
Mordew
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from Wish List failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $35.99
-
Narrated by:
-
Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
-
By:
-
Alex Pheby
About this listen
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 HowesCritic 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)
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
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
could have been shorter
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
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
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
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
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A little bit too dark and depressing
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Very well written
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Unrelentingly Miserable
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Not my kind of fantasy
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.