Sarah Brooks

W&N

The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to The Wastelands

It’s the end of the nineteenth century and the world is full of marvels. But there’s nothing as marvellous as the Wastelands, a terrain of terrible miracles that lie between Beijing and Moscow. Nothing touches the Wastelands except the Great Trans-Siberian Express, an impenetrable train built to carry cargo across continents and which 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. 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, as something uncontrollable is breaking in.

Format: Kindle Edition, Audiobook, Hardcover, Paperback

Paperback: 384 Pages

Language: English

 

4/5
Reviewed By Reviewed By Violeta Nedkova
“For fans of The Disappearing Grey and House of Hollow, comes a story about an unstoppable train and a cast of characters who all want different things and who are incredibly alive on the page. The story flows so well and the writing is so immersive, you won’t be able to put this down until you finish reading. It’s dubbed one of the most anticipated debuts of 2024 for a good reason. Now, time to step off this world and go into another. A world of natural wonders, fast trains, and secretive characters.”
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MAGIC BEYOND THE GLASS

They say this is one of the most anticipated debuts of 2024, and I can see why. The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to The Wastelands is one of those books that will sink its teeth into your mind and won’t let go until you’ve finished reading. It really is impossible to put it down, unless you have to go to the bathroom, eat a meal, or sleep. This is one of the most immersive books I’ve read of late, with its vivid descriptions and living characters. Every part of the book serves a purpose – to get the story moving, and that’s the symbology of it all – that the train must also go on.

So let’s go back to the beginning; we have a book about the great Trans-Siberian Express train that passes through the Wastelands – lands where no man goes because they’re supposedly poisonous. Imagine Titanic but on land – the strongest most unstoppable train that goes through the land like a bullet, with unbreakable glass. Now imagine a cast of many characters but viewing the story through three different lenses – a woman in the throes of grief who changes her name to find out what really happened at the last Crossing; a disgraced naturalist who wants to find God in the Wastelands; and a sixteen year old girl who’s as mythologised as the train where she grew up. We follow the story as we discover a new world in the Wastelands, but mostly through the glass.

At first I was slightly put off by the old world speak, but then quickly sank into it. The book is well written and the story is executed to perfection. Maybe not everything is perfect, but as I read it, I didn’t even have one complaint. Not about the story, which has the right amount of action, introspection, and revelations. Not about the characters, who are truly alive with their many layers of secret motivations. Not about the world that’s described with so many colors and imagination. The whole thing is wrapped in mysticism and a bit of feminism. As you read, you realize, you’ve stepped off your world and found yourself in a place that is largely a mystery, and that mystery is mostly at the edges of this world. You can’t see how different it is until it is slowly revealed to you.

All in all, it’s a story that’s well executed, with immeasurably pleasing flow, characters that will not disappoint and a world that becomes alive on the pages. If you enjoy stories with varied casts and mysterious worlds, you’ll love this book.

Reviewed by Violeta Nedkova

 

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