersive read. The slow burn builds to a brutal climax that I am unlikely to forget any time soon.
CW: animal maltreatment, animal death, hunting, a potentially underage character in sexual situations.
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October 14, 2021A fascinating, horrifying, disturbing novel, quite unlike anything I've read before. This upset me greatly in places (if you've read it, you'll probably guess where) but I kept reading, desperate to see how the litany of revulsion would be concluded - or perhaps consummated would be a more apt descriptor. Truly extraordinary, and beautifully written, too.
April 17, 2024
OK. A bit boring the whole way through. 2.9 but flooring to 2 because I had such high expectations after The Cormorant, so that's relative.
Stephen Gregory's writing is gorgeous, so it hurts me a bit to give this such a low rating. He's a beast when it comes to new Gothic. I love his brain and the twisted ideas it produces. What I think is the most distinctive feature of his work, and what I appreciate most about it, is that he can tell us about the most utterly disgusting things, the most putrid and base things, in a way that is fluid, vivid, and beautiful. That holds true for The Woodwitch.
That being said, I found this book to be more dense and less effective (by far) than The Cormorant. That's partially because it's missing the humor that made that novel work as well as it did, and partially because there was such excess of description in striving to build a distinct atmosphere - which, to be fair, he did! The humid, rustic October of this novel was inescapable in its tiresome repetition. There were points when I'd read a descriptive sentence about something - the mushrooms, the woods, the mist, the moisture - and flip back to earlier in the novel because I could swear he'd written the same exact sentence before.
To its credit, I do think that The Woodwitch had some interesting and important things to say about gender. The fragility and self-obsession of the male ego, the powerlessness and humiliation when that ego is wounded, and the ensuing violence as retaliation. The woman through the eye of that male ego - an animal either domesticated and benign (see Phoebe at the beginning of the novel and the hotel owner, compared to an elegant heron) or wild and threatening (see the kennel-maid and the black sheep, always depicted as a feminine presence).
Unfortunately, it just didn't work for me as a horror. For all its merits, I think the Woodwitch fell flat because it had the potential to be much more macabre and much more interesting than it actually was.
Stephen Gregory's writing is gorgeous, so it hurts me a bit to give this such a low rating. He's a beast when it comes to new Gothic. I love his brain and the twisted ideas it produces. What I think is the most distinctive feature of his work, and what I appreciate most about it, is that he can tell us about the most utterly disgusting things, the most putrid and base things, in a way that is fluid, vivid, and beautiful. That holds true for The Woodwitch.
That being said, I found this book to be more dense and less effective (by far) than The Cormorant. That's partially because it's missing the humor that made that novel work as well as it did, and partially because there was such excess of description in striving to build a distinct atmosphere - which, to be fair, he did! The humid, rustic October of this novel was inescapable in its tiresome repetition. There were points when I'd read a descriptive sentence about something - the mushrooms, the woods, the mist, the moisture - and flip back to earlier in the novel because I could swear he'd written the same exact sentence before.
To its credit, I do think that The Woodwitch had some interesting and important things to say about gender. The fragility and self-obsession of the male ego, the powerlessness and humiliation when that ego is wounded, and the ensuing violence as retaliation. The woman through the eye of that male ego - an animal either domesticated and benign (see Phoebe at the beginning of the novel and the hotel owner, compared to an elegant heron) or wild and threatening (see the kennel-maid and the black sheep, always depicted as a feminine presence).
Unfortunately, it just didn't work for me as a horror. For all its merits, I think the Woodwitch fell flat because it had the potential to be much more macabre and much more interesting than it actually was.
April 4, 2024
Reading 200 pages about an incel in a cottage in Wales obsessed with a mushroom is a form of psychological horror, I suppose...
I kid, I kid. There's a lot more to this book than just the bare bones of the plot. The character work that goes into the protagonist, Andrew Pinkney, is incredible. At times, it becomes a moving portrait of a man who could honestly be on the cusp of real redemption, of putting the pieces of his life back together; a cairn in the woods, stones stacked atop one another. And then Andrew thinks something, does something, and it's one stone too many, and everything comes crashing down.
The descriptions of the damp, the condensation running down the walls and clouding the windows; the dead things and their continuing decomposition; and oh God, the stinkhorns, the phallus-shaped mushrooms that come to stand for so much in Andrew's psyche, are dense and elaborate but never too much. This is gothic horror as it's meant to be, where the space, the environment, is as much a character as any human, poisoning everything with a slow and steady inevitability.
