Gogmagog, the series start and previous installment to Ludluda, was a big surprise to me earlier this year. With an older and somewhat crude protagonist it was a bit of a fresh of breath air compared to fantasy with younger characters.

We start Ludluda the morning after the ending of Gogmagog. The warning that Cady got about the young girl at the end of Gogmagog still haunts her. Yet nobody takes it seriously, not even Cady wants to. Who thinks a 10 year old could be evil?

And here in lies the problem. The switch from the young girl we had in Gogmagog to what we got in Ludluda was instant. It wasn't just the quickening she had to go through. It was already before that, that wasn't quite there in Gogmagog. Not that I can remember. I just wish this portion was better set-up.

Adding on to that is that this becomes a portal fantasy in the second half of this book. We actually come to our world. It just felt very seperate from what we had been following for so long. One could argue it was kind of there with the usage of the name of one man from our history. That wasn't enough however to feel like it was an actual part of the story. I also don't think the story needed to include our world to be able to make a point about pollution.

Having said that, I did still enjoy reading this book for what it was. The world and its characters are so interesting.

I still have a soft spot for Cady. She's just doing whatever is in her power. I would love to get a story of a slightly younger Cady (but still old) with those of her own kind. Or other stories that explore more of this world. There is so much more that could be explored.

Ludlula is the follow up and finale to the spectacularly strange story begun in Jeff Noon and Steve Beard’s collaboration Gogmagog. Gogmagog was ostensibly a fantasy book but packed full of other genre elements including steampunk, horror and science fiction. It told the tale of a journey up a river that is also the ghost of a long dead dragon with a ragtag crew captained by the ancient plant-woman and sailor Cady Meade.
Ludlula picks up where Gogmagog finishes. Meade has arrived in the city of Ludwich where her passenger, ten year old Brin will undergo a transformation known as the Hesting. Despite being warned not to let this ceremony happen, Meade facilitates it and sets in a train a possibly destructive train of events. But before she can get to that Meade, has to work out how to germinate the six buds growing out of her body. On the way she will navigate further up the river and discover that her city of Ludwich is connected to another city in another universe called London.
If all of this sounds too weird, suffice to say the actual book is a whole lot weirder. But readers who have been on this journey from book one will be keyed in enough to follow. And Cady Meade is such a rich and fascinating protagonist that it is easy to follow where she goes. And that is more so in Ludlula which is more focused on Meade and her quests than Gogmagog which had a slightly bigger cast.
Ludlula is dark, redolent often visceral new weird fantasy. Like bower birds, Noon and Beard have taken bits of and pieces of other genres and combined them into a glittering and heady mix of character, action and philosophy. While not quite as successful as Gogmagog, Ludlula does round out and complete the story and is a must for fans of the first book. And for those who want to explore more of this strange world, Noon and Beard provide a sting that hints that there could well be more to come.

3.5

This is the conclusion to the duology The Chronicles of Ludwich in which we join the story directly where book 1 leaves us. This story is both inventive and unique in premise. We get to explore more of the river that is haunted by the ghost of a dragon throughout Cady's continued journey to the city of Ludwich, where events occur that change the direction of the story as well as the importance of Cady's mission.

I enjoyed Cady's character and the dire straits she must go to in order to achieve her goal in the end. Unfortunately, I do feel that the story took some unusual turns that prevented the full development of why things were happening as well as missing some opportunities to connect back to previous events in the story.

I love the world in this story, and I am slightly saddened that we don't get more information about each city/location visited by Cady and her rag tag gang of individuals. In reading other reviews of this story, it seems that most people have enjoyed the world building, so please take this with a grain of salt. I felt like the world building was rushed. This series covers so much, as we are traveling down the river, but due to the movement of the story we never get to really soak in the characters and locations we visit.

I also think that the reveal that happens around 75% was an interesting choice. It threw me for a loop. The time taken in the last 25% to really develop this turn of events prevents the story from really connecting the dots at the end. This led to the ending feeling rather choppy with, what I viewed as really important scenes, being cut off before their importance had time to take hold.

