Scan barcode
reflectiverambling_nalana's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
"The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands" is an engrossing atmospheric novel that's reminiscent of a classical area both in time and narrative. A turn of the century alternative history tale, it takes place in a time where science and innovation are making common place wonders with rapidity that surround people with new curiosities. Yet at the same time, there is enough lingering in nature and the unknown mixed with tradition and folklore where things that go bump in the night might have a dozen explanations.
Take this mindset and place those rattlings in a 'closed room' type of setting breeds a delicious foreboding that made some of the most memorable fantastical-horror and gothic tales that have survived to entrance readers today so chilling. There is just enough space when given these considerations where the reader can wonder for a great deal of the narrative if maybe, just maybe, the big bad company isn't being quite as self serving as they seem. Maybe the precautions and strange happenings are psychological. Maybe the outside has more traditional dangers. And yet... and yeeeeet...
Filled with some traditional character types that might be found in traditional elite circles, the nosy old noble widow, the rich newlyweds, the scholars, along with a multiracial cast that spans as broad as the trail line itself, creates an interesting variety of experiences and viewpoints. There are also the comparisons between workers and passengers, with a sprinkling of the 'third classers'.
Beyond the vibes and rhythms of the people and the train itself that are so beautifully painted is the vivid outer world. There are times where the writing is close to poetic to the point where things seem visceral. The concepts that are explored bring up classic themes but in a way that seems both apparent but still worth consideration. How do our motivations shape nature? What happens when nature adapts? Is it embracing what is enforced on it? Does it fight back? Where is the line between science, discovery, creation, and the mystical? What does it mean to see? And who has the right to impose one's will and desires? What happens when you hop back and forth between worlds and wishes?
On top of this, the narration for the audiobook while I personally may have made a few different choices in some scenes is absolutely spot on when it comes to 'the girl of the train' and a stowaway. There is a haunting, lingering quality that adds that little extra weight to the unknown happenings. The dialogue/character work is also exceptionally solid.
All in all this was absolutely a read you can sink into. More hypnotic than engaging at times, but if you're in the right mood, it can be a heck of a ride.
Take this mindset and place those rattlings in a 'closed room' type of setting breeds a delicious foreboding that made some of the most memorable fantastical-horror and gothic tales that have survived to entrance readers today so chilling. There is just enough space when given these considerations where the reader can wonder for a great deal of the narrative if maybe, just maybe, the big bad company isn't being quite as self serving as they seem. Maybe the precautions and strange happenings are psychological. Maybe the outside has more traditional dangers. And yet... and yeeeeet...
Filled with some traditional character types that might be found in traditional elite circles, the nosy old noble widow, the rich newlyweds, the scholars, along with a multiracial cast that spans as broad as the trail line itself, creates an interesting variety of experiences and viewpoints. There are also the comparisons between workers and passengers, with a sprinkling of the 'third classers'.
Beyond the vibes and rhythms of the people and the train itself that are so beautifully painted is the vivid outer world. There are times where the writing is close to poetic to the point where things seem visceral. The concepts that are explored bring up classic themes but in a way that seems both apparent but still worth consideration. How do our motivations shape nature? What happens when nature adapts? Is it embracing what is enforced on it? Does it fight back? Where is the line between science, discovery, creation, and the mystical? What does it mean to see? And who has the right to impose one's will and desires? What happens when you hop back and forth between worlds and wishes?
On top of this, the narration for the audiobook while I personally may have made a few different choices in some scenes is absolutely spot on when it comes to 'the girl of the train' and a stowaway. There is a haunting, lingering quality that adds that little extra weight to the unknown happenings. The dialogue/character work is also exceptionally solid.
All in all this was absolutely a read you can sink into. More hypnotic than engaging at times, but if you're in the right mood, it can be a heck of a ride.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Blood, and Confinement
Minor: Classism, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Death, Chronic illness, Misogyny, and Grief
kerriah's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Sexism
Minor: Grief, Racism, Death of parent, and Violence
unboxedjack's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks was an incredible debut novel that I could very much see myself returning to due to its vast richness. The story takes us through the travails and travels of the Trans-Siberian Railway, traversing between Beijing and Moscow at the end of the 19th century. Along this railway is a landscape called the Wastelands, filled with imagined horrors the traveller is encouraged to not attend to for fear of devolving into insanity.
Each section is offset by portions of the eponymous guide written by a trip advisor years earlier. Within each of these portions are chapters written from the perspective of a diverse ensemble of characters. Though I enjoy this type of story, it did take some effort to recall which character was which, but this didn't detract from the bulk of the story.
This book didn't hurt for thematic content. Critiques of globalization, colonialism, capitalism, and xenophobia abound. Yet themes of searching for identity through twin pursuits of individuality & community, ecological stewardship, and what it means to be human are sprinkled throughout just as liberally.
Brooks deftly combines the best elements of Jeff Vandermeer, Ursula K. Leguin, Susanna Clarke, and Josiah Bancroft in this wonderful book. It hit all my magical realist needs in a wonderfully diverse historical fiction setting. All in all a 4.25/5 star read. Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for this ARC edition in exchange for an honest opinion.
Each section is offset by portions of the eponymous guide written by a trip advisor years earlier. Within each of these portions are chapters written from the perspective of a diverse ensemble of characters. Though I enjoy this type of story, it did take some effort to recall which character was which, but this didn't detract from the bulk of the story.
This book didn't hurt for thematic content. Critiques of globalization, colonialism, capitalism, and xenophobia abound. Yet themes of searching for identity through twin pursuits of individuality & community, ecological stewardship, and what it means to be human are sprinkled throughout just as liberally.
Brooks deftly combines the best elements of Jeff Vandermeer, Ursula K. Leguin, Susanna Clarke, and Josiah Bancroft in this wonderful book. It hit all my magical realist needs in a wonderfully diverse historical fiction setting. All in all a 4.25/5 star read. Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for this ARC edition in exchange for an honest opinion.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Xenophobia, Body horror, and Death of parent
More...