This book is beautifully written but there were several time where I thought "wait, what's going on?". There was a lot of random things happening that didn't tie into the plot and a lot of plot holes happening. The resources chapter I thought was a mistake at first. That was really confusing. The basic underlying story, I really enjoyed. All the other stuff, I was getting lost and confused

The prose in this story is dark, lyrical, and seductive. I loved it. I loved the danger that lurked in every corner, the panni raklies and their vengeance from beyond the grave, Orchid's deep connection to the fen. I'm excited for what this author will go on to write.

Love, hurt and ecological revenge. Beautiful. Tactile.

Fragmentary: dreamlike, thrown beyond itself. Featuring (fragmentary) fictive academic bibliography: a technique I love, love love.

Lynn Hutchinson Lee seems to have been mostly writing short stories so far and Orchids shows a kind of sensibility towards the craft that is (more commonly, better) suited to shorter fiction: economical, masterly emotional, punchy, if a bit vague.

Beautifully written, this novella absolutely sings. Dreamlike and surreal, it tells the story of a community, particularly its women, fighting back against a corrupt mining company and the effects on both the people and the environment. It absolutely takes a hold of you with its characters and doesn't let go. Highly recommended.

This was really lovely!

The prose was beautiful, very dreamlike. I’m noticing a lot of “nothing can ever be the same again” in books that I’ve been reading recently, and this is very much part of this novella. I find it somewhat comforting that I am not alone in grappling with this concept.

The relationships in this were incredible as well, particularly between Orchid and her mother, as well as Orchid and Jack. Orchid and her mother particularly got me; I think that’s just what being close to your mom is like sometimes. It was well-paced, just as long as it needed to be. I would love to read more from this author and publisher!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Title & Author: Origins of Desire in Orchid Fens by Lynn Hutchinson Lee

Diversity and Representation: OwnVoices Romani, woman, Canadian

Genre: literary fiction, magic realism, speculative fiction (horror/fantasy)

Length: Novella

Publisher: Stelliform Press (indie)

Pub Date: 4/21/2025

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Notable Quote: "Girls and women and the land, it's all the same to the Galvestons, the panni raklies sing."

Read this if you enjoyed: This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone

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First line: "The orchid arranges her flower in the image of the pollinator she desires, whether bee, wasp, moth, or fly. The petals- fleshy, succulent, x-rated- can be rolled in, bruised, or caressed."

Summary (spoiler free): Orchid is a young Romani woman hiding her heritage in Carminetown, a rural, Canadian gold-mining center surrounded by water. A river, and a fen. It's a town with an undercurrent of violence- particularly towards women. So many that their spirits inhabit the waters as vengeful sprites, or "panni raklies."

That's not the only strange thing about this town. Orchid once saw a young boy seemingly born straight from the fen. As an adult, Jack, he seems to be the only man the panni raklies don't immediately turn their vengeance upon. Orchid and Jack fall in love, violence erupts due to corruption and expansion of the local mine, and Orchid's relationship with the water sprites becomes even stranger. And more ruthless.

_ _ _ _ _

This is my first 5-star read of this year, and it was a treat. Its chapters are short, ranging from 1-5 pages long, and this helps you speed through despite the dense writing. And it is dense. Heavy in abstract imagery, symbolism, and local and Romani colloquialisms, this novella is best enjoyed slowly. Some chapters may require a re-read, which is facilitated by their short length. The writing is beautiful; it is essentially prose poetry arranged into a narrative, and giving it your full attention to fall into the rhythm of its prose is essential.

While I do not have much experience or knowledge of the Romani diaspora, Hutchinson Lee's writing painted a vivid, understandable, and empathetic picture. Orchid and her mother's fear connected to their Romani heritage being found out is ever-present, lending an urgent and dread-filled backdrop to the lyrical prose.

Just as deeply felt is the linking of nature with women, female friendships, and safety. The orchid fen is a place of love, desire, and authenticity for the Romani family feeling alienated everywhere else. It is a home for the spirits of abused young women where they find support and companionship. It is also the target of corrupt men who treat nature and women much the same way- to be used, dirtied, and discarded. The men who are safe- Jack, seemingly literally born from the fen, the caring husbands of Indigenous women- are ones who respect and protect nature, just as they respect the women in their lives.

This is a book that will stick with me for quite a long time. If you enjoy quick, poetic reads with themes about motherhood, environmental justice, and community, give it a read!

Written in what feel like short bursts, Origins of Desire in Orchid Fens is a hybrid novella of mixed genre, it feels experimental, comprised of prose, poetry, encyclopedia definitions, mobile phone conversations and excerpts of non-fiction environmental texts.
It tells the story of Orchid, a young Romany girl living in Carminetown with her unwell mother. On one side of town Nurses Creek, known to be the resting place of the river spirits; the ‘Ruskalkas’; the panni Raklies; the dead girls who have not been forgotten by the town and are waiting for revenge their chance at revenge. On the other side of town is the Orchid Fen, a place of quiet beauty, loved by most who live in the town.
Origins of Desire in Orchid Fens is at once a horror story of what happens when dead girls start calling, a love story and a piece of environmental commentary that considers the results of greed and corruption in the mining industry. I could not put it down and sat turning pages well into the night.

This wasn't my favorite infestation book. I felt like compared to some of the others this just didn't have as much to offer. I usually really enjoy spore type horror and I didn't hate this or anything but it just fell sort of flat for me. Overall this was a good but not great.

I love orchids, so that title and synopsis by Lee combined with the incredible cover art by Jay Rasgorshek had me in a chokehold.

This is a darkly dreamy and atmospheric story. Short chapters, sometimes oddly styled prose, but totally enthralling. I felt like I was in the warm and muddy marsh waters at times and could picture myself as a bystander in many scenes.

