This is a beautifully written, vivid story which really transports you to another world. The imagination of the author is endless as he creates a whole eco system with bizarre and incredible creatures roaming in it. The story itself is intriguing. Reminds me a lot of some of JG Ballards work so if you like his books, chances are you will enjoy this a lot too!

Set on Earth in the far future, "Hothouse" may owe something to H.G. Wells's "The Time Machine" in terms of the different ways that human life might evolve. It could also be said that it bears similarities to J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" in the style of the unexpected journey, on which many surprising perils are encountered. Then, of course, there's John Wyndham's classic "The Day of the Triffids", written about ten years before Aldiss's "Hothouse". In its turn, "Hothouse" may have inspired aspects of Jim Henson's wonderful film "The Dark Crystal"- semi-sentient plant life, etc. - and even Jeff Vandermeer's extraordinary "Annihilation". But this novel is unquestionably something unique in my experience, and the inventiveness displayed is exceptional. As with most science fiction, you, as a reader, must be prepared to suspend disbelief, and just go with it, and if you can do this then "Hothouse" can be an enjoyable piece of fantasy escapism. Unfortunately, though, sometimes it comes across as a bit silly (well, maybe very silly, if I'm honest!), and some characters are simply annoying (apparently one publisher wanted the worst of these annoying characters removed, but backed down. Usually I would applaud an author for sticking up for their work, but not this time!). Initially I thought I might not even read to the end, but I persevered and came to enjoy the novel, in parts at least. Overall I can't say it's become a favourite amongst the sci-fi novels I've read, and I would recommend any and all of the other works I've mentioned in this review before recommending "Hothouse". Having said that, it's fair to say that it has a place in the canon for sci-fi aficionados as well as anyone keen to read something quite different. This Penguin Modern Classics edition is, sadly, littered with ridiculous spelling mistakes and errors.