I do applaud the authors for the high stakes of the story. The characters were always fair game in my mind for nefarious things to happen, which I think adds to the tension of the story. Along with that was the fact that I started to care for Cady, Lek, and even Jeb, which makes their endangerment even more suspenseful.

Overall, I think that this is one of the most unique fantasy stories I have read and am interested in seeing if my thoughts change upon reread. I know that after finishing the first book in the series I couldn't stop thinking about the story, so I imagine I will take the journey to Ludwich again sometime in the future.

Thank you to Angry Robot Books and Net Galley for giving me access to an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

"What's wrong with him?"
"A demon is wanking off inside his head."
"Oh, I hate it when that happens."

One of the things I love best about the genre that we still tend to call "the New Weird"' is how just plain funky it is. The best work of its major propagators -- Jeff Vandermeer, China Mieville, Alastair Reynolds, et al -- oozes with fluids and crusts, seepages, saps, slimes, scabs, but never gets too too gross. Though your mileage might vary.

Another master of the New Weird, though not traditionally as enraptured by the Grand Guignol as the guys I mentioned above, is Jeff Noon, who in his diesel punk/steampunk/biopunk (at what point do we just drop the modifiers and call it plain old "punk?") (but then an even better catch-all term occurs to me: Analog Punk) diptych with Steve Beard, gunks it up with the best of them from the very beginning of the first of the two novels.


I'm here officially to talk about the second book, Ludluda, which I was so excited for after loving the first one, Gogmagog, back in April that when I saw it on Netgalley I realized I didn't want to wait any longer than I had to. I didn't review Gogmagog on this here blog back in April, though, mostly for health reasons, but I'm going to make up for it here, or try to.

Just, you know, it's Ludluda I'm honor-bound to review. I just don't think I can talk coherently about it without also talking about Gogmagog.

Which, Gogmagog is so richly imagined, baroquely plotted and populated with so many bizarre variations on what constitutes a person, a natural phenomenon, a creature or a monster, and is chiefly concerned with wild hybridizations of any or all of these, that I had to quickly read it again to recall what all was going on and who everybody was and which kinds of people have little wings of varying degrees of functionality and which sprout cute little psychic antennae at puberty but only after a ritual that involves fusing themselves with funny little insects and how many different ghostly entities (with very different priorities and personalities and orientations toward the world) were spawned when an enormous, as in 60-mile-long, dragon was killed by a heroic king from outer space. Yep.

So, you see, it's not that Gogmagog isn't vivid and memorable, just that it's a lot, and I read a lot of books every year, and I'm happy to re-read good ones anyway so, why not?

But so, Ludluda. Which picks up the day after most of the events of Gogmagog as the ragtag crew of the steamship Juniper, after traveling upriver through the ghost body of the ghost dragon to the great capital city of Ludwich for a great festival and the chance for one passenger to maybe experience her strange psychic bug puberty and for the ship's captain maybe to get her about-to-bloom flower buds pollinated by the city's king's very special flower so the captain can finally reproduce after centuries and centuries of life.

Buckle up.

Gogmagog kicked off as our protagonist, Cady Meade, retired steamboat Captain, met a strange pair who desperately wanted her to resume her trade and take them to Ludwich in time for The Hesting -- a festival when tons of people flock to the city to celebrate and trade while scores of young members of the tribe/species that has the weird puberty in which they grow their psychic antennae undergo their rite of passage. The pair are Lek, a glitchy old robot of a decidedly low tech/magical kind, and his tiny young charge, ten year old Brin, who is due to "Hest" there in just a day or so.

Cady, a character I just adore, is crusty, gross and cranky, a belching, farting, pooping, smoking, drinking and coughing old sea dog (river dog), who doesn't seem to have much left to look forward to except a dwindling life of cadging cough drops and rotten food (she prefers it when her vittles have gone a bit off -- we kind of learn why later) from local shopkeepers and friends, but of course has a heart of gold and lets herself be persuaded to make the trip despite the dangers she operatically warns about.

