"The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands" by Sarah Brooks is speculative fiction about a train journey on the Trans-Siberan Express. Outside the windows, unusual flora and fauna exist. Some of it is beautiful, and some is ugly or scary or dangerous.

The child of the train is Weiwei. She was an orphaned baby who grew up on the train. Marya is a young woman who is undercover as someone else. There is a stowaway girl discovered by Weiwei, and something is different about her, which takes a while to find out. Henry Grey is a researcher, and he desperately wants to get samples of the life in the Wastelands. The train is its own character.

This story is pretty creepy and sometimes slow. I found it hard to listen to, but you know once you're on the train, you can't get off till it's done.

Narration by Katie Leung and Kobna Holdbrook- Smith is well done.

Characters - 4/5
Writing - 3/5
Plot - 3/5
Pacing - 3/5
Unputdownability - 3/5
Enjoyment - 2/5
Narration - 4/5
Cover - 3/5 (why not the train?)
Overall - 25/8 = 3 1/8 = 3 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and Sarah Brooks for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a fun and exciting take on the genre. I love the world building and ingenuity the author brought to this book. They crafted a world that I can only assume was a fun environment to create in.

This was just not my jam. I was expecting this great big adventuring train-travel fantasy - well, I got a train and a lot of tedium [seriously, nothing happens for much of the book, so that when something does happen, its so anticlimactic and meh, you just don't care] instead, along with very one dimensional characters that just stay out of reach of one ever caring much about [and I won't even go into that ending ::eyeroll:: ]. Its just been such a huge disappointment for me.

I was excited about Katie Leung [of Harry Potter fame] being the narrator [I remember her having a lovely lilting voice in the movies] for this, but unfortinately, that also didn't work for me. She speaks very quickly [with little regard for pausing, periods, or even a breath here or there it felt like at times], pauses little, and at times seemed more monotone than anything else. Even during dramatic times there seemed to be little emotion and the whole experience [for me] was very underwhelming, and my disappointment was pretty high in this regard as well.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Brooks, and Macmillan Audio for providing the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, Flatiron, and Macmillan Audio for an eARC and advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review!

I typically enjoy historical fantasy and steampunk, and I think books with settings in motion (like, say, a train or boat) are super fun, so while I was eager to read this I also wasn’t quite sure what to expect. This was especially true because of the comps—Piranesi is a book of all time for me, but I loathe The Midnight Library. So I was extremely pleased to find that The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands worked well for me. It did have a sort of slow start for me and it took me a little bit to get into it, but once I found my groove it was easy to sink into the story. I think Brooks did a good job at balancing the POVs, and I enjoyed her writing as a whole. I did find the fantasy aspects to be a little lighter than I’d been anticipating, and at some points it almost felt too ambitious in scope. The atmosphere was maybe a little claustrophobic, but I do mean this in the most positive way I can (I mean! You’re on a train! And the train has Secrets!).

I liked the audiobook a lot. Having two narrators was fun, and I liked that it did the thing where one narrator would voice the dialogue for their characters when it was the other POV. It also definitely helped keep me engaged at the beginning where I was still struggling to find my footing.

This was cute! I loved this. It was great train book and the characters were beautifully done. They were incredibly in depth and enjoyable.

I loved this book at the start. It was everything I love about historical fiction with a fantasy twist and it was placed in my favorite time period: the Victorian era. The issue I had with this book is that it felt like it did not go anywhere and instead the mystery lost momentum toward the end. It was so promising at the start, but the ending was a little disappointing for me.

First, I want to start with the narration. I do not pay attention to narrators when I request books on Netgalley. I request audiobooks purely for the content. Imagine my pleasant shock when after I was approved ALC, I found out it was narrated by none other than Katie Leung. If that name doesn’t immediately conjure a face, I’ll give you a hint. No, I’ll give you the answer: she’s the actress who plays Cho Change in Harry Potter!
And let me tell you another thing: she did an amazing job! Her performance was nuanced in a way that not all voice actors can achieve. She seamlessly bounced from character to character switching genders, accents, and tones appropriate for the narrative. While there were some editing hiccups in the audiobook, Leung’s performance was flawless!

While his parts were brief, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith also did an amazing job as the narrator of “The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands by Valentin Rostov” <- a book of the same title within the novel.

