3.75 ⭐️

The Sleeping Land was most interesting to me for its constant oscillation between the perspectives of its central characters, Val, Kit, Mark, and George, a team of graduate students in archaeology and their charismatic, if unorthodox, professor. It does very well in showing us how unreliable personal perception can be, how poorly we can guess at the way we're seen by others, how the same incident can be seen in several ways. While I do agree with criticisms that the characters don't feel fully realized — they feel like studies of characters more than living, breathing people — this is an ensemble cast in a short book. I don't feel it detracted from my enjoyment.

I also appreciated the "historical" aspect of the novel — the mid 1990s aren't really so far away from us, now. They're still a tangible memory for many. But Ella Alexander was effective in creating the sense of a capsule from a distant time that is at once distinct and familiar from what we know now, both in the details of her writing and in the ways her characters thought. Maybe this only stuck out to me so much because of my own nostalgia, but I did enjoy it very much.

Throughout the novel, I was intrigued by its looming sense of uncertainty and the mystery of the cave. Strangely, though, I felt the tension most intensely in the book's first third, prior to the characters' arrival at the archaeological site. Their train ride and journey to the site was uncanny and tense. By comparison, the ending felt somewhat rushed, and I was left with unresolved questions and loose threads of side-plots that never led to anywhere concrete.

On the whole, I enjoyed The Sleeping Land. I'm surprised I haven't seen more buzz surrounding it among fans of dark academia — this really feels like it's intended for lovers of that niche. In particular, I think this would appeal to fans of The Secret History who have grown a little older and more world-weary since first reading that book. I would also recommend it to readers who enjoy meandering thrillers, unreliable narrators, and looking into the near-distant 1990s past.

ah, i don’t know. i had a hard time buying the whole concept behind this; while it is definitely interesting, i just couldn’t quite suspend my belief when the plot twist was revealed. i felt as though the characters were a bit too underdeveloped and that the plot was generally lacking, sadly.

The Sleeping Land by Ella Alexander

A group of four individuals, comprised of George Auberon, the leader, and three undergraduate students, partake in an expedition to uncover secrets buried beneath the lush Siberian landscape. As the story progresses, the complex dynamics of the characters' inner relationships become more apparent. For instance, while Valerie and George's relationship introduces complexity to the group dynamic, it also invites thoughtful consideration of the underlying moral questions. After examining a nearby cave, their laborious efforts are rewarded in the form of an ancient item. Deeper explorations of the foreboding cavern uncover remarkable artwork that is only partially visible due to a strong rock barrier. This discovery is monumental in the plot, as George's personality shifts seismically. His behavior turns distant and irrational, leaving the group to speculate about his true intentions. What exactly is their purpose in being here?

I could not get rid of the impression that the writing was extremely dry and emotionless. I kept yearning for more from the story; I wanted it to move the needle. Regretfully, the temperature was in the middle, neither too hot nor too cold. I am that guy, to be clear, who will eat a piece of pizza right out of the oven and burn his face off. I need that instant gratification! Ella Alexander told a good story with some intrigue, but by the end, the zeal I desperately wanted came too late.

Ultimately, I am left feeling both hopeful and somewhat disappointed. The beauty of posting a review and having opinions is reading the same piece of literature and having varying perspectives. I will leave the reader to decide. With some optimism, I give this a rating of three stars out of five. I am eager to explore more of this author's work and believe her writing has great potential for growth and creativity.

Many thanks to Unnamed Press for the ARC through Netgalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion.

The Sleeping Land is the story of an archaeological survey in post-Soviet Siberia. The story follows three archaeology students —Valerie, Kit, and Mark—led by their ambitious narcissistic mentor, George Auberon, as they set out on a dig in an uncharted territory of Siberia. However the dig takes an eerie turn when the crew starts experiencing strange and unsettling occurrences. Not to mention that George seems almost deliriously obsessed with the habitat surrounding this cave.

