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.

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.