Real Rating: 4.75* of five

<b>The Publisher Says: When lies become truths and two kingdoms head to a bloody war, a man is exiled for his conscience</b>

Refusing the queen’s order to gas a crowd of protesters, Minister Shea Ashcroft is banished to the border to oversee construction of the biggest defensive tower in history. However, the use of advanced technology taken from refugees makes the tower volatile and dangerous, becoming a threat to local interests. Shea has no choice but to fight the local hierarchy to ensure the construction succeeds—and to reclaim his own life.

Surviving an assassination attempt, Shea confronts his inner demons, encounters an ancient legend, and discovers a portal to a dead world—all the while struggling to stay true to his own principles and maintain his sanity. Fighting memories and hallucinations, he starts to question everything...

<i>Sleeping Worlds Have No Memory</i> is a thought-provoking meditation on the fragility of the human condition, our beliefs, the manipulation of propaganda for political gains, and our ability to distinguish the real from the unreal and willingness to accept convenient “truths.” The novel is a compelling exploration of memory, its fragile nature, and its profound impact on our perception of identity, relationships, and facts themselves.

A unique blend of science fiction, fantasy and noir, with zeitgeist and prophetic qualities (the original novella anticipated the Russo-Ukrainian War), this is a must for fans of China Miéville’s Bas-Lag series, Ted Chiang’s <i>Tower of Babylon</i>, and Robert Silverberg’s <i>Tower of Glass</i>.

<b>I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review</b>: We can use some entertainment. We can use a bit of moral instruction, it seems. Author Barsukov said these things to himself, at least in my reconstruction of the thought process that led to this book, and decided that he'd make a world and a man to resist its slide into darkness.

I found this book very inspiring. I'm inspired to bring it to y'all's attention because of this piece from The Guardian, "'It will renew your faith in humanity': books to bring comfort in dark times":
<blockquote>A surprising number of readers believe a happy ending should mean automatic disqualification from any serious literary award. Good luck to them: I wish them joy in their wallowing. In my turn, I’ve come to believe the opposite. To reach only for novels that reaffirm our darkest fears is merely to make an escape of a different sort, not the escapism of brooding heroes and wedding finales, but the security blanket of an equally foregone conclusion: the safety of imagining the worst. I would argue that to live only in that place is simply cowardice in better camouflage. The truth is that it’s far riskier to remain in uncertainty. Far braver, far more radical to keep hoping.</blockquote>
The truth of this is in Shea's dogged determination to do what's Right; it's in his determination's effect on engineer Brielle, whose expertise is central in what their shared need to do what's Right creates.

There's a lot of the epic fantasy ethos in this urban-fantasy story, sans the usual military glorification; but there is a very welcome leavening of SF in the story that prevents me from the usual somnolent, glazed-eyed scanning to get to the ending. I was alert and involved as Brielle's skills were deployed to create the tower that Shea's tasked with defending, to little avail:
<blockquote>The tower took the length of the world—only it was an alien world, replicating itself over and over as it climbed to a distant, ghostly gap into the clouds. Or did he stare down a well? Shea's head spun again as up and down flip-flopped like axes on a gyroscope.</blockquote>
Does this dimensionally daft structure need defending? Does this technology need help, or resistance to its implications? Can anyone, still less a proven-murderous tyrant, be trusted with a tool/weapon of this magnitude? Are the Others, the aliens, to be trusted, or are they there to treat Shea and his people as the Others...with the usual result?

Ethical questions, existential ones, that resonate clearly with our post-November 6th world. They aren't easy, or easily solved ones; Author Barsukov doesn't pretend his ending is a solution to them all. There aren't any escape routes from the consequences of greed and lust for power provided. There are stern meditations on what we try to use, though:
What makes guilt so grotesque is the fact that it adorns itself with whatever remains of our righteousness.