And off they went through many bizarre adventures, sailing up a filthy river and through the ghostly body of the dragon Haakenur.

A sort of semi substantial dragon Griaule is Haakenur, dead but still very much a force in her world and inhabited by all kinds of supernatural and mundane creatures, and very much a resource for all kinds of magical energy and effluent around which entire weird ecosystems and economies have grown up. But nobody calls her Haakenur anymore; Haakenur was the living dragon, and her physical body is long gone. What Cady and co. must steam through is her ghost, Faynr. And occasionally they must deal with incursions from her other, more evil ghost, the Gogmagog that gives the first volume of the dyptic its name.

What I liked best about these books is a central idea they embody that I don't see in a lot of weird/fantasy fiction: that magic and magical processes have byproducts and produce waste and leave scars on the land, like industry does in our world. So the landscape through which the Juniper chugs is blighted with various effluvia and junk and hazards left behind by a recent war (including unexploded bombs; the war that took place here is very much a parallel with World War II, and we learn in Ludluda that the story takes place in the 1950s of this world and ours), and the inhabitants of that landscape are grudgingly living with the effects of this, with varying degrees of success.

This is all exacerbated by the fact that Faynr, the ghost body of the great dragon through whose body the ship is also traveling, is very sick and getting sicker. My favorite illustration of this comes when they pass the ghost dragon's gall bladder, which is developing gallstones in the form of great chalk cliffs to either side of the water, from which chunks have fallen. The chunks accrete more and more chalk and become serious navigation hazards until the river's course is almost entirely blocked and the Juniper is in danger of becoming another "chalkberg" as the material starts building up when the ship finally grinds to a halt.
Within the ghost organ of a ghost dragon. As one does.

But of course, since there is a sequel, we knew our heroes would get through this somehow, and they do, hence Ludluda.By the time the party reaches Ludwich, by the way, it has grown a bit with the addition of one Numi Tan, a sort of clay golem magically animated by the spirit of a dead girl who seeks the long lost lover with whom she romantically drowned herself (but the lover has never turned up among the clay golem people for a joyful reunion) and Pok Pok, another Thrawl that Lek rescued from a decrepit factory that used to churn out their kind. Pok Pok is too damaged to be a fully independent crew member but happily serves as a new figurehead and navigation assistant for the Juniper and utters gnomic observations in between steering directions.

As Ludluda gets underway, a few of three crew's quests are meeting successful ends, or at least apparent resolutions, even as others begin or continue. This results in the sundering of the company, who, after all, were newly met traveling companions who have reached their destination. Will we ever see some of them again? Will they appear as friends or foes?

We also gather some new companions, like Jed Yeomanson, a promising young man (if he does say so himself) who attaches himself to the group just before everybody splits off, helps one achieve a stated end by dubious means, and signs on as the Juniper's cabin boy. And Leopold Hill, half of a famous cartography house, co-author of the river navigation charts that are Cady's most prized possessions, and possible holder of the secret Cady most seeks: the location of the flower that will allow Cady to seed a new generation of her plant-hybrid people!

Cady and her new friends are no sooner acquainted then sent off on a new quest that is only kind of a continuation of the original one; Brin has been revealed to be something other than the gormless little innocent she appeared to be and now must be stopped from pursuing her true aim, which threatens not only Cady's world but the good old mundane world that we know, too, kind of, meaning that yes, this second volume manifests as a sort of reverse portal fantasy for a little while when Cady enters the world of postwar London in pursuit of insights and artifacts from her old friend (remember, Cady is really, really old) Doctor Dee. Like you do.

I will confess to not having been at all prepared for this development, but I can't complain that it's not an organic one within the story. When fantasy is weird enough, it can go anywhere it pleases, after all, and Cady's adventures in de-mob London are every bit as tense and involving as those along the river Nysis or in the various districts of Ludwich. As are her experiences after this visit, which take her to incredible (and gross; it might seem hard to top the levels of disgust flavoring Gogmagog but Noon and Beard would very much like you to hold their funky, murky, smelly beers, please) depths and heights and leave her with as satisfying an ending as an ancient nature spirit-cum-river hag could ask for.