I can't say this was a wholly enjoyable read, but gosh it was just so well-written, I found myself a little in awe of it at the end.
I kid, I kid. There's a lot more to this book than just the bare bones of the plot. The character work that goes into the protagonist, Andrew Pinkney, is incredible. At times, it becomes a moving portrait of a man who could honestly be on the cusp of real redemption, of putting the pieces of his life back together; a cairn in the woods, stones stacked atop one another. And then Andrew thinks something, does something, and it's one stone too many, and everything comes crashing down.
The descriptions of the damp, the condensation running down the walls and clouding the windows; the dead things and their continuing decomposition; and oh God, the stinkhorns, the phallus-shaped mushrooms that come to stand for so much in Andrew's psyche, are dense and elaborate but never too much. This is gothic horror as it's meant to be, where the space, the environment, is as much a character as any human, poisoning everything with a slow and steady inevitability.
I can't say this was a wholly enjoyable read, but gosh it was just so well-written, I found myself a little in awe of it at the end.
March 7, 2024
We witness Andrew’s descent into madness. This book is pretty disgusting. The cottage he is staying in is a breeding ground for fungus. He lives there even though fungus is growing on the walls and everything is damp. That really makes me squirm. Andrew is not a likable character. Really no one in the book is. Not my favorite book.
January 20, 2024
I started this book not realizing at first it was from the ‘80s, as it was in this month’s Night Worms subscription package. But it felt so immediately retro that I checked, and yes! It’s got that 70s-80s feel, but it’s also sort of a fascinating combination of old school Gothic horror and a surprisingly modern for its time (if, you know, Troubling) exploration of toxic masculinity and shame really fomenting into something insane, disgusting, and um, kind of literal. This is a book for folks who are okay with their horror being horrifyingly gross - like, really, how are you with maggots? Because there’s a LOT of maggots. And moisture. And mold. And dead things. But I couldn’t look away. I read this on wintery days in very dry conditions and right next to my pellet stove, which is how I recommend you read it.
November 12, 2016
Very good book. Quite original. Not really horror, I would call it macabre and eerie.
The writing flows perfectly. I really enjoyed reading it even if there isn't much dialogue (sort of Poe style...let's say).
Despite the fact that it was written in the late 80s I consider it quite refreshing even today.
I like the author's style, sometimes literal otherwise simply readable.
The story itself is not what you would expect from the short synopsis you can read online or on the back cover.
It may not be everybody's cup of tea but whoever enjoys weird, creepy and slowly unfolding stories it will not disappoint you.
The beautiful description of the landscape, weather and psychological changes within the protagonist make the whole story creeping under your skin.
The writing flows perfectly. I really enjoyed reading it even if there isn't much dialogue (sort of Poe style...let's say).
Despite the fact that it was written in the late 80s I consider it quite refreshing even today.
I like the author's style, sometimes literal otherwise simply readable.
The story itself is not what you would expect from the short synopsis you can read online or on the back cover.
It may not be everybody's cup of tea but whoever enjoys weird, creepy and slowly unfolding stories it will not disappoint you.
The beautiful description of the landscape, weather and psychological changes within the protagonist make the whole story creeping under your skin.
February 1, 2024
DNF- 70 + pages into a 200 page read and I was bored. Just not for me
March 11, 2023
Highkey traumatized ✌😌 I want to write a better review at some point because there are not many goodreads reviews right now which is criminal! Here are my thoughts on finishing this dark little novel today...
Cw; domestic violence, animal cruelty, animal decomposition, age-gap relationship (not really a relationship...but iykyk)
This book was a disturbing and disgusting descent into madness, set against the backdrop of the rainy welsh country
side. It covered many heavy themes, including but not limited to male impotence, toxic masculinity and domestic violence, humilation, shame, loneliness, obsession, and desire.
Something that stood out to me was how Andrews relationship with Phoebe mirrored that with Jennifer, at the start they are close and share all their experiences etc (a man and his dog). And then at the end he also commits violence acts unto her until her eventual death. I can only imagine this is what would happen to Jennifer if she came back to Andrew on his return to Sussex - an abusive and controlling relationship which swings from love to violence at the drop of a hat. His relationship with Shan was similar, although she was never an object of his emotional desire as much as his physical - therefore belonging to the 'coven of the stinkhorn'.
