Absolutely loved it - the trains most of all, but the historical setting and the Agatha Christie-type feel, as well as the general eerieness of the atmosphere, made this a joy to read. Amazed this is the author's debut novel - looking forward to the next!

I read this whist travelling on my holiday. I loved the atmosphere, the characters and the ot were enthralling. I think travelling to go on holiday helped with the atmosphere but even if you are just reading at home it is still a fantastic read
Thank you so much for mj advanced copy. I will be buying this when it comes out.

This was such a good read! I loved the plot and I haven’t read a book like this for some time.
Weiwei is such a likeable and relatable character and I really enjoyed the themes of this story.
The landscapes, the train, the hidden messages and meanings were all brilliantly interwoven.

4.5-5 stars

This must be one of the most anticipated books of 2024 and I was so excited to read it. Every so often there comes along a book where I really appreciate my position as a reviewer and getting advanced copies, and this is one of them.

This, believe it or not, is Sarah's debut novel. It's so well written, so layered, with so much depth, that it looks to be honed by an experienced writer, let alone someone on their first book.

It isn't very heavy in dialogue. It's very description heavy, with the train described down to its very last nut and bolt, the clothes, the steam, the people, the past, the setting, the differences between 1st and 3rd class, the passengers' concerns. It really gets you stuck into the world before it gives you the main crux of the story and I liked that. It meant you were more involved. In fact, that's how I write my stories, mostly description and less dialogue, but I've not seen a published book use it in such a successful way, so that's promising.

There's no hanging about; within a handful of pages you're on the train, you know who your main players are and suggestions of their past. This gives more time to stretch out the main bulk of the story. And I mean that in a good way. It's not stretched too thinly, but it helps add to this atmospheric nature that the Wastelands seem to provide.

There are a lot, a lot, of characters, which I was concerned about at first as I thought it would be too many to keep on top of, but Sarah has chosen a handful to pay closer attention to, which was good as it gave me a focus.

Firstly we have Marya, a woman in mourning, wearing all black. She's alone, with no chaperone or maid, which instantly draws mutters of concern and judgement. She doesn't seem to be herself, like she's hiding something. Personally, I would put her down as the main character, she felt the most dominant to me, and I really enjoyed her story.

Then we have Henry Grey, a naturalist who appears to be running away from his fall from grace. He's determined to clear his name, even if it destroys him in the process. I was hot and cold with him; I found him interesting to read about and I did will him on, but at other times I felt he was so fixated on his mission that he could be a bit...blasé and rude to his other passengers, not necessarily thinking of their safety over his ambitions.

Our third main-ish character is Weiwei, a child born and brought up on the train. She has almost become part of the train itself. She has had to grow up fast and become useful fast, but it means she knows all the secrets and hiding places on the train. I didn't think I'd find her as captivating as I did, being a younger character, I struggled to identify with her background and whatnot, but she was as equally addictive as all the others.

And finally we have Elena, a mysterious girl (nice Peter Andre reference there), who is somewhere she doesn't belong. I won't go into too much detail with her for fear of spoilers, but she was an interesting addition. She made me feel uneasy and on edge, like she wasn't quite of this world and therefore was knocking this world off its axis. Complicated, but intriguing.

Every character is fascinating, with equally fascinating backgrounds and reasons for being on this train.

The Wastelands themselves, whilst we generally don't know what they are or why they're like they are, they become their own character. You absorb everyone's opinions on them, and you create this terrifying image in your mind.

We also get snippets from the "real" book of the "Cautious Travellers Guide to the Wastelands" which was a nice touch.

Sarah hasn't over-egged the pudding when it comes to the fear. It's a quiet undercurrent and for me, that makes it more suspenseful than if she'd written explicitly frightening scenes. This fear worms its way into you, under your skin, and you understand why people start jumping at shadows.

It isn't an overly long book at 380-something pages, nor is it too short. I think if it had been much longer it may have felt a bit too drawn out, maybe too much description, and if it was any shorter you wouldn't become as invested in this long journey they're on. She has found the perfect length for the story she wants to tell.