Noon remains a writer whose work is on my automatic buy list; Beard is not one I had heard of before but I will be seeking out his work soon, starting with his other team-ups with Noon. Meanwhile, they have my enthusiastic permission to continue this partnership and take it wherever the hell they want. I'm here for all of it. But then, I have a strong stomach. Do you?

Picking up right after the end of book one, we find Cady Meade, protector and cantankerous half-plant, half-human person, wondering has she been precipitous in bringing Brin to Ludwich? Is Brin intending to do harm or good, and what is her connection to Gogmagog?

Cady decides she's going to find out, and stop Gogmagog from reentering this world. Cady also needs, with some urgency, to pollinate the few new blossoms on her, so she begins moving towards this new goal as quickly as possible. She encounters several beings, and SPOILER, even makes a slight detour into an alternate version of Ludwich, and meets a woman much like her, protecting this world. END SPOILER

There is more tension in this second book in this duology, as Cady has a personal deadline approaching. The worldbuilding is again lush and detailed, with the authors showing how old the world is through Cady's knowledge of people, places, and technologies. The humour continues to be scatological, at times, but there is clever phrasing throughout describing Cady encounters as she's trying to determine whether she can trust Brin, and keep Gogmagog from triumphing.

Cady's acerbic inner monologue, and dialogue with others, is one of the highlights of this incredibly weird and wonderful and dangerous world. I thought the authors could not top book one for its sheer inventiveness and humour, but they do, and it's fun, dark, amusing and unusual, with Ludwich and Cady's knowledge of the world proving to be incredibly fascinating.

I was not expecting that odd detour into the alternate world, but at the same time it was interesting contrasting the familiarity of this city with Ludwich's sheer oddball strangeness and appeal. One thing I was particularly happy about, both here and in book one, is that the worldbuilding is delivered organically as the plot moves forward, and I never felt overwhelmed by exposition.

Cady's the hero here, and the authors keep their focus on her, rather than Brin, which is an interesting choice, considering Brin is implied to be a Chosen One in book one. Cady's journey here takes her all over the place, and she shines, and when we finally arrived at the conclusion, I was genuinely surprised and satisfied, even though I was left feeling a wee bit melancholy, too.

The narration of the audiobook was again stellar. I moved back and forth between the text and the audio, and voice actor Matthew Lloyd Davies does a fantastic job with Cady; she shines, and her kindness, wit and resolve really rise to the fore, despite the amazing and sometimes horrifying things happening around her.

The Chronicles of Ludwich is something that I can see myself returning to again, if only to be wowed all over again by the inventiveness of the narrative. It's bizarre, really weird, and damn, I enjoyed it so much!

Thank you to Netgalley and to Angry Robot and to Dreamscape Media for these ARCs in exchange for my review.

I read Gogmagog very recently and felt confused here and there, I think because it was my first real dive into weird fantasy. Well, now that I’ve read this book, the second in the duology, I feel like the first gave me the training and experience I needed to understand this subgenre. Ludluda wasn’t written any differently, but I had a much easier time with it and it gave me an even greater appreciation for Gogmagog.

Ludluda started up just where Gogmagog left off and I love when that happens. As it’s a sequel, I don’t want to touch too much on plot, but I was pleasantly surprised with the direction it took. Though Cady is the main character, I expected most of the focus to be on Brin because Gogmagog ended with a Brin-centered event. Instead, we got full focus on Cady, and the book was more about her quest(s), which did ultimately include Brin and others, but not as I thought. I don’t know if that even makes sense, but the important thing to understand is that I really loved the way it was done and I’m glad the duology was actually about Cady’s experiences instead being a story about Brin witnessed by Cady. And not only that, but Cady’s story went places I would never have guessed. I think this duology has caused me to think “how did they think of this?” more than any other book I’ve read.

