3.5 Stars

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this story in exchange for an honest review.

This reminded me of the episode of Doctor Who "Midnight." IYKYK
The premise was intriguing - a mysterious train ride through the magical and mystical wasteland of Siberia? Sign me up. However, I found the story to be anticlimactic. No real action occurred until the very end, and the rest of the novel was a lot of talking with little plot movement. I thought it was well written and overall enjoyed it, but I wish it was better.

This is a really unique story and I am glad I read the audiobook version. The narration was excellent. I enjoyed the narrators' use of accents. Katie Leung was so pleasant to listen to. I'd probably give this 4.25 maybe even 4.5 stars. I need to let it sit a bit more before my final rating.

I would classify this as being a light fantasy book. It's historical fiction, alternate history, magical realism, steampunk, with some fantastical elements thrown in. I would maybe call this a cozy fantasy but that may be because the narration was cozy and less about the actual story... Because there are some horror elements here with the Wastelands creatures and a general foreboding feeling always in the background. I loved the combination of tropes and storytelling styles.

This is the type of book that slowly unfolds as the characters go about their individual lives but are slowly brought together through the plot and by the end we see all of the treads that were being woven come together. I loved that this was told from multiple perspectives so we were able to see the culture on the train from all angles (I love that we get to see the crew and the behind the scenes to making the train journey work, but also got to spend some time in the first class cabins). I will definitely be recommending this book!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing an eARC of this book.

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!

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for providing me with audiobook ARC.

I absolutely devoured this book. I listened almost non-stop for an entire day. This book delivers on everything it promises: a perilous train journey through the magical yet treacherous Wastelands. The cast of characters represent a vast array of personalities. It is soon clear that not everything is what it seems on the Great Trans-Siberian Express.

I could rave about the narrator for days. Her voice is so soothing while also maintaining the ability to perform a wide variety voices and accents. I hope to hear more audiobooks narrated by Katie Leung.

I’ve already preordered the audiobook because I know I will want to return for a re-listen. If you’re looking for a historical mystery with a fantasy twist, this is the perfect audiobook.

This was one of the weirder books I’ve read in quite some time. I would describe it as a mix between Piranesi, A Letter to the Luminous Deep, and Mexican Gothic.

Both of the narrators were very nice to listen to! I always love having multiple narrators and it was really helpful to differentiate between the excerpts from the fictional Guide and from the actual characters.

Set in an alternative nineteenth century Asia and Eastern Europe, the Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands follows a cast of characters travelling by train across a treacherous stretch of land between Beijing and Moscow. As they travel, the barriers between the safety of the train and the supposed danger of the Wastelands come down.

I enjoyed the premise of this book and the way the mystery of the Wastelands unfolds throughout the story. Unfortunately, I never quite felt fully connected to any of the POV characters and wish there had been a bit more explanation for the Wastelands. At times it could be a little difficult to tell apart perspectives, especially on the audio. I’d still recommend it though as probably the most unique book I’ve read so far in 2024, and I have a feeling it’ll stick with me.

What was your last weird read? Because this one gets strange (out June 18,2024). "The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands" by Sarah Brooks initially caught my attention with its hitchhiker's guide-esque title, that idea went off the rails in a couple of ways rapidly.

There is only one way across the Wastelands, the Trans-Siberian Express. The world's strongest train, armored as well a luxurious (for first class). But there has been a delay in operation, an incident occurred and no one who was aboard can remember what happened. This is the first run since that delay and folks are a bit twitchy. And they should be. Because all that armor is there for a reason.

Narrated by Katie Leung and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. Delivery on the footnotes being calm and measured while some wild stuff is going on always gives me a laugh. The different PoVs landed with their own voices as they dealt with their own reasons for being on the train.

Reasons to read:
-Kinda oddly good timing to poke fun at transportation companies (if I vanish it was them)
-The Wastelands is just strange and unsettling
-The reasons for the people to be on the train, most people don't even consider the origin of things like glass
-Failed academic scrambling to be relevant again

Cons:
-Once again I'm looking for some OSHA compliance

There was a lot happening and it was a tad difficult to differentiate between some of the characters.

What’s that? A refrain that echoes through every crossing. The crew have taught themselves not to react. A crawler, a specter; some familiar strangeness.

This was really good and inventive. The writing is a little thick so it took me a while to finish, but I was engrossed almost the entire time.

One part historical fantasy, one part science fiction, and a decent helping of horror thrown in. A train full of people traverses the wastelands that are both dangerous and unknowable, a land known for inducing bouts of madness or even memory loss.