And so the sadness of life as a moral actor, as a being with agency and puissance outreaching the lessons of their past, is revealed and refined. The story, an expansion of his 2021 novella <I>Tower of Mud and Straw</I>, reminded me more and more of <a href="https://expendablemudge.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-deep-sea-divers-syndrome-first.html">THE DEEP SEA DIVER'S SYNDROME</a> (qv) which French translation also delves into the intersection between dreamlike states and meatspace with equal care. Does anyone really know what the Tower is/can do? Do their...reveries, memories, dreamlike experiences...come without cost yet replete with warning signs?

An ending that addresses these queries of reality yet doesn't wrap them in a tight, constricting little bow gave me both inspiration and information to examine this moment in which I am deeply unhappy, afraid, and emotionally bereft, with a dose of hope. There is a reason Author Barsukov chose this particular stream-of-consciousness style, and this superposed urban-fantasy/SF genre mashup, to tell you this story. Intrinsic to the story, the way everything meshes...and the things that don't...are all made to present a frame for a very intensely resonant meditation.

There is not a lot more valuable for a story to give as its gift than that.

This book definitely needs more hype! Although hard to following the beginning, you do get immersed in you he story after the first third of the book. Always happy to talk about authors that are not getting. The attention they deserve! Thank you for sending me a copy of Tower of Mud and Straw.

Start was very promising but later the story got simple and not well build. I wanted to like it very much but lost my interest.

The story of 'Tower of Mud and Straw' is amazing, as are the characters - they were really interesting, and clearly well thought out.

So why only the three starts? That all has to do with the pacing. For me this novella was too fast-paced on one hand, and too slow on the other. Sounds weird, right? Well, that's how it felt too. It was like being in the passenger seat of an amazing car, it feels amazing, and it is, but the driver keeps showing he can accelerate to 100 km/h in 5 seconds and then how well the brakes work. Sometimes there was a part that was all about amazing character development, and then suddenly I sat thinking 'okay, wtf just happened?'

It still is an amazing novella though! I guess it's just that it would have been better as a full length novel, with enough room for both character and plot.

What if a story that we think of as a folktale, is actually a warning? How do we know what to fear and what to ignore? A powerful novella with a finely constructed world. A story replete with actions and their consequences. Strongly recommend.

I was not sure what to expect from this book, as the author was new to me and the title didn't quite grab my attention, even though it reminded me of those very old fantasy books which are normally solid bets. I only decide to read it due to the recommendations of friends, and I am glad that I did. In a way, I guess that I wasn't wrong about the old school feeling, as this is a very classic fantasy story and gave off a Tolkienesque vibe.

So, classic fantasy - you know what to expect then. One thing that definitely stood out though, is that Barsukov has a way with words. They managed to describe scenes beautifully and with excellent detail without ever falling into the 'too much info' trap. Character-wise there is the expected divide between good and evil with a couple of fantasy staples making appearances. They were well written though and I enjoyed them all

Tower of Mud and Straw is a short, fantasy novel by Yaroslav Barsukov. The premise sounded engaging and I liked the idea of a compact book after reading lots of lengthy ones recently.

For a short novel, I was surprised by the pacing. We’re thrown straight in at the deep end, with hints of a back story and a protagonist who follows his heart rather than what is expected of him. The strong start drew me into what seemed a complex world.

But after that, it’s hard to identify exactly what happens. He wants to build the tower. Wants to pull it down. Save it: destroy it. The forward momentum of the plot is stunted by the main character continuously changing his mind. Although this is a character flaw pointed out to him and he tries to address it, it meant the plot didn’t feel it was going anywhere.

At the same time, we’ve got portals to other dimensions, mysterious technology that doesn’t appear to be connected to the portal, warring communities without any explanation as to why. There is a lot packed into a book that didn’t feel it was going anywhere. It’s hard to draw the connections between events and characters. I liked the book, but at the same time, am a little baffled by what actually happened.

