I adore this book so much after finishing it, I immediately looked up the author to read her other books, and to find out it was a debut was absolutely astonishing to me!

This book is a wild ride and I loved every second of it.

The Cautious Traveller’s Guide To The Wastelands tells the journey of a train traveling from Beijing to Moscow. It is during this journey, the train has to go through, the Wastelands, which is a feared and magical area of land that is mysterious to many.

The characters on the train are so well created and they all have a reason for being on the train despite a previous perilous journey. I loved every single character and the ending was superb. I didn’t want this story to end, it was that good.

This book is perfect for fans of the Midnight Library, or any fantasy fans in general.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sarah Brooks for the ARC in exchange for my honest review, this really is a book I will be recommending to everyone I know.

The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks is a book unlike anything I have read before. It's atmospheric, riveting, and intriguing at the same time.

This book has several characters and we follow a lot of the characters throughout the story. The setting is in a train that is traveling from Beijing to Moscow. But this journey is not for the faint of the heart. The train goes through places where the landscape is filled with unknown creatures and the landscape can play with their minds. Will the travelers survive the journey?

This book is a slow one and I didn't mind it a bit. I really liked how the author included the train itself as a character of the story. It created a mystery element and built the atmosphere of the story. For readers who like endings that are more open and not explosive, this book is more for them. I really loved the open ending. A very different and a good book in my opinion.

Thank you, Flatiron Books, for this book.

THE CAUTIOUS TRAVELLER'S GUIDE TO THE WASTELANDS by Sarah Brooks is like no story I've ever read. Historical fantasy does not do justice to the masterful writing, the exquisite descriptions of fully dimensional, fascinating characters, the premise of a fantastically protected train traveling from Beijing to Moscow in the 19th century after a horrific transformation in the land and the living creatures in that wasteland has rendered it dangerous to body, heart, and soul. There is suspense. There is social commentary. There is great dialogue and extremely high stakes. In short, it is great good fun to drop into this well-written tale, trusting in a surefooted writer to deliver us safely back in our real lives, feeling refreshed and rejuvenated by the read.

Synopsis: Passengers board the Great Trans-Siberian Express for a dangerous train journey across the magical wastelands of late 19th century Siberia.

Thoughts: I was immediately drawn in by the premise of this book. In this world, the land between Beijing and Moscow has been overtaken by a blight, leaving the area uncrossable except by a specially designed steam train. The author blended several genres to craft a deliciously atmospheric and compelling tale that started with a slow burn and quickly became a page turner. The diverse cast of characters gave interesting perspectives to the events of the story. I do feel that the fantasy landscape could have benefitted from a bit more fleshing out, but the overall vibes were still very cool.

Read this if you like:
🚂 historical fiction
🚂 magical realism
🚂 gothic vibes
🚂 steampunk
🚂 cozy fantasy
🚂 mystery

M

The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands is a genre mash-up of fantasy, historical fiction, and mystery, set on a unique train journey as the passengers and crew cross the Siberia "wastelands." Something happened on the train on its last journey, but nobody remembers what, and now they embark on a new crossing. Sarah Brooks' writing is lovely and a good fit for the setting, descriptive and a bit wondering and sometimes strange, sparking more curiosity into the mystery and secrets of the train. There are a lot of characters to keep track of as the POVs jump around a wide range of roles, and it took me some time to get into the book as the initial chapters are very introductory from character to character. That said, Brooks introduces us to an interesting world, which gives the book a haunted, unsettled edge.

Something strange has happened to Siberia -- not in Siberia, but to the whole of the region, which is now full of previously unknown life forms and where physical space is apparently unstable. Walled off and quarantined, Siberia can now, at the turn of the 19th century, be crossed only on a specially fortified train belonging to the mysterious Company; if, on arrival at either terminus -- Beijing or Moscow -- the train has been contaminated, it's sealed off and the passengers left to die. (The train itself is said to be unique; what the Company would do without a reserve supply is left unexplained.)

On the most recent crossing, something happened -- but what? Neither the passengers nor the crew can remember. (And we never find out.) Whatever it was, it's been blamed on the man who supplied the train's window glass; he has since died. His daughter, Marya, has assumed a fake identity and booked a trip, hoping to clear her father's name. She's one of the three principal characters, along with Weiwei Zhang, called the train child because she was born on the train and has lived on it all her life, and Henry Grey, a naturalist in the true 19th-century "catch everything in a net and put it in a glass box" mold.

Sarah Brooks gets full marks for imagination -- the descriptions of the train and of the ambiguous, terrifying and enticing Wasteland it passes through are rich in sensory detail. But setting can't carry a novel all by itself, and the characters never quite came alive for me. As a case in point, Weiwei meets a stowaway, Elena, who proves to be a Wasteland being, and when they are separated late in the book we're told how close they have grown, how much fun they've had together, and how much Weiwei will miss her. But all the things that supposedly made that relationship valuable to Weiwei have taken place off the page; mostly, we've seen Elena posing problems for Weiwei and worrying her.

