Synopsis:
Gogmagog tells the story of an epic journey through the sixty-mile long ghost of a dragon. We travel by boat, a rickety steam launch captained by Cady Meade, a veteran taxi pilot on the river Nysis. In her heyday she carried people and goods from the thriving seaports of the estuary into Ludwich, the capital city. But that was years ago. Now she’s drunk, holed up in a rundown seaside resort, telling her bawdy tales for shots of rum. All that’s about to change, when two strangers seek her out, asking for transport, one of whom – a young girl – is very ill, and in great danger. The other, an artificial being of singular character, has secrets hidden inside his crystal skull. And so begins the voyage of the Juniper.
The Nysis is unlike any other river. Mysteries unfold with each port of call. Not many can navigate these channels, not many know of its whirlpools and sandbanks, and of the ravenous creatures that lurk beneath the surface. Cady used to have the necessary knowledge, and the powers of spectral navigation. But her glory days are well behind her now.
This might well be her final journey.
Review:
Thank you Angry Robot for sending me a copy of Gogmagog to review.
Now this is weird fiction at its finest. If you’re here for a plot-driven story you’re going to be disappointed, but if you’re here for the weird and the wonderful with a plot that meanders like the river our characters are traversing you’ll have a great time.
Gogmagog starts by introducing Cady, an outright vile person with a secret and more of heart than she’d ever let on. In all honestly I went through periods where I did and didn’t like Cady, I liked her more often than not but sometimes she truly grossed me out. She’s got this incredible knowledge of the river and is pivotal to navigating it safely, as well as being pivotal to dealing with what is almost a prophecy she discovers early into the book.
There’s only a small handful of characters that we stick with through the book. You come to know a young girl and artificial robot-like character quite well and I loved seeing their relationship. They’re the catalyst for travelling along the river and I really enjoyed discovering their backstory. She is quite the impressive child!
It’s hard to talk about the plot for this one as really it meanders along. There’s clearly several plot points (and I don’t wish to spoil them) but ultimately you never really know what is going to happen next. This is weird fiction and you’ve just got to be going along for the ride. The world is never truly explained but you learn to just accept everything and run with it. And with that it becomes a very fun read.
Go in for a fast-paced story where the characters are along for the ride with you and you’ll find yourself speeding through Gogmagog.
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