Although I was really interested in this book because of the blurb, I soon discovered that this might not be for me after all. I found the story quite dry and even if at times I like character-driven books, unfortunately this was not one of those. I liked the writing style, but it didn't capture my attention enough to continue with reading it, so I decided to DNF. It's a shame, because I think that the premise had a lot of potential to become something special.

Thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions!

The Cautious Traveller's Guide is nothing close to what I expected. Somehow, I got the notion that the characters would be traveling and experiencing fantastical locations. But all I got were multiple travelers stuck on a train passing cross country. If that wasn't boring enough, the writing style seemed too old fashioned, reminding me of a bygone era that was out of place for me in this particular novel.

I skimmed quite a bit of the novel, hoping for a spark that would ignite my interest. But that spark never materialized. By 34%, I was done with trying to find something interesting for me to carry on. One star DNF.

I received a DRC from Flatiron Books through NetGalley. This review is completely my own and reflects my honest thoughts and opinions.

If you want a book that has magical realism, heavy Agatha Christie vibes, with a small backdrop of fantasy/horror, then this is for you. It just, unfortunately, wasn't for me.

First and foremost, this book could not keep my attention. The plot seemed built for and around the "locked room" atmosphere of this train, with the mysterious environment outside the train as an occasional afterthought. The story consisted of a wide variety of characters talking with each other, with very little action interspersed to break up the monotony. The writing is very particular, and not in a way I can put in words at the moment, but it might work for other people. I would recommend this book to fans of historical fiction novels over fans of fantasy.

Thank you NetGalley and Flatiron Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 rounded up.
The story was very interesting, filled with mystery and wonder but it took a while to get there for me.
I think the biggest distractor for me is the POV's are not labeled, so I would spend the first chunk of a chapter trying to figure out who this is. Once I get further into the story this wasn't as big of an issue since I had learned to recognize the POV's better but it really made it hard to get into the story from the get go.
I enjoyed the original feeling of this book, it didn't really remind me of other things I have read.
Overall I enjoyed it and do recommend it, I just wish it was structured differently to avoid confusion.

What a beautiful novel! I wasn't sure what to expect, but this historical fantasy really swept me away.

This felt like a combo of Murder on the Orient Express, the Night Circus, and What Moves the Dead - very atmospheric with some genuinely creepy moments.

The author does a great job with the setting - both the train and the wastelands themselves are distinct characters within the book. Highly recommended!

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got this on ebook through Netgalley to review.

Thoughts: I ended up really enjoying this. The premise is that an area of "other" that is deadly to humans has developed in the tundra between China and Russia. Walls were built to protect humanity but the only way to traverse this wilderness is the Train which is owned by The Company. However, the last journey of the train went wrong and people don't remember what happened. The Company must thrive though, so the Train must keep running.

Yes, you do spend most of the time on this mysterious train traveling through the Wastelands. However, that is the point of the story...this is a bunch of humans stuck in a very stressful situation traveling through a dangerous region with only the walls of the train to protect them.

The story does spend a lot of time dealing with the passengers and their secrets. The POV rotates between three main passengers: a young woman trying to find the truth behind her father's prosecution, a young woman known as "the child of the train" who was born on the train, and an older professor who is looking for his next big scientific finding.

The Wastelands themselves are fascinating but never fully explained. We see them mostly through the glass of the train, just like our protagonists. It is when the truth of the Wastelands and the train begins to be revealed that things get really interesting.

The story is more slow burn than action packed. However the constant tension of the danger outside the thin train walls, the mystery of the truths behind the train, and the intriguing characters on the train really kept me engaged in the story.

The story has very Lovecraftian vibes to it. You have the theme of an otherness, a darkness, a madness taking over this portion of the land. I love stories that explore this mythos.

The written is beautifully done and very lyrical. I loved the world-building, the intriguing characters, and the constant mysterious tension. I also thought the ending of the book was absolutely fantastic and completely fitting with the rest of the story.

My Summary (5/5) :Overall I thought this was fantastic. I believe this is debut novel for Brooks and I am eager to see what she comes up with next. This was incredibly creative and very engaging. It does move at more of a slow, mysterious burn. This is not an action packed adventure. However, the intriguing characters and landscape, coupled with the tension of constant danger really pulled me in to the story.

