Over a period of two decades or so, Watson & Son have established a large network of trusted beekeepers over the country and also a sophisticated extraction centre to ensure the quality and purity of the manuka honey the company produces.

There were a few other things that were really dealbreakers for me. Spoilers ahead. One of the things that really bothered me was Ming’s interactions with the tama. We understand that the tama have the mental capacity of someone with an intellectual disability or a very small child, and watching Ming torture and have sex with the tama was disturbing and also pretty unnecessary. There is also a scene where she cannibalizes a diseased tama while he is still (mostly) alive, and that was also just too much gore for me (or should I say, too much vore?). I know Ming is evil—I didn’t want to read about her sexual torture or cannibalism in that much detail. The book’s final scenes also contain a scene between Ming and a male character where she seems to be especially degraded. Thematically, it felt out of place to me at the novel’s ending and it muddied some of the themes of the ending to the point that I wasn’t sure what we are supposed to feel at the end. Is Ming triumphant or not? Lessons in Birdwatching is the debut novel of Honey Watson, a sort of sci-fi book which, to be fair, lands in the wtf territory, a really brave and interesting proposal that won't let you indifferent. A mysterious sci-fi world poisoned by an unknown disease is the setting which we will explore through the eyes of some elite students from another planet in the Chrystian Empire. I did quite enjoy some of the secondary characters and was invested in their fates. Now, I did not feel the same about the "main" character (I use that loosely since there are quite a few characters' viewpoints that are offered, which is good because if you're anything like me, you don't want to hang out in Ming's head the whole book), but the secondary characters were more... tolerable? Multifaceted? Sure let's go with that. Also, they were kind of funny at times, which helped. Applying honey to your face is fairly simple, though there are different ways to do it. Honey for face acne, psoriasis, and eczemaFrom humble beginnings in a shed to a major operation with 85 employees and over 20,000 beehives, Watson & Son are at the forefront of both production and research into manuka honey.

Mane S, et al. (2018). Successful treatment of actinic keratosis with Kanuka honey: A case study. DOI: Of the students, I thought Peter’s vapidness was entertaining - he was good as comic relief - and I enjoyed how he stayed true to himself, despite how he was a bit foolish. Jasef was the only one I really liked, but even then, I wasn’t sure what his goals were either, at least at the end. Achira and Ar don’t get enough time to really care about them. Overall, I think this is a book best enjoyed twice — once as a hapless passenger, and once again with an appreciation for the characters’ agendas. I liked it on first read and LOVED it on second read. As the death toll rises and violence engulfs the surface, a deranged fanatic emerges, threatening the very foundation of their existence. This unhinged individual seeks to awaken a forgotten god and unleash its temporal virus upon Apech, posing an existential threat to everyone on the planet.

Objective

So why didn’t I like it, given that Watson is such an accomplished writer on a technical level? Once I finished the novel I wasn’t sure exactly what Watson was trying to do here. The ending left me with an empty feeling and a kind of shrug. It wasn’t a story where we follow the smart, evil character to their eventual triumph and where the pleasure is watching them out scheme everyone else. It wasn’t a conventional horror/everyone dies ending either. The publisher’s blurb mentions nihilism and careening towards annihilation, which might be the best way to sum it up. Maybe the novel is supposed to be a paean to nihilism?

The synopsis claimed it was comic but... I just didn't get too much in the way of comedy, frankly. They nailed the dark bit at least. At no point did I think it was dark humor, though, just... bleak darkness. And that is a very different thing. If you are new to manuka honey, Watson & Son 5+ Manuka Honey (500g) makes a great start and is a suitable entry honey into this delicious and amazing gift of nature. Put it in your tea or coffee, eat it from the jar or just spread it on a slice of bread. Taste the purity of New Zealand. The way they treated the tama was bad-bad. And look, I get that it is supposed to be bad, and I have read some downright horrifying things in my day, but usually there is some kind of... retribution? Consequence? But no, here it is just fine to assault the feeble-minded, use them for whatever, and then get rid of them. I just wanted some justice, any justice, but alas.During their temporary research post on Apech – a planet ravaged by a time distorting illness – Wilhelmina Ming and four other elite students of the Crysthian empire have witnessed such illogical brutality that they’ve resorted to psychedelic antidepressants and group sex to take the edge off. After a night of indulgence following a gruesome execution, they wake to find an oblique warning in the form of an impaled corpse dangling from the exterior of their residence. If you have allergic reactions to pollen, celery, or other bee-related products, steer clear of using honey on your skin. We’re thrilled to share the cover of Honey Watson’s Lessons in Birdwatching, a darkly comic, politically charged novel set in a post-earth future, where beings—human and otherwise—careen towards annihilation in service of zealotry and nihilism alike. Available August 8, 2023 from Angry Robot Books. This book is an absolute experience, which might be a hit or miss, depending on finding the adequate reader; for moments, you can feel your brain melting by the amount of small details fit inside. Watson shows an excellent use of the prose to jump between different genres, but maintaining the continuity in the plot; it is difficult to think that this is a debut novel. This is a book that rewards careful reading. Watson’s worldbuilding is layered and very detailed, and she frequently plays with the gap between her omniscient narrator’s knowledge and the knowledge of the characters. I really enjoyed how immersive the world building was and how slow Watson was to reveal what was going on. There are no infodumps here. The plot is heavy on intrigue, deception, and Imperial politics. The political maneuvering was well done and there were several reveals of information that surprised me.

During their temporary research post on Apech-a planet ravaged by a time distorting illness-Wilhelmina Ming and four other elite students of the Crysthian empire have witnessed such illogical brutality that they’ve resorted to psychedelic antidepressants and group sex to take the edge off. After a night of indulgence following a gruesome execution, they wake to find an oblique warning in the form of an impaled corpse dangling from the exterior of their residence. The worldbuilding, character building, and events move at a fairly brisk pace, so be prepared. This book went by pretty fast, it's a fun, snappy romp. I found many comedic moments shining through despite grotesque sequences, but YMMV. This is important for those who want to make sure they are getting genuine manuka honey. While all honeys have antiseptic qualities, manuka honey has a naturally occurring element called methylglyoxal (MGO) and it is this that makes manuka honey so special and sought after. But since honey has exfoliating properties, using it on your face can eliminate dead skin cells that make your skin look dull. This can reveal brighter skin. An MGS level of 5+ means that the level of MGO is 100+ and this level also appears on the label. Watson & Son produce a variety of manuka honey and some have a much higher level of MGO.This book definitely doesn’t go or do what you expect. Much like the weird creature/entity from the book itself, it often feels like a rolling bolus of bonkers. As such, it’s quite compelling, despite how sometimes the book throws some really gross stuff at you. The imagery and world-building are immersive, as what seem like metaphors often turn into literal descriptions, giving the planet a sort of strangeness that is palpable. We aren’t told much, being forced to infer the state of the planet and people and the mysterious time-bendng disease (which I still don’t fully understand) from the dialogue and action rather than info-dumping, which I did appreciate, but at times I did find myself a little lost.