Speaking of Cady: once again, her curmudgeonly personality shines bright, and her interactions with everyone around her had me either laughing or loving that she’s actually a bit of a softie when it’s deserved. Now that I’m finished with these books, I’m really going to miss the old girl.

The story’s conclusion was satisfying mostly because I had no idea where it was going and had no expectations whatsoever, and I loved the very end.

Ludluda, the concluding book in The Chronicles of Ludwich duology by Jeff Noon and Steve Beard, is a surreal journey set in the atmospheric city of Ludwich. Cady Meade, a seasoned survivor, must deliver a ten-year-old girl to a coming-of-age festival, warned by prophets of looming dangers. When the girl mysteriously disappears, Cady, accompanied by a quirky, outdated mechanical man, embarks on a quest to find her.

As Cady tracks the girl along the River Nysis, she confronts both known enemies, seeking to unravel the mysteries surrounding the dragon Haakenur.

While Ludluda may not fully match the first book's highs, it remains an immersive experience with rich world-building that blends steampunk and dark fantasy. Cady’s tough, sarcastic persona adds humour, making for unpredictable twists through surreal and vivid prose.

Overall, Ludluda is a memorable, inventive novel that offers a fitting conclusion to the series, ideal for fans of unconventional fantasy seeking something original.

Many thanks to Angry Robot Books and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Ludluda is due to be published on 3rd December 2024.

Ludluda picks up right where the first left off. Cady is still her weird, kind of gross, planty self. We also have the mechanical Lek and of course the young girl Brin. Cady takes more of a pivotal almost 'hero' role in this part with her two quests. She needs to be 'pollinated' and she also wants to save Ludwich from the evil Gogmagog.

The plot is more solid in this book. In Gogmagog, we travelled down the river without knowing what was around each bend, whereas in Ludluda, there is a concrete plan that Cady lays out. That does not mean that the book is any less weird and wonderful though, if anything some of the things Cady gets up to are even more strange than in book 1!

The overall feel of the book is more serious than that of Gogmagog, as the stakes are higher and the whole of Ludwich is at risk. I also appreciated the undertone of ecological messaging, with polluted environments causing problems for those who live nearby.

I loved the delightful weirdness of this duology, the worldbuilding is so grounded and interesting, and I also enjoyed not having my hand held.

I highly recommend this genre-blending, weird, adventurous and downright fun duology to anyone in the mood for something a little different.

Many thanks to Angry Robot & NetGalley for providing me with an arc.

Luluda is book 2 in the Chronicles of Ludwich, a fantasy duloagy by Jeff Noon and Steve Beard. I’d like to thank Angry Robot and NetGalley for providing me with an E-Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Luluda picks up from where the first book left off, and it is a fairly similar tale. I believe it’s fair to say if you enjoyed the first book you will enjoy this one as well. I’d heard a lot of interesting things about these books prior to receiving the E-Arc but I actually hadn’t read the first book, so I read them back to back.

The authors develop a fascinating and unique world, which has some really interesting lore. If you like your world building I think you will like this book. World building and the development of lore was front and centre of this story, and there are some wonderful elements to it. The issue I found though is that this one probably at the absence of character work.

At 400 pages it is relatively short for a fantasy book and there was a reasonable size cast, all had their quirky distinctive differences. However I felt most of them lacked much depth. Even with the two main characters that received more fleshing out then most, I struggled to understand their motivation.

It is a strange story, but that didn’t concern me, it had a wicked sense of humour that I really enjoyed. I have to admit I found it confusing at times and some of the explanations for what was going on felt a tad convenient.

I throughly enjoyed the first 60% percent of this book however then the big twist appears and for me it didn’t land. Much like the first book the last 25% felt like a real slog, I felt the ending was largely as expected and due to my lack of engagement with the characters I really wasn’t that fussed what happened.