The descriptions of the fungi, Andrews perverse 'industry' and the state of the cottage were written with incredible prose, the author has a real way of describing sounds and smells such that I really felt like I was there witnessing the horror (please god no...).
The only bits that I didnt like as much were the, sometimes long, descriptions of the welsh countryside, although beautifully written. Not enough to detract a star for me, as overall the pacing and dramatic climax of the novel made up for it.
A must read for horror fans!
Cw; domestic violence, animal cruelty, animal decomposition, age-gap relationship (not really a relationship...but iykyk)
This book was a disturbing and disgusting descent into madness, set against the backdrop of the rainy welsh country
side. It covered many heavy themes, including but not limited to male impotence, toxic masculinity and domestic violence, humilation, shame, loneliness, obsession, and desire.
Something that stood out to me was how Andrews relationship with Phoebe mirrored that with Jennifer, at the start they are close and share all their experiences etc (a man and his dog). And then at the end he also commits violence acts unto her until her eventual death. I can only imagine this is what would happen to Jennifer if she came back to Andrew on his return to Sussex - an abusive and controlling relationship which swings from love to violence at the drop of a hat. His relationship with Shan was similar, although she was never an object of his emotional desire as much as his physical - therefore belonging to the 'coven of the stinkhorn'.
The descriptions of the fungi, Andrews perverse 'industry' and the state of the cottage were written with incredible prose, the author has a real way of describing sounds and smells such that I really felt like I was there witnessing the horror (please god no...).
The only bits that I didnt like as much were the, sometimes long, descriptions of the welsh countryside, although beautifully written. Not enough to detract a star for me, as overall the pacing and dramatic climax of the novel made up for it.
A must read for horror fans!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2024
Beautiful writing. Gross descriptions of dead things rotting. Terrible people. Animals harmed.
This book contains off the charts beautiful writing. Beautiful writing about death and decay -
"...so he could rear many more litters of lusty meat-flies"
"Flies struggled from her mouth, only to ignite into brilliant golden sparks..."
Beautiful, but also disgusting (the scene of him massaging the dead badger to get the maggots out...🤢)
The alliteration in this book is magical.
"...suffocating silver cobweb of drenching drizzle."
"...flights of knot which flickered and faded and flickered in fidgeting flocks..."
"The silver slime of the slug was the stinkhorn's signature..."
There were solid pages of text, but it didn't bother me in the least.
This book contains off the charts beautiful writing. Beautiful writing about death and decay -
"...so he could rear many more litters of lusty meat-flies"
"Flies struggled from her mouth, only to ignite into brilliant golden sparks..."
Beautiful, but also disgusting (the scene of him massaging the dead badger to get the maggots out...🤢)
The alliteration in this book is magical.
"...suffocating silver cobweb of drenching drizzle."
"...flights of knot which flickered and faded and flickered in fidgeting flocks..."
"The silver slime of the slug was the stinkhorn's signature..."
There were solid pages of text, but it didn't bother me in the least.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 26, 2024
I found The Woodwitch to have moments of atmospheric tension, but the overall execution fell short for me. The plot lacked cohesion, making it challenging to follow and connect with the characters. Additionally, the pacing was inconsistent, leading to moments of stagnation followed by abrupt developments, leaving me disoriented. Although the lyrical description was unique at the beginning, it hindered my attention becoming redundant. Overall, I felt the novel had the potential for a captivating tale but failed to deliver a satisfying and coherent reading experience.
December 21, 2023
The horror of impotence, in a damp Welsh cabin.
March 7, 2019
i wasn't entirely sure what was going on in this book so giving it four stars seems strange... but i couldn't stop reading it, so there's that...Gregory definitely has a powerful way of writing, and his affectation of repeating a phrase or sentence a paragraph or two later is odd but it also woks... so, the story of a regular guy who assaults his female friend, then gets a company cabin in the Wales countryside to "expiate" his deed and hopefully return refreshed... huh. well, it was that, and it wasn't... didn't know much, OK, anything, about the stinkhorn mushroom and now i feel i know too much... whenever it comes up (yeah, laugh, go ahead!) Gregory fills the passages with overtly sexualized language, which is eerily unsettling and funny in equal measure... two themes run through the book: water/moistness/damp AND rot/decay/mould/decomposition/death... both are used to great effect in the tale... as with 'The Blood of Angels', Gregory fills his pages with descriptions of the natural world at every turn, and they give the book plenty of liveliness and character... and birds, lots and lots of bids, animals seemingly dear to Gregory's heart... the tale takes a wheelbarrow load of unseemly and unforgettable turns, and some of the early passages seem odd and misplaced (why the dead animals, why four hooks in the outhouse?), but then as the tale continues the reader gets a better insight into Andrew's madness and obsession and, well, horrifying awfulness... as i said, i had to keep reading this to find out what would happen, it does a wonderful job of pulling you in and continually upping the stakes of bizarro behavior...