If you're looking for a full-on action and adventure, I will say that it doesn't really appear until after halfway. That didn't bother me much as I love reading character developments and scene setting etc. when it's done well, but I have seen some other reviews say they wanted it to get going a bit sooner. So that's really up to your personal taste. I enjoyed the way it was set out.

I found it really difficult to put down. I kept getting to the end of a chapter and thinking I'd stop but it would pull me back in. I did eventually have to put it down as I was falling asleep but as soon as I was awake I was back at it. This meant I read it in a very short time. Half red before bed, the other half read as soon as I woke up. I struggled to part with it.

If I'm really honest I'd have liked a bit more about the Wastelands themselves earlier on. More about what they are, why they're there, what's in it, what can it do etc. But contradicting myself here, by not knowing, we are akin to the characters, this feeling of the unknown, this terror of a place we know nothing about, this claustrophobic feeling of being in a train in a hostile environment. I mean, if we already knew what they were about, and found out it was all in their minds, for example, we might not feel as tense when reading it. On the other hand, if we knew what they were about and found out it was evil, for instance, we might start to question the characters. So I'm torn on whether we needed more about the Wastelands themselves, or if it works as a whole as it is.

It has a bit of everything: it's an historical novel and obviously a fantasy, but there's adventure, action, thriller, mystery, and a little bit of horror, an surprisingly, a hint of romance.

I will admit that at times I didn't really understand what was going on, but bizarrely, I didn't care. This is about so much more than just a basic plot or storyline. It's hard to fully encapsulate what this book is. It's unlike anything I've ever read, and really needs to be seen with your own eyes.

If you like trains... you'll love this! I was intrigued by the premise of the book and the setting of the alternative trans siberian train. It was a little slow to pick up with hints dropped here and there about some events and dangers surrounding the train. I enjoyed the characters build up (the train baby!) and learning about their backgrounds. It wasn't earth-shattering but it kept my attention.

Sometimes a book comes along that is both highly original, and full of ingredients that are recognisable from having worked in other great books. 'The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands' is set on a train at the end of the 19th century, with plenty of mysterious passengers (echoes of Agatha Christie). The train is the Trans-Siberian express, but in the world of the novel Siberia is a fantastical landscape full of impossible creatures and rapid evolution (similar to area X in Jeff Vandermeer's 'Annihilation'). Because of the risk of contamination, the whole vast area is walled off and the only way to cross it is on the train. The train is operated by 'The Company' - a powerful British organisation that seems similar to the real world East India Company.

The novel begins with the train setting off on a crossing from Beijing to Moscow following a suspension in its operations. The last journey ended with several dead and injured passengers and no one on board being able to remember what had happened. Travelling across the 'wastelands' is a risky business, even on the heavily armoured train. 'Wastelands sickness' can afflict passengers even just from looking out of the window for too long, and the surreal flora and fauna often attack the train. The story is told from the viewpoints of a number of those travelling. There's Weiwei - an orphan born and brought up on the train; Elena, a stowaway; Marya, a young woman with a false name and hidden agenda; Henry Grey, a biologist who longs to find fame by studying the 'wastelands'; and Alexei, an engineer with a secret.

It's an excellently written book - one of those that you know within a few pages is going to be a joy to read. It's highly atmospheric and creepy, and you feel you are really there. The juxtaposition of the familiar environment of a train with the unknown and unknowable 'wastelands' works really well. The characters are interesting and likeable, and the plot is exciting. I was strongly reminded throughout of 'Annihilation' - it isn't derivative, but the feel and themes are similar as is the effectiveness of the writing. You have a strong sense from the start that the journey isn't going to end well, but the unpredictability of the environment they are crossing means the details aren't guessable.

I'd highly recommend the book to those who enjoy fantasy adventure and particularly anyone who liked the 'Southern Reach' trilogy by Vandermeer. I wouldn't classify it in the horror genre, despite the unsettling atmosphere, because it lacks the gore, graphicness and 'ick' factor I associate with horror. In fact it shows you can achieve the disturbing 'feel' of a horror novel without needing any of those things. Brooks is clearly a gifted writer and I'm very interested to see what she does next.

’They forced us to read the Wastelands as we would read a book in a lost language; a series of signs which we cannot hope to decipher.’