Ludluda is the second book in the two-part historical fantasy The Chronicles of Ludwich duology and follows up Gogmagog from earlier this year set in an otherworldly London along the River Nysis (the Thames) upon which the corrupted ghost of a dead dragon lies. Cady has successfully ferried the automaton Thrawl Lek and his young ward Brin to the capital, but dark portents suggest that Brin may be a pawn to the evil twin dragon spirit Gogmagog. When Brin disappears, she must hunt her down and fulfill her ancient charge from the good twin spirit Fenyr of protecting Ludwich.

This book lives up to the weird in the weird fantasy that was Gogmagog. It starts with a person having a shit and ends with a dragon licking up vomit and slightly choking on it. It continues to go for strange choices in line with the previous book if a bit tamer. While Gogmagog had a more straightforward story, Ludluda meanders a bit, interweaving several divergent storythreads while at the same time chasing after Brin (who happens to hit the exact places Cady needed to close those threads).

Cady continues to be a funny and abrasive grandmotherly protagonist. And Lek is just so easy to root for with his single-mindedness and purpose. I really liked the addition of a new character in the young man Jeb. He just rounded out the cast rather well now that Brin is gone, but I did find it strange how he just seemed to just show up and latches himself onto the story. The book gives Cady a satisfying conclusion, culminating in the fulfillment of her very purpose. However, I felt like it lacked closure for most of the characters (especially Lek). Also, I never actually got the point. Like what was Brin’s ultimate goal? Did she know what was going to happen? And why?

Ludluda is the natural sequel you would expect for Gogmagog, delivering a satisfying conclusion to Cady’s story if not exactly for everyone else.

*Thank you Angry Robot Books for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Tour stop for "Ludluda" by Jeff Noon and Steve Beard to wrap The Chronicles of Ludwich duology. Thanks for including me on this wild and weird ride.

Remember this all takes place along the ghost river of a dragon. Cady has to decide if she is going to off this kid. Some signs point to her letting the night serpent Gogmagog back into the world. Other times, the child is just a frightened girl in a bad situation. Of course the choice is taken out of her hands when she disappears in a flash of light. Leaving her with the mechanical man who is falling apart, the tag along, and several partially helpful people. Not too challenging for Cady, who is also falling apart and needs to germinate or else. Swearing occurs.

Reasons to read:
-The strangest series I've read in ages
-Lots of plant based sex jokes
-OK things make way more sense if you knew who that was in the first book
-Again, it's on the ghost river of a dragon

Cons:
-One or two missed details might derail your experience

3.75/5 stars, rounded up

After the surprising, original and gritty-yet-endearing delight of Gogmagog, I was eagerly anticipating the conclusion to this duology. I didn’t have to wait too long as the sequel was on its way within the same year. (Thank you Angry Robot, other publishers: take note!)

Ludlula is an easy recommendation for fans of the first book; it continues the story of our ragtag cast of not-quite-human characters, traversing a steampunk-esque city on the banks of a river that happens to be the ghost of a long dead dragon. Trust me, if you’ve read book 1, you’ll know this insanity actually works!
Ludlula pulls you in with the same charm, (slightly crude) humor and fantastic worldbuilding that book 1 did. It also expands the world in a satisfying way that, too be fair, I didn’t see coming. Many readers wondered if the city of Ludwich from was set somewhere in our world (perhaps a far future or past) or some parallel world of the authors imagining: Ludlula actually sheds light on that question!

Where Gogmagog and Ludlula differed a little, is in their tone and stakes. As you’d expect for a sequel: stakes rise and Cady’s mission is lifted from a personal one, to a quest for the future of Ludwich. Despite that, the pacing feels a little slower than in Gogmagog. Admittedly, my critique of Gogmagog was that it moved too fast for its own good, but still: this felt counterintuitive.
With its raised stakes also comes a more serious tone. This is no longer just a strange river-cruise; it’s a world-hopping, city-saving adventure that ends with a proper dragon-battle in the sky (although very much in the tone of this novel, so clearly not quite the way you’re used to in your typical fantasy-novel). Strangely enough, it took me a while to decide how I felt about that tonal switch, since the characters and writing style so perfectly matched the more low-stakes-river-galivanting of the first.

