Mordew

Mordew by Alex Pheby. MacMillan/Tor.

Nathan Treeves lives in the slums of Mordew with his parents. His father is quite ill and his mother has a succession of male visitors that helps pay the bills. Nathan is only thirteen years old but he does have a potential weapon even though he doesn’t know how to use it. He has a spark that creates an itch and it really is much like it’s called. He wants to use it but his father has warned him against using the spark or any magic. Things become desperate and Nathan is sent by his mother to be sold to the Master. In the course of events, he ends up linked with Gam, Prissy, and the Joes, other slum dwellers who make money by doing jobs for Padge. Gam has been after him for a while, trying to get him to join the gang. Nathan finally gives in and joins with them, and the story continues with various scrapes that he gets in along the way. The story has danger, drama, betrayals, and secrets to be revealed.

I’m really uncertain how to feel about this book. I know many really loved it but I’m not in that category. I liked some aspects of the story, especially the secrets that get revealed. Nathan himself is one of the most passive characters I’ve seen as a protagonist. He almost always does what others tell him to do: his father, his mother, Gam and Prissy. Then the Master and Bellows and a few others. It’s only the magic that pushes him to take any initiative and then he goes almost too far. He shows a surprising lack of curiosity but maybe he’s just a product of his life in that respect.

There’s a sense of horror in the slums, particularly with the Living Mud which produces all sorts of creatures, including children who are distinguished from those natural born. I suppose that’s kind of the thing about slums though. I’ve heard comparisons to Dickens’ poverty in relation to this story and I think there are elements of that. There certainly is the hopelessness and the cut-throat survival of the fittest that keeps things moving along. Not to mention the wealthy and powerful who exert control over the slums.

The book itself is quite lengthy and goes into considerable depth to show us the world we are encountering. I wouldn’t say it’s slow-moving but it definitely isn’t fast either. I feel like this is all meant to set us up for the rest of the story. This is book one of a trilogy and ends on a major cliffhanger. I had forgotten that fact when I reached the end and it left me feeling totally uncertain. But in the right context, it sets up the next book and leaves me with an interest in reading further.

I will point out there is a massive glossary after the main book. This was mentioned at the beginning but there were warnings of spoilers. I didn’t read the entire glossary but did skim over some of the entries. In some ways, there’s a fair bit of repetition from the main book and it seems like a bit of overkill. But maybe there’s a good reason for it that will become apparent. Also, there’s an addendum relating to the Weft and that goes on a bit and is tedious reading at the moment. I repeat my feelings about the glossary for the addendum.

So in the end, I am still interested in the story but approach it with some hesitation and reservation. Overall, I will give this 3.5 stars and look forward to reading the next book. Thank you to MacMillan/Tor and Netgalley fro providing an advanced reader copy. My review has been written voluntarily.