I went into this book not knowing what to expect. Set in a fantasy world known as the Wanderlands, this story has the grand overtones of a legendary epic, the thrills and pacing of a jaunty adventure, and the riddles and curiosity of a complex puzzle. We follow various groups of  characters: immortals planning to destroy a giant, a young pair transported from home to the lightless barrens, a motley crew hopping bars to survive a crazy deadly night in their city, and two young boys led by a dream to quest for a magical key; and even more story threads as the book goes on all interweave in intriguing, thrilling and unexpected ways to become a fresh and unique narrative. As it progresses, the author leans into the puzzle aspects of the story. At the start, he provides vaguely enigmatic descriptions of characters, with many clues that make you want to ask even more questions about them. (The opening paragraph reads: “Something that is very much like a man  makes his way down an old stone passageway… His name—at the moment—is West.”) The story is perhaps propelled more by intrigue and curiosity than it is by plot, though there is also a lot of plot. It’s difficult to give any kind of synopsis, not only because it would be a minefield of spoilers, but also because the story is a complex web of events, encounters, history, and flashbacks. Part of the fun of this book is making the connections once they are revealed (and if you’re really clever, maybe even before they are).

I enjoyed this book a lot because it’s a dream for fans of world-building. Not only is the setting strangely unique (a world within a gargantuan mountain, shut off from light and the sun) but we are fed bits and pieces of the mythology and history of this world that has been through millennia: going through magical wars, monstrous cataclysm, ages of techno-wizardry (with not only killer automata, but also robotic butterflies left as legacy), and all types of strange and wondrous beings with fascinating stories of their own. Throughout the history that we learn of this world, there are groups and factions, power struggles and schemes (plenty of schemes) at work in the society under this mountain. There was clearly a lot of thought given by the author to create a tapestry of background lore to decorate the world, and fill in the characters. Even the names of these characters are a fresh and puzzling mix of normal words used in unexpected ways: West, Winter, Bear, Mr. Turpentine, Primary Gray, and others. A long-vanished group of wizards were known as The Cold, and a cabal of gods were known as The Wise; and there were monstrous robotic creatures known as feral children. I couldn’t get enough of all this rich, inventive detail and hints of a vast and expansive universe.

Together with the fantastic backdrop, there was also a fast-moving series of plots and storylines. Once the action kicked in, the pages turned rapidly and many chapters led to twists (plenty of twists) and reveals (plenty of reveals). Part of the puzzle nature of the story is that we are often made to wonder if there’s more to a given character; how are they connected to other characters and events from the past? We start to consider when in the timeline a chapter is taking place relative to another chapter. Unfortunately most of these questions are not answered explicitly, and we’re left to use our mental pinboard to trace the connections with our mental thumbtacks and red twine. As fun as it was to be constantly curious and guessing, I found the format of the quick, short chapters and the switching of viewpoints for each chapter a bit challenging for things to sink in. I was constantly trying to keep the various clues straight in my head: “Wait, was this mentioned two chapters ago?” “Does that mean these two details are connected?” “Have we already been told about this before, or is it a new fact?” At one point I reread a portion of the book, grouping chapters for a single viewpoint together and reading through them (kind of like a playlist). I think that might have been a better way to structure this book — at least within each of the four main parts. It would have helped to slow the pace a bit and give us some time to register what we’re reading. This book reminded me a lot of the TV series Lost. Both had a collection of interesting, varied characters who we don’t know much about at first, and we get to figure out who they are as the story goes on. Also, there’s the mysterious setting full of things that don’t really make much sense, and week to week we viewers become ravenous for clues and reveals (often we feel like a reveal actually tells us something when it just leads to more questions: “Oh! The numbers on the audio recording need to be entered into the device at regular intervals! That’s what they’re for!” Don’t get me wrong. Lost is one of my favourite shows, but the hunger for clues and answers can leave a viewer/reader starving for a satisfying conclusion. 

I won’t spoil anything, but it was a tall order for the ending of this book to meet. There were so many plot threads, so many questions, so many details that were needed, that a satisfying conclusion was not likely. Much of this book felt like setting up this world, these characters, these events so that they could go forward from here. In fact, so many of the threads ended in a place that felt like a beginning, or where we finally understand who these characters are, that this book felt more like a prequel than the first book in a series. It felt as if we’ve already read about the subsequent events and adventures (even though we obviously haven’t) and finally get to know how we got here. So, similar to TV’s Lost, the ending was a bit of a letdown. (But it was a much better conclusion than the finale of Lost — don’t mistake me.)

Overall, I loved this book so much for the incredible, amazing world and characters that have been created for it. I thoroughly enjoyed all the fantastical events, plots and histories that have brought all these characters to where they are. There’s almost none of the many characters whose backstories I don’t want to know more about (apologies for the double-negative). I don’t know if future volumes of the Wanderlands series will move the story forward, or they will fill in the some of the backstories where intriguing gaps remain, but either way, I am excited to read more about them. At the start of reading this book, I thought that this is an ideal book for a reader like myself. Despite some of its flaws, I still stand by that opinion for the world-building aspects alone. Hopefully future volumes will give the characters more room to live and breathe, and for readers to understand them more. I have fully enjoyed my first trip to the Wanderlands, and can’t wait for a return visit.

4.5 stars

Please read with me on GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/78985113-alvin-ng