Moving on to the story…

I sincerely did not know what to expect when I saw this novel classified as “historical fantasy.” Usually, anachronistic inclusions in novels irritate me. The movie, “The Watchmen” kind of did it, but it was actually set in an alternate universe in the year 1985. I did not know how Brooks was going to marry these two things. I was BEYOND impressed with how this novel intertwined the history of the Trans Siberian Express with a mysticism that is magnetically organic.

Another part that surprised me is how seamlessly the story transitioned between Marya Petrovna, Zhang Weiwei, and Henry Gray. These were three very different characters with various motivations. They are beautiful and flawed – so incredibly well-written. That doesn’t even touch the complexity of Elena as a character.

There were some parts of the narrative that seemed a little slow, but I would argue that, like the train, it was just building speed and strength. This book was like watching the Titanic set sail knowing that all things are working towards catastrophe. But instead of turning away, I found myself drawn in even more. It wasn’t just a train making a dangerous journey, it was THIS train. And this train was personified as its own entity, equally as beautiful and flawed as its passengers while it tried to protect them throughout the Wastelands.

I was worried about how this story would end. Endings make-or-break a book for me. This ending was everything. It was mythology come to life, but also reflective of the realities of how people would handle such a, for lack of a better word, spectacle/fantastical oddity.

Overall, the word for this novel is “metamorphosis.” Without giving too much away, this book had similar tropes of transformation as “The Girl with all the Gifts” by MR Carey (without the zombies) and the short story, “The Enchanted Village” by AE van Vogt (without the aliens). Does nature evolve in isolation? As the great Forrest Gump once said, “That’s all I have to say about that.”

If any of this sounds interesting to you, just read it! Again, thank you to Netgalley, Flatiron Books, and Macmillan Audio for access to this ALC.

I listened to the audiobook version of this story, which was an exciting adventure across Russia's vast Siberian Tundra set during the Victorian era. The story begins on the Trans-Siberian Express, a luxury train that transports passengers between China and Eastern Europe through Russia's "Wastelands," where one might glimpse wondrous creatures along with breathtaking landscapes. The story primarily focuses on four characters: (1) Zhang Weiwei, a young woman who was born onboard and spent her entire life working on the train; (2)Henry Grey, a disgraced naturalist looking for redemption; (3) Marya Petrovna, a grieving woman who recently lost of her father; and (4) Elena, a stowaway from the Wastelands who is not as she appears. As the story progresses, a connection develops between these four seemingly unrelated individuals, as well as a connection between the train and the Wastelands itself. Similar to many long train rides that I've taken across Europe, there are amazing landscapes to be seen in this novel, along with a few not so exciting times. However, the dual narrators of Kobna Holdbrook-Smith and Katie Leung were stellar and kept my interest throughout. Story: 3 stars, Narration: 4 stars = 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me access to this book in return for a review! I listened to this book, and really wish I had read it with my eyes. This book deserved more savoring than I gave it. I kept getting distracted or having people talk to me while listening lol- and so I feel like I didn’t get as into it as I wanted to, but I still really enjoyed it, and I was still left with an overall feeling that this book was just a gem. It starts off pretty slow, with a lot of little vignettes of people, and I was a little worried for awhile, but once the plot really gets going and Eleanor enters, and we learn more about the Wastelands, it’s just fascinating. I liked the slightly steampunk-feeling setting and the inclusion of so many fantasy elements. The characters were likable and multifaceted, and the creatures/plants/world building was interesting and unique. This is one of those great books that are written “for adults”, but it’s totally clean and appropriate for children if memory serves me, maybe starting at 9/10. It’s one of my biggest pet peeves for books to be filled with gratuitous violence, gore, sex, and cursing. Sometimes some is necessary but it’s refreshing and peaceful to read a book that’s clean. The voice actor for the audiobook did a great job: they were subtle in their voice shifts instead of forcing huge differences, which made it pleasant to listen to, and their performance didn’t distract from the story. I would absolutely read a sequel, and more from this author.

Sarah Brooks’ *The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wasteland* is a practical handbook mixed with deep thoughts on surviving after the apocalypse. I’d rate it 3.5 stars out of 5. Brooks gives useful tips for staying alive in a ruined world, but sometimes the book gets too focused on theory and repeats itself.