Overall, despite their opposites, like dual-dragonspirits Faynr and Gogmagog; these books complement each other and make for a fantastic duology. With stunning worldbuilding, a memorable cast and a plot that delivers without outstaying its welcome; Ludlula cemented my liking for this duology. Perfect for fans of Jeff VanderMeer, Terry Pratchett or Neil Gaiman, or fantasy-readers in the mood for an urban fantasy that is just a little different.
I went between the audiobook and the physical text for my reading of both these novels and have to say I really recommend the audiobook. The narrator gives a lot of character to each voice, without overdoing it, and his performance really adds to the atmosphere of the story.

Many thanks to Angry Robot for providing me with an e-ARC ánd and audio-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

An absolutely wild and amazing ride, Ludluda is a weird fantasy that leans heavily into the weird but without becoming incomprehensible.

This a duology with Gogmagog, so READ THAT FIRST! This book picks up right where the last one ended.

Cady Meade is probably my favourite character of all the books I’ve read in 2024. She’s the same cantankerous old plant-lady as she was in Gogmagog and she is my idol. She’s so gross and crass and hilarious. I love her. She doesn’t lose any of that in this book, but she also grows a bit more loveable as she takes on a more heroic role.

The other characters and how they reacted to Cady were what I loved about Gogmagog, and we get less of than in this one, as a lot of the novel is Cady following clues and having short moments with new characters here and here, but we still have Lek in a good deal of it (whom I love).

The story in this one is tighter in that there’s a real goal. The “quest down the river” aspect of Gogmagog was fun in that you didn’t know what was going to pop up next, but in this one, Cady is trying to stop Gogmagog from coming back into the world, as well as trying to pollinate her seedlings sprouting all over her, so there’s more urgency and tension than the first book.

The world-building somehow gets even richer. If reading Gogmamg was like being thrown into a cold lake, in Ludwich you’re already fully immersed, so stuff starts to make more sense because you’ve adapted to the setting. In this way, the intricacies of world-building can be imparted, so we learn more about Gogmagog the book as we read Ludluda. For example, how they take Faynr’s excess (ectoplasm I guess) and use that to generate power. That was such a cool idea.

It’s also so funny with both some descriptions but also Cady’s acerbic dialogue which never fails to elicit a laugh from me.

While I went into it planning to flag stuff and make notes to provide a more detailed review, I was so immersed in the story I totally forgot. I guess that shows how engaging it is!

I must say, the ending was bittersweet but a good way to end the book. This is definitely a duology I’ll be rereading.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Ludluda by Jeff Noon and Steve Beard is the third person-POV fantasy continuation of Gogmagog. Cady, Brin, and the others continue on their way when the myridi flies living in Brin are ready to mature and there is no stopping Gogmagog from coming back and wreaking havoc on the world. Meanwhile, Cady is sprouting blossoms and needs to find the Lud flower.

What I really liked about this was how deep the worldbuilding feels, ancient and incredibly well-established, as Cady, who is more than a thousand years old, and Brin, the latest generation in a very long line, are bringing a lot of things to a head. In many ways, I would say this story is more world-driven rather than plot or character-driven. Between sections, we also get the Monocle Cigarette Cards, which add more worldbuilding information to help enhance what is already happening on the page.

Of the three intersecting storylines, the one I found the most interesting was the blossoms sprouting on Cady’s body. We get an explanation for why this is happening to Cady and how she came to be and I would read a prequel book surrounding how that all came about. Humans mixed with plants is one of my favorite tropes in fiction that isn’t explored very much, so seeing it here made me like the story even more. When paired with how her voice and personality are very reminiscent of an older woman who has stopped caring about what society thinks of her, it makes Cady a very interesting POV character.

I would recommend this to fans of the original Gogmagog book and those that love books that are worldbuilding-forward but have a very clear story to tell

What a fantastic second book in this duology! I read an eARC of this book on Net Galley so thank you to the author and the publisher.

