In an alternate universe in 1899, travelers wishing to cross the land between China and Russia have only one option: the Trans-Siberian Express. The area known as the Wastelands is a dangerous zone: it’s populated by monsters, the air is poison, and even staring at the view too long will mess with your head. Still, the train has a reputation for luxury, especially if you can afford a First Class ticket. Who wouldn’t want to experience the adventure of a luxurious trans-Siberian excursion, with a hint of danger, while being safely tucked away in the turn-of-the-century version of a pleasure cruise? Well, there’s a catch–in this case, two catches. First, something happened on the last journey that none of the passengers or crew can quite remember (but it was bad). Second, every crossing ends with a ritual, where the train is tested to be sure none of the dangerous air or monsters or anything that could threaten the outside world is present. If the train were to fail that test (it hasn’t happened yet, obviously), it would be sealed up with its passengers and crew left for dead.
The story introduces a wide variety of characters, both passengers and crew. Marya, whose glassmaker father was falsely blamed for the mishaps on the last journey, is traveling under an assumed name and seeking evidence to restore his reputation. Sixteen-year-old Weiwei, the “child of the train,” was born on the train and adopted by the crew. Henry Grey, a naturalist, has his own secret motives for wanting to see the Wastelands. A Countess, a stowaway, a brooding Captain, and the chief engineer round out the key characters.
The story is inventive, and some of the writing is really lovely. Perhaps not unexpectedly, we learn there is more to the Wastelands than the travelers understand. The stowaway, Elena, asks Weiwei why they call it the Wastelands. “As if there is nothing out there. As if it has been emptied, left behind, when it is full of living, thinking things. . . . Everything out there is alive. . . . everything is hungry, everything is growing, changing.”
I love the setup and the concept, and I enjoyed the novel well enough. I just wish it had been a bit more fun. When I saw the beautifully lush cover design and read the summary blurb, I thought, “Murder on the Orient Express with monsters!” Then I studied the detailed drawings of the train cars, and I was even more delighted. I was a bit let down, then, to discover the characters are mostly dour and the corporation running the train line is evil. “The train must run. That is the only truth that matters. Not who is destroyed along the way.”
It’s not the author’s fault I was expecting something different, and I did admire this book in some ways. Though parts were predictable, I was uncertain where the ending was headed. It leans curiously toward optimism, which is refreshing. This is author Sarah Brooks’s debut novel, and I’m curious to see what comes next from her.