I ended up abandoning this book early on. I continued reading as far as I did with the optimism that it would get better but reading each page felt like a chore and I didn't care to struggle further. The characters felt underdeveloped, writing didn't click with me, and the first person narration is not to my cup of tea either. It’s a novel that just doesn't seem suited to my taste, which is highly unfortunate given the wonderful synopsis.

However, without a doubt there are many readers out there who will love this.

It's not you, book, it's me.

Merrick Tremayne is stuck. After an injury to his leg, he is confined to the crumbling familial estate where he is slowly going crazy of boredom (if his brother doesn't drive him there first). When the India Office asks him to take one last expedition, he knows that it will be a disaster. But his desperation to do something other than sit at home drives him to take the job, even though the men sent before him didn't come back. Merrick sets out into the Amazon to find the quinine that can cure malaria, but the locals or perhaps the local spirits aren't going to allow an easy expedition. Can Merrick trust the people he encounters? Will he make it out of Peru alive?

When I saw that Natasha Pulley had a new book coming out, there was no doubt that I would have to read it. I loved her quirky and charming debut The Watchmaker of Filigree Street and I was excited to see what magical and unexpected things she would do in her newest book.

As it turns out, the two books are somewhat connected. There is a minor inclusion of a character from the first novel, but it mostly feels as if the two books are two sides of one coin. Watchmaker was very centered in the possibilities of machines and gears within the city and Bedlam lives in the realm of forests and seas and ancient magic. But I found myself frustrated because I wanted more and less at the same time. This book can easily be described as sprawling; the author is in no hurry to reveal all of her secrets. It seemed to take forever to get to the heart of the story and when we finally do, it seems like Ms. Pulley left out things that would have made the story and the characters richer.

Although this story didn't work for me completely, I was enchanted by many parts of it and I find Natasha Pulley to be a wildly inventive and unique writer in a sea of similar stories. I will certainly be back for the fascinating stories and characters I can't help but adore.

The Bedlam Stacks
By Natasha Pulley
Bloomsbury USA August 2017
336 pages
Read via Netgalley

Incredibly original and imaginative! I love the combination of historical detail and fantasy elements. The world building was intricately done around and through the characters, the plot is well - paced, and the story held my attention start to finish. The twists and turns were unexpected in the best way. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Pulley, and would love to read more in this world.

I'm sorry to report that I couldn't get my copy of this book to to download properly, but I look forward to buying and reading it. Thank you--Ionia

Magical without the Harry Potter wands, engaging with few good guys, exemplifying, once again, how the Empire and the East India Company were basically one and the same, this was a fabulously hard to put down read.

Sorry, this has been archived before I can review. I thought I had downloaded but it isn't on my Kindle.

After reading The Watchmaker of Filigree Street in one evening, I fell in love with Natasha Pulley's writing. The summary for The Bedlam Stacks hinted at a story full of mystery and promised grand adventures in Peru so I was incredibly excited to get started on this book. Additionally, I am easily lured in by a gorgeous cover. The Bedlam Stacks was written in the same beautiful prose as Pulley's previous novel but ultimately lacked the drive and intrigue that had swept me away in Watchmaker. However, I think if I had gone into the novel with different expectations, I would have loved it.

The premise of this story was full of promise. The story begins with a literal bang as an ancient tree brought back from Peru explodes in Merrick's ancestral home. Add in a quest from the East India Tea Company for quinine and I thought the story was going to be a grand adventure full of mysteries, danger, and maybe just a hint of magic. It was, just at a much slower pace than I had expected. This is not a novel to read if you want a fast-paced plot that focuses on action. The Bedlam Stacks develops slowly, creating beautifully developed characters and settings that leap off the page. At times the plot progressed too slowly for my tastes, but I am sure that other readers will love how descriptive the book is due to the slower pace.

As much as the book focused on the quinine journey, it was also about Merrick's journey to become whole again. After an incident almost cost him his leg, Merrick doesn't quite know who he is anymore now that he isn't a smuggler. Merrick pushes himself physically and mentally throughout the book, evolving into something entirely new and magnificent to see. I never quite fell in love with him but I enjoyed watching his journey. Clem and Mina were both wonderfully interesting characters. However, I wish we had seen more of Mina throughout the novel since female characters were somewhat lacking. I wasn't sure how I would feel about Raphael, the man of mystery. As his layers were slowly unraveled and Bedlam's secrets discovered, I grew to love and respect him.

Natasha Pulley's genius as a writer is evident on every page of The Bedlam Stacks and I will absolutely be picking up any future novels she writes. The magical realism is flawlessly intertwined with the historical aspect of the novel, creating something entirely new. If you're in the mood for beautiful writing and detailed, rich descriptions, The Bedlam Stacks will be a book that you'll enjoy.