’The Cautious Traveller’s Guide To The Wastelands’ is unlike anything that I’ve ever read. Admittedly I’m not all that familiar with the science fiction genre (it’s one that I always mean to pick up more frequently) but even if I was I believe that this book would manage to stand apart from the crowd. It takes a historic train trip and turns it into an unsettling, eerie journey through a landscape both breathtaking and terrifying.

In many ways the star of this book is the Wastelands; a setting that somehow features almost as if it’s a character and landscape at the very same time. It’s a place filled with the weird and wondrous, that formed unexpectedly and changes in drastic and often terrifying ways. It’s a vast realm filled with the seemingly impossible and has a tendency to unnerve and bewitch travellers in equal measure. Even watching it for too long can cause traumatic consequences.

The Wastelands and its effect upon the passengers and crew of the Great Trans-Siberian Express is the central focus of this novel. I wouldn’t particularly call it fast paced but it’s thoroughly engrossing. Like the Wastelands themselves the atmosphere and uncertainty of this novel seems to claw its way beneath your skin. Throughout I never knew what to expect or exactly where this novel was heading. It’s definitely the type of narrative that keeps you frequently uneasy.

The journey is viewed through the eyes of three characters on board the train. Henry, a disgraced naturalist desperate to overcome his recent embarrassment; Marya a young woman, looking for answers; and Weiwei, the child of the train. Each offers differing insight towards the journey and world outside its windows. And all of them are also surrounded by other intriguing individuals, giving a glimpse into the works of the crew and the lives of the two differing classes on board.

Truly this is a book that I can’t fault. I enjoyed every minute of it, although it didn’t quite have that five star sparkle for me. That can simply come down to personal preferences though and I can see many readers finding this within their future favourites. For me personally the highlight, which felt on a whole other, mesmerising level, was the very end. The epilogue of this book will haunt me for quite some time.

Just as a final note I do think it’s worth mentioning that this feels like the perfect book club novel. With the effect of the land upon the train and vice versa; the beliefs and actions involved too, there’s definitely room for plenty of meaningful conversations and theorising.

Ultimately I recommend ’The Cautious Traveller’s Guide To The Wastelands’, particularly to anyone who enjoys historically based science fiction offerings. It’s an intriguingly unique tale of a journey through a vast, unsettling yet mesmerising realm of the weird and wondrous. I’ll be interested to see what the author writes next.

The Cautious Traveller's Guide to The Wastelands
20TH JUNE
by Sarah Brooks
I don't know what I expected from the blurb on this book but it certainly wasn't what I got! It started off slow and just got slower. I appreciate that the author may have been setting the pace for the journey. No need to rush across a massive wasteland after all! The characters were the same. Watercolour characters. Just clinging to the dreamlike text, not real. Every time I picked the book up I found myself nodding off. Great book to have for a night time read but not one for me I'm afraid.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

I really liked the cover which initially drew me to the book, then the blurb caught and held my interest. I thought it held the promise of a possibly amazing read. Maybe my expectations were too high, I was expecting something like Hotel Magnifique by Emily J Taylor & The Theatre of Glass and Shadows by Anne Corlett, both of which I really adored.......but.....I attempted reading this one 3 times and got no further than 26% The pace is so slow, the plot feels like you are trying to 'read it through a fog or mist' the answer to your questions are constantly just out of reach and it's really irritating.
So unfortunately it's a 'did not finish' situation from me, which is disappointing as I honestly had high expectations. I so wanted to finish this one, I had so many questions I wanted answering but the pace and style it was written really put me off.

For me, this was magical. Aboard The Great Trans-Siberian Express…except slightly different…between Beijing and Moscow lie the wastelands- terrifying - otherworldly - mysterious.

Passengers are kept safe by the train - no need to fear, but don’t look out of the windows….

Utterly enthralling. This has my heart.

My thanks to Netgalley and Flatiron for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Beautifully, descriptively written with an other worldliness that intrigues and alarms somewhat. I enjoyed the slow pace and build up but found the end slightly disappointing.

