This historical fantasy novel is a gripping tale set on the Trans-Siberian Express, a train that travels across the dangerous and mysterious Wastelands. The story follows a diverse group of passengers, each with their secrets and reasons for boarding the train while unknown threats lurk outside and within the train.

The book reads like an Agatha Christie novel. You are taken on a ride to discover what went wrong on the train's last journey. Several suspicious characters propel the story along. There is a constant backdrop of tension, and the train journey's isolation heightens the sense of claustrophobia and suspense. The characters have intertwining stories that create a gripping narrative. I liked the idea of a fantasy/mystery story, which was unique. I enjoyed the audio version of this book.

I received an ARC audiobook from Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for my honest review.

While beautifully written, this book is kind of boring. Which is weird considering it’s about a treacherous train journey with mysterious creatures, deaths, and stowaway.

I would like to thank NetGalley for giving me an audio-arc in exchange for an honest review.

At first glance, this seemed right up my alley. The Trans-Siberean train going across the treacherous wastelands with, basically, monstrous wildlife? Yes. I'm all for it. The wastelands reminded me of some of the areas in Fallout with the intense wildlife. But the problem with that for me was we didn't get to see it as much as I would've liked. Still, super cool.

But for me, the characters felt one-dimensional and i found myself drifting off during their interactions with one another. It also didn't help that the audio narrator didn't really distinguish who was talking in a way that made it less confusing. There were just a few too many characters for my taste.

I definitely will be checking out any future books by this author as the concept was super interesting.

I loved this book. It really transported you and I was looking forward to getting in my car to drive to work so I could listen to this. I though the narration was excellent apart from one thing. Some of the characters sounded Scottish to me vs. Russian (which I think was supposed to be the intended accent).

Actual Rating 2.5

It’s the end of the 19th century and the land that lies between Beijing and Moscow is an uninhabitable wasteland full of terrifying plants and creatures. The only way that humans dare traverse this land is by using the Great Trans-Siberian Express, a powerful train that has been built to withstand the Wastelands. On this current trip are several different passengers with varied motivations, hopes, and secrets. But little do they know that the train has secrets of its own, and that it may be less safe than its claimed to be.

This story follows many different characters who have one thing in common – travelling on the train through the wastelands of Siberia. Because there are so many characters with different motivations and they’re not given the same amount of page time, it was difficult to really connect with any of them. They were written well enough to not detract too much from the book, but I couldn’t emotionally connect with them or find them that compelling.

I did like that excerpts from the travel guide were included throughout in relevant parts. This was a fun addition, and the book was referenced regularly. The outside world was the most interesting part of the book, but there wasn’t much information provided about it beyond surface-level observations. The book had a sort of locked-room feel which is normally something I enjoy, but since I wanted to know more about everything outside of the “room” it didn’t quite work as well for me. This was a very slow paced read until the last 20% or so when things happened so quickly I could hardly keep track of it all.

I listened to the audiobook version of the work, and the narrators did an excellent job. I do recommend checking this version out if you’re going to read it so you can multitask. My thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to read this work, which will be published June 18, 2024. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

What an interesting listen! This book was part magical realism, part eco-horror, part steampunk with a dash of gothic orphan adventure.

A classic cast of characters on a train through the wastelands, with sketchy company men, a young woman in disguise looking for the truth behind her inventor-father’s death, an older outspoken countess, and an orphan born on and living on the train who comes upon a mysterious stowaway.

Although this book appears to be following a predictable storyline, it is full of twists, turns and surprises. Elena, the stowaway is fascinating and her ties to the wastelands reveals itself in creepy yet ultimately uplifting ways.

I enjoyed every moment. A different and enveloping novel very well narrated.

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.

3.5 ⭐️

I have mixed feelings about this book. First, I love the concept. I love the idea of a mysterious train traveling through this eerie, foreboding, sentient landscape that is explicitly feared by travelers. Unfortunately, I thought there was a lack of depth for the characters, and I needed more world building. There is a relatively large cast for a closed proximity book. We’re on the train with almost exclusively the same people the entire book, and I still found myself struggling to keep people straight. I don’t really understand many of the characters, and their motivations, by the end of the book. I don’t understand the world these characters live in well enough to make the assumptions I think readers are supposed to innately understand. The last ~30% of the book or so far outshines the rest; it really shouldn’t take a reader 70% of the book to catch on enough to enjoy the story. I really wanted to love this story more than I did.

