Looking for a good read? Here is a recommendation. I have an unusual approach to reviewing books. I review books I feel merit a review. Each review is an opportunity to recommend a book. If I do not think a book is worth reading, I find another book to review. You do not have to agree with everything every author has written (I do not), but the fiction I review is entertaining (and often thought-provoking) and the non-fiction contain ideas worth reading.
Book Review
Tomatoes and Tribulations
Reviewed by Mark Lardas
August 16, 2026
“Tomato Wyrm,” by Cedar Sanderson, Sanderley Studios, January 2026, 96 pages, $8.99 (paperback), $2.99 (e-book)
Cecelia Duringhurst just inherited Hendre Court, her great-uncle’s country manor in western England, almost on the Welch border. She is drawn to it, but does not know how to run a country estate. Greig MacDougall works in London, but his heart is in the country. He wants to be a country gardener or farmer. Jock MacDougall is the gamekeeper of Hendre Court, but getting too old to do the job properly alone. Then there is Arinto…
“Tomato Wyrm,” a cozy fantasy novel by Cedar Sanderson, gives each of them a problem each cannot solve individually. H. Beam Piper observed individual problems often defy solution, but if you get enough of them together, they solve each other. This book demonstrates how that works.
Cecelia, Sissy, fell in love with Hendre Court upon seeing it. It is dilapidated, the house is covered with dog hair, and the gardens are neglected. She thinks she could make a go of it selling flowers and vegetables grown there. Her great uncle did when he was healthy. But she knows little about commercial gardening.
Grieg is Jock’s grandson. Six months earlier Sissy’s great-uncle offered Grieg the position of gardener at Hendre Court on a partnership basis, but he died before Grieg could accept the offer. The job was Grieg’s dream come true, but the estate has been tied up since the owner’s death. When Sissy tells Jock she wants to keep the place and run it as a commercial enterprise, Jock calls Grieg, telling him to come.
That soon solves Cecelia’s, Grieg’s, and Jock’s problems. Cecelia finds someone with a knowledge of commercial gardening, Grieg his dream job, and Jock gets assurance Hendre Court will not be broken up into a development. And Cecelia and Grieg soon notice the other has qualities more interesting than a mutual love of farming.
As for Arinto? Arinto’s family has been involved with the Duringhursts since Duringhurst was a Stone Age hill fort. There are depths to Hendre Court and the Duringhurst family and family secrets Cecelia and Grieg are unware of. Arinto wants the Duringhurst line to continue, and Cecelia is the last one. But Arinto has unsuspected powers to set things right.
“Tomato Wyrm” is a delightful short novel. While only 126 pages, each page is part of a charming and amusing story, leading to a happily-ever-after ending. It is a magical tale in more ways than one.
Mark Lardas, an engineer, freelance writer, historian, and model-maker, lives in League City. His website is marklardas.com.