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pigolaus's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
particularnorth's review
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jlreadstoperpetuity's review
4.0
Just when you thought you have experienced all fantasy timelines and world buildings, you get to discover more!
First half, I was so darn confused but engagingly so. I can't stop flicking to the next page to find the connections. Glad I didn't stop cause the second half is just one transition to the other. I felt like I was coasting from one scene to the next. So exciting! Can't wait for the sequel
First half, I was so darn confused but engagingly so. I can't stop flicking to the next page to find the connections. Glad I didn't stop cause the second half is just one transition to the other. I felt like I was coasting from one scene to the next. So exciting! Can't wait for the sequel
joelteon's review
4.0
I received an eARC of this book from Angry Robot Books and Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
Arcadia ‘Cady’ Meade is quite possibly the oldest main character I’ve had the pleasure of reading at 78 years old, or perhaps she’s a little bit older than that. A former ship’s captain on the river Nysis, Cady is requested to deliver a young girl, Brin, and her automaton companion, Lek, to a farflung destination, Ludwich, in time for the Hesting Festival. She is drawn back to her former ship, Juniper, and together they must undergo this perilous journey. All while chasing the mysterious Gogmagog nad the three items shown to Cady in her dreams.
From the first page Gogmagog was an awesome and inventive read. It’s set in an alternate England, but I didn’t get that vibe and there were barely any comparisons to reality. It was full-on fantasy fare and I loved it for that. It is weird, inventive and strange, but I was onboard Juniper with this crazy cast of characters as they travelled through a sixty mile long dragon and faced non stop challenges.
Cady is a no holds barred, crass old lady who was a rollicking good time to accompany. She was the best of the characters we got to see. Even if Yanish, Brin and Lek did some heavy lifting of their own Cady was the sole POV and it was such a good decision.
So many wild ideas were thrown into this story and most of them worked so well. Unfortunately I was lost a couple of times due to all of the terms and names so this isn’t a perfect 5/5, but it’s close and I highly look forward to the upcoming sequel, Ludluda, to be released in Novemeber and conclude this duology. Gogmagog releases on February 13th so be sure to check out this first installment of a fascinating new series.
Rating: 4/5
Arcadia ‘Cady’ Meade is quite possibly the oldest main character I’ve had the pleasure of reading at 78 years old, or perhaps she’s a little bit older than that. A former ship’s captain on the river Nysis, Cady is requested to deliver a young girl, Brin, and her automaton companion, Lek, to a farflung destination, Ludwich, in time for the Hesting Festival. She is drawn back to her former ship, Juniper, and together they must undergo this perilous journey. All while chasing the mysterious Gogmagog nad the three items shown to Cady in her dreams.
From the first page Gogmagog was an awesome and inventive read. It’s set in an alternate England, but I didn’t get that vibe and there were barely any comparisons to reality. It was full-on fantasy fare and I loved it for that. It is weird, inventive and strange, but I was onboard Juniper with this crazy cast of characters as they travelled through a sixty mile long dragon and faced non stop challenges.
Cady is a no holds barred, crass old lady who was a rollicking good time to accompany. She was the best of the characters we got to see. Even if Yanish, Brin and Lek did some heavy lifting of their own Cady was the sole POV and it was such a good decision.
So many wild ideas were thrown into this story and most of them worked so well. Unfortunately I was lost a couple of times due to all of the terms and names so this isn’t a perfect 5/5, but it’s close and I highly look forward to the upcoming sequel, Ludluda, to be released in Novemeber and conclude this duology. Gogmagog releases on February 13th so be sure to check out this first installment of a fascinating new series.
Rating: 4/5
mandragora's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
arkyver's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
natuszik's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
alannajane's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
Solid 5 stars.
Audiobook is very well narrated.
Wow! What a ride! This (audio)book is so much fun!! I just LOVE weird, quirky books with out-of-the-ordinary characters.