September 8, 2021
This is a weird one. It's about a guy named Andrew who gets with one of his female workmates and he fails to get a boner. She laughs at him so he punches her out. His boss sends him away to a cottage in the Welsh countryside to get his act together. There, he discovers a stinkhorn mushroom that looks like a willy, which he becomes obsessed with.
There's some heavy stuff to get through in this book. Animal mistreatment, vivid detail of animal decomposition, sexual moments with a potential minor, sheep poo, dog diarrhoea... Jesus, that slimy dog diarrhoea was disgusting. I could almost smell it!
Speaking of almost being able to smell it, Stephen Gregory's descriptions made me feel dirty. Like I was actually in Andrew's damp cottage, surrounded by mould and erect penis mushrooms and smelly decomposing beasts. The copy of my book is also an old, second hand copy and it feels a bit manky and smelly, which only added to the putrid atmosphere of the story.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was proper weird, dark and original. You'll probably need a strong stomach to be able to appreciate it. I tell you what, it's made me scared of getting a flop on in the future in front of a woman. I don't want to have to go shaking maggots out of dead animals in order to grow stinkhorn mushrooms!
I think I've discovered a great author here, I shall check out more of his work in the near future.
There's some heavy stuff to get through in this book. Animal mistreatment, vivid detail of animal decomposition, sexual moments with a potential minor, sheep poo, dog diarrhoea... Jesus, that slimy dog diarrhoea was disgusting. I could almost smell it!
Speaking of almost being able to smell it, Stephen Gregory's descriptions made me feel dirty. Like I was actually in Andrew's damp cottage, surrounded by mould and erect penis mushrooms and smelly decomposing beasts. The copy of my book is also an old, second hand copy and it feels a bit manky and smelly, which only added to the putrid atmosphere of the story.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was proper weird, dark and original. You'll probably need a strong stomach to be able to appreciate it. I tell you what, it's made me scared of getting a flop on in the future in front of a woman. I don't want to have to go shaking maggots out of dead animals in order to grow stinkhorn mushrooms!
I think I've discovered a great author here, I shall check out more of his work in the near future.
March 10, 2018
I just didn't get this. I didn't like it, but forced myself to finish because I took the time to search this book out after reading some reviews and owed it to myself. Writing reviews for books like this are hard without revealing spoilers, but for the love of Christmas!
December 21, 2019
What. The. Fuck. I have no words. This was just confusing and disgusting. We're talking about a character who is obsessed with his own phallus and mushrooms that resemble phalli, putrefying animals and the maggots he can shake out of them. There's male on female violence and a coupling of the same character and a very underage girl. This was just not fun, supremely gross and fucked. Probably the authors intention but I can't think of a single person that would enjoy reading this. A little ashamed that I even finished it.
August 29, 2024
3⭐️
Well… that was interesting.
This is basically a book about a man’s descent into some type of madness all caused by his inability to get his dick up. This also causes him to become obsessed with a peen shaped mushroom. 🤷🏼♀️
Nope, I’m not joking.
This book had and has me continuing to ask myself
“ Did I actually like this?”
And I did.. because it was really well done. It was dark, grotesque, and disturbing and made me feel gross and wanting to take my brain out and wash it. 😬
Well… that was interesting.
This is basically a book about a man’s descent into some type of madness all caused by his inability to get his dick up. This also causes him to become obsessed with a peen shaped mushroom. 🤷🏼♀️
Nope, I’m not joking.
This book had and has me continuing to ask myself
“ Did I actually like this?”
And I did.. because it was really well done. It was dark, grotesque, and disturbing and made me feel gross and wanting to take my brain out and wash it. 😬
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