Flaws also appear at the intersection of worldbuilding and plot -- the question of how many trains there are and what happened on the trip that left everyone with amnesia, for instance, as well as the question of how big the train would have to be in order to carry all the trade goods exchanged between Europe and East Asia.

Finally, the narrative is oddly slow-moving, considering that it takes place on a train and that the stakes are so high. This reflects, I think, the relatively weak characterizations: I didn't care enough about these people to feel engaged with their fates.

3.5 stars, rounded up because Sarah Brooks tried something complicated and interesting, even though in my view she didn't quite pull it off. Thanks to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

This might take place on train, but I see more similarities with Annihilation than Murder on the Orient Express.

In this alternate world, Siberia has been taken over by a changing, living wildness, referred to as the Wastelands. The ambitious, powerful Trans-Siberia Company built a protected train track and a beast of a train that goes from Beijing to Moscow - across the Wastelands. The last crossing there was some kind of incident, something got in, and this is the first journey since then. No one knows quite who to blame or what really happened, and most of the crew can't remember.

We follow the perspective of multiple characters - some heroes, some villains, and some in between. The villain in my opinion is especially villainous, and there is a theme throughout the story about beliefs and faith, and the role religion plays in people's motivations. The heroes are complicated - especially Weiwei, the "child of the train" who is in my opinion the most main and important character to the story.

Most of these characters are looking for truth, and they find it. There's a lot of danger, a wild strange world outside the train that is more than the Company wants anyone to believe, and this journey not only changes the lives of our leads, but the world.

It takes a bit to get into, and the language is a little stilted because it's meant to take place in another time, but honestly the trippy Wastelands imagery and Weiwei's internal journey are worth it.

I started this on kindle and finished on audio starting around the 30% mark. I think I would’ve enjoyed it more if I had continued to read with my eyes instead of my ears. Some of the more mystical elements were hard for me to follow on audio. Overall I enjoyed the vibes and setting of the book. The characters were quirky and interesting to read about. If you enjoy historical fiction but like a glimmer of fantasy you’ll enjoy this a lot I think!

An atmospherically lovely story, which, though a touch on the slow side, kept me absorbed throughout with its combination of lyrical prose, engaging characters, and intriguing premise. I do think occasionally the book was trying to do slightly more than it had room for, and so some elements felt a little under-realized. But it's the kind of book that could so easily be overwritten in other hands, and full credit to author Sarah Brooks for maintaining the balance of flowery (quite literally) style and the plot's slow but steady plot momentum.

Thank you to Flatiron Books for the advance review copy!

I think it may finally be time for this reviewer to admit, fully and truly, that anything “cozy” just isn’t a good fit in temperament and style.

Yes, it may be true that this book ramps up a bit in pacing, action, and thrills toward the end. However, waiting until after the 60% mark to grab enough of my attention that I can keep my eyes open for more than an hour is far too long.

Make no mistake: This is by no means the fault of Sarah Brooks. Brooks is an immensely talented author with a great sense of style, a terrific imagination, and this is one heck of a story. I loved the premise, the characters, and the world building. It was simply the pacing and how sedately this book moved that made me disagreeable. My brain just doesn’t like books that move at a more stately pace like this one does.

I’ve had a lot of similar experiences with cozies this year: I love what they are saying they offer, and often like many other aspects of the book, but they just put me to sleep.

So while I may be rating this three stars because I was ultimately very bored for the vast majority of the book, you may very well love it if you love cozies.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Due to a rating of three stars or lower this review will not be appearing on my social media. Thank you.

File Under: Fantasy/Historical Fantasy/Historical Mystery/Standalone Novel

A delightful blend of Annihilation and Murder on the Orient Express, with a focus on the strange environment and how the people on the train interact with it. The story follows a central cast of characters who board the train in China (each for their own purposes), but will find their lives changed and the answers to the mysteries they have been investigating more or less found by the time the train arrives at its destination. Between point a and point b is a wild and shifting wasteland, like Area X from Annihilation or the zone from Roadside Picnic, a place where just being exposed can lead to drastic changes and consequences and the very world seems to act contrary to what most people would consider natural.

A fascinating book, one which I very much enjoyed and can easily recommend to library patrons looking for more out there sci-fi books.

An unusual genre bending novel about a train, Well, really about the people on the train which is traveling through the proverbial wastelands, WeWei, Marya, and Henry narrate as this morphs from a routine strangers on a train sort of tale into a horror story into fantasy and back again. I wasn't as engaged as I'd hoped to be but that's on me, not on Brooks who has crafted an intriguing novel. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

I really wanted to love this one. The title and summary sounded right up my alley. The story just didn't really work for me. I never felt like I connected with the story or the characters. The pace was too slow to pull me in.

