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Mordew
- Narrated by: Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
- Length: 18 hrs and 29 mins
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Mordew
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Publisher's Summary
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.
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)
What listeners say about Mordew
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Isabel
- 26-08-2024
What a let down
I wanted to love this book. I love dark fantasy, I love weird creative world building and I don't mind the bleakness that other readers mentioned.
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.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 19-05-2022
great reading, story flawed but very intriguing
5/5
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.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 01-12-2021
Uniquely descriptive
I have thoroughly enjoyed the unique nature of the descriptions in this book.
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!
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 11-06-2022
A little bit too dark and depressing
A little bit too dark and depressing for me. I finished the book but couldn’t quite enjoy it. There was no relief from the endless depression, death and destruction.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tracey OBrien
- 11-03-2023
Very well written
This book held my attention to the very end. There are two more books in the trilogy and much more to be told. The story has little triumphs through out and isn't as miserable as the other reviews claim, infact it is beautifully written and masterfully narrated! Looking forward to the next part of the story.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 30-05-2021
Unrelentingly Miserable
I stuck with it nearly to the end only for my admiration of the narrator. Bleak, grossly violent. Represents a masculine narrative that makes the world weep.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Saul
- 07-10-2021
Not my kind of fantasy
I love Kobna Holdbrook-Smith from his narration of the Rivers of London series, but this story just didn't seem to be going anywhere.
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