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brennaw's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
carkamok's review against another edition
5.0
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED AS A REVIEW IN SCIFINOW MAGAZINE
https://www.scifinow.co.uk/reviews/down-station-by-simon-morden-book-review/
For a science-fantasy adventure where dragons and sea monsters stalk the lands and castles can spring up from the ground, there’s a real air of authenticity to Simon Morden’s Down Station.
It may seem convenient that the characters are dunked head-first into this new location via a portal to Down from a present-day burning London. From Mary, on probation from prison, to Dalip, a Sikh student, the diverse group represents a sample of Londoners forced to escape their world. But their hometown and era are not merely so that the audience can relate to them; Morden provides the Capital as the epitome of their weaknesses – the reason why they fight or run and oppose their past lives in Down.
This isn’t obvious, but Morden provides thoughtful nuances of freedom and morality in the back-and-forths of the colloquial dialogue.
This rings even more true, as the world of Down is a blank Libertarian slate where the rules don’t apply, a tabula rasa. There is no governing authority, only power and magic. There are secrets and betrayals – one wrong move means death and never getting back to London. The journey is a constant danger for the protagonists, but Down Station is not patronising or oversaturated with action.
There are horrors that surprise as well as moments of wonder. The story is patient, and every sequence is both a physical battle and philosophical teaching that merge with well-paced hooks.
Down Station is filled with choices that mirror well into the real world, the sense that we are never too far from chaos and it’s the decisions we make that define our future. Just watch out for the wyvern.
https://www.scifinow.co.uk/reviews/down-station-by-simon-morden-book-review/
For a science-fantasy adventure where dragons and sea monsters stalk the lands and castles can spring up from the ground, there’s a real air of authenticity to Simon Morden’s Down Station.
It may seem convenient that the characters are dunked head-first into this new location via a portal to Down from a present-day burning London. From Mary, on probation from prison, to Dalip, a Sikh student, the diverse group represents a sample of Londoners forced to escape their world. But their hometown and era are not merely so that the audience can relate to them; Morden provides the Capital as the epitome of their weaknesses – the reason why they fight or run and oppose their past lives in Down.
This isn’t obvious, but Morden provides thoughtful nuances of freedom and morality in the back-and-forths of the colloquial dialogue.
This rings even more true, as the world of Down is a blank Libertarian slate where the rules don’t apply, a tabula rasa. There is no governing authority, only power and magic. There are secrets and betrayals – one wrong move means death and never getting back to London. The journey is a constant danger for the protagonists, but Down Station is not patronising or oversaturated with action.
There are horrors that surprise as well as moments of wonder. The story is patient, and every sequence is both a physical battle and philosophical teaching that merge with well-paced hooks.
Down Station is filled with choices that mirror well into the real world, the sense that we are never too far from chaos and it’s the decisions we make that define our future. Just watch out for the wyvern.
cloudwriter's review against another edition
3.0
The blurb is misleading. I quote amazon.de: "None of them have returned. Except one - who travels between the two worlds at will. The group begin a quest to find this one survivor; the one who holds the key to their return and to the safety of London.
And as they travel this world, meeting mythical and legendary creatures,split between North and South by a mighty river and bordered by The White City and The Crystal Palace they realise they are in a world defined by all the London's there have ever been."
Neither have I encountered that traveller (unless he's Crows, but he was never called that), nor the Crystal Palace. The White City is their destination at the very end of the book. So I didn't quite get what was advertised. That mysterious traveller sold the book to me - and he never turned up. I feel a little cheated. Also, by the end it becomes clear that the blurb must cover more than one book. It would have been nice to know that there will be (?) a sequel.
As for the characters, I really liked them. They are Morden's great strength. Mary grew on me as she grew herself; Dalip's journey, too, is remarkable. Stanislav, the bad Eatern European is a bit of a cliché, though.
The writing oscillates between truly brilliant narrative feats which I've highlighted and commented on to learn from in my own writing, and passages that felt as if the author had forgotten one or two sentences. And I went back to reread the passage in question once and even twice, but the missing sentence(s) - at first apparently my own fault - failed to turn up. Just like the traveller.