The main characters are a delight, especially Captain Cady Meade. She is delightfully old, gross and hag-like in her demeanor, though she harbours a long-held secret and a humongous heart. the ragatag crew assembled for the voyage that takes place in this book are all so deeply loveable in their weirdness.
Some are not going to enjoy the storyline that jumps around from place to place. I personally didn't find it hard to follow at all, and perhaps the audiobook narrator is to thank for that or perhaps my ADHD?! I was captivated with each new revelatory shift in plot, and wanted with all of my reading heart to be onboard the Juniper for this mighty adventure. In addition to the characters and world-building being fantastic, the writing is superb.
The truth is that I have almost completely stopped reading books written by men - especially straight, white men. I just cannot fathom how certain authors (of distinct privilege) can imagine their way into vastly different worlds, while blatantly bringing along the patriarchal, white supremacist, ableist, capitalist problems/systems that dominate the world we actually live in. This book has a smidge of that, but is so fantastical that it (thankfully) leaves quite a bit of that behind. I will definitely be moving Jeff Noon to my collection of favourite authors after reading this, and will be looking into their other works.
I very much look forward to the second half of this story being published (?later this year?). I dearly want to spend more time with these characters, and see what is going to happen to them on dry land.
Huge gratitude to NetGalley, and the publisher Dreamscape Media, for an audioARC of Gogmagog, in exchange for my honest review.
Audiobook is very well narrated.
Wow! What a ride! This (audio)book is so much fun!! I just LOVE weird, quirky books with out-of-the-ordinary characters.
The main characters are a delight, especially Captain Cady Meade. She is delightfully old, gross and hag-like in her demeanor, though she harbours a long-held secret and a humongous heart. the ragatag crew assembled for the voyage that takes place in this book are all so deeply loveable in their weirdness.
Some are not going to enjoy the storyline that jumps around from place to place. I personally didn't find it hard to follow at all, and perhaps the audiobook narrator is to thank for that or perhaps my ADHD?! I was captivated with each new revelatory shift in plot, and wanted with all of my reading heart to be onboard the Juniper for this mighty adventure. In addition to the characters and world-building being fantastic, the writing is superb.
The truth is that I have almost completely stopped reading books written by men - especially straight, white men. I just cannot fathom how certain authors (of distinct privilege) can imagine their way into vastly different worlds, while blatantly bringing along the patriarchal, white supremacist, ableist, capitalist problems/systems that dominate the world we actually live in. This book has a smidge of that, but is so fantastical that it (thankfully) leaves quite a bit of that behind. I will definitely be moving Jeff Noon to my collection of favourite authors after reading this, and will be looking into their other works.
I very much look forward to the second half of this story being published (?later this year?). I dearly want to spend more time with these characters, and see what is going to happen to them on dry land.
Huge gratitude to NetGalley, and the publisher Dreamscape Media, for an audioARC of Gogmagog, in exchange for my honest review.
paromita_m's review
4.0
Gogmagog by Jeff Noon and Steve Beard was described as a weird fantasy novel that would appeal to readers of Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake, which is one of my all-time favourite fantasy works. I also very much enjoy reading contemporary weird fiction by authors such as Jeff Vandermeer and China Mieville. As a result, this was a highly anticipated read. I am pleased to report it delivered on that promise.
The first thing which immediately piqued my interest while reading was the narrative voice - it was quirky, but not overtly so, and the contemporary nature of the writing built momentum and felt tonally apt.
The second thing which was incredibly fun to read was the myriad cast of characters. Here I do see the Gormenghast comparison with the bizarre, the peculiar traits and personalities making their appearance throughout the narrative in an organic way. The main character was especially interesting to follow.
I thoroughly enjoyed the novel, it was a wild ride from start to finish.
But what is Gogmagog (beyond the publisher synopsis)? I would say it is a journey and also a quest (in an unconventional sense) in a unique setting. The atmosphere, the world and the characters are the highlight of this novel, imbuing personality to Gogmagog and making it come alive. To say too much about the story would be to spoil the "magic" in my opinion. My recommendation would be to dive in and enjoy the ride (yes, pun intended).
