The Cautious Traveller's Guide to The Wastelands

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 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 '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 urge everybody to pick up a copy' STUART TURTON 'Be warned - once you step into The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands , you'll never want to disembark ' SAMANTHA SHANNON 'Wild and wonderful . . . completely captivating' JENNIFER SAINT 'Mysterious and clever and brilliant' NATASHA PULLEY 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 . . .

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 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 '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 urge everybody to pick up a copy' STUART TURTON 'Be warned - once you step into The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands , you'll never want to disembark ' SAMANTHA SHANNON 'Wild and wonderful . . . completely captivating' JENNIFER SAINT 'Mysterious and clever and brilliant' NATASHA PULLEY 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 . . .

For fans of Piranesi and The Midnight Library, a stunning historical fantasy novel 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?

For fans of Piranesi and The Midnight Library, a stunning historical fantasy novel 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?