The Siberian setting and its atmospheric tension only increases the suspense. Through the lens of each character’s POV we can see how this journey into the unknown is affecting them, showcasing their fears, their interpretation of each other’s motivations, and their survival instincts.

The novel is exceptionally written, and shrewdly explores themes of isolation and academic inadequacy in the eyes of the students, whatever field they may be in. We also see their competitive dynamics as they each strive to be George’s confidant. A more mis-matched team you will be hard pressed to find.
George is the embodiment of the lengths that some academics - past and present - will do go to stay relevant in their field.

The political landscape also plays a big role in this as both powers seek to be the forerunners in discoveries around the world.
The research that went into the book in terms of accurately depicting archeological quests is evident and expertly weaved into the book without pausing the flow of the story.

The characters were very well developed. We get to see glimpses into their souls as they journey through Russia as Westerners in the post-Soviet era (which I imagine was quite intimidating); and the baggage that they’ve brought with them whilst trying to find their place in academia.

All this leads up us to a clever climax as we unravel the mystery of the cave.

Fans of historical mysteries and archeology will eat up every word of this book. Overall a really solid debut novel and I will be keeping an eye out for more from Ella Alexander.

Thanks to Ella Alexander, Unnamed Press and NetGalley for ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In The Sleeping Land by Ella Alexander, a team of archaeologists explores a remote cave set in the recently collapsed Soviet Union and makes some interesting discoveries. As soon as I got the book, I was excited to read about the cave. It didn’t turn up until about the thirty-percent mark—and then things grew suspenseful. Overall, the story kept me reading until the end! This is for readers who like slow-burn speculative mysteries and stories set in international locations. Thanks to Unnamed Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel.

Three junior archeologists and their gloryhound advisor arrive at a remote cave in the heart of the Siberian wilderness to carry out the first extensive Western dig on Russian soil since the execution of the Czar. When one of their first digs immediately produces an ancient bone-needle, hinting at prehistoric civilization in the area, curiosity, tempers and greed are sparked within the different group members. As tensions rise among them, there’s more to worry over than just the hazards of an unexplored cave system. There are dangers both human and natural around them, and maybe something that falls somewhere in between…

What I liked:
It took me a while to get a feeling of what to expect from The Sleeping Land. Was I in for a creature-feature-horror, a psychological thriller, a man-vs-nature survival story, or something else entirely? In the end, I’d describe it as more of a psychological thriller, with a bit of a horror twist, which suited the story perfectly.
Highlights include its isolated wilderness setting and slowly building tension. There’s a scene that perfectly encapsulates this, in which one of the characters attempts to navigate a narrow cave-passage. You can feel the claustrophobic terror of the cave walls coming in, as well as an added layer of interpersonal mistrust, as she isn’t quite sure if she can fully trust her climbing-partner, on whom her life fully depends during the descent.
Although the tension is more “gradual” than in-your-face, the book still keeps a tight pacing. I started reading it during a 3-hour flight, and had finished the book before we even touched down.

What I didn’t like:
The characters and their development keep the story from being a full 4- or 5-star read for me. Our main cast of 4 men and 1 woman have quite a bit of history, which we don’t actually get to see on page. Because of that, it’s hard to get a true feeling for them individually, or the depth of their relationships, which becomes a problem when much of the tension in the mid-part hinges upon that. Without that background, some of it feels shallow. More than once I was a bit annoyed having to read about the characters personal drama (mainly about the way most of the men seemed to have slept with the single, pretty woman among them at one point or another), instead of the actual adventure and discovery they were there for.
Then there’s the final twist; what they find in the caves… It’ll be a hit or miss for people. I’m glad the story didn’t go full creature-feature, but the twist we got is one that I often find unbelievable. So too here.
With a bit more time in the oven for character-development (perhaps some flash-backs in which we would’ve gotten tot see them interact before the dig more), this could’ve been a standout novel. As it stands, it was a good time that I don’t regret and would recommend for fans of archeological-/wilderness-themed thrillers.