I requested this book and was approved. To my dismay, it was not available on Kindle form and I had to download a whole new program to be able to read this book [which ended up being okay because its a cool program]. Imagine my surprise when I went to read The Bedlam Stacks today and I found out that the book had expired. There was nothing that said ANYTHING about the book expiring. So now I am unable to read a book I was really looking forward to. I am extremely unhappy at this [AND at the rude email that was sent to all of us that had other problems with the book with the loading and format] and will think twice about buying a book from this publishing house. And as much as I want to read this book, I will NOT be purchasing it. If my library chooses to carry it, then I may consider reading it at that time.

I am, at this time, unable to review this book as my ability to read it [due to an unknown expiration date] was taken away from me.

I struggled through this book. I wanted to enjoy it but it just never grabbed my attention. I think I went into reading it expecting something different, a thriller, mystery type novel. It is not one of these. The writing of this book is excellent and the characters make you fall in love with them. I think I would have really enjoyed this had I taken my time more, focused on what the book was trying to tell me, and didn't keep wanting something different.

DNF at 26%

I'm not going to rate this book as I'm not sure I gave it a fair shot. But I can say that no matter when I picked it up I just didn't care enough about our main guy. I dunno if it's because he was a bit dull, that the journey into the jungle was boring (and altitude sickness is not that interesting to me as I live at a higher North American elevation), or that I just wasn't in the mood for the style or topic.
Either way I am going to leave this one.

Haven't not read Natasha Pulley before maybe I just need time to get used to her style and presentation. I know she's a well respected writer but I just couldn't get into this one.

Maybe at a different time, on another day it will go better. For now I'm putting it aside and moving on.

The Bedlhem stacks is not like any other book I have read. It is what happens when fantasy, adventure, historical fiction, and mythology with a touch of steampunk all are mixed up into a noble British family saga. This is just the type of story I would expect a favorite uncle to tell about his adventures in the East India Trading Company during the 1800's. Most of the auxiliary characters lack any depth, so it is a bit hard to become overly involved in all but the basic parts of the tale, but the setting and plot are fascinating. I loved how the many languages and their translations became such an expected part of the book. As I was reading I was constantly humming the Indiana Jones theme song. However, this is more like one of his father's stories instead of on of his.

This book is fiction but it carries so much history and wonderful fantasy. Merrick Tremayne ex East India Company officer has been injured on a trip to Hong Kong and is recuperating at home in Cornwall England. He is offered a trip to Peru to get bark from a quinine tree for the treatment of malaria. Despite his troubling injury, he goes on this trip because his life in England is troubled and he had a personal link to Peru. When he gets to Peru, he finds even more trouble, the small village where his grandfather had lived is mysterious, the locals speak of cursed woods and with mounting tension from the knowledge that England will send ships and the Navy to Peru for the quinine trees, Merrick has to figure out very carefully how to survive this mission. The fantasy aspect of this novel did not distract from the accurate historical portrayal of England and the East India Company's reach during that time. This reminded me of another book For all the Tea in China which is an actual historical account of the work of gardener, botanist and plant smuggler Robert Fortune who went to China disguised himself and stole tea plants and cuttings to take them to India so England would have a supply of tea that was theirs. This book is a reminder that England in pursuit of Empire would steal, kill, and take anything they could, the veneer of "civilization" was just that a mask that hid the actual mud, blood and sweat that created "civilization."

This book has certainly been making the rounds lately and for good reason. It's the followup to the equally beautiful The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, and it's a dazzling new tale of historical fiction. Set in 19th century Peru, we learn about an adventurous quest in a whimsical, magical setting. Be sure to check it out on August 1st

I loved this book, there is so much here, magic and mystery, an intriguing landscape and historical elements both in the 1800's and ancient Peru. It really grabbed my Anthropology loving heart, and my need for character's that I can care about.

The Bedlam Stacks starts off with the feel of a historical fiction with a few odd elements that are mentioned in the description above. It slowly transforms into a more and more magical story, but retains that feel of historical truth. It seriously had me just about to start looking up flora of Peru to see if what was described really existed! After all, it mostly takes place in darkest Peru and strange and surprising things are continually found in South America!

The main characters are well developed and complex, and the growing relationship between them is interesting and also makes you wonder what their underlying motivation is. I liked both Merrick and Raphael very much, as well as the host of side characters that bolstered them.

If I have a criticism it's that I don't think it should be marketed as General Fiction, because when it does turn to the more fantastical elements of the story, it really turns, and it might be more than I think General Fiction can stretch to accommodate. Devotees of historical fiction might feel mislead, I'll admit I wasn't expecting as much of a change to fantasy as I got, but being already a fan of the genre, I'm fine with it and loved the whole thing.

I will definitely go back and read The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, and look forward to future work by Natasha Pulley!