For the audiobook, narrated by mostly by Katie Leung with Kobna Holdbrook-Smith adding excerpts, I liked what I heard. Leung speaks with urgency throughout the book which lends to the feeling of bad/creepy/unknown things ahead.

Possible metaphor at play: Capitalism takes no prisoners; people or the environment, it makes no difference. Capitalism values revenue above all else regardless of the consequences. What if the environment could fight back in its own best interest? When warnings from whistleblowers can be ignored and rationalized away, the environment could be relentlessly persistent if it could think and evolve before your eyes.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Brooks, and Macmillan Audio for this audiobook ARC.

I admit upfront that while I was drawn to the cool cover, it was entirely the participation of Kobna Holdbrook-Smith that led me to request this one. I didn't even know what the story was about, frankly, before I hit the request button. I LOVE his narrations and have found that I've enjoyed everything of his that I've listened to, regardless of the type of book or story. I didn't realize he was not the primary narrator, but would only play a relatively small part in the overall narration. It didn't matter, ultimately, because I was drawn into Brooks' complex and wholly original world from the opening salvo and remained curious and captivated throughout.

This is a difficult book to describe - it feels, in turn, like a mashup of fantasy, steampunk, supernatural, and mystery. Regardless of how you describe it though, it works. The characters are fabulously well developed and marvelously presented through the combination of Holdbrook-Smith as Rostov (the author of the eponymous guide) and Katie Leung (the remainder of the narration). The story travels on a path that wanders, which is altogether fitting given the subject matter and wholly entertaining. I love the presentation of the Wastelands, and the intermingling of the present journey and the quest to resolve issues associated with the previous (tragic) one. Things get a little weird, but not in a bad way, and on the whole I found this to be a fabulous listen.

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 was grateful to receive and audio ARC from NetGalley and MacMillan Audio - I genuinely think the audio rendition improved my reading experience of this book!

This book was on my summer reading list so I was so excited when given the opportunity to listen to the audio version through Net Galley. The narrators were quite good on this story and kept me entertained and listening. I do wish that the story had picked up a little sooner. The beginning of the book seemed a bit slow to me. That said, once it did pick up I found myself lost in the story to the point that I kept walking so I could keep listening rather than head home.
I would rate it a 3.25

3.5 out of 5 Stars

A fun, quick, and entertaining read that is great for the weekend.

Thank you Netgalley for this E-Arc

The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands is a novel that takes place on a train voyage aboard the Trans-Siberian Express, which spans Beijing to Moscow.

The author creates a story that does indeed evoke Piranesi and Agatha Christie vibes. This story is a blur of genres including steampunk, cli-fi (Climate-related sci-fi), fantasy, and gothic horror. It contains a cast of characters akin to the Orient Express; however, more interesting is that the train itself or the location is a character like in Piranesi.

Additionally, like the Clarke novel, you will see the characters begin to question their surroundings and what they think to be true. There is a slow build-up of suspense and a sense of horror that will have you questioning what lies beyond the “safety” of the train and how we are passengers moving into an unknown future. Dare we take a more active role?

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillion for an ARC of the audiobook. The narration by Katie Leung and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith was excellent and engaging.

I absolutely adored the premise based on the blurb and loved the cover, but man the first half of this book felt like nothing really happened and I had a hard time staying focused because I just couldn't be bothered to care. I wasn't interested in some of the characters and their secrets. I also had an issue with the world building which wasn't fully fleshed out. I needed more world building, more explanations to love this one. I do think this book will find an audience of people who enjoy it as reading is subjective, but for personally, it feel a bit flat.

