The Bedlam Stacks: From the author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street

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He understood well what grief meant to a markayuq. In the same way that they learnt languages, gathering knowledge carved into stone at the first mention and never forgetting, never lessening, they held sadness just as permanently. Language: English Words: 4,177 Chapters: 1/1 Comments: 4 Kudos: 8 Bookmarks: 1 Hits: 74

A sequel to "Just Us Girls" by hahafool Language: English Words: 2,691 Chapters: 1/1 Collections: 1 Comments: 5 Kudos: 5 Bookmarks: 1 Hits: 21 The Marqayuk' was whispered by the gardeners whenever the fog passed in the distance as they worked in the greenhouses. Tools of the enemy state. I can’t really review this book without keeping the The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, Natasha Pulley’s debut, in mind and I apologies in advance for multiple comparisons between both books which I will be making.

Bedlam is a village, also called New Bethlehem. The author's imagination and world-building skills make it one the most astonishing creations I have ever found in fantasy.

I received an ARC of this novel from Bloomsbury Publishing in exchange for an honest review – all thoughts are my own. You could read this book that asks questions about life and faith; or you simply enjoy a lovely journey through a world that is both real and fantastical. What I missed most was the kind of philosophical battle, which did occur at the end of the Watchmaker of Filigree Street, pitting free will and predestination against each other through characters which you could both support. This expedition isn’t really about the trees at all, is it? It’s about getting a decent map, for if – when – the army has to go?’ There is a certain serene nonsensicalness to this. It has an edge of surrealism and fantasy added to a historical novel and a travelogue. In addition there is an element of steampunk as well. It is mainly set in Peru in and around the 1860s. It revolves around quinine and the attempts to steal some to be grown in other parts of the world. This is also an excuse for introducing plenty of references to Incan culture and mythology. So there are statures that move, pollen that does odd things, cloud cities, obsidian and much more.The best character in this story full of amazing characters, is Rafael, a Peruvian Catholic priest. He is also the preserver of Andean spiritual traditions and cares for the markayuq: wooden statues which are considered to be actual people turned to stone, can move around in mysterious ways, and are guardians of sacred spaces. OK, so in the two volumes I've read so far of N K Jemison's Broken Earth trilogy, The Fifth Season and The Obelisk Gate, there are creatures called Stone Eaters, humans who turn to stone! Is this a thing? I have not come across this in any book before.) First of all, I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. But you are supposed to root for him, I think, he is so damned affable (a flaw - if he'd been less affable at key moments the book would have been more interesting!) and yet at one late point he agrees to go off to the Congo rubber plantations should he survive Peru, and, well. At the heart of this is colonialism, with all its horrors. This is the summation of colonialism in the novel:

I was smitten when I read Natasha Pulley’s first book, ‘The Watchmaker of Filigree Street’ a year or two ago, and so when I saw that a second book was being sent out into the world I knew that I had to rush out and buy a copy. I also suspect the anticipation of the building relationship might be key to it's success. I went into both this and Watchmaker expecting to get a low key but definite gay relationship, and I think someone who didn't could easily miss some of those subtle moments or not read into them the same meaning and therefore deprive them of their power. The cover alone made me desperate to get hold of this book, not to mention the description. Exploding trees? Strange events in Peru? Sign me up now, please! Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you to the publishers!]The relationships in the book are very...unsatisfying. Nothing comes of much of them, or they're handled almost superficially. I'm all for slow burns but not if they fizzle into nothing, not if you build up a sort of almost super-human devotion and allow it to go absolutely nowhere. If that sounds a bit much, that is because it is. In the end it did not surprise me, but did disappoint me, when we have a “giant eagle” style save by a Inca community floating in the clouds. The world he travelled through was so well realised, and the Peruvian jungle and the town of Bedlam felt wonderfully real and alive. The imaginative elements worked well because they came out of the natural world and old traditions, and they spoke of what makes up human. I particularly liked that way that those things sat against practical concerns, particularly the importance of a good cup of coffee.