Shea is a good protagonist. He wants to do what is right, which instantly makes him likeable. He follows his instincts, which is why he keeps changing his mind as he learns more about what is going on. He’s got a complicated back story and a lot is left unsaid about how he rose to his position. I like the mystery: we don’t know everything about him, and what we do know, we learn in snippets as the story unfolds.

I’m writing this review a little after finishing the book, but it’s not just the distance that means I can’t remember some of the other characters. There’s a love interest who is more than she seems for their short-lived affair. There’s the mystery benefactor/potential threat whose motives stem from revenge. And the friend who helps Shea make decisions – once they’ve stopped drinking themselves into a stupor. Again, for a short book, it’s interesting how many didn’t make it to the end.

This is a good book. It’s engaging, it’s full of potential and I read it in a day. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what works or didn’t, however, as I got to the end and wasn’t sure I fully understood what had happened. The world-building has a good structure in place and I think if this had the time to expand and breathe, go into a little more depth, it would have been a strong read.

If you’re looking for a fantasy book that won’t take you long to get through, and offers enjoyable escapism, then I’d recommend Tower of Mud and Straw. If you’re after in-depth characters and an intricate world, this maybe isn’t the one for you.

Tower of Mud and Straw follows Ashcroft, a former minister sent to oversee the construction of a tower that is meant to rival all others, literally towering over the land. When he arrives, there is talk of sabotage, use of dangerous materials to speed up construction, and stories of a shadow tower that endangers them all.

Tower of Mud and Straw has a really unique premise, and I think it showed a lot of promise. But, as a novella, I don’t think it worked as well as it could have had it been longer. The tension and build up to what was dangerous about the tower was really fascinating, and it does keep you turning pages to find out what everything means. But everything happens so quickly, there isn’t enough time to properly give time to think about what’s happening. It jumps so quickly between wanting the tower complete to realizing the dangers, and this odd back and forth as Ashcroft decides what to do.

This also created a bit of a problem with connecting to the characters. While we get some background on their lives, it’s not a lot, so you don’t feel as invested in any of them as you would want to. Especially with assassination plots and deadly towers, I want to feel invested in characters staying alive, rather than just idly wondering what happens next.

I do think this worked on a lot of levels, especially with the story behind the tower, I just wanted a lot more from it. The ending feels a bit abrupt as well, so all around it ended up lacking. I would love to revisit this world to see this as a fully fleshed out book though.

Tower of Mud and Straw has a dark and atmospheric ring to it. I find anything with the tower of Babel trope fascinating and I enjoyed the plot of the novella.
Personally I wish the characters were more fleshed out and I occasionally had trouble following the actions and scenes. I caught myself re-reading passages, because I got confused 🤔
However if you don't mind reading very carefully and you enjoyed Josiah Bancroft's Tower of Babel series, you might want to give this a try.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Tower of Mud and Straw is a short fantasy novel (or a long short story) that tells an interesting and complex story in the limited space it’s given.

Shea Ashcroft is a disgraced politician who is ordered to the provinces to oversee a construction of a gigantic tower. Feeling sorry for himself, he decides to make sure it’s built fast so that he can return to the queen victorious. But this dream soon crumbles. Dangerous alien technology is being used for building the tower, and he has no choice but to remove it, halting the project. Humans are furious, but aliens rejoice: they tell a story of a similar tower that caused a portal to open and destroy their world. But Shea is a bit wishy-washy person and easy to persuade. A promise of a high position in court makes him return the alien technology to start the construction again—only to discover that the aliens were right. There is a portal forming. Now the choice becomes between destroying the tower and his future, or letting the portal destroy everything.

Alongside the main story there is another of Shea’s sister Lena who has died because of the alien technology, which dictates much of Shea’s decisions. He meets another Lena, an alien woman opposing the tower and they fall in love—or at least he does. His decision to continue building the tower seals Lena’s fate, and Shea is left with the realisation that he has failed two women he has loved. So how to atone?