I often find duologies are great in the first book but fall flat in the second. Not at all the case here, both books were fantastic and unlike many duologies which feel like they should have been one book, this one definitely felt like two books that deserved to exist separately though they continue the same story. They both had clear and decisive endings that felt satisfying. I do thoroughly recommend reading both books in order though so you can get the benefit of Cady’s journey.

I was delighted to rejoin Cady for the next stage of her adventure! She is such a rich and fascinating character. I won’t say too much to avoid spoilers but she’s such a unique figure in literature. A great blend of bawdy boat captain and some other discoveries that were just absolutely brilliant.

This is an odd book genre wise as it walks a line between fantasy and sci-fi that I love. We have dragons and magic in some aspects and then robots and technology in others. It makes for such an interesting and unusual world!

Thoroughly enjoyed this! A brilliant duology!

Well, I suppose I found this moderately easier to track, logistically, what was going on than I did Gogmagog. But that doesn't mean I really understood what was happening. Again, a lot of cool stuff going on, and the book did a pretty interesting turn about 3/4 of the way through (which more or less satisfied the glaring inclusion of John Dee in the internal history of this world), but the actual plotting was kind of cockamamie and it didn't totally pay off overall.

I read Gogmagog (which is the first half of this duology, I believe), adored it, and let me tell you Ludluda didn't disappoint as the second half! This is a fantastic fantasy that feels like a fever dream, and does an amazing job of disorienting the reader (in a fun way!). This is not boring, typical fantasy -- the worldbuilding and lore here is insane, and I couldn't begin to understand it if I tried. I think the creativity of the authors is outstanding, and the characters are so fun and silly. This is a fantastic fantasy and I recommend!

A thrilling and utterly bonkers finale to the story that began in Gogmagog. I loved every raucous, rowdy bit of this story as we follow Cady into the heart of darkness and beyond. As in the first book, there is something so joyously weird and boisterous about the characters and even the world here where trees and robots mingle and where we actually get to see a glimpse of our own world, too. My only slight complaint would be that Yanish, who was a big part of book 1, is mysteriously missing from the story except for a brief mention at the end. I'm guessing some kind of editing slip-up? On the whole though, this duology is one of my favourite things that I've read this year.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher of providing me with an e-arc of this book. My opinions are my own.
This was my most anticipated read for the year after having my mind blown in January by Gogmagog.

Once again the author duo deliver bat shit crazy in spades. And this may have been the conclusion to the duology, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I dont think were done with Cady, Brin and Ludwich just yet.
Speculation aside.
Back to our favourite thousands of year old geriatric plant lady protagonist.
This picks up where we left off in Gogmagog. Cady was onto to something, but she just had no idea what tail she was chasing. And let me tell you, it led us places (or rather a city) I could never have expected. The writers show and not tell approach results in many scenes feeling like a trip, and I fear if say anymore I will ruin this mind feast. But let me just say, Im so glad I have hyperfantasia.

I did feel that some parts where very much the issue I have with quest novels, people trying to get to places, sometimes that creates a lull or slow pacing, and in this already confusing book, it did add to the confusion. And for that I dropped a star from my 5 star Gogmagog rating.

Id love to see more hype for these books as they live in my mind rent free.

*Ludluda* by Jeff Noon and Steve Beard is one wild, trippy adventure. The world-building is off the charts—think steampunk weirdness mixed with a bit of magical fever dream. The writing? Vivid and surreal, sometimes dense but always packed with strange, darkly funny moments. Cady, the protagonist, is the kind of grumpy hero you can’t help but root for, with enough sarcastic charm to keep you hooked even when things get utterly bizarre.

The book throws you into a world full of grotesque imagery and mystical oddities, where every page feels like it’s trying to outdo the last in terms of sheer creativity. Sure, it’s not the easiest read, and the plot might leave you scratching your head here and there, but if you love being swept up in a surreal, fantastical experience, this is it. It’s weird, it’s fun, and it’ll stick with you long after you’ve finished. Thanks to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the ARC!