It’s 1859 and world-traveling botanical expert Merrick Tremayne believes his days of adventure are over after a leg injury. He has resigned himself to a life of solitude on his family’s deteriorating Cornwall estate with no company but his unhappy brother. When an old friend shows up to convince him to set off for Peru in search of cinchona tree cuttings for the East India Company, Merrick is initially resistant. With much needling from his friend and his brother threatening sending him to an asylum, Merrick relents and joins the expedition. Peru has a monopoly on the cinchona trees, the only source of quinine, and has begun charging exorbitant prices for the anti-malaria drug. The East India Company believes the Tremayne family’s ties to a remote village will allow him to sneak into the forest and smuggle out the cuttings under the guise of searching for frost-resistant coffee plants. Upon arriving in the village, Merrick discovers that the Peruvian mountains hide more than just the cure for malaria. There are exploding trees, a border of salt that is said to be fatal if crossed, moving statues, and a priest with a strange illness. When the quinine runners catch on to Merrick’s plan, he and the priest cross the salt border and enter the unknown forest hoping to make it out the other side alive.

This is Pulley’s second book, and has some loose ties to her debut, The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, though each can be read as a stand-alone novel. A gifted storyteller, Pulley manages to make the fantastic aspects of her stories seem just as plausible as the mundane and shows the reader that true magic is found in love, trust, and enduring friendship.

Honestly I really wanted to like this book. I think if I had known in advance it was magical realism I would have passed. I'm not a fan of magical realism. The writing is solid though and just on the merit of the writing I would recommend this author's books to patrons. I think it's the sort of novel that would go over well with many.

Sadly I never got the chance to read the Bedlam Stacks, however, it looks like a great story. You get the feeling there's an Indiana Jones and Wizard of Oz thing going on and for me, that's plenty to dive right in.

While my usual reading preferences lean more towards YA, romance and dystopian fiction, I will occasionally pick up a classic, or a book that's way outside my comfort zone. Sometimes I regret it bitterly, and sometimes, it's a book I never want to let go of, and that slips into my favourite novels. The Bedlam Stacks is definitely the latter. I requested it after briefly reading over the summary on Netgalley; it had a nice cover and sounded interesting enough. I would have never known that this book would become one of my favourite books ever.

The first thing I need to mention is that this book contains a slower paced story. It's not one that you will pick up and finish within 24 hours, and that's quite okay with me. It's a book that you enjoy over several days or weeks, one chapter at a time. Its ending will leave you mesmerized from the complex beauty you experienced through the pages, and you will finish this book completely satisfied with the time you spent reading it... a bit like reading lengthy masterpieces like The Lord of the Rings.

The Bedlam Stacks contains a magical, wonderful story, as the blurb predicts. The narrator is just unreliable enough to keep you guessing about what is really happening; some is even left to the reader's imagination. Just when you begin to settle comfortably in your knowledge of the plot or of the characters, the author twists the story and you're left scrambling to understand what happened and what you could have missed. There's a bit of a Jules Verne feel during some chapters -- a delightful mix of suspense and adventure with a twinge of the mysterious. Yes, I am ranking The Bedlam Stacks right up there with Journey to the Centre of the Earth, one of my favourite classics. Add just a touch of spooky supernatural, and you've got a good idea of what The Bedlam Stacks is about.

I'd like to thank Bloomsbury USA for the free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This title is due to be published early next month, so keep an eye out for it, and enjoy reading Merrick's story. I cannot recommend this book enough!

When I got an advanced copy of ‘The Bedlam Stacks,’ it seemed like a story that would be right up my alley: East India Company operatives in Peru, perhaps with elements of Magical Realism, and cover art featuring gears (Steampunk in Peru?)? An era I enjoy reading about, in an exotic locale, in a style and genre I love… homerun, right? This book started on track for a solid four stars, but unfortunately lost a few along the way.


My major complaint with this book is the Magical Realism elements. I love the idea of a book set in South America, the land of Marquez and Borges, riffing off their most famous literary export, but it turns out Magical Realism is a fine needle to thread and this author missed the mark. In my mind Magical Realism isn’t just about the magic (that would be fantasy) and obviously isn’t just about the realism – it’s creating a world in which the fantastic seems commonplace and the commonplace can seem fantastic. Here the author went over the top with the magic, introducing luminescent pollen, exploding ducks, things that float in air that normally wouldn’t, glass roads… I could go on, and not even give any spoilers, because it seems there is a new fantastical element on every page. The author tries to explain these elements, which ultimately cheapens them (as a medical professional, I find myself saying ‘that wouldn’t make a duck explode,’ rather than, ‘that seems legit’). I get that Peru is supposed to be a down-the-rabbit-hole experience for the main character, but he would likely be aware of the crazy stuff going on down there since it is set in colonial times, his family had previously been there, and things this bizarre and out of the ordinary would likely at least be curiosities to educated circles. In short, I wish there was less, or at least more subtle, magical elements, and more focus on the very interesting plot of East India men sneaking trees out of Peru to break a quinine monopoly.


What I really liked about this book was Rafael, the Peruvian priest, and his mysterious history. I liked the references to ancient Incan culture and civilization, either historical or fabricated. For all my whining about the magical stuff, some of it made for some evocative scenes and I was disappointed that I got burnt out on it. The inexplicable winter-in-summer atmosphere, the glowing pollen leaving trails through the forest, the mysteriously sentient stone statues would’ve been just enough (exploding ducks can apply elsewhere, thank you).