What stands out is the audiobook version, narrated by Katie Leung and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. They really bring Brooks’ advice to life with their engaging voices. Leung’s clarity pairs well with Holdbrook-Smith’s serious tone, making the audiobook a gripping listen from start to finish.

While Brooks offers lots of good advice, some parts might seem too cautious or repetitive. It would be better if the book included more diverse survival strategies to cover different situations survivors might face.

Overall, *The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wasteland* is a solid choice if you’re into post-apocalyptic stuff. It’s practical and makes you think about how people can adapt to tough situations. The audiobook, thanks to Leung and Holdbrook-Smith, adds an extra layer of excitement and insight to the experience.

The Wastelands are a place of mystery, wonder and risk — if you look too closely you will be forever changed. It’s the end of the 19th century, a time of exploration and Exhibitions, and the Trans-Siberian railway crosses from Beijing to Moscow. The security of the train is in question — will the outside stay out? Everyone is looking for something in this latest passage through and no one will leave unchanged.

First, this was a good audiobook. The narration was well done and captured the characters. I listened to it at 1.5x speed which was probably a little fast as the transitions between characters was sometimes hard to follow. But I kept up okay. I do think I would have engaged more with the mysteriousness of the novel if I had read a physical copy.

The novel itself was good too. I really liked the concept of the Wastelands as something more organic and changing — that the landscape is truly changed by those passing through and what that really means. At times I struggled following the threads of the story but it all wrapped up nicely at the end. 3 stars.

Review based on a Advanced Audiobook provided by Macmillan Audio and NetGalley. Thank you!

I have a copy of The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands on pre-order, but I didn't want to wait for the release date to give it a try, and I'm really glad I didn't. This book was everything I was hoping it would be, and sometimes a lot more.

The book follows three POVs: Marya, a woman with an agenda, Henry Grey, a 19th century naturalist, and WeiWei, the child of the train. The book is part mystery, part historical fiction, part dystopian science fiction, and part horror. You might think it can't do all of these things well, but Sarah Brooks manages to pull it off spectacularly. I don't want to say too much, though, because I think the book works best if you go in knowing as little as possible.

Before starting the audio ARC, I read an excerpt of the first few pages online, and what I noticed was that the writing, while excellent, was a little dense. I worried it might be hard to get into the story with a slow beginning, but as I started listening to the audiobook, I was immediately engrossed. I do want to mention the quality of the narration, as I received an audio ARC from the publisher and didn't yet have access to the physical book. In the audio, there are two narrators, one male and one female, and each narrate their own characters. While I adored the male narrator's performance, I found the female narrator's performance to sound a little stilted at times. There was little inflection in the way she delivered the lines, and because of this, it often felt like parts of the book lacked the emotional resonance they were intended to have. For this reason, I'm not sure that I would recommend the audiobook over the physical, but I wholeheartedly recommend reading this book in whatever format suits the reader best.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for granting me an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!

THE CAUTIOUS TRAVELLER'S GUIDE TO THE WASTELANDS effortlessly combines the mystical and otherworldly with the more scientific pursuits in a sublime version of what gaslamp fantasy can be. Brooks gives her readers diverse and beguiling characters being directly impacted by their train ride across the Wastelands.

What was so good about this tale was simply the writing. The flow from character to character and the pace at which the author propels the story forward allows the reader to feel as if they are a passenger on the Trans-Siberian Express with all the others. And of course, there is always the looming question of what this trip will do to the passengers. Secrets are being held close, connections are being made, and each person met is trying to decipher who can truly be trusted.

From beginning to end, THE CAUTIOUS TRAVELLER'S GUIDE TO THE WASTELANDS takes the reader on a journey filled with twists and turns. There may be a set route for this voyage, but it soon becomes clear that the mystery of the last trip is ever-present. Brooks delivered a fantasy with a hint of intrigue which in this humble reader’s opinion is some of the best kinds of books.

Audiobook Note: Katie Leung and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith narrate this book in a way that only enhances the story. I have listened to both narrators before in other books, so it was a treat to hear them together in this one. The pace, inflection, and overall flow of this audiobook are great. Having spent half the time reading this book by listening allowed me to pick up where I left off with the bonus of giving a voice to the characters I had become fascinated with.

