The Cautious Traveller's Guide to The Wastelands

The Great Trans-Siberian Express comes to life in a novel of wild imagination, perfect for fans of Piranesi, Babel, The Night Circus and Jessie Burton



It is said there is a price that every passenger must pay. A price beyond the cost of a ticket.

It is the end of the 19th Century and the world is awash with marvels. But there is nothing so marvellous as the Wastelands: a terrain of terrible miracles that lies between Beijing and Moscow.

Nothing touches this abandoned wilderness except the Great Trans-Siberian Express, an impenetrable train built to carry cargo across continents but which now transports anyone who dares to cross the shadowy Wastelands.

On to the platform steps a curious cast of characters: a grieving woman with a borrowed name, a famous child born on the train and a disgraced naturalist, all heading for the Great Exhibition in Moscow.

But the old rules are changing, and there are whispers that the train isn''t safe. As secrets begin to unravel, the passengers and crew must survive their journey through the Wastelands together - even as something uncontrollable seems to be breaking in . . .

Review

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 HARDCASTLE

A 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 SEASON

This 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 ARIADNE

The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wasteland is mysterious and clever and brilliant -- NATASHA PULLEY, bestselling author of THE WATCHMAKER OF FILIGREE STREET

Exceptional. Strange, addictive, immersive, it's a steampunk Piranesi meets His Dark Materials -- JENNIE GODFREY, author of THE LIST OF SUSPICIOUS THINGS

I hugely enjoyed The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands; it's like a steampunk Solaris -- LAWRENCE NORFOLK, author of JOHN SATURNALL’S FEAST

Asks 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 SEA

About the Author

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.