I am not impressed.This is not really a novel - it's four novellas happening in or around the same city where magic causes bramble to grow. This bramble causes deadly sleeping sickness in people and cannot be destroyed. Ergo, magic is forbidden and its use punished (or, as we all know, only higher-ups get to use it without fear of consequences).If this was a novel, it might have been interesting with some more work put into it. But as it is, the novellas are too short to do any real worldbuildin...

Really interesting concept, but definitely very underwhelmingly executed. This book is actually four standalone novellas, which don't really build on each other or expand the extended story, which I really wanted them to do. By the end it was actually pretty frustrating, as I felt the first one was by far the most interesting and the only one which actually seemed to *affect* the world. I was then waiting for the characters/threads from this to weave back in, but it never happened. The second st...

I liked this “green fantasy” / “eco fantasy” setting as a nice change from Bacigalupi’s usual “eco-dystopias”. In this world, magic is a resource and if you use it, you create pollution. Pollution that takes the shape of an invasive plant species that poisons humans into an endless sleep. Nice idea. The 4 different short stories taking place in this world, however, were too repetitive. I enjoyed the old 2, back when I first read them. This book includes 2 new ones, which unfortunately were just

The Tangled Lands comprises of four parts which I guess you could call short stories/novellas which are interconnected to form the story.It is a tale of magic and the environmental consequences that result from the use of it and the lengths people go to stop said use as well as the growth of the bramble.I received a sample of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I obtained the first part of the book which is called The Alchemist written by Paolo Bacigalupi. This book is

4 stars for incredible world building and writing. I’d read a review saying the story was ‘dark’ and indeed it is. It could also be dismissed as pessimistic or even a ‘simple’ story about people’s inability to stop polluting the earth-a common theme of this author. But it is more than that- about family ties, loss of ones land and livelihood, and cruelty to a person that then changes that person. The ending was hard and if the rest of the story (really 4 novellas by two authors) hadn’t been so e...

The Tangled Lands is an anthology of four novellas, each taking place in a land in the grip of an ecological disaster, which is, as most are, a man-made disaster. In this case, the culprit is the overuse of of a critical resource, magic, and the result is a explosive growth of a kudzu-like species of vine (bramble), with spines that send humans into lethal comas, and which devours acreage, including cropland, and is impossible to eradicate.The first novella, "The Alchemist," serves as an introdu...

I received a copy of this book for review from Wunderkind PR. All opinions are my own.3ish stars overall. I'm not sure why it took so long for me to get back to this for review... Probably because I felt fairly neutral about it. Here's the star break-down for each novella:The Alchemist: 3 stars. This was my introduction to this world and the city of Khaim. I found the concept of the magic to be interesting, as well as the political machinations that we learned about. Though I liked the ideas, I

3.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2018/03/08/...A couple things I didn’t realize when I first picked up The Tangled Lands: one, the world featured here was in fact introduced back around 2011 in the Khaim Novellas series, consisting of The Alchemist by Paolo Bacigalupi and The Executioness by Tobias S. Buckell. Two, this book actually turned out to be an anthology of sorts, containing four short stories which include the aforementioned two novellas. All four pieces ta...

Mehhh. I must read more short stories. I must get used to the small format conveying the same emotion and build and creativity as the long form novel. But these four stories feel disconnected and cold and unwelcoming, cutting the reader off in a very dispassionate way. Which may be due to the bleak content: all four stories are relentlessly dark and nauseating. It's a relatively quick read, but that might have been me skimming frantically over another description of maggots and rats trying to fi...

'The Tangled Lands' is made up of four standalone novellas tied together by a common land and a common problem. The overuse of magic has given rise to a bramble that is encroaching on the cities and destroying everything in its path. The worldbuilding is beautiful . It allows the stories to breathe. The people and their predicaments are also interestingly presented. It’s a good read, but never goes beyond a good read. I enjoyed all four stories, but none of them really stood out.

This review first appeared on my blog.textThe Tangled Lands is made up of four distinct short stories, tied together by a common land and a common problem. Calling The Tangled Lands a novel is a bit misleading and left me somewhat disappointed in the end result. The four stories are loosely tied together by place and problem, but not character. Each story has distinct characters, and while each story was very good, the overall novel doesn't seem to have accomplished much. At the end of the book,...

Ahoy there me mateys! I have loved Paolo Bacigalupi ever since I read the windup girl. So when I heard that he had co-written a book, I knew I had to pick it up. Just be aware that this is not one complete story but rather four interrelated short stories set in the same world. I am glad that me matey, Millie @ milliebotreads, warned me of this so I was prepared.That said, I absolutely loved this book. The world and its magic is so very fascinating. Brambles are taking over the world and destroyi...

Some of this I've read before. Good and interesting. But too dark for me to be completely enjoyable. Torture both physical and mental and usually fairly unnecessary. The world is fairly well thought out and the magic system feels consistent. Pretty strong use of female characters as well.

This was just ok for me. When it says a story in four parts it actually means four story’s in the same world. There are two stories from each author and the book read like a collection of novellas. They were all of a good standard but I can’t help but wish it was one narrative set in this world. I feel like it would be so much better this way. The Brambles were really interesting though and a little bit creepy. And I liked the overall message the book conveyed.

Those of us living through the trump administration will certainly see some familiarity in these cautionary tales of a fantasyland. And what a well built fantasyland this is! This quartet of stories is a rich enticement to hoping for further novels set in this class driven world. The two authors stories blended easily together and the strong feminism represented was a welcome viewpoint.

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy.THE TANGLED LANDS is less a novel, than four interrelated novellas. Each part focuses on different characters working within Khaim, a city covered in deadly thorns and vines due to the overuse of magic. Khaim acts as the main character, setting, and antagonist throughout each novella. In Khaim, magic is deadly but corruption isn’t just found in tangled roots. It’s in the men the who wield power and that people who follow orders unconditionally.There ar...

This book is perhaps more a 2.5 for me. It’s a really interesting world and concept but I was disappointed by the lack of any real conclusion/accomplishment of the book. Before reading it I didn’t realise that the 4 parts of the book were written as 4 separate novellas set in the same world. I kept hoping that it would come back and tie all the characters together to make this more of an actual novel rather than just 4 separate short stories, but it didn’t. Will more novellas be written in this

This wasn't exactly what I was expecting but I really enjoyed this! Lots of different POVs and consistent writing between the two authors. I was expecting them to try and solve the toxic magic stuff destroying the town but that's not the point of the book. Really cool and fast read and A FANTASY STAND ALONE!

Actual rating: 1.5You can also find this review here on my blog.Oh boy, how to write a review for this book… The Tangled Lands was one of my most anticipated reads of last year and then i never got to it. So i had time to get myself hyped up about how cool I thought the synopsis sounded that when i did finally start it, i was let down nearly instantly. This is a book i definitely regret the time spent reading it.The writing style is just odd. You are thrust into this world instantly and it feels...

The Tangled Lands by Paolo Bacigalupi and Tobias S. Buckell is a fantasy read that is done a bit differently than normal books. When it was said in the synopsis that it takes place in four parts I wasn’t quite expecting four completely different stories. This really makes the book feel like reading a collection of novellas that all feature different characters but take place within the same fantasy world.The four stories take place in Khaim, The Blue City, where a tyrant known as The Jolly Mayor...