This book let me down big time. I feel like I maybe went in with different expectations but I just felt disengaged and truly bored in some parts. I ended up dnf-ing around the 76% mark because I could not compel myself to really care about the plot.
I saw that most people on Goodreads really liked this book so maybe I need to give it a shot again at a later time. Sometimes audiobooks don't reel me the in the way that a physical or ebook would so hopefully a library near me will get this book in and I can try again.

2.5

I was looking forward to this one, but it wasn't for me. The premise initially caught my eye - a Trans-Siberian train that is the only means of travel through the Wasteland; the abandoned wilderness between countries, that's inhabited by strange creatures, the air thought to be deadly. Our main cast on board are Marya, a woman undercover, looking to find more information on the last crossing in relation to her father's death; Weiwei, a teenager who was born on the train and has spent her whole life there; and Henry Gray... A Guy.

There were many brief moments while listening to this that I thought it could be something really special, but I feel the different plot points and overall storytelling created a lot of lows and not enough highs. There was a huge missed opportunity in how little Marya and Weiwei interacted, I feel like a sense of kinship between the two of them may have been able to tie the different storylines together. The Wasteland itself was a missed opportunity, so much could've been expanded upon. Henry Gray was an annoyance that should have been a side character, there was not one singular time when I was like "omg I wonder what Henry is going to do". I wish The Professor could've been the other main character. Overall I couldn't get invested in the story, there was never a "peak" so to speak, and I was just wishing it would end. Very ambitious debut that could've been so much better.

<i>It is said there is a price that every passenger must pay. A price beyond the cost of a ticket.</i>

My price was mind-numbing boredom.

(All that said, the narration was very well done. There were some inconsistencies but I'll chalk that up to it being an ARC.)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this audiobook, now available as of June 18th.

This was an interesting book. It was well written, and I enjoyed the the setting on the Trans-Siberian express.
The narration was well done. I was surprised to see that the girl who played Cho Chang in the Harry Potter movies narrated it. She did a great job! This is a perfect book for people who like historical fantasy/sci-fi, and enjoyed the Midnight Library.

The Synopsis of this book really drew me in. It sounded so interesting! I actually had a few mutuals who want to read this book so I was excited to start.

It just fell flat for me. I unfortunately may not be the targeted audience for this book. Which mad me really sad. I really tried but the only character I could feel a connection for was Weiwei but that was it.

I know this could be really good for others, so don't let my vibe sway you!

Rating: Enjoyed It, 3.5 stars, rounded to 4

This was a very well-written debut. The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands is a historical fantasy, mystery novel. It is set on a train that runs between Bejing & Moscow, running through the Wastelands. The Wastelands are a mysterious stretch of land that has some magical and horrific elements. The train is a wonder that protects the passengers, but what happens if they aren't as protected as they initially thought?

We follow multiple different passengers on the train as well as some of the employees of the train. There is a mysterious stowaway, a girl trying to avenge the death of her father, and a disgraced naturalist trying to make a name for himself again, to name a few. I felt like each POV had a distinct voice, which was really lovely to see in a debut. There are some gothic horror elements as well as some mystery-esque elements as we figure out what is truly going on with the train and the company that owns it.

I thought that the wastelands was really interesting and I enjoyed learning more about it. Overall, I feel like the characters were well crafted and the plot moved along at a good clip, keeping me engaged throughout. I don't know that I really latched onto any one element, but I was excited to see how it ended. It's not my typical read, but I did enjoy it. It doesn't hit the same way epic fantasy does, so it's not going to be a favorite, but I am glad I read it., and the audiobook narration was very well done.

Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for an audio review copy. The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands releases on June 18, 2024.

I loved the plot line and story. However, I got lost a few times, I was bored until about 80% and I wanted more details. But overall, I did enjoy it and would love it if there was more.

I truly enjoyed this book! It’s a steampunk, sci-fi with some mysterious elements that I loved so much. The first bit of the book is meeting our characters and learning about the train they are on which is the Trans-Siberian and then understanding what the wastelands are or what we think they are. So a lot of world building and character building but then it’s just one wild, mysterious, sometimes kinda creepy experience after another.
I listened on audio and it’s read by Katie Leung( who was Cho Chang from Harry Potter) and she did excellent. I was so immersed by the story and then her telling it…..Outstanding combo!
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to listen to this incredible story.