2.5 stars

This was disappointing. The concept was so cool. But somehow this was so incredibly boring, and I just didn't care about the characters or what happened to them.
The first 60% of the book is just characters walking around the train and talking or being a little mysterious. It is very descriptive and it's very easy to picture everything described. The atmosphere is one of a bit of dread, and yet somehow I just wasn't moved to an emotion.
I do think this could easily find an audience that will enjoy it. It just wasn't for me unfortunately.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview. All opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands was a complex story with interesting characters, a fun premise, and whimsical moments that unfortunately fell flat for me.

Though the idea of the story, the characters, the setting, and the writing were all fantastic, the execution was not for me. I felt like it needed to be longer, and some parts felt like they needed to be faster and others slower. The character development felt odd and I found I couldn’t connect to them or the world. I did really enjoy the writing, though, and there were many whimsically beautiful scenes. The ending was also lovely. It was a fun read, and I would still recommend it to fans of The Night Circus!

The narrator for this one was great! She captured the characters’ voices, personalities, and the feeling of the story really well. I had a great time listening to her performance.

Thank you to the publisher for the free ALC!

Not what I was expected but still a fun and unique journey. You'll see a lot of influences in this one, from authors like Agatha Christie, Jeff VanderMeer, and Leigh Bardugo, but Brooks makes her world unique.

Brooks weaves in the recent popular idea of a "green apocalypse" in her book, that is, wildlife and nature growing wild, with some truly evocative and unnerving descriptions of the wastelands wild flora and fauna. There's one particular scene with where the train is followed by "trains" that decently freaked me out. There's also a layer of cosmic horror to the idea of these forms of life that is unsettling, especially as the story goes on.

The narration by Katie Leung was wonderful as well. I'm literally only familiar with her as Cho Chang from the Harry Potter movies, so I was very impressed with her narration. She does voices and accents and puts in the appropriate emotion - the former is frosting but the latter I find most important, especially after having recently listened to some audiobooks with awkward or lack of tone and inflection and it was... not pleasant. So having such a wonderful narrator now was welcomed, and Leung has a very nice voice for audiobooks as well.

Rating this is difficult for me, though, even as much as I enjoyed it, because it wasn't what I expected. It reminds me of something by Alix E. Harrow, a fantastical horror-adjacent historical fiction. I also was hoping it'd be like a new favorite I read recently, The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett. It definitely has similar vibes, if you also enjoyed that story.

I think I'm giving this a 4 for now, because I know I'll be thinking about this story and it's world for a while and would happily check out a sequel if there was one.

The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks. I was prepared to love this book. I love the premise - a train trip on the Trans Siberian Railway that runs from Beijing to Moscow. The novel is a fantasy adventure story. The story is set on the luxurious yet perilous Trans-Siberian Express, the sole mode of transportation across the enigmatic Wastelands. This backdrop provides a rich setting filled with potential, though the execution sometimes falls short of the novel's ambitious premise. The blurbs comparing to Piranisi set a very high bar which this story does not meet.

The plot revolves around a group of passengers, and they all have secrets. In this repect, I understand the comparison to Murder on the Orient Express. Zhang Weiwei, the lifelong resident of the train, is an interesting character who offers a unique perspective on the dangerous journey. Her encounter with Elena, a stowaway with a mysterious connection to the Wastelands, adds a layer of intrigue and friendship. Marya Petrovna and Henry Grey are two other central characters whose stories add depth to the narrative. Marya, a grieving woman with a borrowed name, and Henry, a disgraced naturalist seeking redemption, provide personal stakes that enrich the story. However, their character arcs feel predictable and underdeveloped. The pacing is uneven as it starts very slowly, and I found the world building lacking.

The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands is a book that I liked, but did not love. It offers a unique setting and an interesting premise, but the execution lacks the world building, character development, and narrative complexity to fully capture the reader. Sarah Brooks has crafted a story with enormous potential, and while the journey is enjoyable, it feels like there are more stories left to be told and more depths to be explored within this world.

Overall, the novel is a book that I liked, although this more magical realism than fantasy. It’s a journey worth taking, even if it doesn’t quite reach the heights it aims for. 3.5 stars.