The Plotting + Writing:
The story is told from 3 POVs. Arguably WeiWei, the child of the train, is the main POV and where most of the story orbits. She is curious and confident with a streak of defiance that helps her pursue a new relationship with the Wastelands.

Next is Marya, who is investigating a mystery and what happened on the previous journey. And lastly the scientist Grey (arguably the closest the book comes to a villain, other than the Crows/corporation) who is wealthy and entitled and driven by a need to define, own, and put his name to the universe.

Horror:
I'm honestly surprised that Horror isn't a higher label for this book. Maybe it's that the US cover is deceptively sweet, even while the plants on the UK cover mimic skeletons. There are a lot of bugs and tendrils and a persistent sense of uneasiness/foreboding that starts around the first third and never lets up for the rest of the novel. For the most part the descriptions are not gruesome, only haunting, aside from some predator/prey observations.

The Train:
Looking back at the synopsis, I totally see the Piranesi comparisons now. This isn't like Piranesi in the language and almost poetic nature, nor in the mysteries or plot unfurlings, but it's certainly similar in that the train and the Wastelands are essentially characters themselves. The setting is essential to the story and is often a living thing (the pulse of the train like a heartbeat, the connections in the Wastelands like veins).

Overall:
I really enjoyed this a lot and would probably give it a solid 4.5/5 stars, but with potential to be upgraded on further reflection if it really sits with me. If anything about the synopsis or reviews appeals to you, definitely try it! I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Audiobook Notes:
I really loved this book when I read it earlier this year, and I think the audio version is quite good. There are two narrators (male and female voices) and they do that recent trend where each narrator will voice their characters, even during the other narrator's POV chapters. I think the female voice can lack oomph and feel a little rote, especially when narrating Marya, but overall seemed like a decent audio adaptation!

Good world building in this dark apocalyptic story. Interesting story and characters, very descriptive and a well read audiobook. I think I would have liked this better if I read it rather than listened, though.

Eerie and atmospheric. A book that pulls you in with a bit of horror, mystery and complex characters.

I’m always going to want to read a book that takes place on a train. I blame Agatha for that specific interest. Although I’d say this book gives off more of the vibe of Snowpiercer. The train travels through the Wastelands which will give you a creepy feeling with what lies within it. There is definitely a subtle horror feeling through out this book. I’m not one to read much horror so don’t let that stop you from picking this one up. The book started off a bit slow for me but around 50% or so it starts to pick up a bit and I found myself wanting to know more. However I didn’t find myself entirely too interested in the story or the outcome which is why it was a 3 star read for me. I was definitely expecting more fantasy within this book but it reads as more of a dystopian historical fiction.

I had the chance to listen to the audiobook and the narrator gave a voice to each character in a way that was engaging and easy to follow along.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

I picked up this book to listen to Kobna Holbrook. I would listen to him read the back of a cereal box. Unfortunately, he took a very minor role in the audio of this book. That being said, the audio was well done and didn't distract from the story.

What fabulous world-building from debut novelist Sarah Brooks. I found echoes of the Golden Compass and Agatha Christie's Golden Age Orient Express. I really wanted to engage more with these characters, but the story line never seemed to develop much beyond the (admittedly fabulous) story of the majestic train traveling across a wasteland filled with fantastic creatures.

I'm torn between a 5 stars for the premise, and 3 stars for the story line. 4 stars it is, rounding up!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Genre: Fantasy
Siberia, late 19th century

Vibey and atmospheric, The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands is set in the late 19th century on the Trans-Siberian Railway stretching from Beijing to Moscow across the dangerous empty expanses of frozen Wastelands. Fantastical but tonally appropriate for its era of propriety and also wonder. Maya is the daughter of a prominent member of the Company. Wei Wei was born on the train. Elena is a stowaway. The paths of all three girls cross on board a journey that will change not only the railway but the entire world.

I'm a big fan of trains so this was an intriguing book to pick up. Maybe like a 19th century YA Snowpiercer. It's largely successful in building atmosphere and maintaining mystery, even if the plot and character development remain light. I enjoyed my ride on this train journey, and the audiobook was lovely to listen to.

3.5 rounded down.
The Trans Siberian Company takes intrepid travelers from Moscow to Beijing and back through the lands in-between dubbed the wastelands. The travelers include Marya (a woman in mourning), Wei Wei (a daughter of the train), Henry (a disgraced naturalist), Suzuki (a cartographer), and Eleanor (a stowaway). This journey is even more fraught as the last journey ended in the deaths of 4. Interspersed throughout are excerpts from The Cautious Travelers Guide to the Wastelands.