The writing is decent though and I liked the last part better than the first. There's a lot of promise here, especially with the merging of different genres. This is one of those times that I kind of think the issue was probably with me not the book.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

What a delightfully strange book! It's got Agatha Christie mysterious train adventure vibes, but with creepy, atmospheric sci-fi fantasy tones, too. There are a lot of characters to keep tabs on and some of the things that happen can be hard to visualize (weird natural phenomena). Overall it's a really interesting story and I'm glad I gave it a chance. Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the ARC!

This one was a nice change of pace from my current reads, with a little thrill and a touch of mystery, it kept me involved the whole way through. This post-apocalyptic story gives the readers a fantasy retelling of Snowpiercer.

A unique melding of fantasy, mystery, and historical fiction with a bit of sci-fi, environmental horror thrown in for good measure. A mysterious cast of characters are on board this train which must travel through the Wastelands but it's Weiwei, an orphan born and raised on the train that discovered something or rather someone who could put the entire trip and the train company itself in danger.

Oh man, this was a disappointment. I was so ready to love this, but I just couldn't get into it, so I pulled the plug at 36%. The premise of this is amazing, I liked the writing and loved the setting, but this just didn't have a good pace. It also didn't have a hook, a reason for me to be engaged and continue reading. Yes, there is a bit of a mystery, but I didn't care at all about it and nothing was happening. As for characters, Weiwei was the most interesting one, but everyone else felt quite flat.

I do love cozy fantasies and mysteries, I like low stakes, but if nothing's happening, the characters and what's happening with them has to be compelling. That's what was missing here for me. I see a lot of people loving this, though, and I wanted to be one of them, so it's not a book I would skip. I think it's worth a try and see if you can get into it. I'll definitely keep my eye on this author because I think she has great ideas and even though this one wasn't for me, I'd like to give her work another chance.

5 stars / This review will be posted on goodreads.com today.

There is only one way across the Wastelands, the Trans-Siberian Express. The Wastelands are a mysterious and dangerous place. Passengers of the train are trying to get from China to Russia or back again, though they also want to have the experience of the Wastelands and its magical creatures.

Weiwei is the child of the train. Born to a dying mother on the train, she has been raised by the entire crew, from the cook to the captain. Weiwei is as much a part of the train as the engines. As the train ventures from Beijing for Russia once again, with both first and third class full, Weiwei finds a stowaway. A young girl, about Weiwei’s age, Elena seems to know more about the Wastelands than anyone. Weiwei is torn whether to report Elena to the captain or help her stay hidden away.

On the last passage, something went wrong. Neither Weiwei nor the other crew nor the frequent travelers remember what happened. Which causes Weiwei, the child who knows more about this train than anyone, to be somewhat afraid. With her stowaway friend’s help, perhaps Weiwei can solve some of the mysteries and get the train safely through the Wastelands to Russia.

Truly a magical story about a special young girl and her friend, and a quite incredible train. Each character’s piece of the story belongs. These pieces are so well interwoven to create this incredible fantasy of the wildness that can consume us all. If you’re a fantasy fan, you should love this tale of an unbelievable place and the people that cross it.

3.5 rounded up because I love the setup here and it's all about the vibes. It's much more of a historical fiction with fantasy elements in the shape of the Wasteland. One day the Wastelands just appeared, and while I'm not entirely clear on the boundaries of the Wasteland - though it is bordered by giant walls on the Russian and Chinese sides - everyone is fascinated by it. The only way to traverse it is via the train, owned and operated by the shadowy Company, and drawing passengers from all over - some just looking to take a faster route, some looking for danger and adventure, others looking to the Wasteland as an example of evolution or divinity, a new world order.

Through the various character PoVs, we start to unravel some of what is happening, both to the Wastelands and to the train (and by extension, the passengers and crew, who were aboard the disastrous last voyage, which no one remembers). There's a constant sense of creeping change, of things subtly shifting, of secrets working their way to light even as others try to bury them further.

It's mostly an atmospheric book - while there are some truly tense scenes, the majority of the draw is watching this cast of characters work their way through the turning point of this particular journey, and how each of their decisions and motivations adds another piece of kindling to the fire until it is a blaze, as unstoppable as change itself.

In this book, a luxury steam train is gradually forced to contend with the dangerous, surrealist landscape surrounding it, all while the passengers, each with their own agenda, threaten to take the trip completely off the rails (pun intended). The characters were compelling, the setting found that perfect balance between history, magic, and steampunk, and the descriptions were eerie and gorgeous.

While I can see how this book wouldn't be for everyone, since there are some passages where past and present and inside and outside the train tend to blend together, I found that these contributed to the general sense of unease that permeates the novel. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes the structure of "The Night Circus" or "Piranesi," where the plot is somewhat nebulous and the atmosphere is the driving force.