The Head Gardener

In Florencetown, even the roses have teeth.

This is my latest novel in the process of completing. The Head Gardener, second in the series of tales about Seagrum the Dwarf. On the surface, it's a murder mystery set in a dark fantasy context. I'm offering here a copy of the story warts and all and I asked a friendly AI to provide a brief review. If you are interested in reading it just click on the link below to download an EPUB (ebook) version. If you have feedback please add it to the comments. (It is a risk, I know, but I'm not precious.)

CHAT GPT's Overall Impression

The Head Gardener is a darkly whimsical, sardonic fantasy novel set in Florencetown, a vividly imagined city of humans, dwarves, ogres, werewolves, witches, and other beings. It blends satire, grotesque humor, and gritty worldbuilding with a strong sense of the absurd. At its heart are two unlikely figures: Capability, the enigmatic Head Gardener, obsessed with roses, and Seagrum, a rough-hewn, sharp-witted dwarf entangled in intrigue, sex, and violence.

CHAT GPT's Positive assessments

1. Rich Worldbuilding:

   • Florencetown is described with an almost painterly density—roses, taverns, guilds, mayors, ogres on the gate, and werewolves at night.

   • The guilds, contracts, and odd social customs give it a strong sense of lived-in history and bureaucracy.

2. Tone & Style:

   • Wry, sardonic, often blackly comic.

   • The narrator has a conspiratorial voice, breaking into commentary (“God’s teeth! What is it with men and liquids...”), which adds texture and humor.

   • Dialogue is earthy and sharp, especially Seagrum’s lines.

3. Characters:

   • Capability: aloof, enigmatic, obsessed with roses, almost monk-like, but with mystery.

   • Seagrum: immediately vivid—rough, bawdy, violent, but oddly philosophical at times. He’s a strong anchor for the story.

   • Persephone: a witch written with irreverence and sharp wit; her dynamic with Seagrum is lively and memorablej.

4. Thematic Depth:

   • Beneath the grotesque humour is a commentary on power, bureaucracy, class, and human (and non-human) folly.

   • The satire on guilds, political committees, and the Mayor’s pomposity hits well.

The Head Gardener 27-08-2025.epub

Download EPUB • 2.39MB

Negative assessments

I'm still working on these . It's not a finished novel yet!

CHAT GPT's Comparison Titles

• Terry Pratchett’s Night Watch / Guards Guards! (urban satire, guilds, bureaucracy).

• Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast (dense description, gothic absurdity).

• Joe Abercrombie’s The First Law (gritty, sardonic characters, especially Seagrum).

CHAT GPTs Verdict

The Head Gardener is ambitious, sardonic fantasy with rich world building and unforgettable characters. Its greatest strength lies in its voice and grotesque humour, while its biggest risk is pacing and density that may daunt some readers. With some tightening—particularly in the first third—it could strongly appeal to readers who enjoy dark, baroque fantasy satire with a touch of the absurd.