The ending is fairly self-evident after a certain point; there’s only one way it can go for the tower. Shea’s fate, however, could’ve gone either way. The choice suits a short story better than it would’ve suited a long novel, though I kind of wished there would have been another way out for Shea.

This was an excellent story that could easily have been a longer novel too; the world is rich and the politics that are only hinted at here are complex. The writing style was sparse, a little too sparse at times; it could’ve used some fleshing out in places, especially when it came to describing sequences of events. But that, too, suited the short form just fine. All in all, a great one evening’s read.

3.5 stars

To be honest, I don't really know what to say about this book. I think that I wasn't the right reader for this one, because the general atmosphere of it all was the thing that didn't work for me. It is not a bad story, at all, and at the beginning, I was hooked. I really liked the MC, he is an interesting character, and I'd love to meet him again, but not in this world. And it is not that the world is bad, or not well developed. We have an interesting world-building here, even if it is a short book, and it is original but... but it didn't work for me. I was interested in the story, but again, the atmosphere of it wasn't the right one for me. And this ruined a bit of the reading experience for me. It was almost dreamlike, in some ways, but the dreamlike things aren't for me and so... here we are.
But it was an interesting reading, and even if I didn't love it, I enjoyed some parts of it quite a lot.

Despite some good ideas, Tower of Mud and Straw never took time to breathe and its plot and characters suffered for it.
There were some very good details in this book. The imagery between the two groups of people, and the parallels to the biblical story of the Tower of Babel were really well done. The similarity was close enough to see the connection, but subtle enough to not be derivative. However, the overall impression of the novel fell short due to some strange narrative decisions.
Immediately, when you begin reading you are sort of dropped into a story and world with no context. While cold starts obviously aren’t unheard of, they are usually accompanied with a gradual reveal of context and world building. Tower of Mud and Straw would continually add elements to the world without explaining how they functioned. The result was a little like starting to watch a mystery movie halfway through, in that it was very difficult to understand what was happening and why. On a similar note, the relationships and bonds between the characters also felt out of place. Connections were formed instantaneously to the point where it felt like complete strangers were crying on each other’s shoulders. I also had a bit of a hard time finding the female characters very believable. They seemed to only be there as a plot device to validate the protagonist’s inner monologue and emotional conflicts, and in no way felt very self motivated.
Ultimately, I do not feel this book was my cup of tea, and I would not recommend it.

Decent story, easy enough to follow. I would read more books by this author. Overall, I liked the characters, the plot, the dialogue, and the wrap up.

3/5 Stars

We start our trip on an airship. And we come in contact with advanced, „other“ technology. It doesn‘t really fit the bill for Steampunk, but is reminiscent of it at first.

The prologue was very clunky and hard to get into, heavy on adverbs. Luckily, once the main narrative started, the story telling got a lot smoother. However, part two started just as clunky as part one.

I had a hard time picturing the settings. The prose was very flowery, but not as descriptive as I would’ve liked. The language was very modern despite the fantasy setting, which is unusual and did not sit particularly well with me. I also felt as if I was missing part of the story or a prequel.

The author packed a lot into 200 pages. I didn‘t mind that so much. I actually think he could have done a more thorough job with the world building, even in such a short book / novella. The pacing felt off for me as well. Telling so much of the backstory in paragraphs alternating with the present storyline so far towards the ending did not flow well.

The idea was intriguing, but I never really got immersed in the storytelling or connected with the characters. I did not like the style and skimmed the last part of the story. Sorry, this wasn‘t for me. Pretty cover though! Maybe I have to try and re-read this another time, when I am more in the mood for such a meandering style.

I received this free e-copy from the publisher/author via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review, thank you!

Tower of Mud and Straw by Yaroslav Barsukov is a short fantasy novella with outstanding world-building. I wasn't already familiar with Barsukov's writing, but I'm glad I decided to take a chance on this. All of the characters had quite unique voices and I found myself very invested in Shea's story. I enjoyed exploring the world with him. It's so vivid and vibrantly described that it felt incredibly real which was such a pleasant surprise for such a short and quick read. Overall, I'm looking forward to reading more from this author in this future. Thanks for introducing me, NetGalley.

