The Spore Queen

By: Debra Castaneda

Narrated by: Nancy Bober

Forest. Fungi. Family secrets.

Reporter Maria Hart ventures into the depths of Nils Forest chasing a news story about a violent storm, but she never returns. Within months, four other people will also disappear in the woods.

Tech mogul David Eager lives at the forest's edge. He is haunted by Maria's disappearance, and something more. Fungus is common in the foggy woodland, but now its behaving in unnatural ways, creeping onto his property and into his dreams.

Maria's friend, Amy Matthews, hears strange rumors about Nils Forest and, motivated by a dark secret, decides to investigate for herself. It's no easy task. The terrain is notoriously rugged. But Amy is cunning and determined to find her former roommate, dead or alive.

Amy's not alone. Marias mother, desperate for answers about her daughter, joins the search. Together, they journey into the heart of Nils Forest where they make a chilling discovery—there's a new fungus in these woods, and it has transformative powers. As they push deeper into the trees, they uncover a terrifying, mind-bending force. Her name is The Spore Queen.

©2024 Debra Castaneda (P)2024 Debra Castaneda

Made My Skin Crawl

I really enjoyed this book. The narrator reminded me of a young Betty White. I love the way Debra Castaneda creates characters with their own story lines, and eventually brings her characters together. Fungi already freaks me out a little bit, so this was a good creepy read for me. Even though it made me skin crawl (in a good way), The Spore Queen is a beautifully written story.

Oh MYcelium Such a FUNgi Read!

After reading The Root Witch I jumped right into The Spore Queen. Goblincore aesthetic with a twist of Aztec magic. How unique! You can literally smell this story! The ending made my skin crawl! Don’t read it alone in your mushROOM! 🍄

Interesting spin on mycology and Mexican ancestry

What now? I need to know MORE! Excellent narration and very interesting story that had me hooked and invested but left me needing a book 2!!! Give it a listen and submerge yourself in the world of mushrooms.

Great book and Narration!

I'm slowly making my way through the Dark Earth Rising series. This one is my favorite so far! it's a fantastic fungus horror. I'm hoping for a sequel!

Original and exciting!

The Spore Queen by Debra Castaneda
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I was pleasantly surprised at how interesting and entertaining this book is! The story is very original and unique, and it drew me in right away from the strangeness.
It’s a very different type of horror story, with just the right amount of creepiness. It has more of a fantasy, folktale story feel. It’s amazing what these mushrooms/fungi organisms can do! Beautiful forms of nature can help heal humans!

The book is very well written and I enjoyed my first story from this author. The narrator did a very good job with the story also.

I can’t wait to check out more books from Debra Castaneda!