Published By: W&N
Pages: 384
Released On: 20/06/2024
It is said there is a price that every passenger must pay. A price beyond the cost of a ticket.
It is the end of the 19th Century and the world is awash with marvels. But there is nothing so marvellous as the Wastelands: a terrain of terrible miracles that lies between Beijing and Moscow.
Nothing touches this abandoned wilderness except the Great Trans-Siberian Express: an impenetrable train built to carry cargo across continents, but which now transports anyone who dares to cross the shadowy Wastelands.
On to the platform steps a curious cast of characters: a grieving woman with a borrowed name, a famous child born on the train and a disgraced naturalist, all heading for the Great Exhibition in Moscow.
But the old rules are changing, and there are whispers that the train isn’t safe. As secrets and stories begin to unravel the passengers and crew must survive their journey through the Wastelands together, even as something uncontrollable seems to be breaking in . . .
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and W&N for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
This must be one of the most anticipated books of 2024 and I was so excited to read it. Every so often there comes along a book where I really appreciate my position as a reviewer and getting advanced copies, and this is one of them.
This, believe it or not, is Sarah’s debut novel. It’s so well written, so layered, with so much depth, that it looks to be honed by an experienced writer, let alone someone on their first book.
It isn’t very heavy in dialogue. It’s very description heavy, with the train described down to its very last nut and bolt, the clothes, the steam, the people, the past, the setting, the differences between 1st and 3rd class, the passengers’ concerns. It really gets you stuck into the world before it gives you the main crux of the story and I liked that. It meant you were more involved. In fact, that’s how I write my stories, mostly description and less dialogue, but I’ve not seen a published book use it in such a successful way, so that’s promising.
There’s no hanging about; within a handful of pages you’re on the train, you know who your main players are and suggestions of their past. This gives more time to stretch out the main bulk of the story. And I mean that in a good way. It’s not stretched too thinly, but it helps add to this atmospheric nature that the Wastelands seem to provide.
There are a lot, a lot, of characters, which I was concerned about at first as I thought it would be too many to keep on top of, but Sarah has chosen a handful to pay closer attention to, which was good as it gave me a focus.
Firstly we have Marya, a woman in mourning, wearing all black. She’s alone, with no chaperone or maid, which instantly draws mutters of concern and judgement. She doesn’t seem to be herself, like she’s hiding something. Personally, I would put her down as the main character, she felt the most dominant to me, and I really enjoyed her story.
Then we have Henry Grey, a naturalist who appears to be running away from his fall from grace. He’s determined to clear his name, even if it destroys him in the process. I was hot and cold with him; I found him interesting to read about and I did will him on, but at other times I felt he was so fixated on his mission that he could be a bit…blasé and rude to his other passengers, not necessarily thinking of their safety over his ambitions.
Our third main-ish character is Weiwei, a child born and brought up on the train. She has almost become part of the train itself. She has had to grow up fast and become useful fast, but it means she knows all the secrets and hiding places on the train. I didn’t think I’d find her as captivating as I did, being a younger character, I struggled to identify with her background and whatnot, but she was as equally addictive as all the others.
And finally we have Elena, a mysterious girl (nice Peter Andre reference there), who is somewhere she doesn’t belong. I won’t go into too much detail with her for fear of spoilers, but she was an interesting addition. She made me feel uneasy and on edge, like she wasn’t quite of this world and therefore was knocking this world off its axis. Complicated, but intriguing.
Every character is fascinating, with equally fascinating backgrounds and reasons for being on this train.
The Wastelands themselves, whilst we generally don’t know what they are or why they’re like they are, they become their own character. You absorb everyone’s opinions on them, and you create this terrifying image in your mind.
We also get snippets from the “real” book of the “Cautious Travellers Guide to the Wastelands” which was a nice touch.
Sarah hasn’t over-egged the pudding when it comes to the fear. It’s a quiet undercurrent and for me, that makes it more suspenseful than if she’d written explicitly frightening scenes. This fear worms its way into you, under your skin, and you understand why people start jumping at shadows.
It isn’t an overly long book at 380-something pages, nor is it too short. I think if it had been much longer it may have felt a bit too drawn out, maybe too much description, and if it was any shorter you wouldn’t become as invested in this long journey they’re on. She has found the perfect length for the story she wants to tell.
If you’re looking for a full-on action and adventure, I will say that it doesn’t really appear until after halfway. That didn’t bother me much as I love reading character developments and scene setting etc. when it’s done well, but I have seen some other reviews say they wanted it to get going a bit sooner. So that’s really up to your personal taste. I enjoyed the way it was set out.
I found it really difficult to put down. I kept getting to the end of a chapter and thinking I’d stop but it would pull me back in. I did eventually have to put it down as I was falling asleep but as soon as I was awake I was back at it. This meant I read it in a very short time. Half red before bed, the other half read as soon as I woke up. I struggled to part with it.
If I’m really honest I’d have liked a bit more about the Wastelands themselves earlier on. More about what they are, why they’re there, what’s in it, what can it do etc. But contradicting myself here, by not knowing, we are akin to the characters, this feeling of the unknown, this terror of a place we know nothing about, this claustrophobic feeling of being in a train in a hostile environment. I mean, if we already knew what they were about, and found out it was all in their minds, for example, we might not feel as tense when reading it. On the other hand, if we knew what they were about and found out it was evil, for instance, we might start to question the characters. So I’m torn on whether we needed more about the Wastelands themselves, or if it works as a whole as it is.
It has a bit of everything: it’s an historical novel and obviously a fantasy, but there’s adventure, action, thriller, mystery, and a little bit of horror, an surprisingly, a hint of romance.
I will admit that at times I didn’t really understand what was going on, but bizarrely, I didn’t care. This is about so much more than just a basic plot or storyline. It’s hard to fully encapsulate what this book is. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever read, and really needs to be seen with your own eyes.
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