Kirkus Review: Best Fiction Books of 2024
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Sign up todayThe West Passage
Narrator
Steve West
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Length
13 hours 13 minutes
Language
English
Bookseller recommendation
“The palace is crumbling, the Ladies are dying, and all this rot is tempting 'The Beast' to rise and wreak havoc. The West Passage is a twisting tale with dark corners and weird asides. It’s about what happens when isolation reigns and traditions are lost. It’s filled with mythology and rarely spoon-feeds you context. This makes for a story that keeps you thinking and wondering. I deeply enjoyed this weird medieval tale. ”
— Izzy • Off the Beaten Path
A palace the size of a city, ruled by giant Ladies of unknowable, eldritch origin. A land left to slow decay, drowning in the debris of generations. All this and more awaits you within The West Passage, a delightfully mysterious and intriguingly weird medieval fantasy unlike anything you've read before.
“The West Passage is a dangerous book of secrets.” —Travis Baldree, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Legends & Lattes
“A weird and wonderful tale, rich with imagination and utterly unique.” —Sunyi Dean, author of The Book Eaters
“One of the finest fantasies of this decade, a sweeping swarm of fiercely human creativity.” —Indrapramit Das, author of The Devourers
When the Guardian of the West Passage died in her bed, the women of Grey Tower fed her to the crows and went back to their chores. No successor was named as Guardian, no one took up the fallen blade; the West Passage went unguarded.
Now, snow blankets Grey in the height of summer. Rats erupt from beneath the earth, fleeing that which comes. Crops fail. Hunger looms. And none stand ready to face the Beast, stirring beneath the poisoned soil.
The fate of all who live in the palace hangs on narrow shoulders. The too-young Mother of Grey House sets out to fix the seasons. The unnamed apprentice of the deceased Grey Guardian goes to warn Black Tower. Both their paths cross the West Passage, the ancient byway of the Beast. On their journeys they will meet schoolteachers and beekeepers, miracles and monsters, and very, very big Ladies. None can say if they'll reach their destinations, but one thing is for sure: the world is about to change.
A Macmillan Audio production from Tor.com.
Jared Pechaček is an artist and writer based in Seattle, Washington. He is also a host of the Tolkien podcast By-The-Bywater. When he’s not doing any of that, he’s cooking, baking, or sewing something to wear to the opera.
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Audiobook details
Author:
Jared Pechaček
Narrator:
Steve West
ISBN:
9781250351296
Length:
13 hours 13 minutes
Language:
English
Publisher:
Macmillan Audio
Publication date:
July 16, 2024
Edition:
Unabridged
Libro.fm rank:
#10,904 Overall
Genre rank:
#1,847 in Fantasy
Reviews
“The West Passage is a dangerous book of secrets. It is the singular agony of a delicious dream half-recalled. Its shadows are colonized with the gorgeous, the grotesque, and the forgotten — and now you are a vital link in their remembrance.” —Travis Baldree, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Legends & Lattes
“A weird and wonderful tale, rich with imagination and utterly unique; Pechaček has crafted a literary gem of a novel.” —Sunyi Dean, author of The Book Eaters
“Emotionally tender, thematically rich, and creatively stunning, The West Passage is a singular achievement in fantasy writing.” —J.T. Greathouse, author of the Pact and Pattern series
“This is one of the finest fantasies of this decade, a sweeping storm of fiercely human creativity to drown the pallid temptations of our era's algorithmic storytelling.” —Indra Das, author of The Devourers
“Vividly depicted, decidedly peculiar...a curious, but curiously charming, allegory of a world in crisis.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Fantastical world building and mind-blowing mythos... The West Passage is a spellbinding debut that cannot be missed.” —Booklist, starred review
“Pechaček is unafraid to mix sweet whimsy with horror, which keeps readers’ tension high as they’re immersed in this fearsomely lovely realm.” —Library Journal, starred review
“Underneath The West Passage's pretty exterior is an utterly strange and alien landscape that is captivating, capricious, and full of dark places. Endlessly fascinating, beautifully written, and sublimely weird.” —Jenn Lyons, author of the Chorus of Dragons series
“A deep and meditative fantasy that fans of the weird and wild will thoroughly enjoy.” —R.R. Virdi, author of The First Binding
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