I was a bit surprised by how this book is pitched. I'm not sure I see the connection with the Midnight Library; I would describe it as an intersection between historical fantasy meets Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer. The narrator, Katie Leung, does a lovely job relating the tension on the train. That said, I had a hard time getting into this book. The first two thirds felt slow, then al the action happens in the back third. I struggled to connect with the stakes for the characters.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for an ALC on NetGalley. All opinions are my own. This book is due to be published 6/18/24.

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.
Narrator did a great job but could have benefited from more differentiation between women's voices.

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.

About the audiobook narration: it was fine, but could've been better. The narrator doesn't really change her voice for each character, and I think that was a mistake. There are quite a few characters here and differentiating them isn't only helpful, it would also make the audiobook more dynamic.

Between Beijing and Moscow, there is a wasteland full of rapidly mutating flora and fauna that is as strange as it is terrifying. And there is a train that is the only way to safely traverse the wasteland without becoming infected by it. The story follows Weiwei, a member of the train's crew, Marya Petrovna who is looking to uncover the train's secrets, and Henry Grey who wants to uncover the miracles the wasteland contains.

I really enjoyed the descriptions of this train and the strange landscape it passes through. I thought it was a wonderful book about how we can both change and be changed by the world around us.

I thought both narrators did a great job, and I appreciated that one narrator voiced the characters while the other voiced excerpts from the in-world book, The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands.

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the audio arc, my opinion is my own.

I had requested an earc of this book as the premise was very up my alley, and was delighted that I received an audio to listen to instead.

The story follows quite a few different people as we take the train across the Wastelands. WeiWei is the child of the train, raised on there by her not really a mother, the conductor. The professor watches the Wastelands and writes what he sees. Marya is a grieving widow, riding back to where she came, and there is a stowaway. The beginning starts off fairly normal, we meet our cast, see how it is like, and it descends into madness.

I did like the narrator overall, I am realizing now however that Elena is said as Elenore, which made things a bit confusing now. This definitely reminded me of Piranesi and Mothtown.

Such a fun premise, I have already started recommending it to people! One of my librarians put it on hold already, and I’ve sent it out to other librarians to enjoy. The author has such a great sense of place, the train and the wasteland were so fantastic and compelling, I was sucked right in!

I did think there were some nagging questions about the larger world that bugged me—like how Russia appears identical to England and no where is any actual Russian culture. But I loved the setting that I tried to put it aside!

This was the first audiobook I’ve listened to outside of a biography. The narrator did a great job of differentiating between characters through different voices. I wish I had been approved to read this book instead of the audio book because I found it hard to follow the plot without zoning out.

The plot was interesting because I had never read a book with a similar premise.

Hank you for proving me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Solid 4.5 stars.

Very well-narrated audiobook.

Step aboard this train ride, for a both tender and creepy journey through the changes that have been shut out of dignified society! This book starts with a bit of a chug-chug-chug, but then really gets rolling at a good medium-paced clip. The characters aboard the train are varied, and many have hidden agendas and/or identities. Certainly, they have all signed up for an adventure. Those who continue to peer out of the windows (against advisement) may even fall prey to "the wastelands sickness", at a cost of their own sanity. The crew do their best to maintain brave faces, despite knowing that unfathomable changes are taking place outside. Plus, they are being constantly scrutinized by the train company's two profit-maximizing representatives.

Great world-building and great writing are hallmarks of this wonderful book. The creepiness level (and persistently waning normalcy) of this book is super reminiscent of something T. Kingfisher would have created - making it an absolute delight. And, it is all brought to life so well by the narrator of the audiobook.

I have one qualm. Geographically, I may understand why the author chose to set this story where it is (and I knew from the synopsis where it takes place) .... That said, I honestly believe that we need to stop romanticizng Russia in our stories. Given the vast world-building and imaginative writing that this book incorporates, surely it wouldn't have been much more work to set this adventure somewhere else? Given Russia's ongoing oppressive, colonizing violence against Ukraine - plus the tens of thousands of Ukrainian children who have been kidnapped in the last two years from war-torn areas and forced to repress their heritage/culture and language in Russian foster families - we need to STOP glamorizing their existence!! I am still giving this book 4.5 stars because it deserves it, BUT setting any new book or story within this evil empire is an insult to the resistance of all Ukrainian people everywhere.

Huge gratitude to Netgalley and the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for an AudioARC of this book, in exchange for my (too) honest review.