DNF unfortunately couldn’t get into this one. The characters and dialouge didn’t engage me or make me feel excited to hear what happened next. Maybe one of those that just don’t quite scratch the itch.

I received this DRC from NetGalley.

This one was hard for me to get invested in. The lack of transitions between scenes, especially at the beginning, ruined the flow of the story for me. It made me question whether I was missing something or if the character was having some kind of time losses, but no, it was just abrupt for no good reason. After that, it was hard for me to get into it, especially since it just felt a bit slow for a while. There was a twist in the end I would've liked to know more about, but then that's just a cliffhanger and left the story feeling unfinished.

The world of Gogmagog is rich and lush, full of imaginative magic that felt different from urban fantasy I've read in the past. Its biggest charm to me is the main character, who is curmudgeonly and loving and dimensional. I've also rarely read a fantasy book with an old woman protagonist, it brought such a unique perspective, a twist on the tortured immortal characters like vampires and witches but that in other books maintain their youthful appearance. What a treat, I'm so excited to read the sequel.

When Cady is approached by a young girl and her mechanical guardian to transport them up-river to the city of Ludwich, she is reluctant to say the least. Travelling by river has become perilous in recent years, usually resulting in madness at best, or often in death.

Gogmagog is a decent fantasy novel, with a rag-tag team of heroes from different fantasy races, and plenty of action.

I loved the world this story is set in. It felt very Ghibli to me, and I could totally picture the characters and the scenery in perfect Ghibli-style animation. The world building and character description was really top-notch.

My only real gripe is that I feel like you can tell this has been written by two people. At times, it felt like there were chunks of the story missing, where one chapter would end and the next chapter would start in an entirely different place. This was probably intentional to keep the story flowing, but it did have me flicking back on more than one occasion to check I hadn’t somehow missed a few pages. The timeline also felt kind of off to me. The entire book unfolds in the space of about two days, but it read like an epic journey which could easily have taken months. So much happens in such a short space of time, I think I got whiplash.

An old boat captain sails a river that is actually the ghost of a long dead dragon in order to help a young fugitive girl and her robot butler reach the city of Ludwich.

I adored the world created in this novel—for want of a better word the vibes were perfect. That mix of futurism, fantasy and nostalgia really worked for me and felt both a natural combination, and super inventive.

I actually thought this book was less weird than I was expecting—the world is unique and throws a LOT of unfamiliar concepts at you, but the overall story is pretty traditionally structured, and is accessible to read in terms of plot, with things explained and clarified at regular intervals.

Our protagonist Cady is a wonderful, foul-mouthed old lady/plant hybrid, whose voice is a delight to read. I also loved Brin, the precious child, and her robot (?) protector Lek.

Without spoiling anything, the final chapters raise a lot if new questions—I’m super interested to see what happens in the next book!

"Gogmagog" is a weird, wild ride in the best way possible. Jeff Noon and Steve Beard create a world that’s both colorful and gritty, full of strange yet captivating vibes. The crass main character, Crady, totally stole the show for me. Take Pratchett and turn up the grittiness and you get what Gogmagog is. Can absolutely recommend it to anyone! 4.5/5

I really loved this fantasy novel! I thought it was extremely cool that the authors dunked us in the fantasy world without explaining a lot of the lore or world building. It's an extremely immersive novel, funny as hell, but also with real emotional stakes!

If you like novels with an incredible voice to suck you into their own very personal world, this is it. Cady is not like other characters you have met, she's old and grouchy and personality oozes from everything she does and says.
Basically, she's fun. And her adventure is just as convoluted and rickety and hallucinogenic as she is.
If you like nice square stories, with a groomed plot and a clean main character going towards their best life, this is probably not for you and will hit the too weird button. I will add that the world-building in this book is unusual and throws you into the deep end from the get go, so you can enjoy piecing things together yourself. This is not a book to hold your hand and explain stuff.

3.5/5 stars.

