Mordew
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Mordew
Narrated by:
Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
Buy Now for $32.28
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Narrated by:
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Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
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By:
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Alex Pheby
Summary
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.
"Brilliant... Extraordinary... An extravagant and unnerving marvel."
The Guardian
"Beautifully rendered... Immersive, tense, full of action."
The Irish Times
"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
"A blend of Great Expectations and Gormenghast, with a cliffhanger ending that hints at a dynamic sequel." Literary Review
"There are books that, the moment you enter their world, you know you are dealing with something special. ... Mordew reminded me of what it was that drew me to the Fantasy genre in the first place, that feeling of reading Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast novels, M. John Harrison's Viriconium stories, China Mieville's Bas Lag series. Here is Fantasy with a profound sense of the uncanny, Fantasy unafraid to embrace the grotesque and the strange, Fantasy that pushes at the edges of its metafictional relationship to the reader." -- The Fantasy Hive
"Shades of Gormenghast... but with a wild magic all of its own." -- The i, Summer fiction picks
"The corruption of power, and the consequences of inequality, are sharply played out in [this] nightmarish world... Beautifully rendered... Immersive, tense, full of action... [Mordew] may well prove to be a significant addition to the genre." Sean Hewitt, The Irish Times
"Pheby infuses the pages with a crackling, animating magic. Charismatic... delicious... There are even hints of dragons. A serious book, for serious people." Big Issue
For me the deal-breaker came after 10 hours when it still hadn't passed the bechdel test. Which, for a book released in 2020 is frankly inexcusable. The Gormenghast schtick was not lost on me, but again...not an excuse.
I might have persisted if the remainder of the execution was dazzling, but it wasn't, and this book is on the DNF shelf.
What a let down
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The narrator's voice brought this book to life for me and suited the grungy dark mood well. The voice acting for certain characters (Bellows, Anaximander, The Master) were especially well done, and carried across their distinct personas.
4/5
As for the actual story.. I felt it a little difficult to care that much for the characters in the story, so there was something lacking in their dimensionality and relatability. Sometimes they felt more like devices then unique people. The pacing of the first half IS a lot slower and low stakes than the latter, which felt inconsistent.
That said, the prose is lovely, there are more unique word usages and descriptions than most fantasy. The worldbuilding was quite fun, though it's not a very indulgently 'pleasant' story overall. It's a grimy, dark gothic fantasy, well written and brings something different to the table, and intrigued me enough to follow for the full duration. I don't regret this purchase and look forward to the sequel.
great reading, story flawed but very intriguing
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The narrator is fantastic at acting out all of the different characters and I found this to be a dark, mysterious and gripping book to listen to. I will be purchasing the hard copy.
Alex Pheby is a fantastic writer and I’m glad that he decided to branch out and write a fantasy novel.
I wish there was more!
Uniquely descriptive
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A little bit too dark and depressing
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Very well written
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