Overall, I liked this story. Unfortunately, it didn't feel like things really picked up until about 50% through. The second half of the story was definitely stronger. This is a great read for folks who love a bit of fantasy mixed in with their mystery - this gave very strong Murder on the Orient Express vibes!

I thought I would like this one. I wanted to like this one. But I found I had a hard time picking it up again after putting it down. As one reviewer mentioned, it was interesting, but I didn't really care. The premise was wonderful - an alternate Victorian era where strange magicks have taken over Siberia which has been separated from the "civilized" world by giant walls and can be traversed only by the Trans Siberian Express, a special train built to be impervious to incursion from the outside. The story follows three characters on the train on the first journey in years since the last one went mysteriously awry. And most of the story is just these three people wandering the train, talking to other passengers, and thinking. This is not exciting, or even particularly interesting. Things perk up a bit when the Outside comes into play, but all the politicking and secrets is surprisingly boring. Pretty cool ending though.

This is a most curious. beguiling book! You could almost make comparisons to Murder on the Orient Express, if the train route snaked and shuddered through an Oz-like land where the landscape becomes a sentient being, it’s intentions both intimidating and impossibly alluring. Alternate POVs abound on what really happened during the last train trip when all the passengers and crew had amnesia, and on the current journey, which is threatened by a possible ghost-like stowaway, a woman trying to investigate her father’s death, a professor trying to redeem his reputation by breeching the wilds, the menacing company representatives trying to quell rumors, and the untamed and unpredictable Wastelands, barely just beyond the windows. Should the train even be going through the Wastelands? Commerce beckons but nature seems to be responding in escalating hallucinatory events. There are also some odd happenings going on with the passengers in first and third class, as the crew tries to soldier on. At the center is 16-year old orphaned Weiwei, who has spent her life from birth, on the train. The writing is beautiful and strange and I had no idea how it was going to end.

In this speculative mystery, crew of a a Trans-Siberian train barreling through a terrifying and unforgiving wild land struggles to remember what happened on their last journey while trying to corral their current passengers.

Thank you to Netgalley and Flatiron Books for providing me with a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands is a unique historical fantasy that draws the reader into the struggle between the hubris of man and the unbridled resolve of nature, as the infamous The Trans-Siberian Express traverses a dangerous path across the strange and changing landscape of the Wastelands—yet there are secrets regarding the last crossing, when something went horribly wrong. Brimming with intrigue and sublime terror, this book is a twisty, breathtaking journey across a fantastical landscape perfect for fans of Annihilation.

In an alternate Victorian-era world where a vast expanse of land in Asia has been abandoned and isolated from the rest of the world after strange Changes were noticed in the land, creatures, and other lifeforms, the only way to travel from Beijing to Moscow is on the Trans-Siberian Express: an almost mythical express train that boasts luxury and impenetrable power to its many customers. The Trans-Siberian Express has made countless crossings over the decades it has been operating, but something happened on the last journey... something went wrong to the point there are questions whether the train is truly safe. Aboard the following crossing are an odd cast of characters heading for Moscow: Marya, a grieving woman with a borrowed name and a mission to uncover secrets the Trans-Siberia Company wants buried; Weiwei, a child of the train desperate to ignore the fact that everything has changed since the last crossing; and Dr. Henry Grey, a disgraced naturalist who is willing to risk it all to prove his fanatical theories about the Wastelands as a new Eden.

As they each slowly begin to unravel the mysteries surrounding the last crossing and the Wastelands, it becomes clear that something fundamental has changed and that—as much as the Company ensures that the train cannot be breached by the dangers outside—they are not alone and the Wastelands may have already begun its work on them all. Despite the slow build of this book in the first half as it lays the groundwork for the status quo of the train and the character’s motivations, the narrative kicks into high momentum once [SPOILER: the main line breaks and the Trans-Siberian Express must traverse “ghost rails” long abandoned by the Company.]

I have to be frank: I adored the writing style of this book. Brooks manages to create a world flooding with life and breath and sound and color in a way that inspires a similar sublime terror and awe at the Wastelands as the characters aboard the Trans-Siberian Express.
Its unique environmental horror of a strange, changed landscape removed from the influence of man and with its own natural laws was deeply evocative and reminiscent of Jeff Vandermeer’s Annihilation, which I also love. The various imagery of mimicry, mutual observation, and a hivemind landscape felt strangely haunting, like peeling back the layers of skin and sinew on an animal carcass only to find it still alive and thrashing against its constraints.