The storytelling was great with a particular plot development near the end completely recontextualising the entirety of what I had read previously and leaving me eager for the second part of the duology.
If there were some things I would nitpick, one would be that the pacing at times seemed a bit too frenetic and I would have liked to see a bit more work around the theming (particularly using the river as a motif). However, as this is part one of a two part novel, it is possible that will come later.
Overall, I thought this was an extremely well-written, imaginative novel with a unique narrative voice and would recommend it to all readers looking for something new in speculative fiction and in particular, to readers of weird fiction.
Many thanks to Angry Robot Publishers and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
The first thing which immediately piqued my interest while reading was the narrative voice - it was quirky, but not overtly so, and the contemporary nature of the writing built momentum and felt tonally apt.
The second thing which was incredibly fun to read was the myriad cast of characters. Here I do see the Gormenghast comparison with the bizarre, the peculiar traits and personalities making their appearance throughout the narrative in an organic way. The main character was especially interesting to follow.
I thoroughly enjoyed the novel, it was a wild ride from start to finish.
But what is Gogmagog (beyond the publisher synopsis)? I would say it is a journey and also a quest (in an unconventional sense) in a unique setting. The atmosphere, the world and the characters are the highlight of this novel, imbuing personality to Gogmagog and making it come alive. To say too much about the story would be to spoil the "magic" in my opinion. My recommendation would be to dive in and enjoy the ride (yes, pun intended).
The storytelling was great with a particular plot development near the end completely recontextualising the entirety of what I had read previously and leaving me eager for the second part of the duology.
If there were some things I would nitpick, one would be that the pacing at times seemed a bit too frenetic and I would have liked to see a bit more work around the theming (particularly using the river as a motif). However, as this is part one of a two part novel, it is possible that will come later.
Overall, I thought this was an extremely well-written, imaginative novel with a unique narrative voice and would recommend it to all readers looking for something new in speculative fiction and in particular, to readers of weird fiction.
Many thanks to Angry Robot Publishers and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
thecaseofbooks's review
5.0
I was kindly send an ARC of Gogmagog by was kindly send an ARC of Gogmagog by @angryrobotbooks and this was an absolute delight to read! I can’t wait for the second book Ludluda to come out because I had such a fantastic time reading this.
Recently I’ve read quite a few books with older female protagonists and I’m absolutely loving it. We get such wonderfully rich characters with the experience to make what they do in their stories believable. Our MC is Candy Meade who was a renowned river boat captain. She’s now bawdy and drunk a lot of the time. However she is forced to take a perilous journey along the river to help a young girl with a strange illness who is racing against time to get help and her artificial companion. She will face many dangers trying to navigate the river which has changed since her heyday.
This was such a wonderful blend of sci-fi, fantasy and adventure. It’s a really fun voyage and there’s so many cool and fascinating occurrences (I don’t want to say too much to avoid spoilers!) this book is non-stop action, the pace is ferocious and it is genuinely so exciting. There is some delightful magic in this if you’re a nature fan and some malicious and dangerous foes.
Recently I’ve read quite a few books with older female protagonists and I’m absolutely loving it. We get such wonderfully rich characters with the experience to make what they do in their stories believable. Our MC is Candy Meade who was a renowned river boat captain. She’s now bawdy and drunk a lot of the time. However she is forced to take a perilous journey along the river to help a young girl with a strange illness who is racing against time to get help and her artificial companion. She will face many dangers trying to navigate the river which has changed since her heyday.
This was such a wonderful blend of sci-fi, fantasy and adventure. It’s a really fun voyage and there’s so many cool and fascinating occurrences (I don’t want to say too much to avoid spoilers!) this book is non-stop action, the pace is ferocious and it is genuinely so exciting. There is some delightful magic in this if you’re a nature fan and some malicious and dangerous foes.
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