I really liked the magic in the world of Down. It has so much potential; for that alone I might buy the sequel, if there is one.
And as they travel this world, meeting mythical and legendary creatures,split between North and South by a mighty river and bordered by The White City and The Crystal Palace they realise they are in a world defined by all the London's there have ever been."
Neither have I encountered that traveller (unless he's Crows, but he was never called that), nor the Crystal Palace. The White City is their destination at the very end of the book. So I didn't quite get what was advertised. That mysterious traveller sold the book to me - and he never turned up. I feel a little cheated. Also, by the end it becomes clear that the blurb must cover more than one book. It would have been nice to know that there will be (?) a sequel.
As for the characters, I really liked them. They are Morden's great strength. Mary grew on me as she grew herself; Dalip's journey, too, is remarkable. Stanislav, the bad Eatern European is a bit of a cliché, though.
The writing oscillates between truly brilliant narrative feats which I've highlighted and commented on to learn from in my own writing, and passages that felt as if the author had forgotten one or two sentences. And I went back to reread the passage in question once and even twice, but the missing sentence(s) - at first apparently my own fault - failed to turn up. Just like the traveller.
I really liked the magic in the world of Down. It has so much potential; for that alone I might buy the sequel, if there is one.
riverwise's review against another edition
1.0
DNF I'm afraid. Started quite well but became very boring very quickly. A shame.
bookshirecat's review against another edition
4.0
3,5*
Zvlastni knizka, ctiva, zajimavy svet. Problem je s lehce cernobilymi postavami a predvidatelnou zapletkou. Ale rada si prectu druhy dil.
Zvlastni knizka, ctiva, zajimavy svet. Problem je s lehce cernobilymi postavami a predvidatelnou zapletkou. Ale rada si prectu druhy dil.
lushr's review against another edition
4.0
Simon Morden could write about anything and I'd read it and know I'd be drawn right in by the end of the first page. He has made me read the weirdest of things, things I'd never imagined, and never thought I'd like. But he always succeeds. Really magnetic characters, in relatable situations... Ok no I've not run from a nuclear bombing in the London Underground, but I can well imagine how I'd feel, now that Simon has put it on paper. It's the smaller details, the feelings, the impracticalities that are our lives. Which really bring these pages to life.
The characters, Mary a scrapper from the city, Dalip a middle class boy with no real life experience, must survive with their newly bestowed family in some crazy ass place called Down. and they come across wild characters like the mysterious Crows and the Geomancer, what are their motivations? Their stories?
The story is almost secondary except for Mordons incredible imagination. It's like he has no limits to what he can write, the world of fiction is there to mould into shapes no one else has ever dreamed, like a landscape somehow tied to london where you only enter if you're running for your life. And you can turn into anything you want there and castles grow out of hillsides overnight.
Really this is a three and a half, and that's because it's the first in a series. unusually for Morden, this book does little plot wise. Oh there's plot, but it is nowhere near as packed in as his other titles. And the book suffers for this.
But I'll be the first to get the next one!
The characters, Mary a scrapper from the city, Dalip a middle class boy with no real life experience, must survive with their newly bestowed family in some crazy ass place called Down. and they come across wild characters like the mysterious Crows and the Geomancer, what are their motivations? Their stories?
The story is almost secondary except for Mordons incredible imagination. It's like he has no limits to what he can write, the world of fiction is there to mould into shapes no one else has ever dreamed, like a landscape somehow tied to london where you only enter if you're running for your life. And you can turn into anything you want there and castles grow out of hillsides overnight.
Really this is a three and a half, and that's because it's the first in a series. unusually for Morden, this book does little plot wise. Oh there's plot, but it is nowhere near as packed in as his other titles. And the book suffers for this.
But I'll be the first to get the next one!
ronmccutchan's review against another edition
4.0
This one threw me back to [a:David Brin|14078|David Brin|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1352956147p2/14078.jpg]'s [b:The Practice Effect|1773030|The Practice Effect|David Brin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1266890957s/1773030.jpg|1771225]--somewhat different premise, but a similar idea of a world that magically changes simply because of interaction. I'd say there are some resonances with [a:Jen Williams|5403541|Jen Williams|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png], too, particularly in the ways that the author doesn't pull his punches in terms of the violent action.
