Delightfully weird fantasy with echoes of Celtic myth and Brute trafition. Brilliant characters and a plot that follows the river of a ghost dragon.

4.5 planty stars.

The 🎧 audiobook 🎧 is delightfully read - great characterizations and perfect tone.

Note: second book of two, so go read Gogmagog first, if you haven't already.

I absolutely adore the freakishly weird genre of fantasy and of sci.fi, but even more so when the weirdness doesn't hinder the reader from understanding (at least, generally) what is going on! According to my year-end stats, 25% of the books that I read were mysterious... I just don't like when they are SO mysterious that following the general direction of the story is impossible.

Pair the weird and mysterious, with some of the greatest characters ever developed and world-building that shines with ghostly glee, and I am completely smitten! I am so very glad (and grateful) that I was chosen to review the first book in this series (which I chose purely by the book's cover art). Neither the authors or narrator, nor the original book, were anywhere on my radar. I reread that joyously madcap adventure again before starting Ludluda, and loved it just the same as I did the first time around.

This story starts exactly where the last ended, and descended pretty quickly into all kinds of disastrous madness. Cadie (Arcadia) Meade is definitely both ludicrously and delightfully disgusting. She is also perfect as her part-plant, part-human, 1000+ year old self! Honestly, she is probably one of my favourite new characters encountered in a long, long time. I loved that this second audiobook centred more on her own story, beginning through end. I really wanted to see what would happen with her, and she deserved a book all of her own. And while it was sad to leave our dear young deckhand behind, that is the way of boating life.

One thing that I didn't like as much is that, while the first book was marketed as a duology, the second left more than necessary mysteriously unattended to, and is no longer being hailed as a duology. I fear that capitalism has gotten ahold of this series and decided to string it out based on popularity (which, in my opinion, is VERY rarely ever a good thing). I mean, I can see side stories in the same world, but I doubt that is why the end felt so ambiguous. Yes, authors and publishers need to eat, but not from the same characters forever.

Huge gratitude to Netgalley and the publisher, Dreamscape Media, for an Audio-ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest review.

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.

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.

Narrated by Matthew Lloyd Davies, just hilarious tone for Cady.

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.