I finished this novel several weeks ago, and have literally been lost for words. It is probably the most difficult book I have tried to review; it certainly defies my description. This is a fascinating steampunk/ magic realism novel which moves the reader on a variant Trans-Siberian railway from China across Siberia to Moscow. A small point, interestingly, is that the train company head office is in London and this gives a compelling take on international corporations’ control of overseas operations and individuals. Strongly recommended, and I am already looking forward to this author’s next book.

I really loved this debut novel by Sarah Brooks. It felt a bit like Murder on the Orient Express meets the Flying Dutchman and was brilliantly atmospheric as well as a bit unsettling.
Set in alternative version of the world at the very end of the 19th century, the Trans-Siberian Train is the only way of crossing the wastelands, once Siberia, that lay between Beijing and Moscow.
The wastelands are a strange and dangerous place populated by mysterious monsters and the only guide is the one written many years ago by Rostov. In his book, he warns the passengers not to look too closely at the things they see as they might find themselves becoming changed.
The mixed bag of passengers is what gives the book its Orient Express feel. We see them all and many of them have secrets that only gradually get revealed as the journey goes on. Among them are Marya, a young widow who is not who she is claiming to be and Doctor Henry Grey, a discredited scientist who is determined that this journey will restore his reputation. There is also Weiwei, the train child who was actually born on the train and has been with it ever since. Weiwei and Marya are the main POV characters but we also get chapters from several others and each chapter builds up the feeling of uncertainty and mystery. Just what did happen on that last journey and why can nobody remember?
I loved the slow burn of this book. The tension gradually builds as the train slowly steams its way across Siberia. There is always a feeling of foreboding which stems not only from the mysterious wastelands but also the two company men who appear everywhere on the train and exude a feeling of threat and menace.
At first, the landscape and creatures in the wastelands are just curious and strange but as the journey continues, they become more menacing. The world building and descriptive is just gorgeous and I found myself totally immersed in this strange world where the train is the only thing that is keeping everyone safe – until it isn’t.
This was a brilliantly atmospheric story which stay in my mind for ages afterwards. It probably won’t be for everyone (but then, what book ever is?), but if you fancy a trip into the unknown, then why not give this one a try?

An astonishing book, full of mystery and magic and combining physics with fantasy. Drawing on the idea that the observer changes what they are observing, this is a tale of a train that affects its surroundings and, in turn, is affected by them. The Wastelands stretch between Beijing and Moscow and is full of strange creatures, and strange plants. Henry, the naturalist wants to study them, the other passengers are wary of them. WeiWei, the child of the train, is both fascinated and repelled - drawn in by Elena, the Wasteland girl. Alongside this is the story of Marya - who has changed her name in order to investigate her father's dismissal by The Company, and eventual death. Was the glass he made for the train windows the cause of problems, or was it something else?

The writing is superb and the descriptions vivid.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6241294931

A 3.5 for me, which I've rounded up. Brilliant concept, well written, agree with all the other reviewers that if you enjoy things like the Night Circus and Piranasi, you'll like this one. There was just something slightly off with the pacing for me - the middle section started to sag a little - and I also wasn't 100 percent sold on the ending. Also not sure if there were meant to be deeper themes at work - are the Wastelands a metaphor for something? Or whether everything is just meant to be taken at its fun, slightly magical face value. All in all for me an interesting, original book, that comes close to being great but just slightly misses the mark. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Before you even start it, you can tell that The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands is going to take you to strange places. The title alone is promising enough, but the basic outline premise is even more intriguing. It involves a long train journey from Beijing to Moscow in 1899, the service provided by the the Trans-Siberia Company. It's back up and running again, reportedly stronger than ever after the mysterious circumstances of the last journey across the stricken Wastelands that caused the crew and passengers to lose their memory of the journey. As you are introduced to the passengers however, you soon begin however to wonder where the real danger is; whether it will come from the blight that has made the land outside uninhabitable and still carries strange sickness or whether it will come from the odd assembly of passengers on board, each taking the journey for private reasons, some clearly for different reasons than those they make public to the others.

