A breathtaking historical fantasy set onboard the Great Trans-Siberian Express, perfect for fans of Piranesi, Babel, The Night Circus and Jessie Burton – available to preorder now!
‘I urge everybody to pick up a copy’ STUART TURTON
‘Be warned – once you step into The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands, you’ll never want to disembark’ SAMANTHA SHANNON
‘Wild and wonderful . . . completely captivating’ JENNIFER SAINT
‘Mysterious and clever and brilliant’ NATASHA PULLEY
It is said there is a price that every passenger must pay. A price beyond the cost of a ticket.
It is the end of the nineteenth century and the world is awash with marvels. But there is nothing so marvellous as the Wastelands: a terrain of terrible miracles that lies between Beijing and Moscow.
Nothing touches the Wastelands except the Great Trans-Siberian Express: an impenetrable train built to carry cargo across continents, but which now transports anyone who dares.
Onto the platform steps a curious cast of characters: Marya, a grieving woman with a borrowed name; Weiwei, a famous child born on the train; and Henry Grey, a disgraced naturalist.
But there are whispers that the train isn’t safe. As secrets and stories begin to unravel, the passengers and crew must survive their journey together, even as something uncontrollable seems to be breaking in . . .
Format: Paperback
Pages: 384
Imprint: Weidenfeld and Nicholson UK
Publication date: 25/06/2024
The Cautious Travellers Guide to the Wastelands
By Sarah Brooks
Review by Mida
This book is set at the end of the 19th century and takes place almost entirely on a train as it travels through the Wastelands: An eerie, moderately supernatural stretch of wilderness that stretches between Beijing and Moscow. The train is marketed as the best that money can buy; but that doesn’t make it invincible.
Encompassing many genres, it pays tribute to gothic, steampunk fantasies, historical fiction and Agatha Christie-esque mysteries. There is a strong sense of suspense as we travel across the Wastelands – the crew of the train know that the land has turned hostile and sour, while the rich, foolhardy First-Class travellers are sure that nothing will go wrong if they keep up their microcosm of polite society.
Despite taking place almost entirely on the train, the environment never grows stale. With the landscape outside changing every day, and hidden spaces to explore, the train is simultaneously larger than life and claustrophobic, insignificant. The oppressive Siberian landscape creeps in on the story, contrasting the hubris of the mysteriously Company.
The only books that could come close would be The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern or His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman but this book establishes so much in a single cohesive narrative that it feels disingenuous to let it be anything other than its own thing. With poetic, lyrical prose, a delightfully thrilling story and an experimental feel, this debut novel has something for everyone.
You can also listen to Mida’s review from RDU below:
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