I would’ve liked a tale more grounded in reality and less surreal, though, it was a beautiful read. The horror elements were more subtle, in varied creeping forms, so read this tale for all its elements, not just for fear inducing moments.

“In the fen there’s light. There’s life. Whirring air, shifting islets, motes of morning light on transparent wings, a haze of green things unfurling and opening to the sun. I’d rather be at the fen, that place where the laws are true, real, embedded in the underground networks humming from root to root.”

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Stelliform Press for a copy.

This book was amazing! I'm a sucker for eco-horror, and this one did not disappoint. The story follows Orchid, a young Romani woman living in a Canadian mining town, and her struggle with racism, an ailing mother, and a money-hungry mine owner. Lynn's beautiful writing made me feel so much.

I loved the summary of this novel “dead female spirits in the creek take revenge against the men who killed them” umm YES PLEASE!

To be honest, I was a bit confused when I first started this novel and at times the narrative was difficult to follow unless it picked up again in a new chapter with the storyline I was familiar with.

But when the narrative resumed, I was very engrossed in the characters. I loved the FMC and her storyline, but I did feel as if this story was more creepy and somewhat thrilling rather than scary and horror-ish. So I would’ve liked a bit more darkness.

Also, I wasn’t a fan of the super short chapters, and I did feel that this didn’t help with the flow of the story. And, if anything, the short chapters just made me more confused because of how jumpy and back and forth the story seemed to be and these chapters (and confusion) took me out of the story more than I would’ve liked.

However, the short chapters had absolutely no bearing on the lyrical and atmospheric prose of this book. I absolutely loved the ode to nature and the outdoors and its inherent beauty, which was very evident in the writing. It was beautiful,

I had no idea what to expect from this book, and that made it a completely wonderful experience for me as a reader. This book has such a wonderful dreamlike quality to it, that I was sucked in immediately and found this story of a Romany girl and her difficult mother to be fascinating and emotionally effective. The short vignettes that make up this book add to the feeling of being memories as much as it's an actual story. This is an author that I will definitely be on the lookout for in the future!

Love the short chapters.

I found the writing was really nice but it often made it hard to follow the plot so I definitely lost the thread a few times. I wouldn’t really call this horror - it had a few unsettling moments but otherwise can’t really see how it earned the horror tag.

Put this on your radar!

Obviously, the title and the cover of Origins of Desire in Orchid Fens really drew me in. Then I read: “Written in over 100 dreamy mini-chapters, this novella explores the tenuous reality of the Romany diaspora living in troubled times on troubled lands.” Sold.

This is a story of Orchid, who finds comfort in the fens (wetlands) of her new town. Orchid is struggling to balance her relationship with her sick mother, her relationship with her new husband, and her connection to nature, especially to the spirits that live in the fens.

I really enjoyed Lee’s effortlessly flowy writing style. The book as a whole was effectively gloomy and atmospheric, which I love. I found Orchid to be a relatable and lovable character and I felt for her trying to balance everything in her life.

Thank you to #SFWA and @NetGalley for this #eARC!

I absolutely loved this book so much I couldn't put it down, and I read it in one sitting. I cannot wait to read more of her stuff as I was drawn in from the beginning. Great storytelling and relatable subject matter make this one that I'll definitely be recommending to friends.

"They're just ordinary girls."
"Ordinary, yes," says Irene. "But what ordinary girl wouldn't be dangerous, holding all them memories of her last breath?"

The dark, swamp-like atmosphere instantly sucked me in. What initially drew me to the story was its focus on the role women—and particularly the water spirits, the panni raklies—play in this town. Their haunting presence felt both unsettling and yet intriguing at the same time.

As the story progressed, certain moments took on a fever-dream quality, which, while sometimes hard to follow, ultimately added character to the narrative. However, the story often felt haunting and eerie rather than genuinely scary, and I craved a deeper dive into the darker, creepier aspects hinted at throughout.

The short chapters made the story move quickly, and I ended up reading it all in one sitting.
Overall, it’s an enjoyable and fast-paced read, perfect for fans of literary fiction with a hint of horror.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for the e-arc!

Origins of Desire in Orchid Fens by Lynn Hutchinson Lee was so so cool to read I couldn't put it down for a second. I rated it 5 stars because I really loved this story.

I have a new favorite author!

This book is so deep and personal. It is beautifully written. I consumed this in two days. A true masterpiece in my opinion.

The main character, Orchid, is so relatable with emotions and trying to understand life and all the trials that come with it. She is fallible and human. I fell in love with Orchid. Her secrets will always remain with me.

I learned of many new types of flowers and mushrooms, too.

I need more Lynn Hutchinson Lee.

#NetGalley #OriginsofDesireinOrchidFens

This started out really strong and I had such high hopes for a super eerie and unsettling horror read.

What I got fell flat in the horror department, it was certainly unsettling but I really wish that I was given more in the action horror sense.

I found myself extremely confused a lot of the time at what was going, I don’t know if this was intended but at the end of the book I really couldn’t even tell you what happened, I’m so confused.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this early.

"The fen belongs to itself. Like us, it protects its own. It is a force like no other. It has no mercy."

This is a gripping tale of a small community fighting against the corruption of a ruthless mining company and the brutality they inflict on the town's citizens. The story unfolds through the eyes of Orchid, a Romany woman navigating a complex relationship with her mother, the injustices faced by her people, and her involvement with the panni raklies' quest for revenge.

Told in haunting, bittersweet chapters, this story hooked me far more than I initially expected, though I did struggle to follow it at times. The writing is stunning and deeply atmospheric.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book.