Mordew

By: Alex Pheby

Narrated by: Kobna Holdbrook-Smith

Welcome to Mordew - the first in a fantastic new trilogy from the Wellcome Book Prize-shortlisted writer Alex Pheby.

God lies defeated, his corpse hidden in the catacombs beneath Mordew. On the surface, the streets of this the sea-battered city are slick with the Living Mud and the half-formed, short-lived creatures it spawns - creatures that die and are swept down from the Merchant Quarter by the brooms of the workers and relentless rains, where they rot in the slums.

There, a young boy called Nathan Treeves lives with his parents, eking out a meagre existence by picking treasures from the Living Mud - until one day his mother, desperate and starving, sells him to the mysterious Master of Mordew.

The Master derives his power from feeding on the corpse of God. But Nathan, despite his fear and lowly station, has his own strength - and it is greater than the Master has ever known. Great enough to destroy everything the Master has built. If only Nathan can discover how to use it.

So it is that the Master begins to scheme against him - and Nathan has to fight his way through the betrayals, secrets and vendettas of the city where God was murdered and darkness reigns....

Experience this critically acclaimed masterpiece, perfect for fans of Philip Pullman and Ben Aaronovitch.

©2020 Alex Pheby (P)2021 W F Howes

Critic reviews

"Brilliant.... Extraordinary.... An extravagant and unnerving marvel." (The Guardian)

"A treat.... The world of Alex Pheby's fourth novel is dizzying...a beguiling splicing of Dickensian social satire and rackety steampunk fantasy. Written with combustible verve." (The Spectator)

"Weird and wonderful, bleak and beautiful...[Mordew] is an extraordinarily vivid piece of world-building." (The Sunday Express)

Okay

I really wanted to like it but there was so many small things that bothered me but it all comes down to little to no impact from any of the story elements. The intended dark moments or big reveals just felt ...like nothing. It is so easy for me to usually to get emotionally connected to story and character but this book never came close to.

I like the concept and the skeleton of the story but that's about it, everything else seemed "okay", It's as if it's trying very hard to convince you the world is dark and cruel but the author fails to convey it. I do give credit to actually making a fantasy book that isn't simple litrpg slop though since fantasy section been overrun by them.

Narrator is pretty good but I feel like even there there are moments where the character voices mix up but overall happy with the narrator