The Cautious Traveller's Guide to The Wastelands

Brooks’s vivid, impressive debut is a turn-of-the-last-century steampunk fantasy set aboard the Great Trans-Siberian Express * Financial Times Book of the Year *I was completely transported by this book, lost in its world and mysteries, astounded by its beauty, and full of admiration for its humanity. I loved every second I spent with it, and urge everybody to pick up a copy. It’s an astonishing journey – STUART TURTON, bestselling author of THE SEVEN DEATHS OF EVELYN HARDCASTLEA journey both unnerving and powerful, which thunders along at breathtaking speed, abounding with mysteries and marvels. Be warned - once you step into The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands, you’ll never want to disembark – SAMANTHA SHANNON, author of THE BONE SEASONThis is a wild and wonderful journey; gloriously imaginative and completely captivating. Rich in allure, intrigue and suspense, it’s a ride that readers will never want to end – JENNIFER SAINT, #1 bestselling author of ARIADNEThe Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wasteland is mysterious and clever and brilliant – NATASHA PULLEY, bestselling author of THE WATCHMAKER OF FILIGREE STREETExceptional. Strange, addictive, immersive, it’s a steampunk Piranesi meets His Dark Materials – JENNIE GODFREY, author of THE LIST OF SUSPICIOUS THINGSI hugely enjoyed The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands; it’s like a steampunk Solaris – LAWRENCE NORFOLK, author of JOHN SATURNALL’S FEASTAsks us to reconsider our place within the natural world amid a backdrop of capitalism and empire… thrilling and transcendent – RITA CHANG-EPPIG, author of DEEP AS THE SKY, RED AS THE SEARichly imaginative, profoundly allegorical, and utterly propulsive, I loved THE CAUTIOUS TRAVELLER’S GUIDE TO THE WASTELANDS. With impeccable pacing and elegant storytelling, this novel is pure delight. Though all on the same train, each character takes a different journey and it is most marvellous to join in as they travel the Wastelands to reach their final destinations. Bravo! All aboard for a captivating and transformative adventure! – MELISSA FU, author of PEACH BLOSSOM SPRINGA spellbindingly original and totally engrossing book; I so much want to ride that train! – SHARON BOLTON, author of THE FAKE WIFEI loved this book … deserves to become an instant classic – EMMA KAVANAGH, author of TO CATCH A KILLERExciting … Imagine a crossover between Murder on the Orient Express, Game of Thrones and Paradise Lost … Brooks has serious talent * Sunday Times *If you haven’t got it at the top of your pile yet, we suggest you move it on up. You’ll be thinking about this one long after you’ve put it down * Glamour *With its light handling of serious themes, this is a vivid and imaginative trip rather than a weighty one. But then inessential journeys are often the most fun * Guardian *The very best of speculative fiction * Stylist *Beautifully imagined … there are philosophical parables and scientific parallels to unpick, but meanings are deliciously elusive and dance away, just out of reach. Sit back and enjoy the ride * Daily Mail *A ride worth taking * Financial Times *Brooks’s crisp style and striking visual imagination make the Wastelands a hypnotic blend of menace and beauty, and she builds tension with a light touch * SFX Magazine *This is pitched as historical fantasy, but it is also being compared to a steampunk Solaris and a steampunk Piranesi by early readers, so I think there will be plenty here for sci-fi fans to enjoy * New Scientist *

Sarah Brooks won the Lucy Cavendish Prize in 2019. She works in East Asian Studies at the University of Leeds where she also helps run the Leeds Centre for New Chinese Writing. She has a PhD on monsters in classical Chinese ghost stories and is also co-editor of Samovar, a bilingual online magazine for translated speculative fiction. Originally from Lancashire, she now lives in Leeds.