This was most interesting to me because all the main characters are non-white (Sikh, black) or coming from an immigrant/refugee experience (Bosnian, Estonian).
This was most interesting to me because all the main characters are non-white (Sikh, black) or coming from an immigrant/refugee experience (Bosnian, Estonian).
somecharm's review against another edition
4.0
My thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Down Station was a pleasant surprise overall. I went into the book with a little bit of dubiousness because I’m not generally a fan of dystopian novels but although it started out a little bit slower than it ended it certainly moved well.
The book follows 3 main characters:
Mary – an ex-prisoner who has obtained a job working on the Underground as a cleaner to become a better person. Some slight anger issues and distrust.
Dalip – a young Sikh man from Warrior tradition with an engineering background working on the Underground as a track layer and who had led a pretty sheltered life.
Stainslav – an Eastern European from a war-torn country who has done some pretty shady things in his past.
The story kicks off with Mary going to work and getting a little bit of background from her. She’s been in and out of prison, foster homes and the like, has a thieving background and has a bit of a temper and a foul mouth. Then the story passes on to the event where London goes up in flames and Mary and her fellow cleaning compatriots attempt to escape the Underground through an abandoned station. The same happens with Dalip and Stainslav who are working together repairing the tracks.
They go through to Down Street Station which is a disused tube station in Mayfair and exit a door with the flames swiftly following them. They emerge into Down – which as it emerges it not just the direction but also a place – a swiftly dystopian place with sea monsters and wyverns and bad guys galore.
The story then is Mary, Dalip, Stainslav’s and the other survivors’ journey of trying to get back home to London once the portal closed. It’s gritty, determined and slightly freakish in a good way.
It was as I said a pleasant surprise, normally I find dystopian’s hard to read but this was quite a smooth ride with little unexplained jumps between POV and settings – it was generally split over chapters so each chapter had one character’s POV. With good clear and concise prose and dialogue, shockingly normal characters (mostly) and a unique plot, it was a great debut novel.
Down Station was a pleasant surprise overall. I went into the book with a little bit of dubiousness because I’m not generally a fan of dystopian novels but although it started out a little bit slower than it ended it certainly moved well.
The book follows 3 main characters:
Mary – an ex-prisoner who has obtained a job working on the Underground as a cleaner to become a better person. Some slight anger issues and distrust.
Dalip – a young Sikh man from Warrior tradition with an engineering background working on the Underground as a track layer and who had led a pretty sheltered life.
Stainslav – an Eastern European from a war-torn country who has done some pretty shady things in his past.
The story kicks off with Mary going to work and getting a little bit of background from her. She’s been in and out of prison, foster homes and the like, has a thieving background and has a bit of a temper and a foul mouth. Then the story passes on to the event where London goes up in flames and Mary and her fellow cleaning compatriots attempt to escape the Underground through an abandoned station. The same happens with Dalip and Stainslav who are working together repairing the tracks.
They go through to Down Street Station which is a disused tube station in Mayfair and exit a door with the flames swiftly following them. They emerge into Down – which as it emerges it not just the direction but also a place – a swiftly dystopian place with sea monsters and wyverns and bad guys galore.
The story then is Mary, Dalip, Stainslav’s and the other survivors’ journey of trying to get back home to London once the portal closed. It’s gritty, determined and slightly freakish in a good way.
It was as I said a pleasant surprise, normally I find dystopian’s hard to read but this was quite a smooth ride with little unexplained jumps between POV and settings – it was generally split over chapters so each chapter had one character’s POV. With good clear and concise prose and dialogue, shockingly normal characters (mostly) and a unique plot, it was a great debut novel.
5wamp_creature's review
3.0
Perhaps not for me. Spirit animals? Amazingly powerful monsters that can be subdued? A main character dies: I can't remember a detail about them. Some good action sequences but an abundance of coincidence and ignorance. Is book two any better?