Expertly blending fantasy, mystery, horror, and science fiction, The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands is a thrilling debut novel that will take you on a mesmerizing adventure that you won’t want to disembark after reading.

This is the story of one particular running of the Trans-Siberian train and the wild and wonderful things that happen along the way. Everyone believes that Siberia, or the Wastelands as it is commonly known, is full of danger - from the air, the water, flora and fauna and everything in between. Something unfortunate happened on the last crossing, but all the crew members cannot remember anything of what happened. What proceeds in this tale is a story of friendship, bravery, some cowardice, and a little bit of a rule breaking. All in the name of discovery and survival.

Overall, this book was ok, hence the 3 stars. But it got to be really slow and long. I may have enjoyed it a little more as an audiobook so I could be otherwise occupied doing something else during the slow parts.

I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for my review from NetGalley.

If you like a majorly character driven story, similar to Piranesi but also somehow more so, then you'll likely enjoy this. It wasn't exciting exactly and I could definitely see some feeling as if it were anticlimactic - because it kind of is - the in-depth time that we spend with our MC was interesting and I'd definitely read more form the author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for my copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a…well, it was something.

I was excited by the cool idea behind the book, but it didn't deliver like I hoped. Picture this: a huge chunk of land from Moscow to Beijing suddenly turns into a bizarre, alien place, and there's this special train that travels through it, risking everything. Sounds awesome, right?

But then, the story didn't quite live up to the hype. The characters felt like they were straight out of an old mystery novel, without much depth or character. Only Weiwei and Suzuki's stories kept me interested, and even then, it was a STRUGGLE. And instead of being full of suspense, it felt slow and repetitive. Plus, there wasn't enough description to really imagine what was going on.

Even though the writing was good, the fear of the wasteland just didn't hit me. And the ending felt rushed and left a lot of questions unanswered. Other books have nailed this kind of concept, like "Annihilation," but this one fell really short.

4.25 ⭐️

The Cautious Traveler’s Guide to the Wastelands has been described as Piranesi meets The Midnight Library, neither of which I have read, but hopefully that gives anyone who has read them a feel for what they’re getting into.

This story of a 20-day-long journey from Beijing to Moscow via the Trans-Siberian Railways is moved along with snippets from the fictitious guide written by a passenger towards the beginning of the Railway’s operation: The Cautious Traveler’s Guide to the Wastelands. In it, we learn what to expect from our passengers as they traverse the wastelands: the area between what is assumed to be The Great Wall of China and a similar wall built by Russia. These wastelands are filled with mysterious plants and fauna that defy the norm and bend reality.

The books is multi-POV with each point of view having its own separate side story being unveiled. Though slow to start, things begin to ramp up through Weiwei’s storyline and her discovery. The book really has an unnatural creepiness to it, though I definitely wouldn’t classify it as horror or fantasy. Possibly literary/historical fiction with a bit of magical realism.

I really enjoyed that the wastelands and the train themselves were portrayed as their own characters, the commentary on classism, the impacts of society (technology + industrialization) on the environment, and the government vs the people.

I did find my own mind trying to make sense of the events that unfolded, but that’s also part of traveling through the wastelands: what occurs is unnatural only to those who refuse to embrace the change.

Thank you NetGalley and Flatiron Books for an advanced copy of this book!

"The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands" by Sarah Brooks is an alternate late-19th-century adventure that blends historical fiction, magical realism, and steampunk. The journey aboard the Trans-Siberian Express between Beijing and Moscow is both luxurious and dangerous, taking travellers through mysterious Wastelands filled with eerie wonders and chilling horrors.

I found the setting of a mysterious, supernatural train journey through the Wastelands, the strongest point of the story.

The diverse cast of characters, each with their own secrets and motives, made the narrative intriguing and complex. While I found some characters interesting, their stories were overexplained.

While Brooks' vivid prose and atmospheric descriptions set the scene beautifully, I found the pacing a bit slow, the plot confusing, and the character development lacking.

Overall, this book is a great read for fans of atmospheric speculative fiction! The unique premise and lush setting make it an exciting journey for those who enjoy a blend of genres.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for allowing me to read this early! Once you get into this book it has some amazing characters and a beautiful world to dive into. But, it is a very slow start which may turn some readers off. While this does have elements of fantasy/sci-fi it does feel more like a literary fiction novel and I feel like that genre would fit better. Overall I did really enjoy the story and found the overall book to be incredibly well written.