Gogmagog is very well-written given there are two authors. Often times when there is a pair of authors a reader can tell when one author wrote a particular passage over another, that was not the case here. For me the drawback of Gogmagog was the pacing. There was a great hook that brought me in and made me wonder how things would unravel and for the first 60% or so of the book things clipped along. Then there was a lull and no clear direction on how things were going to resolve. At that point this book was very easy to put down and move to the next. I came back to it eventually and the set up for the sequel was well done but nothing gripped me again.

I was not drawn to Cady Meade the river pilot and this antipathy grew to the point that I realized I was skipping over the book when I sat down to read and that I would never pick it up again. There's gritty and then there's something more and Cady Meade is that.

I received a review copy of this book through NetGalley.com.

While I deeply enjoyed the worldbuilding and vibe of Gogmagog, the book itself felt like a slog (eyyy that rhymes). I think this book had a lot genuine potential to be incredibly interesting, and while the character relationships themselves were incredibly heartwarming, fundamentally this book relied on the weirdness of its world to make up for the boringness of its prose and plot. And ultimately that lead to the story itself dragging. In the final 75% or so, I mostly just ended up skimming this book, waiting for it to be over. Ultimately it was a very mediocre read, not bad enough to be a 2 star, but not good enough to be a 4 star.

I only got to the half way point with this book. I'm not into cyber punk or steam punk , anything like that. Some of the book was good but it just couldn't keep my attention.

DNF @ 29%

This started off interesting, but I don't think this was for me and was struggling beyond that.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity!

Gogmagog by Jeff Noon and Steve Beard is a mind-bending, genre-defying novel that takes readers on a surreal journey through a twisted, dream-like version of reality. The book is a collaboration between two authors known for their experimental and imaginative storytelling, and it definitely delivers on that front.

The story is set in a world where myths, technology, and reality blend together in strange and unexpected ways. At the heart of the novel is the ancient giant Gogmagog, who is reimagined in a contemporary, almost cyberpunk landscape. The narrative weaves together different timelines, perspectives, and styles, creating a tapestry that’s as disorienting as it is fascinating.

One of the most striking aspects of Gogmagog is its prose. Noon and Beard play with language in a way that feels both poetic and chaotic, making the book as much about the experience of reading as it is about the plot itself. The story is dense with symbolism and references, drawing from a wide range of sources, including mythology, science fiction, and even pop culture.

Because of its experimental nature, Gogmagog might not be for everyone. It’s a book that challenges the reader, requiring you to let go of conventional storytelling expectations and just immerse yourself in the bizarre world the authors have created. But for those who enjoy books that push the boundaries of narrative and explore the intersections of myth and modernity, it’s a deeply rewarding read.

Overall, Gogmagog is a wild, imaginative ride that’s perfect for readers who appreciate the weird and wonderful. It’s a book that’s hard to categorize but impossible to forget, offering a unique reading experience that’s as thought-provoking as it is surreal. If you’re up for something completely different and don’t mind a bit of a challenge, this book is definitely worth diving into.

If you’re a fan of Mervyn Peake’s intricate world-building in Gormenghast or the surreal landscapes crafted by authors like Jeff Vandermeer and China Mieville, then Gogmagog by Jeff Noon and Steve Beard is a must-read. This novel, the first installment in the Chronicles of Ludwig duology, promises and delivers a unique blend of fantasy and weird fiction.

The narrative voice immediately captures your attention with its quirky tone, perfectly suited to the contemporary weirdness of the story. From the outset, you're introduced to Cady Mead, a retired river-taxi captain with a penchant for rum and a mysterious past. When she's reluctantly drawn into ferrying a motley crew across the haunted river Nysis, the journey unfolds into a fantastical and often unsettling adventure.

The novel excels in its world-building, presenting Ludwig and its surroundings as grimy, polluted landscapes teeming with peculiar characters and eerie atmospheres. The authors’ skill in describing this world makes it vivid and tangible, despite its decay and darkness.