I loved the audio narration of this story.

Thank you to Net Galley and Macmillan Audio for my advance copy of the book.

A little bit of Murder on the Orient Express + a good amount of Snowpiercer, plus there be monsters in the wasteland. I felt like it blended its different flavors very well, and created a unique singular world that I'd definitely be interested in revisiting at some point.

THANK YOU to NetGalley & the Publisher for allowing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this book! I love how it feels - the atmosphere the story creates is cozy yet mysterious, like the ghost train in Spirited Away. In fact, I would often find myself thinking of Spirited Away while reading this book, but not because anything was copied or directly inspired by, but because it had the perfect vibes that Spirited Away offers. I was shocked that the author has only written cooking/herbal/how to guides previous to this!

I liked the writing style of this book a lot. There are a lot of fantasy books recently that read like a high school project, or fanfiction. This felt adult, educated, and with zero cringe involved. This is my number one issue with all books I read. If they can pass the cringe writing test, the book is automatically elevated above others.

The concepts presented in this book are great. I loved the concept of WeiWei as a character being born on the train and therefore from the train itself, belonging neither here nor there. The train itself doesn't do much for me (not really an "Orient Express" story-type fan) but coupled with the rest of the concepts presented, it works extremely well.

I loved the concept of the landscape/Wasteland. I love that it's all interconnected, like its own world apart from the one it's sharing the planet with. I love that everything is interconnected, like fungi. But I also hated that it had to be Fungi. Everything recently plays off the idea of invasive fungi. I think it's an over-played idea - maybe have things communicate through shared energies or something? Collective unconscious? Or, just leave it ambiguous. There's already a ton of Wasteland ambiguity so I don't feel like it would work against it to not explain that aspect. I will say though, after making it to the end, I see why she said the landscape was calling to them to ride the train at the beginning of the story. It does seem like the Wasteland was waiting for the right group to present itself.

I found myself thinking about current events way more than I would have ever expected to while reading this book (in a good way!). In a time of Boeing scandals, and train derailment scandals, this book does feel eerily too familiar. The Company and the way they conduct themselves is a little too realistic to be Science Fiction!

The main reason I knocked off a star is... it does drag. As others have said in their reviews, from about 20% through 50%, it's sort of a drag. The world building in the first part, and the relationship building/climax in the last half are great, but the middle meat of the story doesn't provide enough excitement or drama to keep us rolling. It is definitely a slow burn Sci-Fi Fantasy novel. It didn't bother me that much since I was enjoying the experience of the Spirited Away train ride vibes, but I found myself asking questions that weren't really answered. For instance..

I realized at about 50% that they had been talking about how toxic and scary the Wastelands are, but are also riding on a train that someone had to build tracks for. It wasn't really explained how the track was built, I don't think. Unless I missed it? It needed to be more clear how all of this was possible, or safety measures taken for this train to function. The history of the discovery of the Wastelands, and why it was automatically feared, etc. would have helped a lot to clear up some basic underlying questions.

That leads me to my other point -- How does the Wastelands work? I thought we were going to have an adventure through the Wastelands. What we got was a train ride through the Wastelands with only 5% Wasteland participation in the story. It was mostly just the train ride, and the people on it, with no direct contact or explanation on why the Wastelands are feared, toxic, etc. I think ultimately this is because our characters are from "our side" of the world and don't know anything about the Wastelands themselves (hence the train rides through & obvious experimentations) but we had a character directly from the Wastelands that was interacting with a main character. We could have had something. The scene where they actually make it off the train and into the Wastelands would have been amazing for that. The two characters could have had prolonged exposure to the Wastelands and a plot point inserted to give us a natural, in-context view of how this world works. Instead, we only got more questions. What was the loud, raging creature? Why did it care that the moss went missing, if it was what was needed for the train to become infected? With more exploration, the book would have had less dragging/more momentum, and the story would have been so much richer.

Overall, loved this book. I really just think the pacing suffers here and there, and more in depth world building could have been offered to correct that pacing. I will be looking forward to the next thing Sarah has to offer & would 100% read any sequel to this!