The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks is a fun adventure travel story. Set in a version of the turn of the century where Siberia has become uninhabitable with strange creatures and plants, the Trans-Siberian Railway is the quickest and most dangerous way to get between Bejing and Russia. There is a guide to help you survive the journal, The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wasteland. The story follows three main characters, alternating between their POVs. There is the Child of the Train, who was born on the train and has worked there all her life; a young woman with a secret connection to the train who wants to clear her father's name; and a disgraced scientist who wants to prove to the world that his theory is true. Following these and a cast of other characters, we discover the dangers and changes happening in the wasteland. The story starts slowly as it builds up the world and characters, but soon, I was engrossed and eager to find out what would happen. It is reminiscent of Murder on the Orient Express and was an enjoyable read!

Thank you Flatiron Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. After reading the description I was very excited to jump right in. I’ve never read anything quite like this before.

I’d recommend this to fans of Jeff VanderMeer’s Annihilation/Southern Reach trilogy, Snowpiercer, and Murder on the Orient Express.

Delightfully written, beautifully weird, a blend of historical fiction and fantasy with a dash of thriller. Slow to start - this multi-narrator train ride through the mysteriously magical and possibly wicked Wastelands really picked up speed for me at around the halfway point. It is rare that minor characters in a multi-narrator story can fully capture your attention, but Sarah Brooks does a fantastic job of giving everyone a voice.

Two things fell flat for me – Henry Grey felt like an unnecessary narrator. I would have preferred for Elena to be a POV giving more of a voice to the wastelands themselves. The other being that I wanted more insight into how the Wastelands came about.

Overall I really enjoyed this and give it a 4/5 stars. This would make an excellent miniseries/limited TV series and I would definitely read more from Sarah Brooks in the future.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Flatiron Books for an advance copy of this novel about a mysterious train that connects two powerful world capitals, the wastes it must past through, the lies that it hides and the scrappy young women who are determined to figure out what is going on.

A friend was moving to Chicago, and I accompanied her on the trip, helping to drive, pack, listen to music and to help acclimate. To return I decided to take a train, as it was new, different, and really seemed like fun. The opposite in all ways of flying. And it was. I could sit in a big spacious seat with nobody next to me, look out windows, walk around, get drinks, look out windows, and see the world. Trains have a certain romanticism, one that I found I was really drawn to. Which might be why I enjoyed this novel so much, though I think the sureness of the writing and great story are the bigger reason. The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands is the debut novel of Sarah Brooks, and is a story about trains, capitalism, lies, fanaticism, friendship, dark creatures, and love.

The time is the start of the Twentieth Century. Vast swathes of both China and Russia have been given over to what they call the Wastelands, places unsafe for humans, unless in protective suits, filled with strange creatures, lights, fires, and devils, according to some. All travel has to go South and around, taking months at a time, except for one train. The Trans-Siberian Express travels between Moscow and Beijing, with the best of people, the lesser few who can pay, Train Company people who make sure the interests of the Company are being cared for, and in this case a few people who are not what they appear. The last trip ended in problems, with no one on board remembering what happened. Blame was assigned, a glass designer blamed, whose subsequent death brought the issue to a close. However his daughter has doubts about his guilt and has lied her way on the train, along with a disgraced naturalist, who plans something quite rash. Along with a young woman, who no one seems to see, but sees everything.

The book is a mix of alternative history, fantasy, steampunk, and just plain old good writing. I still can't get over this being a debut as the writing is so assured. Brooks keeps the story moving right from the first chapter, introducing characters, the world, the train, the Wastelands, and the way the society works so well one does not notice. One just reads along and goes, oh that's cool, I like that. That's pretty good. The book movies between the characters well, and each have their own voice and motivations. And they make sense. And the characters grow. Some find love, some find a maturity they didn't know they had. Some finally find a spine. Even a minor character finds that her voice is important, so goodbye to her husband. To have all this and a great adventure too is a rare gift. The story is is pretty self-contained, though I would like to have more stories about this world, and the Wastelands.

Great story, great characters, and a world that is so complete. I can't recommend this book enough. One of the best things I have read this year.