Characterization is another strong suit, with a diverse cast that includes a resurrected soul, a robotic bodyguard, and a young girl with uncanny connections to the supernatural. Each character, with their quirks and histories, adds layers to the story and keeps you invested in their fates.

While the pacing occasionally feels frenetic, especially given the action-packed events of a single day's journey, the narrative’s twists and revelations keep you engrossed. Themes of transformation and the consequences of past actions permeate the story, adding depth to the adventure.

Overall, Gogmagog is a compelling read for fans of speculative fiction who crave something offbeat and immersive. It challenges conventions and rewards readers with a richly detailed world and characters you won’t soon forget. I eagerly anticipate the second part of the duology to see how the story unfolds further.

Many thanks to Angry Robot Publishers and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.75 STARS

CW: violence, body horror, cursing, blood, gore, mention of miscarriage

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am torn about this book. On one hand, it features lush worldbuilding and has a somewhat cooky but memorable and cool main character but, on the other, I could not connect to the world, characters and felt a little alienated by the writing style until the very end. This is not a value judgement but the book was also pretty weird, as in it reminded me a lot of Jeff VanderMeer's works.

Cady was a cool protagonist, I liked that she was on the older side and enjoyed her character and interactions with others despite being unable to really grow totally fond of her. The other characters made up an interesting cast but, again, I couldn't really connect with them.

The world was what made this so interesting to me and kept me reading. Worldbuilding-wise this is amazing, there is so much lore, so many details hidden and so much to think about. I really enjoyed finding out more and more the longer I read. One thing I was deeply troubled by (not in a bad way) was that one particular figure was mentioned who is a real historical figure and I was super confused about how this goes together.

My main problem with this book, as mentioned previously, was not being able to really connect. This is also the reason I cannot give it more than 2.75 stars. I'm sure others will enjoy this more and purely based on the worldbuilding and character work, this would at least be a 4 star book. But I cannot ignore that it was somewhat tedious to keep reading. Nevertheless, you should definitely give this a try, especially if you enjoy VanderMeer, and I still plan on reading the second book when it comes out.

Gogmagog is certainly a strange book. In many ways, it is more of a mood piece or a collection of vignettes.

A retired riverboat pilot is recruited for one last voyage aboard her old boat, captained by her old apprentice. Over the course of a day she needs to sail down a river that is haunted by the ailing ghost of a dragon. Her passengers are a young girl with strange powers, and the girl's robotic guardian. They pass through strange landscapes, full of decaying technology in the aftermath of a war, and meet people from many different species. Lurking throughout, however, is the threat of Gogmagog - the less friendly part of the ghost dragon.

I found Gogmagog to be quite a slow read, worth dipping in and out of. There isn't a huge amount of plot, and as a two-part series this first book did not deliver resolutions. However, it is an atmospheric series of episodes that come together to form a sense of a rich world. I have seen it compared to Gormenghast, which feels quite apt. I'm glad to have read it and hope to catch the next volume when it comes out.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

This book was fun and exciting but a tad busy at points. In the beginning I struggled to keep up a little but as I got used to the writing, characters and plot I settled in nicely.

I loved Cady and her abrupt demeanour with tenderness laced through. I found myself enjoying and laughing along with her antics. It’s clear that while she might not visibly show it she truly does love the people in her life. I enjoyed the history of the world and characters sprinkled throughout showing what everyone had been through and how they got to this point in time.

Overall, a fun read!

<i>Gogmagog</i> shines in its voice. In this fantasy adventure story that's filled with a unique style of magic and a host of characters, the voice and the perspective from which the plot unfolds is quirky but not overbearing, a bit sarcastic but not cynical and overall an engaging personality.

Its been marketed as weird fiction and they aren't wrong about it. The voice of the narration is incredibly entertaining when we encounter weirdness or weird characters, taming down the experience to one that's washed for normalization and being witty while doing so. While all the encounters are allegories for various human experiences, the point of life and its existence in a world of many.

Truly interesting take on a classical adventure trope.

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and Angry Robot for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>