Early Review – The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Length: 400 pages
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Release Date: June 18, 2024
ASIN: B0C572JWQ4
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: eGalley from NetGalley
Rating: 5/5 stars
“There is only one way to travel across the Wastelands: on the Trans-Siberian Express, a train as famous for its luxury as for its danger. The train is never short of passengers, eager to catch sight of Wastelands creatures more miraculous and terrifying than anything they could imagine. But on the train’s last journey, something went horribly wrong, though no one seems to remember what exactly happened. Not even Zhang Weiwei, who has spent her life onboard and thought she knew all of the train’s secrets.
Now, the train is about to embark again, with a new set of passengers. Among them are Marya Petrovna, a grieving woman with a borrowed name; Henry Grey, a disgraced naturalist looking for redemption; and Elena, a beguiling stowaway with a powerful connection to the Wastelands itself. Weiwei knows she should report Elena, but she can’t help but be drawn to her. As the girls begin a forbidden friendship, there are warning signs that the rules of the Wastelands are changing and the train might once again be imperiled. Can the passengers trust each other, as the wildness outside threatens to consume them all?”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got this on ebook through Netgalley to review.
Thoughts: I ended up really enjoying this. The premise is that an area of “other” that is deadly to humans has developed in the tundra between China and Russia. Walls were built to protect humanity but the only way to traverse this wilderness is the Train which is owned by The Company. However, the last journey of the train went wrong and people don’t remember what happened. The Company must thrive though, so the Train must keep running.
Yes, you do spend most of the time on this mysterious train traveling through the Wastelands. However, that is the point of the story…this is a bunch of humans stuck in a very stressful situation traveling through a dangerous region with only the walls of the train to protect them.
The story does spend a lot of time dealing with the passengers and their secrets. The POV rotates between three main passengers: a young woman trying to find the truth behind her father’s prosecution, a young woman known as “the child of the train” who was born on the train, and an older professor who is looking for his next big scientific finding.
The Wastelands themselves are fascinating but never fully explained. We see them mostly through the glass of the train, just like our protagonists. It is when the truth of the Wastelands and the train begins to be revealed that things get really interesting.
The story is more slow burn than action packed. However the constant tension of the danger outside the thin train walls, the mystery of the truths behind the train, and the intriguing characters on the train really kept me engaged in the story.
The story has very Lovecraftian vibes to it. You have the theme of an otherness, a darkness, a madness taking over this portion of the land. I love stories that explore this mythos.
The written is beautifully done and very lyrical. I loved the world-building, the intriguing characters, and the constant mysterious tension. I also thought the ending of the book was absolutely fantastic and completely fitting with the rest of the story.
My Summary (5/5) :Overall I thought this was fantastic. I believe this is debut novel for Brooks and I am eager to see what she comes up with next. This was incredibly creative and very engaging. It does move at more of a slow, mysterious burn. This is not an action packed adventure. However, the intriguing characters and landscape, coupled with the tension of constant danger really pulled me in to the story.