I received an electronic ARC of this book via NetGalley for an honest review.

The premise of this novella appealed to me immediately. The protagonist is a disgraced government minister, sent off from the capital to oversee the construction of a possibly-cursed tower in a not-entirely-peaceful borderland. Each of the component chapters tells an important part of the story, which covers a surprising amount of ground in relatively few pages. In some ways, short length is this novella's greatest weakness. There's enough plot for a full-length novel here, and in a longer form I think the worldbuilding and characterization could have been stronger.

At times it feels like a novella meant to be read within an already-established world (actually, to the point that I double-checked Goodreads halfway through to make sure that there was not a previous book that I'd missed), rather than a freestanding work. It's a neat world, though, and I would have loved to see more of what makes it tick.

The italicized notes that represent Shea's thoughts and "conversations" with his sister are often the most evocative and touching sections. He's a compelling character, one that would be interesting to see develop over a longer span of time. The same is true of many of the secondary characters--I would especially have liked to see more of Brielle and Aidan, who have such distinct backgrounds and motives and merit a deeper look. I'd read a novella centered on either of them.

There's a strong dreamlike quality throughout, which I noticed well before I came to the author's note at the end describing it as having come from a dream.

All in all, my biggest complaint is that characterization and worldbuilding are more often sketched than painted with depth. But what's here is a fun read, and I hope to see more from this author in the future!

A truly engaging story! Tower of Mud and Straw is a unique science fiction story that has a bit of a steampunk feel to it. I was immediately drawn to the main character, Shea Ashcroft, a former Minister of the Queen who was banished after refusing to gas a crowd of protesters. He is sent to an outlying province to oversee the construction of the Queen's pet project, the largest anti-airship tower in history. However. Shea finds that the engineer is using an otherworldly technology from the Drakiri, a refugee race with super human abilities. As Shea delves deeper into what is going on behind the scenes of the construction, he learns much more about the Drakiri, their ancient legend, and their mysterious origins. I loved how this story seamlessly combines the traditional, like horse drawn carriages, with the advanced technology of the Drakiri devices These devices and how they can be used are so unique and really add to the mystery of the story. It is also in intimate story of one man trying to stay true to his own beliefs, while coming to grips with past events and the cost of staying true to who he is. A unique world, interesting characters, plus a well paced story make this a wonderful read for any fan of science fiction!!

Categories: Gaslamp fantasy / Towers and technology / A perfectly nice novella
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At first I got strong impressions of Josiah Bancroft's Books of Babel series (one of my favourites!) but they quickly melted away after the initial airship ride and when it was obvious the tower described here was vastly different than that of Babel.
I think the problem for me was that it felt like too much was happening for the length of a novella. There was a tragic backstory, political machinations, a romantic interest, a clash of cultures and races...each aspect fine individually, but too much when merged together in such a small space.
It didn't help either that I found the protagonist a bit annoying, and his 'insta-love' struck me as unbelievable. It all felt very convenient that his unique history gave him the rare tools he required to do exactly what he needed to do.
Unfortunately, I think this novella missed the mark somewhat for me.

I don't read a lot of Fantasy, and this was very good. There's a hint of the theater saying "leave them wanting more" here because this is short, and it is well written, and could make the reader want a little more when it's over. Recommended.

Thanks very much for the ARC for review!!

Tower of Mud and Straw is an incredibly moving story, impressively well written. I've seen it described as a novella, but the story felt fully formed, with a multi-layered emotional power that confirms it was exactly as long as it needed to be, and no longer. I found myself afraid of where the journey was taking me, while simultaneously trusting the author to make everything fit together in its time. A tender treat that burns and soothes in equal measure. Highly recommended.