Many thanks to The Unnamed Press and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to Unnamed Press and NetGalley for this ARC of 'The Sleeping Land' by Ella Alexander.

This is a very interesting and enjoyable novel which straddles genres and is hard to place in any of them.

It's the story of four seemingly mismatched Canadian/American archaeologists - the leader and three hand-picked graduate students - who land in barely post USSR Russia to explore a cave and surroundings in deepest Siberia.

The whole thing has an enjoyably off-kilter feel that pervades from start to finish. Why are these particular individuals selected, none of them seems particularly likeable, they don't appear to like each other, have deficient social skills, and seemingly (on the surface) no real specific skills pertinent to the expedition and there's the enigmatic leader of the bunch. Add in some well-drawn but mysterious Russian characters and it's all a bit weird, in a good way. Ironically, since the story is a very slow burn, we're thrown right into the action at the beginning before, as I say, the whole thing slows down and we're really presented with half a book's worth of exposition of the characters' relationships with each other and, to a lesser extent, their families.

It's hard to go much further into the tale without spoilers but they make what seems to be history-changing discoveries in the cave which trigger much grander events. It's fitting that one of the characters reads Lovecraft since there's a mild strain of the Lovecraftian (Mountains of the Moon) vibe running through some of the story.

Good stuff overall.

3.5 ⭐️

I thought this was a really cool premise and definitely an intriguing read!

The creepy, eerie cave setting was great and I loved the aspects of archeology and historical discovery that were included. The author did an excellent job of building tension. The isolation and mystery created a great unsettling atmosphere and a sense of being watched at all times, which really heightened the stakes of the book.

The prose was also great and I thought the writing was super strong, especially for a debut novel! The dialogue in particular felt natural and helped to further the sense of unease and doubt between the characters. I'll definitely be on the lookout for anything written by this author in the future because I think she has huge potential.

However, I felt like all of the characters were pretty shallow and none of them got much development or exploration. Other than two or maybe three characters, they were all completely forgettable. It honestly took me a really long time to figure out who each of the main characters were and remember their roles, which is even worse considering how short the book is and how crucial it therefore was to define the characters early on.

It was also pretty male-centric and I felt like the (only) female main character didn't get any development beyond her relationship to the men on the archaeological dig with her, which was a shame as she seemed like a cool character. Learning more about her personal ambition and thoughts on their discoveries would have been nice rather than focusing solely on her confusion over her feelings about a guy. To all the characters who she interacted with, she only seemed to exist as an object or potential partner which felt weird to me. I just wish more time had been spent adding depth to the characters and actually exploring the cave and its secrets rather than worrying about who wants to sleep with who.

There was loads of stuff here that was great, and if you like well-written, short books with a lot of creepiness and mystery, this will probably be a great read! I just wish the characters had had more depth and that the FMC especially had more development outside of her relationships with men.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Unnamed Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Sleeping Land by Ella Alexander is an intriguing and engaging read. Set two years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, three young archaeologists, Val, Mark and Kit, and their advisor George, travel to a remote cave in the heart of the Siberian wilderness to study and carry out the first extensive western dig in Russia since the execution of the Czar. The excavation soon yields exciting discoveries but an intense, watching darkness lingers close by that imperils their very lives. The book skilfully creates tension through the relationship and dynamics of our characters, who once out in the wilderness begin to confront their own secrets and doubts. The prose was beautifully crafted and composed in this debut novel and it is a fast paced read especially in its final unravelling third. I did think the tension could haven been heightened with more time and the characters previous lives have been interwoven further to reveal the depths of their intense emotions and relationships to have more impact throughout the story. As a history fan I enjoyed the isolated setting of the archaeological dig and the mysterious cave with its secrets. Overall, it is a tense, haunting thriller with promise 4 Stars ✨.