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A review by rhianydd
Gleam by Tom Fletcher
4.0
Wild Alan, who as a child watched his family massacred by the Pyramid's enforcers the Arbitrators, is given an ultimatum - find a specific mushroom or his son suffers. To do this, Alan brings together a band of strange characters: Eyes, tortured by the Pyramiders; Spider, a tattoo artist and fighter; Churr, an ambitious traveller; and Bloody Nora, a Mapmaker. Together they travel through the Discard to the swamps around Dok.
I found the first few chapters of this book a struggle - none of the characters were particularly pleasant and Alan's stubbornness and insistence on making bad decisions were trying. However, I am glad I stuck with it because the world-building is marvellous. By the mid-point, I was thoroughly engrossed in this world of mushrooms and snail-eaters, even though I still didn't like the characters (except for Bloody Nora) and Alan's decisions still annoyed me.
I am certainly looking forward to learning more about this world in the next book, and recommend this book for anyone looking for something very different.
I found the first few chapters of this book a struggle - none of the characters were particularly pleasant and Alan's stubbornness and insistence on making bad decisions were trying. However, I am glad I stuck with it because the world-building is marvellous. By the mid-point, I was thoroughly engrossed in this world of mushrooms and snail-eaters, even though I still didn't like the characters (except for Bloody Nora) and Alan's decisions still annoyed me.
I am certainly looking forward to learning more about this world in the next book, and recommend this book for anyone looking for something very different.