There is every good reason to be cautious then and heed the advice of Valentin Rostov, the author of what is to date the definitive guidebook (as definitive as any can be) for those undertaking a journey unlike any other. It's a 15 day journey during which the train will pass through the second great wall of China - this one built to keep out the danger of the Wastelands - and cross what remains of Greater Siberia, at the end of which they will not pass the Vigil at the Russian side until there is an assurance that nothing of the Wastelands comes in with them. Anyone could be affected by the strange visions many are subjected to on the journey, particularly those already not of a sure frame of mind. There are definitely a few potential candidates fitting that description among the passengers on this trip.

There is Marya Petrovna, a widow who claims she is returning home to St Petersburg after the death of her husband and parents, but in reality she holds a deep grudge against the Trans-Siberia Company, blaming them for the death of her father. There is Dr Henry Grey, a disgraced naturalist whose theories have been discredited and found to be false, who is hoping to regain his reputation at the Great Exhibition in Moscow by unravelling some of the secrets of the Wastelands. You have to have an obligatory Countess on board and a cleric to denounce the godless land they travel through. Two Company men, Li Huangjin and Leonid Petrov, known as the Crows, are there as representatives of the Trans-Siberia company, suspicious of anyone who might seek to undermine the power or reputation of the Company, such as those publications made by a writer known as Artemis.

There is also Zhang Weiwei, who was born on the train to one of the serving maids. She is 16 now, but this is the only world she has ever known and she has become part of the features, able to make her way around all its secret corners and passages. There have also been sightings of a ghost on board the train, or perhaps it's just a stowaway. On this train the however difference could be hard to tell.

So to consider my question about whether the danger comes more from the inside than the outside ...well that depends on your viewpoint, as one could be said to affect the other. What is outside however is definitely strange and dangerous and it's brilliantly described by Sarah Brooks. In some parts it reminded me of Brian Catling's The Vorrh trilogy and in others of J.G. Ballard (like the Crystal World in a period setting), but Brooks creates her own original vision of the disturbing and unnatural, haunting and hallucinatory Greater Siberian Wastelands, capable of deceiving the eyes and deranging the mind. The author's distinct quality is in this alternate-world period setting, the marvellous characters she depicts aboard the train and how they react to the unfolding events. Those events develop slowly, but build into something dark and dangerous. This is quite a journey, but approach with caution.

After watching Snowpiercer I was very excited for this book. But unlike the TV show I could not get into the book. I simply didn't understand the significance of the train.

I enjoyed this book. It is set in a time period I like to read about, the late nineteenth century and also it's about a journey on the Trans Siberian Express train. This is a book you can get lost in and will want read it until the end. It was unsettling at times but that adds to the enjoyment.
The passengers of the train get wind of problems about the train and the journey. The book is engrossing and there is so much about it that makes it full of beauty and mystery. The journey the passengers take is unnerving and the book takes you across the wild wastelands to Moscow..
I can't wait to read more from this author.

I went into this book with the expectation of a train journey through a mysterious wasteland. I went in hoping for something along the lines of Orient Express meets monsters. What I got was a cautiously slow book filled with bland characters and lacking in plot.

So much felt unexplained even when I finished the book, which I struggled to do, I still felt adrift.

I wouldn't grab this book, but if you do maybe its a bedside table read.

4.5 stars rounded up.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orion for the ARC.

Wow, this was a pigeonhole-defying, thought-provoking rollercoaster of a read. If you enjoyed Piranesi or the Night Circus then you will probably enjoy this too as it has a similar dream-like quality to it.
The novel is set in an alternative Nineteenth Century, where an expanse of land between China and Russia has started to transform and evolve and so this ‘Wasteland’ has been shut off from the rest of civilisation by fortifications and barriers. The story follows the journey of an impenetrable train, the Trans-Siberian express, as it travels across the Wastelands and interweaves the stories of the passengers with the growth and encroachment of the environment outside of the train.
Brooks’ writing is superb. They managed to keep me gripped throughout the story with excellent character development and an ability to evoke and evolve the dreamlike and almost psychedelic influences of the new world that she has built. The multiple POVs of the book worked really well and helped to keep the narrative moving along without losing the sense of rising claustrophobia associated with so many people inhabiting a small space over an extended period of time. Loved this!