The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands
A Novel
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4.5 • 12 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
* INSTANT INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER *
For fans of Piranesi and The Midnight Library, a STUNNING HISTORICAL FANTASY set on a grand express train, about a group of passengers on a dangerous journey across a MAGICAL LANDSCAPE
“BREATHTAKING…Abounding with mysteries and marvels.” —Samantha Shannon, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING author of The Priory of the Orange Tree
It is said there is a price that every passenger must pay. A price beyond the cost of a ticket.
There is only one way to travel across the Wastelands: on the Trans-Siberian Express, a train as famous for its luxury as for its danger. The train is never short of passengers, eager to catch sight of Wastelands creatures more miraculous and terrifying than anything they could imagine. But on the train's last journey, something went horribly wrong, though no one seems to remember what exactly happened. Not even Zhang Weiwei, who has spent her life onboard and thought she knew all of the train’s secrets.
Now, the train is about to embark again, with a new set of passengers. Among them are Marya Petrovna, a grieving woman with a borrowed name; Henry Grey, a disgraced naturalist looking for redemption; and Elena, a beguiling stowaway with a powerful connection to the Wastelands itself. Weiwei knows she should report Elena, but she can’t help but be drawn to her. As the girls begin a forbidden friendship, there are warning signs that the rules of the Wastelands are changing and the train might once again be imperiled. Can the passengers trust each other, as the wildness outside threatens to consume them all?
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Climb aboard for an adventure that’s part gothic horror and part steampunk fantasy with a dash of Agatha Christie–style mystery thrown in for good measure. It’s the late 1800s, and the only way to travel the terrifying Wastelands between China and Russia is on the heavily armored Trans-Siberian Railway. And that’s exactly what the novel’s 12 characters have set out to do…except something about this trip feels off. Something went wrong on the locomotive’s last journey—something that, rather disconcertingly, no one can remember. We were easily drawn into this eerie and unique setting. The book’s cast of characters—ranging from a zealously religious scientist to an orphaned child—all have their reasons for crossing the Wastelands, and the way their schemes and secrets intersect is thrilling. And we were just as captivated by the mutated flora and fauna outside the train, with their reality-bending ability to drive people mad. If you’ve enjoyed atmospheric tales like Piranesi, you’ll love this enveloping read.
Customer Reviews
Fantastic for 9/10ths
The world that the author built was harrowing, vivid, and transported me to another realm! It was a little scary and off-putting (by design) and made me feel like I really was on the train. Trying to solve the mystery and understand the tension that was just underneath the surface kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Honestly this would have been a 10/10, but the ending was a disappointment and kind of came out of nowhere.